NOVEMBER RECIPE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: COCOA NIB & PECAN COOKIES

a stack of Cocoa Nib & Pecan Cookies

For my November Recipe Mission, Medrich's Nibby Pecan Cookie recipe was a cinch to make. I like the slice and bake method of making cookies, so I opted to do this rather than the roll & cut method, which to me seems like a whole lot of work. Besides, with a log in the freezer, I can make a few at a time so that my cookies will always be fresh. It's so convenient to have homemade cookies readily available.

the cocoa nibs are the darker bits while the pecans form a pretty mosaic

Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate nuts, raisins and other lumpy things in my desserts. However, in this case I made an exception because the nuts are not lumpy. The cookies themselves tasted sublime. They were delicate and crispy and short; not chewy at all. The cocoa nibs were distinguishable, but barely. I tasted primarily pecans. Next time, I would like to try an all cocoa nib cookie instead. Medrich has a few variations in her cookbook which call for different nuts to be used or for a chocolate cookie version. This to me sounds like overkill, but eh, it's chocolate, so it can't be that bad. I figure I would like the cocoa nibs to stand out because I paid an arm and a leg for them.

cross-section of the nibby cookies

In my version of the cookie, I employed all organic ingredients. I used organic cane sugar, organic flour etc and of course the cocoa nibs were organic too. What with my huge stash of vanilla beans, I think next time, I will scrape in a pod or two's worth of vanilla seeds into the batch of cookie dough instead of the vanilla extract. I'll omit the pecans and whatever else nuts 'cause they overpower the cocoa nibs and hopefully it'll taste yummy...we'll see how that turns out. I'm not particularly fond of chocolate cookies so most likely I'm not going to try Medrich's variation. I love dark chocolate (is there anything else worth eating?) and all chocolate desserts, but I prefer chocolate chunks in a non-chocolate cookie dough base because the quality of the chocolate chunks will stand out better and the non-chocolate cookie dough base is a better foil for the chocolate chunks.

This recipe is really nice and I appreciate how easy it was to put together. It's a keeper. I'll be looking for other ways to use these cocoa nibs I've got because they're a really cool ingredient to use. I love 'em 'cause they're crunchy and somewhat nutty in a chocolatey sort of way. Does that make sense? Ah well. They're good and good for you.

Check out the recipe here.

NOVEMBER RECIPE MISSION: COCOA NIB COOKIES

I'm still recovering from the flu...and it's been almost a whole month since I first caught this darn thing! Nevertheless, with a couple of days to spare, I am still going to post a November Recipe Mission. This month, my challenge is to make Cocoa Nib Cookies.

I have 2 bags of organic cocoa nibs I purchased a couple of months ago from Capers. The recipe I'll be using is adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet...one of my favourite books. She calls for adding bourbon, but I chose almond extract...because I don't have bourbon.

In fact, bourbon sounds yummy. I've got to buy some. In fact I need to make a run to the liquor store soon because I'm out of vodka--having used up the last cup to preserve my recently purchased vanilla pods. I used the vanilla seeds for creme caramel (yum!) and dumped the empty pods in the vodka. I'm going to have vanilla extract in about a year, I think. It's already smelling nicely vanilla-like.

By the way, I purchased a whole whack of beautiful vanilla beans online. It's cheap...even with the additional $20 I had to pay for duties on top of the cost of shipping. I'm happy. I had Stomach figure out the per pod cost and I still come out ahead. It beats buying dried out pods from Safeway! I bought my vanilla beans from saffron.com and I am satisfied with my purchase. I purchased one half pound of Vanilla Tahitensis and a half pound bag of Vanilla Planifolia. The one bag I opened has 60 pods in it in a vacuum-sealed bag. They're very nice. I love fresh vanilla pods. I now have vanilla sugar (you store the pods in sugar) and the beginnings of extract (from the used up pods in vodka) on top of the scrumptious fragrant seeds to use. I plan to employ them in my Christmas baking this year.

I digress. Here's the recipe for the cocoa nib cookies. It'll be a perfect addition to a Christmas Cookie Box.

COCOA NIB & PECAN COOKIES
1 cup (3.5 oz) organic pecan halves, toasted & chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) organic unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 t pink himalayan salt (slightly rounded)
1 t almond extract
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/3 cup organic cocoa nibs
2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour

• Combine butter, sugar, salt, almond extract and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy but not fluffy (1 minute). Beat in pecans and cocoa nibs. Turn off mixer and add all the flour at once. Beat on low speed until flour is incorporated.
• Form dough into 12-inch log about 2 inches thick. Wrap in parchment and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. (can be frozen 3 months)
• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking. Let cookies firm up on the pans for about 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container for at least 24 hours for best flavour before serving.
• can be stored in airtight container for at least 1 month

CAKEBRAIN'S BLACK SESAME MACARONS

black sesame macarons with black sesame buttercream

Here's the recipe for the yummy Black Sesame Macarons I made a while back.

Cakebrain's Black Sesame MacaronsMakes 35
225 gr powdered sugar
100 grams ground almonds
25 grams ground black sesame
3 egg whites (about 100gr) at room temperature
25 gr granulated sugar

In a food processor, run the nuts, black sesame and powdered sugar until the mixture is finely ground. Run through a sieve if needed.

Whip the egg whites until foamy, slowly add the granulated sugar and continue whipping until they are glossy (stiff peaks).

Slowly fold the nut/sesame/sugar mixture into the whites with a wide spatula. The mixture should "flow like magma". When you form a peak, it should slowly dissolve back into itself and flatten.

Fill a pastry bag with the batter (I use a Wilton #12 tip) and pipe small rounds onto parchment lined baking sheets. I like to make small macarons about 3/4 inch to one inch in diameter. If you make your macarons too big (over an inch) they take longer to bake and may collapse if taken out too early.

Let the macarons rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 315degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake one tray on the middle rack for about 8 minutes. Look at the macarons. By this time, the feet should be forming. Whoopee! Once the feet have formed, lower the oven temperature to 300degrees F. Open and close the oven door slightly to allow a little of the heat and moisture to come out. Bake a further 4-6 minutes at the lower temperature.

Let cool, remove from the parchment paper and fill with buttercream or ganache.

GET YOUR FLU SHOTS

Bebe had the flu, I caught it next, Bib's got it now and now Stomach has it. This started near Hallowe'en and I'm still coughing! Won't be posting until everyone's better...