Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Meringues

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love this ladylike cookie. I get weak-kneed anytime I find a recipe that combines chocolate and peppermint. This one goes one step further and folds the two into a meringue base that makes the cookie so light that it is completely irresistible. If that weren't enough, the meringue is then dipped in dark chocolate to finish and serve. While the cookie is near perfect, I have one caution to share with you. Meringues must be kept dry and stored in air-tight contains or they will begin to soften and quickly stale. If you can properly store these, they would make a wonderful addition to your Christmas cookie tray. Here is how the meringues are made.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been trying to find new biscotti to add to my holiday food baskets. The baskets are sent as token gifts to our neighbors at Christmas, but my schedule, of late, has been so frantic that those gifts will be much simpler than in years past. If all goes well, the baskets  will contain small holiday breads and the standard sweets, but I also wanted to tuck a new "dunkable" in with the other cookies that I plan to make. I've been testing some recipes that sounded interesting to me, and while I haven't decided if this biscotti will make the final cut, I can tell you they would be a wonderful addition to the baskets. They are dense and crunchy and intensely chocolate and my failure to reserve a place for them is only because I still have more recipes to test.  Having made and generously sampled the biscotti, I'm completely comfortable in passing this recipe, originally developed for Eating Well magazine, on to the chocolate lovers among you. I think you'll really like them. The biscotti are very easy to make and if you store them in an airtight container you'll find them to be good keepers. Here's how they are made.

Double Chocolate Biscotti...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips, melted (see Cooking Tip)

Directions:
1) Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2) Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
3) In another large bowl, beat eggs, egg yolk and sugar (or Splenda) with an electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just moistened.
4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 1 minute, then divide in half. Roll each piece into an 8-inch log; flatten slightly to about 3/4 inch high and 3 1/2 inches wide. Place the logs side by side on one of the prepared baking sheets.
5) Bake until lightly browned and firm, about 20 minutes. Cool on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Keep the oven on; switch the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Slice the logs on the diagonal into cookies 1/2 inch thick. Arrange, cut-side down, on the 2 baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the biscotti over and rotate the pans from top to bottom; bake until dry, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield 32 biscotti.

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Viennese Sandwich Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If the smell of flax soap was added to the aromas coming from my kitchen, I'd swear the ghost of Christmas past had reversed time and plunked me in the basement of the apartment complex where I spent my childhood. As Christmas approached, the basement captured the aromas of the cooking being done in the townhouses to the right of ours. The scent of cinnamon and cardamon mingled with that of nutmeg and cloves and one of my favorite pastimes was guessing who was baking on any given day. Hannie and Mrs. P. commanded those kitchens and began their holiday preparations early in December. Hannie took Christmas decor as seriously as she did its baking. Her home was festooned with garlands and boughs and gifts wrapped so beautifully it would hurt to tear them open. The house itself was as comfortable as a Bavarian ski chalet and everyone who entered it felt comfortable and welcome. While Hannie was hanging her garlands, Mrs. P. began her holiday preparations with a cleaning so thorough that it would put the Merry Maids to shame. She washed and scrubbed and polished till every surface gleamed and the smell of flax soap couldn't be separated from the pine scent of her Christmas tree. By the time she was finished, you could perform surgery on her dining room table. Both women made lovely, if quite different, homes, and both kitchens were models of wonderfully wretched excess. I've already shared their holiday recipes with you, so tonight I wanted to feature a recipe I know they would both love and add to their collections. Like so much of what they did, these cookies, too, are a study in wretched excess. They are a lot of work, but they are also the kind of cookie people love to eat. I do hope you will give them a try. Here's the recipe.

Viennese Sandwich Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-2/3 cups ground almonds
1 cup apricot preserves
2 cups (12-ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening

Directions:
1) Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add almond extract and stir to combine.
2) Combine flour and ground almonds in another bowl. Mix well.
3) Gradually add dry ingredient to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/4-inch round cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
5) Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
6) Spread jam on bottoms of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening and stir until smooth. Dip half of each sandwich cookie into chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3 dozen.

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Three Years Ago Today: Potato Soup