Orange Cranberry Shortbread

When I make shortbread, I usually prefer to use the method of rolling the dough into logs, chilling them, and then slicing off the cookies. It's a quick and easy way to get uniform rounds.

These flavorful Orange Cranberry Shortbread cookies though called for a different method. You see, I knew the addition of lots of delicious and chewy cranberries would make the dough tough to slice through neatly. So for these, I used a 1-inch scoop and rolled the dough into balls that I gently flattened and chilled for a full hour before baking.

The size of them turned out to be a perfect fit for my macaron boxes. I was able to get six standard sized cupcake papers, each filled with three cookies, tightly packed into a single box. These are so good and the addition of orange zest makes them extra special. These are great to share with friends this holiday season.

Macaron boxes are just the right size for packaging these cookies.

Add a ribbon and tag and you've got a sweet holiday gift.

Here is the recipe:

Orange Scented Shortbread
(makes about 5 dozen)
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 teaspoons dehydrated orange peel (Note: If you can't find this, you can use 5 teaspoons of finely grated orange zest.)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/3 cup sugar, for coating the tops of the cookies before baking

In a small container, combine the orange peel with the vanilla and let this set for about 10 minutes.

Cream together the butter, vanilla/orange mixture, sea salt and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Add the flour and mix just until it starts to combine and the mixture looks crumbly. Add the dried cranberries and continue mixing until the dough comes together.

With a 1-inch scoop, scoop a portion of the dough and then roll it in your hands to form a ball. Use your hands to gently flatten the ball and place it on a parchment or plastic lined baking pan that will fit into your fridge. Repeat until all the dough is used and place the cookies in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour.

These are ready to go into the fridge to chill.

When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 350-degrees, dip the top of each cookie in the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and place them on baking sheets, spaced about 2-inches apart.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cookies just begin to brown around the edges. The cookies will firm up quite a bit as they cool. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Fish Cookies

Out of all the cookies I've made, and I've made a lot, these fish cookies are probably the most time consuming. I made them by dropping thinned icing onto a still wet flooded cookie and maneuvering the icing with a scribe tool.

Each one is a little work of art and I think these would make a wonderful Father's Day gift. I definitely think Dads are worth the effort.

There are no specific rules to making these. It's is helpful to look at some fish pictures and sketch a plan but basically you just need to mix your colors and go for it. You need all of your colors ready to go before you start because this is wet on wet cookie decorating. Here's how:

I outlined and filled a cookie with white icing and then added grey icing in the basic shape of a fish. I used my scribe tool to move the icing to get an even better general shape.

I added a stripe of green on the top of the fish and again, used my scribe tool to blend it in.

I also added some pink, teal and orange to the base and once I got that blended, I added the black details by dipping my scribe tool into thinned black icing and using it like a pencil.

Here's another fish. I added the teal scale details with my scribe tool. It just takes some experimenting to figure out what works.

This guy is my favorite.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark

Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark is simple to make and has a wow factor that's off the chart. I know the title of this treat is extra long but every single component really must be acknowledged because each one is essential in making it taste so good.

The only secret to making it is to use the best ingredients you can buy. My preference is Belgian Callebaut Dark Chocolate, Stumptown Espresso Beans and sea salt and slivered almonds from the bulk bin of my neighborhood grocery store. The bark is also quick to make, taking just about 30 minutes from start to finish and is a great homemade gift for family and friends this holiday season. It is addictive though, so be prepared to share the recipe or get asked to make it on a regular basis.

Here's the recipe:

Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Sea Salt Bark
1/2 pound dark chocolate, in chip form or roughly chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup espresso beans
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes or until browned and fragrant. These go from toasted to burned very quickly so keep an eye on them. Remove them from the oven and set aside.

Put the espresso beans in a plastic bag and lightly crush them with a rolling pin. Set them aside.

Prepare a sheetpan by lining it with a piece of parchment paper. Set it aside.

Measure out 1/3 cup of the chocolate and reserve it for later. Put the remaining chocolate in a double boiler set over low heat. Slowly melt the chocolate keeping and eye on it and stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth. When the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of reserved chocolate and keep stirring until it too melts.  This last step might seem strange but it's called "the seeding method" and it's one way to temper the melted chocolate. The tempered chocolate you reserved and add will enhance the crystallization process of the melted chocolate.

After all the chocolate is melted, pour it onto the parchment-lined pan and gently spread it out to 1/4-inch thick using a spatula. Lift and gently tap the pan on the counter to help the chocolate settle into place.

Immediately sprinkle on the toasted slivered almonds, crushed espresso beans and sea salt. Refrigerate the bark uncovered until it completely hardens. Break the bark into rough pieces to serve.

Soft Sea Salted Caramels

Watch out Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Sea Salt and Caramel just might be a better tasting duo. Let's face it, the salty/sweet pair is found everywhere these days causing excitement and for me, drooling. They're just so darn good together.

Homemade caramels make a great holiday gift and I enjoy the whole process of making and wrapping them because it makes me feel like I'm running a candy shop. You just have to be sure you have two very necessary tools — a heavy bottomed medium-sized saucepan and a candy thermometer.

Here's the recipe:

Soft Sea Salted Caramels
(makes 128)

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
extra sea salt
 
Line an 8x8 pan with buttered parchment paper. In a two to three quart, heavy bottomed saucepan, add the butter, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, corn syrup, sugar and 1 cup of the whipping cream. Place the saucepan over low heat and warm the ingredients until the butter is melted. You may stir gently to combine the ingredients but don't splash the ingredients on the sides of the pan. Be very careful with this.

Once the butter is melted, increase the temperature to medium low and from this point on, there is no more stirring. Once the mixture is simmering, clip a candy thermometer onto the inside of the pan and heat the ingredients to 240 degrees F. Once the mixture reaches that temperature, add the remaining one cup of heavy whipping cream. Gently swirl the pan to help it combine again being careful not to splash the sides of the pan.

Still keeping the pan over medium low heat, heat the mixture until it reaches 250 degrees. This takes a while so be patient. It's important not to stir and to keep a close watch on it.

Once the mixture reaches 250 degrees, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla, and swirl the caramel to combine. If you must use a spoon or spatula to do this, be careful not to let it scrape the bottom of the pan because chances are that there are bits of too dark caramel on the bottom and you don't want to release it and mix it into your caramels.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and don't scrape the sides or bottom, just pour it out. Sprinkle the top of the caramel evenly with the extra sea salt. I use just a scant 1/2 of a teaspoon.

Let the caramel cool in the pan at room temperature. It's best if you can let it cool overnight.

To cut the caramels, grab the sides of the parchment to lift the whole thing out of the pan. Cut the caramel square into 1-inch strips and then slice off 1/2-inch wide caramels. Wrap the caramels individually in squares of parchment.

Packaging Truffles

Homemade truffles make wonderful gifts, especially when packaged beautifully with some loving care and attention to detail.

Now don't get me wrong, no one is going to reject a pile of truffles delivered on a paper plate but it's definitely more thoughtful to present them in way that's aesthetically pleasing and looks professional. Packaging truffles is also inexpensive to do with a little recycling, crafting and creativity. I actually think the packaging part is fun. Adults need art projects too!

Here's how:

After coating the truffles, I used chopped walnuts, shredded coconut and dark cocoa powder, chill the truffles for at least 30 minutes before packaging them.

After they've chilled, place the truffles in individual paper candy cups. The cups are inexpensive and can be found in craft and baking specialty stores as well as the baking department of many grocery stores. The papers keep the truffles secure and tidy.

I reused and upcycled a 4-piece candy box by covering it with craft paper.  I adhered the paper to the box with double-sided adhesive squares. Double stick tape would also work and I used my trusty large paper punch to make a tag. You could also fold your own box using the easy Origami method.  Click here for an instructional video showing how.

I covered the bottom of the box by cutting paper to fit and adhering it with adhesive squares.

To cover the top, I cut a piece of paper large enough to cover the top and sides plus 1/2-inch extra all around. Then from the corners, I cut diagonally to the corners of the top of the box.

Then, using the adhesive squares to stick the paper, I wrapped the box.

A tag made with the paper punch and an adhesive label adds that final touch.  I also padded the box with a bit of tissue paper and snugly placed the truffles in the box.

Another packaging option is to use self-sealing cellophane bags and attach a homemade tag with butcher's twine or ribbon. There are of course other options too so get creative and share some homemade truffles with your family and friends. It's fun!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

I used my recent batch of Dark Chocolate Truffles to garnish a cake.

Dark Chocolate Truffles are the answer if you are searching for a homemade treat that is as impressive as it is easy to make.

Truffles are rich, creamy and elegant yet can be made in no time with minimal ingredients and effort. They're just chocolate ganache, cooled, scooped, shaped into balls and rolled in a coating.

The only trick really is to use good quality dark chocolate. My preference is Callebaut Belgian Dark Chocolate. I use the callets which are chocolate bits similar to chocolate chips but without the peak on top. I like to use the callets because it eliminates having to chop the chocolate.

My chocolate choice.

I also like that you can make an assortment of different kinds of truffles by splitting a single batch and just adding different flavorings or liquors to the ganache and rolling them in different coatings like cocoa powder, sprinkles, nuts or coconut.

For a recent batch that I used to decorate a tiered Anniversary Cake, I make the most basic kind — just dark chocolate ganache coated with dark cocoa powder — Simple but soooo goooood!

Here's how I made them:

Place one pound of dark chocolate pieces in a mixing bowl.

Measure out one cup of heavy cream. Heat the cream in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it is simmering, stirring between intervals. Watch the cream closely so that it doesn't boil over. In my microwave the cream was simmering in just 90 seconds.

Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. This is the time if you choose to add flavorings to the ganache, just make sure the flavoring is alcohol based. Water and chocolate do not mix! Liqueurs like Grand Marnier and Ameretto and extracts like peppermint and raspberry are a few of my favorites. Set the mixture aside to cool for 1 hour.

After one hour, scoop portions of the ganache onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used a 1-inch ball scoop for the task. Place the scoops of ganache in the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes to firm them enough so that using your hands you can roll them into balls.

After rolling the truffles into balls, roll them in the coating of your choice. I chose dark cocoa powder.

Here are the finished truffles that I used to decorate the cake.

A closeup of the finished cake. To keep the truffles secure, I piped buttercream around them.