Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies

Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Cookies 

Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 215.

Traditionally served after dark on Christmas Eve, according to her introduction to this fantastic cookie, but if you make these early I bet you won't make it until dark. These are wonderful and I loved them. They are very dark, crisp but chewy and have an intense chocolate flavor. Fantastic with milk or coffee. The cookies feel hard and would make a good gift to mail to someone. If you have it, use Dutch -process cocoa. It truly makes a difference. I am currently using Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa.

1 cup sifted whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 TBS. water
Additional sugar (to sprinkle on the cookies)

Preheat the oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with foil or baking liners.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cocoa.

Beat the butter and add the vanilla extract and the sugar. Beat in the egg and the water.

Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the floured mixture. Scrap the bowl as necessary and mix thoroughly.

Turn out the mixture onto a board or work space and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into two separate portions. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. 

Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookies. You can make them large (5") or smaller and any shape you want. Roll up the excess dough to make more cookies. 

Use a spatula to transfer the cut cookies to the baking sheet. 

Sprinkle with sugar. 

Repeat the procedure with the second batch of dough.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning the baking sheets midway through baking. Do not overbake. The cookies may not look done but they will be after cooling. Let them sit a minute or two before transferring them to a cooling rack.  Store them in an airtight container.


Yum

Phudge

Phudge 

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 249.

This may be the easiest recipe in all of Maida's books. After eating my first piece (and I could have easily ate the whole pan), I realized that I had this before. I think it is a fairly common recipe and I wonder if it originated from Maida Heatter. Whatever the source, it is fantastic. I haven't tried any of the other fudge recipes which require a bit more skill than this one but taste wise, this one is hard to beat. It can be eaten cold or at room temperature. I like it cold. It gets very soft when it gets to room temperature.

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

6 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup walnuts or pecans (medium sized pieces0

After melting the chocolate, beat in the cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Beat in the remaining sugar and melted chocolate and the nuts. Transfer to a foil-lined 8" pan. Wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Yum

Panforte Cioccolato

Panforte Cioccolata 

Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 79.

Although listed in the "chocolate cakes" section of her book, this Italian delicacy is more like candy or bread. "Panforte" means "strong bread" and is a good name for this energizing concoction of honey, nuts, candied fruits, cocoa and spices. It keeps well for a long time and travelers packed it in their bags during the Crusades.

This is a dessert for the Christmas holidays and it tastes a lot like fruitcake. It is rich and chewy (you need good teeth for this!).

It is not overly difficult to make but does require some fast action and a candy thermometer. 

Note: For the fruit peel, I just purchased a container of the blended fruitcake mix that is readily available in grocery stores during the holidays. 

1 cup almonds (blanched or unblanched)
4 oz. diced glazed orange peel
4 oz. diced glazed lemon peel
4 oz. diced glazed citron
1/2 cup unsifted unbleached flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. powdered instant expresso or coffee
1 cup hazelnuts (blanched or unblanched) (you can also use walnuts)
1/2 cup mild honey
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners sugar

The full recipe is available on the New York Times website. 

I mixed my crumbs with cocoa so that it would be dark.

It is best to use your fingers to mix the fruit with the ingredients.

When mixing the honey and sugar, stir it constantly. When it begins to boil, it will reach 248 degrees really fast! 

Wrap it airtight in plastic wrap (I cut it into slices first). You can let this sit at room temperature for weeks. It can also be frozen. 

Yum

Mulattoes

Mulattoes
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 199.

Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty,  full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious!

They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely. 

I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies.


2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
6 oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. (1 cup) walnuts or pecans, broken into medium pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the first three ingredients (chocolates and butter) over moderate heat
 in a double boiler. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat the eggs, sugar, coffee and vanilla on high speed for 1-2 minutes. 

Mix in the chocolate mixture (lower your speed to avoid a mess) 

Add the dry ingredients.. 

Add the chocolate chips...

And stir in the nuts. 

Drop by heaping tablespoons on the lined sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Tops will by dry. Centers should remain moist and chewy. Do not overbake. Let stand on cookie sheets until firm enough to move to a cooling rack.

Yum Yum

Cranberry Pumpkin Cake

Cranberry Pumpkin Cake

Source: Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 125.

Maida Heatter has several recipes that are good for the holidays and I have made several of them already. I plan to post a list of all of the holiday desserts I have made and will do that soon.

Here is another good one that is so easy. This is a dark and dense cake that is very moist (don't overbake it). Confession - I get so paranoid about overbaking cakes that I always start checking before the allowed time and sometimes take them out a little early. The cake will always continue to bake especially when left in the pan for a while. Of course, this depends on the type of cake but after you have done a lot of baking, your instinct will kick in. 

I used bagged cranberries that had not been frozen. The cranberries are tart and provide a kick when paired with the delicate and spicy flavors of the cake. The nuts and the berries do not sink.

I froze half of this cake and plan to take it to a meeting this weekend. 

6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) walnuts
12 oz. (2 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
3 cups sifted unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (or canola, safflower, corn)
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 10x4 1/4 inch tube pan with an 8 cup capacity (I used a Bundt pan for this). Dust with chocolate bread crumbs (bread crumbs with cocoa powder mixed in).

Place the walnuts in a large pan and bake for 10 minutes. Allow them to cool and break into small pieces.

If using fresh cranberries. wash and dry them.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. 

Beat the pumpkin, sugar and oil to mix. Add the eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the sifted dry ingredients. Beat only until smooth and fold in the nuts and the cranberries.

Turn into pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes (if the cranberries are frozen, it may take longer). The cake is done when a tester comes out clean from the deepest part of the cake. 

Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.