Skinny Peanut Wafers

Skinny Peanut Wafers
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 89.

This is one of Maida Heatter's most popular recipes. It has appeared in Food & Wine magazine and a restaurant in Miami Beach put them on their menu. It is very simple with a minimum of ingredients. That said, the first time I made them, I realized I had made a mistake when they did not spread out like she said they would. I made them in too much of a hurry and used baking powder instead of baking soda. The cookies actually tasted fine but I was determined to do them correctly. Once you've made them, you can whip these out in no time!

Imagine a very soft peanut brittle - the flavor is wonderful. If you are having company, make an extra batch!




1 cup salted peanuts plus additional peanuts to use as topping (honey roasted are recommended)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 TBS. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sifted unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
2 TBS. milk

The full recipe is available on the Washington Post website.

Scotch Shortbread Cookies

Scotch Shortbread Cookies

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 235.

I must confess that I am not a big fan of shortbread but Michael loves it. I made these for his birthday and he loved them. The Swedish Jelly Cookies are one of his favorites and although technically they are not shortbread, they do remind me of these cookies. He thought so too and put apricot preserves with them.

The dough did not hold together that well for me and I almost added more butter but decided against that. This could have been an issue with the butter temperature. I let it sit for a while on the counter to come to room temperature and perhaps it needs to be very cold. Even though the dough did come together in the mixer, it did when I kneaded it but was still very crumbly. This recipe creates a bit of a mess and when the cookies are finished, you can expect lots of crumbs when transferring them to the rack. 

So, this was definitely a "trial and error" recipe but overall, an easy one with a minimum of ingredients.

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter
1 cup strained confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups strained cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for a few minutes. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the flour and cornstarch, beating until it holds together. (I had a problem with this and the mixture refused to hold together. I beat it for several minutes and went ahead and transferred it to the board and kneaded it and it did come together).

Turn out onto a board and knead lightly. Use one half of the dough at a time. Keep the dough that you are not currently using in an airtight container.

Roll the dough to 1/4 to 1/3 thickness. Cut out rounded pieces with a cookie cutter. Re-roll the remaining scraps of dough. Place the cookies on an unbuttered cookie sheet. 

The recipe instructs you to pierce each cookie three times with a fork. I forgot to do this but they turned out fine. 

Bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through. The cookies are done when they are barely colored (not brown). Do not overbake. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Taking a hint from another great recipe - Swedish Jelly Cookies - you might serve these with a collop of apricot preserves.

Yum

Orange Chiffon Cake

Orange Chiffon Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 28).

I wasn't familiar with the history of the chiffon cake until I read about it in Maida's book. An insurance salesman and hobbyist baker by the name of Henry Baker invented the recipe in 1927. It took Hollywood by storm and he provided celebrities and restaurants with specially made cakes for twenty years. In the late 40s, he sold the recipe to General Mills (Betty Crocker ) and they later revealed it's unique secret - vegetable oil as opposed to butter or shortening.

The cake is delicious and easy to make. When folding the egg yolk mixture with the egg whites, you don't want to overdo it and deflate the consistency. You also want to whip the egg whites past the peak stage but not until they are dry. Also, do not substitute the orange juice with lemon juice or the cake will fall.

The cake is very tall and light in texture. The whipped cream chocolate frosting is entirely optional but I can tell you that it compliments the cake nicely (the combination of orange and chocolate is one of my favorites). 

Cake
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
7 large eggs, separated
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
Finely grated rind of 3 oranges
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Chocolate Whipped Cream Icing (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. You will use a 10x14" Angel Food pan (the kind that comes apart in two pieces). Do not butter the pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to make a trench in the middle of the bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks (reserving the whites), lemon and orange zest and the orange juice to the trench. 

Whisk the mixture together with the flour until it is smooth.

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they hold a stiff peak.

Fold 3/4 of the egg yolk mixture into the whites. Then fold the whites into the remaining yolk mixture. Just do this until the mixture is combined - do not overbeat it.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. (Note: Maida says to increase the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 10 or 15 minutes but I do not believe this is necessary. My cake was done after the initial 55 minute baking at 325. Press the top of the cake and it should bounce back slowly if it is done.)

Hang the pan upside down on a bottle neck or a funnel and allow it to cool completely.

After it has cooled, you can remove it carefully from the pan by running a sharp knife around the perimeter of the pan and the center section. Or you can freeze the cake - if freezing, leave it in the pan and wrap it in aluminum foil.

You can sprinkle the cake with confectioners sugar or opt to cover it with the following frosting (you can also use the frosting as a sauce on the side) -

Chill your mixer bowl and the whisk beater in the freezer (it only takes 5 or 10 minutes). Now whip all the ingredients (heavy cream, confectioners sugar, cocoa, salt and vanilla extract) together until it holds a shape. Frost the cake and you will need to refrigerate it. Maida also says that strawberries are nice to add as a garnish.

Carrot Loaf

Carrot Loaf

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 180.

Recently, I heard from a reader who wanted to make Maida Heatter's Carrot Cake in a loaf pan but had problems with the cake sinking. I knew there was a Carrot Loaf recipe in one of her books so I suggested that she might try it. In the meantime, I made it a few days ago. It is good but not really as flavorful as the carrot cake. Adding the icing to this might help although the consistency is a bit different. This is made with milk as opposed to oil which I'm sure contributes to the heaviness factor. 

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 400. Use the bottom rack. Butter and dust an 8-10 capacity loaf pan with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

Mix together the raisins, carrots, walnuts and sugar in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs lightly and beat in the milk and the melted butter.

Add the flour mixture - stir until blended.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan.  

New Orleans Oatmeal Cookies

New Orleans Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 180.

One of our favorite recipes in this household is Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. The Quaker Oaks "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" is my go-to recipe and remains the favorite. 

This Maida Heatter recipe it a bit different and has the addition of spices which gives them a more holiday-ish taste. The addition of apricot preserves is also unusual.

I baked the cookies in three separate batches. The trickiest part is the baking time. 20 minutes is insane and I wonder if that was a typo. I tried 10 minutes for the first batch and they burned slightly. After looking at the recipe again, I had overlooked the instruction that they should be baked on the top rack position. The last two batches were much better. I baked them for 10-11 minutes. The cookies are very soft if not overbaked. I would advise you to experiment with the first batch before proceeding to the next. 

2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 TBS. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter (softened)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tsp. instant coffee
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal
8 oz. (1 1/2 cups) raisins
2 cups salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use top rack position.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and set aside.

Beat the the butter and apricot preserves to combine. Add the instant coffee and the brown sugar.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions. 

Beat in the oatmeal. Stir in the raisins and the nuts. 

Drop the cookies (tablespoon size) two inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and semi-firm to the touch. Rotate pans half-way through baking to insure even baking. Allow them to cool for a few minutes after removing the pans from the oven and transfer the cookies with a spatula to a cooling rack.