Laurie Figone is a great local baker and cook who always impresses me with her recipes. These are no exception — and were some of the first cookies to get snapped up when I brought in cookies for the Press Democrat staff.
Coco-Nutty Crunchy Cookies
By Laurie Figone
1 cup butter, room temp.
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup toasted coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (approx.) English Toffee Bits
1. Pre-heat oven to 375’. In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars.
Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour and baking soda. Then stir
in coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips.
2. Form dough into 1 1/2 in. balls. Press one side into English Toffee Bits,
flattening slightly. Evenly space onto baking sheet, do not over-crowd,
they will spread as they cool. Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes, until
nicely browned. Remove to cooling rack and let cool.
3. Bet you can’t eat just one…these cookies have a wonderful crunch from
the toffee bits, chewiness from the coconut, another crunch from the nuts,
add the chocolate to all of that…Let me know if you stopped at one!!!
This recipe came in by phone, and sounded good enough to transcribe. Mostly because I love Maraschino cherries. Unfortunately, in saving the recipe, the name of the baker got lost in translation. So, if you were the one who called, let me know!
Cherry Surprise Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1.5 cups sifted flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 jar Maraschino cherries with juice reserved
Drain cherries so they aren’t too wet, reserve juice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, add flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Wrap about a teaspoon of the dough around each cherry and roll into ball. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet about an inch apart. Press gently. Bake 12-15 minutes. Don’t overcook. They should be blonde in color.
Gently set on cooling rack and prepare frosting.
Mix 1/3 c butter and 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar with just cherry juice to get a good consistency. While cookies are still warm, drop a teaspoon atop the cookie so it melts and glazes the top.
These are little fruit and nut powerhouses. I could see packing a few of these bars for a hike, because they travel well and have tons good stuff inside. The lack of eggs makes them great for vegetarians or those with dietary restrictions. The recipe has some strange measurements (1/3 tsp), but I just sort of eyeballed it and the recipe worked fine.
Eggless Gingery Fruit-Nut Bars Cookie Recipe
By Cynthe Brush
“I have been making these Gingery Fruit-Nut Bars for a couple of decades or longer and cannot recall where the original inspiration came from… I’m constantly adapting cookie recipes to be egg free since my family doesn’t eat eggs or baked goods made with eggs. Usually improvise (ie. improve) the recipe as I go.
This recipe is really easy to put together. The dried fruit & nut prep and dicing the candied ginger being the only involved prep, which can be done while watching a good NetFlix movie or having a conversation. Dried fruits and nuts may be varied to your taste or made from what you have in the pantry. Tart fruits are best as they contrast with the molasses and complement the ginger.
These are not fancy-looking cookie bars, but they WILL catch your fancy and that of most anyone who enjoys (brownie-texture) chewy molasses-y gingery fruited confections. Guaranteed to please! And they’re a yummy change from all the chocolate recipes we see every Christmas season.”
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour or light whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s is great)
2/3 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt (an odd amount due to adapting the recipe fit a large Pyrex pan)
1 1/2 tsp each, ground Ginger & Allspice (freshly purchased & organic is best)
2/3 cup Butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup light Molasses
1/3 cup honey (use a mild local Sonoma county honey)
1/3 cup buttermilk (replaces 1 egg)
1/2 cup diced Candied Ginger
1 1/3 cups chopped Walnuts
1 1/3 cups diced tart dried fruits (apricots, orange-flavored cranberries, dried tart cherries)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Sift the first 5 ingredients together, set aside. Cream the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.
Add molasses and buttermilk, beat until well blended. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mix well. Add the ginger, walnuts, and dried fruits, mix completely.
Spread batter in a greased 10” x 15” x 2” Pyrex baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven 25-30 minutes, until springy to the touch. Place on wire rack to cool completely. Cut with a sharp knife. Store in airtight containers.
These are like little squares of sweet potato pie, but better. Tell the kids its pumpkin.
Sweet Potato Squares Cookie Recipe
By Kathleen Hardy
“One evening I had served mashed sweet potatoes as a side with dinner. My husband said “You know what would be good? Sweet potato squares. They would be like lemon bars, only with sweet potatoes.” I thought that was a great idea, and developed this recipe. I really like the note of savory that the rosemary adds to the topping, but if you don’t care for savory notes in desserts, just leave it out.
Crust
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup unsalted butter (softened)
3/8 cup powered sugar
Topping
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds)
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 7.5 oz container creme fraiche (sour cream also works)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast them on a shallow pan in the middle of the oven until very tender, about 1 ¼ hours. Cool to room temperature. (You can do this up to one day ahead.)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix all crust ingredients and press over the bottom and up sides of a 9” x 13” baking pan. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Cool the crust while you prepare the topping. Don’t overcook.
While crust is baking, scoop the flesh from the sweet potatoes into a bowl and discard the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork until smooth. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter mixture to the sweet potatoes with the creme fraiche and the eggs and beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (the topping will be quite liquid).
Pour the filling over the crust and spread evenly. Raise temperature of over to 400 degrees.Bake in the middle of the oven until the filling is just set, about 40 minutes (check after about 30). Cool and cut into squares to serve.
As most of you have figured out by now, my weakness is for shortbread. These are absolutely incredible little cookies with a blast of cinnamon flavor. They’re simple and really different (I put a few together and made a tree). I sprinkled mine with some raw sugar for a little sparkle and crunch.
Cinnamon Logs
By Toby Hoffman
“My mother-in law, Bess Hoffman, known as “Wisconsin’s Cookie Lady”, having published 2 cookie cook books, always had cookie jars full for her children and grandchildren. Holiday times were particularly fun when the grandchildren helped.. never too complicated and never too perfect to intimidate them. Of all the THOUSANDS of cookies she baked. this simple recipe she perfected was her favorite and is mine, also.”
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 T almond extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 T sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Mix well in order of given until light and fluffy. Shape in rolls about 1/2 inch in diameter .
Cut in little logs about 1 1/2 inches long. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 300 degrees
for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Roll in sugar. Makes about 48 logs…
I used Meyer lemons off my tree to give a really bright lemon flavor. Light and cakey, with plenty of chew, these are excellent (and healthier) choices for an everyday cookie.
Almond-crusted lemon cookies (vegan)
By Jamie
“This recipe is actually a new one that I developed just this year! But, it’s probably the best cookie I’ve ever come up with and I’ve already gotten requests to make more batches!”
Yields 20 small cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp flaxmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 T applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 T + 1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, flax, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add oil, applesauce, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir until a dough forms.
Form the dough into a log. Roll the log in almonds. Slice into 1/2 inch cookies and place on a parchment paper lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes or until they cookies are just barely done and the edges start to brown slightly. Remove immediately and cool on a wire rack.
These are a really dark, earthy kind of cookie. What struck me most was the history of these cookies, and the use of honey, wine and molasses. If the dough is a little too sticky before you roll it out, incorporate a little more flour.
Mostaccioli Cookies
Donna (Grandmereb Lovestobake here)
“In reading the history of this Italian cookie, I read that the original recipe for mostaccioli cookies dates back to 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ! If that’s true then the mostaccioli recipe is one of the oldest cookie recipes on record. This was my revised recipe of one I found. My husband mother’s family was from Southern Italy where this cookie is a holiday favorite! I hope it might become one of your holiday favorite cookies to make.”
Makes 15 cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural (not Dutched) cocoa powder
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 Meyer lemon, zest and juice
Directions:
Into the bowl of a Kitchenaid-type stand mixer fitted with the paddle beater, sift the cocoa powder. Add flour, sugar, almonds, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix lightly to combine. Add honey, molasses and wine (or water). Mix until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Allow to stand for 1 minute to absorb the liquid, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, and pat into a 6×10-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Flour the dough lightly, and roll over it once or twice with a rolling pin to even it out. Using a ruler and a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch squares. With a dry pastry brush, wipe off any excess flour. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner, and transfer squares to the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 1 minute. Then, lift the parchment (with the cookies on it) and place it on a cooling rack.
While the cookies are still warm, combine confectioners’ sugar and the juice and zest of lemon in a small bowl, stir until smooth to make a glaze. Paint the surface of each cookie; the glaze will soak in. In a minute or two, paint on a second coat of glaze. Allow the cookies to cool completely; they will remain chewy on the inside.
If you have any left over (and you won’t) store in an airtight container.
For the last three weeks I’ve rushed around yelling and screaming, panicking and feeling generally stressed out about, well, nothing of much significance other than baking cookies and getting my holiday shopping done. That now seems kind of ridiculous.
When things come to a screeching halt out of nowhere, sometimes the silence afterwards is so loud you can’t ignore it. The daily shit falls away and you’re left with the little things. The things you can hold onto like smooth pebbles in your hand. The things you can focus on while the landscape crumbles into dust. And the people who step forward out of nowhere with outstretched arms to catch you.
So here’s what I’m thankful for this holiday season.
There are a million others, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll leave it at that. Thank you to every chef, restaurateur and amazing producer I’ve had the privilege to write about this year. Thanks to Brent and Debbie at KZST. Thanks to all of you. I admire you all and can’t wait for the next chapter.
So, what are you thankful for?
Longtime Montgomery Village tenants, Cattlemen’s, are eyeing the former Latitude restaurant space in Rohnert Park. But reports that they’re packing up their bean buckets in Santa Rosa and moving southward are premature, according to restaurant management.
Last week the Community Voice reported that a deal had been struck and suggested the steakhouse would relocate to the long-shuttered location just off Highway 101. Meaning the Santa Rosa location would hang up its stirrups permanently.
And while Santa Rosa steakhouse manager Danny Kimpton said the restaurant had been looking at the Rohnert Park location, leasing negotiations between Cattlemen’s and Codding management are still in the works. “We were looking at other options,” said Kimpton, “and will be looking at both leases” before making a final decision about the restaurant’s future in the coming weeks.
“We’ve been a part of community for 40 years now,” he added, “but right now we’re just not sure where we’re at.”
Hooters Rohnert Parkis slated to open in January 2012 and is currently accepting applications, ladies. (6099 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park is the location.)
One has to wonder. If a restaurant with barely-clad, busty women can’t make it in the swirling hot tub of culture that is Fisherman’s Wharf, does Rohnert Park stand a chance?
