Busby Bakes

When a coworker—falling prey to my blatant popularity-boosting campaign—stopped by my desk for a second handful of these cookies and asked for the recipe, I said I wouldn’t share. I said I couldn’t share. I still have fantasies about restarting the Busby Bakes machine and you just can’t go around giving away the company secrets, right?

Please. These are oatmeal cookies, made gloriously unhealthy through a range of add-ins. The basic recipe comes straight from the Quaker box lid (albeit with the replacement of white sugar with more brown sugar). The big secret behind the deliciousness? Reader, I encourage you to go for the bacon.

Oatmeal Cookies

1/2# unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

3 c. rolled oats (not the “quick” kind)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Additions, as desired:

1/2 c. chopped bacon (fry it first, people)

1/2 c. chopped dried fruit. Prunes, raisins, apricots, cherries all work well. If you’re feeling boozy, soak the fruit in whiskey. Or bourbon.

1 c. toasted chopped nuts. I lean toward pecans, but walnuts work.

1/2 c. shredded coconut. Unsweetened preferred. Or toast the sweetened angelic kind.

1/4 c. finely chopped white chocolate (if you like a very sweet cookie)

Haul out the stand mixer and use the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until really smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in vanilla. Sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Add to the dough, and mix until just barely combined. Mix in oats and additional ingredients. Chill dough for at least an hour; overnight yields the best flavor mingling. I like to use a little portion scoop to form the dough, but a teaspoon works, too. Bake at 325F for 8-10 minutes, on parchment lined sheets, until pale golden. Let the cookies sit for a minute before delivering to a cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen. Store in an airtight container. Share with the worthy.

4 comments

I think these are my absolute favorite, just as delicious as a plain old cookie can be. The recipe comes from the venerable French baker, Lionel Poilåne, via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets cookbook. Not too sweet, nothing fancy, just simple buttery perfection. Perfect with afternoon coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. And the name? Apparently when he was a child M. Poilåne’s grandmother would call to him in a scolding tone, only to dispense his “punishment” in the form of this cookie. Who says grannies can’t be made of both sugar and spice?

Greenspan’s recipe calls for using a food processor. But the preface describes how M. Poilåne made the dough:  by hand on the counter. I’ve made these both ways; both methods yield perfect results. But I prefer the hands-on approach. Something about the tactile experience of feeling the dough transform from goopy mass to velvety dough has me feeling that I’m actually making something. You know what I mean?

Punitions

5 oz unsalted butter, at room temp
generous 1/2 c sugar
1 large egg, at room temp
2 c flour
pinch of salt

Food Processor Method:

Process the butter in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the egg. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the flour and salt. PULSE until the dough looks like streusel crumbs.

Hands-On Method:

Pour the flour and salt onto the counter (I usually use a sheet of parchment to cut down on the scrubbing afterward). Push it into a ring so there’s a saucer-sized well in the middle. Pour the sugar into the well. Add the egg to the sugar, and using your fingertips, work the egg into the sugar til it’s a smooth, pale yellow mass. Add the butter, squeezing it into the egg and sugar. When combined, start gently working in the flour. No kneading here, you want to work the dough as little as possible. You’re finished when all of the flour is only just worked into the dough.

Shaping, Chilling, Rolling, Baking:

Shape the dough into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, 3-4 hours or up to 2 days. Or wrap really well and freeze. When you’re ready to get your bake on, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets until pale golden, about 8 minutes. If the scraps get soft, gather them up and pop them in the freezer to chill before re-rolling and cutting. The colder the dough, the better the cookies will hold their shape.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

For variety, the cookies can be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before baking. Rolled a little thinner, they can be sandwiched with melted chocolate or raspberry jam after baking.

4 comments

I love a hot baked something for breakfast on Sunday mornings. At our house, that usually means scones. This recipe is based on one given as a wedding shower gift by my friend C., a talented baker. A cousin of the humble biscuit, scones are a traditional Scottish quickbread that rely on baking powder for leavening. The buttermilk lends a tender component, which I prefer to the denseness found in scones made with cream.

Usually, I go the sweet route and make them with currants, dried apricots and pecans, or dried cherries and bits of dark chocolate. But lately I’ve been going savory, specifically bacon+onion+cheese. Absolutely delicious, although this eliminates the excuse to eat jam, Devonshire cream, or lemon curd with breakfast.

Buttermilk Scones

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar (omit if making savory scones)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
6 oz. unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
1 c. buttermilk
up to 1 c. of additions (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, grated cheese, sauteed onion, crumbled bacon, chopped ham)
1 T. minced herbs (for savory scones)
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Use a pastry cutter to mix in the butter. The dough should have the texture of coarse crumbs. Gently blend in the buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the additional ingredients.

On a floured surface, gently roll or pat the dough to 1 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter, re-roll scraps until all dough is used. Place on ungreased cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment). Brush tops of scones with egg wash. Bake for around 20 minutes, until scones are browned on top and on the bottom. Serve immediately!

You can freeze the unbaked scones and then just bake them off a few at a time. Freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in a ziplock bag for up to a month. No need to thaw, just pop them in a preheated oven.

No comments

Brace yourselves, cookie lovers. Behold my latest obsession: tortoni, a humble yet complicated frozen dessert of Italian origin. I first read about it in the New York Times Magazine in February, in an article by my beloved Amanda Hesser. Haven’t read much by her in a while, and I keep forgetting to pick up her splendid cookbook/memoir/love story, Cooking for Mr Latte.

I first made this for an Academy Awards party and received the house party equivalent of a standing ovation. The almond cookie crumbs hold up to provide a crunchy counterbalance to the creamy, dreamy mousse. Let it warm up a little and it tastes even better. Because of its moussiness, it doesn’t truly melt…it just gets soft and velvety. Tis a pain in the ass, but completely worth it.

TORTONI
serves 8 gluttons or 12 polite friends

First, make yourself some Almond Paste:

1# 2 oz blanched almonds, lightly toasted, cooled completely
3/4 c confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 t almond extract

Grind almonds and 1 T confectioner’s sugar in food processor to a coarse powder. Add remaining confectioner’s sugar and salt and process to a fine powder. Dump into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Heat sugar, water, corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat, stir to combine. Once sugar has dissolved, increase heat and bring to a boil. Cook to 325F (between thread and soft ball).

Pour the syrup over the ground almond mixture and mix with the paddle attachment at low speed until combined. Cool to room temperature and mix in the almond extract. If the dough is too stiff or won’t bind, add a little boiling water.

Knead the dough until soft and elastic. Dust the counter with a little confectioner’s sugar if necessary. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Then, make the Macaroons:

[sidebar: these are more like Italian amaretti cookies than traditional American coconut macaroons or the heavenly French macaron]
2 egg whites
7 oz almond paste
3/4 c sugar
pinch salt
1/4 c confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat lightly with a fork.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond paste, 3/4 cup of sugar and the salt. Pulse until combined. Scrape into the egg whites. Add the confectioners’ sugar and fold together. Let the batter sit for an hour or more.

3. Using two spoons, drop the batter onto parchment-lined well-insulated baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. (The drops should be about 2 teaspoonsful.) Bake until uniformly golden, about 18 minutes. Peel cookies from the parchment as soon as you can handle them without burning your fingers.

Finally, make the mousse that forms the business part of the tortoni:

12 macaroons
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 t vanilla
2 c heavy cream.

1.Preheat the oven to 250F. Break the macaroons into pieces and toast them on a baking sheet until golden, dry and crumbly. Let cool. Grind to fine crumbs in a food processor. You need about 1 cup. (Go ahead and toast/grind all the macaroons you’ve made. Store the extra crumbs in the freezer. You’ll want to make this again, trust me.)

2. Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.

3. Meanwhile, in a mixer, whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. By hand, whip the yolks until fluffy. In the mixer bowl, fold together the whites and yolks.

4. When the sugar is ready, turn on the mixer to medium speed and, with it running, slowly pour in the syrup in a fine thread. Reduce the speed to low and whip until the mixture cools to room temperature. Mix in the vanilla.

5. Whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture.

6. Line the base of a springform pan with parchment. Spoon a third of the crumbs into the base. Cover with half of the mousse. Sprinkle with another third of the crumbs. Cover with remaining mousse. Top with the remaining crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

7. About 15 minutes before serving, remove from freezer. Unwrap and unmold immediately. Let it sit just a bit before cutting into wedges.

2 comments

With rare exception, I don’t make fancy desserts. I’m not a decorator by any stretch and I always judge a dessert by its taste, not its presentation. But there are times when looks matter, and sometimes a homey cake is too, well, humble. Whenever I’m looking for an elegant dessert, I make this simple chocolate tart. The filling is chocolate ganache, which takes 15 minutes to make (this includes scrubbing out the food processor bowl). The crust is pâte sablée.

Together you have the winning combination of velvet and crunch. Not too sweet. Very rich. I don’t usually serve this with anything but coffee, but if you must, go for slightly sweetened whipped cream and a couple of raspberries. Small slivers will do, so a 9-inch tart can serve 12 with a bit left over for breakfast. Come on, you’ve done it, too.

Chocolate Tart

You will need a fully baked, cooled tart crust. I always use pâte sablée.

Chocolate ganache is simply equal parts of cream and chocolate melted together, with a knob of butter added at the end. The trick to perfectly smooth ganache is not to overdo the stirring, as you want the least amount of air incorporated into the mix. I’ve found the food processor does double-duty here, both chopping the chocolate and blending in the hot cream.

chocolate ganache in the food processor:

Drop 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (the best quality you can afford) into the food processor and run until all pieces are finely chopped. Stop the machine. Pour in 1 c. heavy cream, boiling (I usually nuke it to the boiling point). Let sit for 1 minute. Process until satiny smooth. Add 2 oz. softened unsalted butter. Pulse until butter is incorporated.

Pour into tart crust, chill for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature!

No comments

When used as a filling for tarts, frangipane puffs up a little during baking and turns golden brown. This is also the happy discovery inside an almond croissant, for which I would walk over crushed glass if it meant I could have one right now. Here’s a recipe to fill a 9-inch tart. For the record, it’s pronounced “FRAN juh pain.” When you’re talking about the flowering shrub, you get to say “fran juh PAN ee.”

Frangipane

1 c. sliced almonds (blanched or not)

1/2 c. sugar

generous 3 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature

pinch of salt

1/2 t. Brandy

1/8 t. almond extract

1 large egg

- Blend 1/8 c. sugar and the almonds in the food processor until the almonds are finely ground.

- Using a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining sugar and beat. Add the almond mixture and beat. Add salt, Brandy, extract and beat. Add the egg and beat until fluffy.

- Stores for a week in the fridge, or freeze (you’ll need to re-beat it before using).

No comments

This isn’t the all-American flaky pie crust. Strictly translated, pâte sablée means “sandy paste.” When baked, pâte sablée gives you a crumbly, sandy, shortbread-cookie-like crust that works beautifully for tarts. Sweet and rich, it is the perfect foil to a dark chocolate ganache filling or a simple mix of berries.

Pâte Sablée

scant 5 oz. unsalted butter, cold

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk, beaten, at room temperature (separating the egg when it’s cold is easier)

- Cut the butter into small chunks and put it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

- In the food processor, combine sugar, flour, salt. Remove the lid and add the butter chunks. Pulse until the dough looks like streusel: big bits, little bits, not uniform. Pulse in the egg yolk. Just a few more pulses until the dough starts clumping together…and stop! Overworking will yield a tough crust. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, gently gather in any stray floury bits, and wrap up, pressing the dough into a disc shape.

- Chill for up to 5 days. Well-wrapped, you can also store the dough in the freezer.

- When ready to bake, press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Be gentle. The trick is to shape the dough to the pan while maintaining the delicious crumbliness. Pop the pan and crust in the freezer for a good 20 minutes (or more) before baking.

1 comment

This is one of my favorite desserts to bring. You know, like to someone’s house. As in, “what can I bring?”

I’ve been making this tart since it was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit in 1997. Whether for Thanksgiving, birthdays for non-cake eaters, fancy dinner parties, individual tartlets for a picnic…it always looks and tastes delicious. Over the years I’ve tweaked the recipe from the original and now just use my standard pâte sablée for the crust and a basic frangipane for the filling.

Make a double batch of both the crust and the filling and store (separately) in the freezer. You’ll have a quick, elegant dessert to throw together at the last minute. The frangipane works well with pears, apricots, or plums, too. And don’t skip the part where you brush on the apricot jam: this is the fun part of fussy. You’ll end up with a gorgeous dessert. Go ahead, put it on a pedestal.

French Apple Tart

1 recipe for Pâte Sablée, chilled

1 recipe for Frangipane, at room temperature

2-3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

1 T. sugar

1 T. Calvados or appropriately-flavored liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Drambuie, Amaretto, or Licor 43

1/4 cup apricot jam

- Toss the apple slices with the sugar and booze, allow to sit for about 30 minutes.

- Preheat oven to 325F. Press pâte sablée dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Be sure to create a thick edge all the way around the sides. Chill the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

- Spread the frangipane into the chilled crust. Drain the apples and arrange in a concentric circle, overlapping slightly. Bake for around 50 minutes, until the apples are tender, the crust is slightly browned, and the frangipane has puffed and turned slightly golden. If the apples start to brown during baking, cover loosely with foil.

- Remove tart to a cooling rack. Warm up the apricot jam in a little saucepan or the microwave. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Gently brush the apples and crust with the apricot syrup.

- Serve when cooled. It’s best on the day you’ve made it, but the tart will keep for a day: cover and refrigerate, but be sure to serve at room temperature. If you feel like gilding the lily, serve with a little vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream….just cut the slices a little smaller.

No comments

On New Year’s Eve, the Husband and I attended a fabulous potluck dinner (replete with optional 80s themed attire and a not-for-kids gift exchange). Naturally, we brought dessert. Because it’s a long night, I thought it would be fun to get people up and moving around rather than serve dessert at the table. Because there was going to be a crowd, I made everything self-serve and where possible, in individual portions. And it was a success! People grazed and nibbled between after-dinner gift grabbing and midnight toasting. Snaps to Matt for the awesome photos.

Here’s what I made:

1. Tiny dark chocolate whiskey cupcakes, inspired by a December NY Times article about the brilliant holiday tradition of pairing booze with cake. The Husband made me a stencil taped to a paper clip to create the star design.

Tiny dark chocolate whiskey cupcakes (makes 48)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. kosher salt

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate (use a good one)

1/4 c. instant espresso powder

2 T. (generous) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. whiskey, plus more for sprinkling and a belt for the chef

1 T. vanilla extract

1/2# unsalted butter, softened

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

- Line mini cupcake pans with papers (or butter and flour a tube pan, 2 loaf pans, or paper for 12 regular-sized cupcakes). Preheat oven to 325F.

- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in metal bowl over simmering water; let cool.

- Put espresso and cocoa in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and add enough boiling water to make 1 cup, mix til combined. Add whiskey and vanilla and let cool.

- Sift together flour, salt, and soda in a small bowl.

- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until very fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are combined.

- On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in half of the flour mixture. Repeat alternating additions, ending with whiskey. Most things do. Scrape batter into prepared pan(s) and smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean (tiny cupcakes are done in 15 minutes, the tube pan takes about 1 hour).

- Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15-20 minutes and brush warm cake with the extra whiskey. Brush it again if you like things boozy. Be sure the cake is absolutely, completely cool before sprinkling with powdered sugar. Wrapped tightly, this cake freezes well…but needs to be brought to true room temperature to get the full effect of the booze+chocolate combo.

2. Truffles infused with dried-cherry balsamic syrup, using a recipe found on Design*Sponge, which is about as addictive as the truffles. These are so easy and so decadent.

Truffles infused with dried-cherry balsamic syrup

8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped (as always, spring for the best you can afford)

¼ c. heavy cream

pinch of salt

2 T. balsamic vinegar

8-12 dried cherries

½ c. cocoa powder (don’t even think of using Hershey’s)

- Heat the cherries and vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Save the cherries for nibbling with a stinky and/or creamy cheese or as an addition to a salad of bitter greens (seriously intense, seriously good).

- Heat the chocolate and cream in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cherry-balsamic syrup. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until firm enough to shape. This can take a couple of hours…I usually make the truffle mixture in the morning and then roll them at night or even the next morning. If you’re in a hurry, chill the mixture but not too much! You want something that feels slightly harder than Play Doh, because the heat from your hands will melt things once you start rolling. But too much refrigeration can leave you with a rock-solid chunk.

- To shape the truffles, scoop out a small nugget with a teaspoon and quickly roll between your palms to form a ball. I prefer truffles that are small, one-bite size. Roll them into the cocoa powder. That’s it! Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (as if).

3. Pound cake with macerated strawberries and whipped cream, an old favorite. Reports of a post-midnight “incident” involving the whipped cream have not yet been verified.

Pound cake with macerated strawberries and whipped cream

for the cake:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2# unsalted butter, softened

1 c. sugar

4 eggs at room temperature

2 t. vanilla extract

- Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour a loaf pan.

- Whisk together flour, powder, and salt.

- In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat butter and sugar until super fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are combined.

- Add the flour mixture all at once and beat at low speed until just combined. Don’t overdo it! Use your rubber scraper to blend in the stuff from the sides and bottom of the bowl.

- Scrape into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake for until a cake tester comes out clean, at least an hour. If the top browns to quickly, loosely cover the pan with foil. Let the cake cool on a wire rack until cool, then unmold. This cake freezes well.

for the strawberries:

2 pints strawberries

2 T. sugar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

- Rinse, hull and quarter the berries. Toss with sugar and balsamic. Let sit up to an hour. Drain the liquid into a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened. When cool, pour the syrup back over the berries.

for the whipped cream:

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 t. vanilla extract

2 T. powdered sugar

- Beat it all in a large bowl with a whisk until thick and slightly stiff. Ideally, the bowl is chilled. If your arm gets tired, ask Kyle to help you.

4. Coffee panna cotta made in individual demitasse cups. Usually I make panna cotta in custard cups and unmold them right before serving. This version works well, too, with the coffee syrup at the bottom of the cup adding a nice surprise. The blue and white paper on the table is by Snow & Graham.

Coffee panna cotta

1/4 c. strong coffee (a shot of espresso works well)

1/4 c. sugar

- Combine coffee and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a glass measuring cup and allow to cool. Pour into 6 demitasse cups, distributing evenly.

1 t. gelatine

1 T. whole milk

- Sprinkle gelatine over milk in a small bowl and allow to stand for a few minutes, until it’s puckery.

1 c. table cream

1 c. whole milk

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

- Combine cream, milk, sugar, vanilla in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatine mixture. Transfer to a glass measuring cup, llow to cool. Pour into the demitasse cups and refrigerate at least 6 hours or be smarter than I was and chill these babies overnight.

No comments

Years ago I read in one of Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks the value of having something easily on hand to serve to pop-in guests. This is a recipe I discovered on Epicurious, following is my modified version. Not so much a cracker as a savory biscuit, these are delicious: cheesy, spicy-tangy, crunchy, buttery. The dough is formed into logs and then chilled. Freeze a couple of logs and you’ll have a quick, fabulous treat to bake up in 15 minutes and make unexpected guests feel welcome. Also great as a light nibble with drinks before a heavy holiday dinner.

For all of you copy editors out there, Cheddar is capitalized because the cheese is named for the English village where it was first made in the 12th century.

Mustard Cheddar Crackers

1/2# unsalted butter, very soft

1# sharp grated Cheddar

2 scallions

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. dry mustard (I like Coleman’s)

1/4 c. mustard seeds, toasted and cooled

1 t. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

2 c. all-purpose flour

Blend butter, cheese, yolk, scallions, and Dijon in food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until the dough has just come together (don’t overdo it or your dough will be tough). Scrape the dough into a bowl and chill for around 15 minutes, until firm enough to handle.
Form the dough into 2 logs, about 1 inch in diameter. I find that using plastic wrap to help shape the logs is the least messy way. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or you can freeze the logs and use as needed.

When ready to bake, remove logs from freezer. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or Silpats. Slice logs into thin slices. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt before baking. Crackers are finished when pale golden, 15 minutes at most. Store in an airtight container only when completely cooled.

No comments