Cookies Aplenty

I hosted my third annual cookie party on December 3. The past two years, I made Snickerdoodles, but this year, I upped the ante with two new and very different recipes: Chocolate Mint and Anise Sesame. The recipes were fun to make, and turned out well. Still, I am always surprised by how much butter and sugar goes into these things.

I found both of these recipes using the Epicurious iPhone App, which I find to be an invaluable tool when I want to try and make something to eat.

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Chocolate Mint Cookies

Yield: 

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation:
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie dough logs; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs. Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes.

Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly over cookies in zigzag pattern. Refrigerate cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. (Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.)

Note: While I liked the result, I would have liked a little more practice with melting the chocolate. I expected it to be slightly easier to get smooth melted chocolate for the cookies.

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Anise Sesame Cookies

Yield:
Makes about 3 dozen (Note: I only got about 2 dozen from this recipe, but my cookies may have been larger than average)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon whole anise seeds
2 tablespoons boiling-hot water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cookie cutter

Cooks' note: Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Preparation:
Soak anise seeds in boiling-hot water until most of water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in 1 egg and anise seeds with any remaining soaking liquid until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide dough into 4 balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 3 hours.

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

While oven preheats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin into a 7-inch round (slightly less than 1/4 inch thick; if dough becomes too soft to roll out, chill on a baking sheet until firm). Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with cutter and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging cookies about 1 inch apart. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush each cookie lightly with egg wash, then sprinkle with some of sesame seeds.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until bottoms are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely.

Gather scraps and chill until firm enough to reroll. Make more cookies with remaining dough, scraps (reroll only once), and sesame seeds, then bake on cooled sheets.

Note: I found these cookies really easy to put together, and even used the recipe for a gathering the next weekend. I think they would make good 'summer' cookies, and would also work well at a tea party.