What's Baking: Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cookies

Classic Mexican Wedding Cookies get a little chocolatey twist with the addition of cocoa powder. 

'Tis the season for cookies. Lots of cookies. Oy, so many cookies! I baked a couple of batches of cookies this past weekend to bring to a holiday get-together on Sunday night. Part of the festivities included a cookie exchange, and I'm sad to report that the panoply of cookies I brought home barely lasted 24 hours in our house. 

Mexican Wedding Cookies – also known as Russian Teacakes or Italian Wedding Cookies – have a distinctly nutty flavor due to the generous addition of nuts in the dough. (A shocking turn of events, I know.) My Mom's recipe uses walnuts, so that's how I make them, although finely chopped pecans or almonds would work just as well. For extra flavor, toast your chopped nuts before adding them to the dough.

The classic Mexican Wedding Cookie does not have cocoa powder in them, but I was feeling like these sweet cookies could use a little cocoa kick. The key to the appearance of these cookies is two dips in powdered sugar – roll them straight from the oven (once they're just cool enough to handle), and then after they've completely cooled, give them another roll in the powdered sugar to get a nice even coating.

Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cookies (printer-friendly version)

makes 2 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks/16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cups whole walnuts, chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, walnuts, and salt. 

5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches, thoroughly mixing between additions.

6. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

7. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just set.

8. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Let cool, then roll again in powdered sugar. 

9. After completely cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Variation: For regular Mexican Wedding Cookies, omit the cocoa powder and use 2 1/4 cups flour.

What's For Dinner: Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls

This year because D had limited vacation time, we opted to travel to Kalamazoo to spend a few days around the Christmas holiday with D's family. On the eve of Christmas Eve, I was chatting with D's uncle Dennis and cousin Evan about possible vegetarian entrees that we might have for Christmas dinner (in addition to a Christmas ham). While I thought I was just offering suggestions (Dennis is a fantastic chef), I instead found out the next morning that I had roped myself into cooking the meat-free entree. My suggestion was to make butternut squash lasagna rolls, which I had recently discovered in the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook (I talk about my Beekman Boy fandom near the end of this post). I hadn't made the dish before -- though I did intend to and actually had the ingredients at the ready at home in Wisconsin. But hey, what better time to try a new recipe than for a large family get-together? (Ha.)

In addition to getting a few last-minute gifts, D and I spent the afternoon of Christmas Eve purchasing a few necessary ingredients for my contribution to the Christmas dinner spread. To make things slightly easier (and since there would be a lot of cooking occurring on Christmas day), on Monday I roasted and mashed the squash, as that was the most time-consuming part of the lasagna-making process. Then on Christmas, I cooked the lasagna noodles, put together the dish, and baked it right before serving. I think it turned out rather well, and I definitely gave a sigh of relief that others seemed to enjoy it, too.

Following the holidays, I've made the lasagna rolls a second time, and though my intent was to capture better pictures of the final result, unfortunately I cooked up the second batch way past sunset, too. Special thanks to Dennis for taking a few action shots while I put together the lasagna on Christmas day (which you will see below). I would be such a better food blogger if I got my act together and cooked stuff up way earlier in the day, when natural light is aplenty. However, I'd much rather eat the things I cook right when they are fresh out of the oven (and when they're piping hot), rather than re-heat later in the day. It's hardest in the winter season, when the sun goes down so early. Summertime is definitely prime food blogging time! I'm so looking forward to the return of post-8p sunsets.

Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls (printer-friendly version)
makes eight rolls

2 pounds butternut squash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, browned
8 lasagna noodles
1⅓ cups grated Parmesan
1 large egg
¼ cup sliced almonds, finely chopped
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup organic heavy cream (you can also use half-and-half)

For the butternut squash:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silpat. Set aside.
Peel the butternut squash and cut in half. Remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into 1" cubes.
2. Place the squash cubes into a shallow bowl. Add in the browned butter and toss to combine.
3. Spread the squash cubes onto the prepped baking sheet.
4. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until tender, flipping the cubes once or twice while cooking.
5. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
6. Once cooled, purée the squash in a food processor. (Alternately, you could use a potato masher or blender for this step.) Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container overnight.

For the lasagna rolls:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous dash of salt, then add the lasagna noodles and cook per the manufacturer's instructions. Once cooked, drain, and rinse the noodles with cold water. Place the noodles on a work surface and lightly pat dry.
2. In a large bowl, add together 2 cups of puréed butternut squash, 2/3 cup Parmesan, egg, chopped almonds, bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Place a portion of the squash filling onto each lasagna noodle. (This helps to ensure that you don't run out of filling at the end.) Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the filling across the noodle, covering it completely.

{evenly spreading the squash filling onto the lasagna noodles}

4. Carefully roll each noodle into a bundle and place the rolls in an 11x13 glass baking dish.

{lasagna rolls}

5. Pour the heavy cream over top the lasagna rolls.

6. Sprinkle each roll with the remaining (2/3 cup) Parmesan. Add a dash of freshly-ground black pepper over top each roll.

 {lasagna rolls covered with cream, Parmesan, and freshly-ground black pepper}

7. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the cream is bubbling and the rolls are lightly browned.

(adapted from a recipe in the Beekman Boys Heirloom Cookbook)

 {bon appétit!}

Holiday Shenanigans: Florida Edition

D and I spent Christmas together at home in Philly. After opening presents in the morning, I whipped up a batch of Alton Brown's french toast for breakfast. In the afternoon, we went for a long walk around the neighborhood with the dog; it was quite nice as not many people were up and about. A special bonus of the empty city was that we were able to score a parking spot for our car right in front of our building -- that rarely happens! Our Christmas dinner featured a small roasted chicken, mashed fingerling potatoes, homemade stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

After spending a quiet Christmas at home, at 4 a.m. on the 26th, D and I packed up the car (and the dog), and hit the road for an 18-hour road trip. Our destination? Lakeland, Florida, home to D's grandparents. After all was said and done, we arrived in Lakeland around 10:30 p.m. Our GPS originally predicted that we'd arrive at our destination around 8:30 p.m.; but a spate of bad traffic (and accidents) in South Carolina added in two additional hours.

Since we had Leroy with us, we opted to stay in a hotel since dogs are not allowed in D's grandparent's neighborhood. The morning after our arrival, we started what would be a morning ritual of heading to Lake Parker Park to work off some of Leroy's energy by walking one of the many lakeside pathways in the park.

{morning views and avian fauna at Lake Parker Park}

Highlights of our visit with D's grandparents included several rounds of Grandpa Bronson's famous brandy alexanders, watching a 3-D movie on their fancy TV, being entertained by dinner theatre in Orlando (somebody please do a documentary on a behind-the-scenes look at the Capone's actors: I'm dying to know their backstories), and learning how to play stupid, a card game (which I won! Woot!). Here are a few photos from our trip to Florida:

{Grandpa Bronson and his famous brandy alexanders}

{enjoying my first brandy alexander of our stay}

{watching a 3-D movie wearing our cool glasses}

{dinner theatre at Capone's -- a picture says a 1000 words}

{ready to enjoy an evening card game}

{dealing cards}

Leroy was a surprisingly well-behaved houseguest and it didn't take long before he let both Grandma and Grandpa Bronson pet and handle him. There may be hope for our little rescue dog after all! After spending four days in Florida, we packed everything back up again and hit the road early on the 30th. We made it back to Philly around 10:30 p.m. and after schlepping several loads of stuff back into our house (ok, D schlepped most of the stuff while I chilled with the dog in the car, which was illegally parked on the street), we soon called it a night.

New Year's Eve was another low-key holiday for us; D had the sudden onset of a cold, so we opted to stay in for the night. We feasted on a dinner of herb-roasted chicken breasts along with leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce from our Christmas meal. Somehow we managed to stay up until midnight and toasted with a glass of champagne before heading to bed. And there you have it! A full report on our holiday shenanigans from Christmas to New Years. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Kathmandu: Christmas Indulgence

I'm taking a trip down memory lane with a look back at our trip to Nepal last December. For all of the entries about our trek, click here.

1. Christmas Day Buffet - fresh produce!, 2. Refreshing 7UP!, 

3. Jazz band entertainment, 4. Showing off my hairdo, 

5. Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, 6. The Hyatt grounds, 

7. View from the club level lounge, 8. View of the pool

After overindulging the day before, my first stop Christmas morning was at the hotel's gym. After a 45-minute sweat session, I headed back upstairs to grab a quick breakfast before I'd have to return back downstairs for a trip to the spa. Nothing like spending Christmas morning getting a (much-needed) massage and facial! While down in the spa/salon I decided I might as well get my hair done as well (my hair was still a little mad at me for not washing it for 10+ days during our trek) so I got a wash and style, too. 

Following my beautifying, I returned to our room to meet up with D and head back downstairs to the Christmas Day BBQ held outside on the back deck by the pool. While eating plenty of plates of grilled veggies, pizza, and other goodies cooked to order, we listened to an excellent jazz band play and at one point were entertained with an enthusiastic version of "Feliz Navidad" sung by a guest from Fiji. 

After lunch we took a short walk around the hotel's grounds. The one downside of being at the Hyatt was that once you're there, you're kind of stuck there unless you take a cab elsewhere. Luckily, we found plenty of ways to entertain ourselves and the grounds were quite beautiful and fun to explore.

After partaking in another evening cocktail hour, D and I headed downstairs where we had plans to meet Prim, who would drive us to La Dolce Vita to meet up with Bharat for Christmas dinner. While at dinner, we exchanged Christmas presents. Bharat gave us each a t-shirt screenprinted with the route of the EBC trek -- an excellent reminder and souvenir of our fantastic time in the Himalayas. Following dinner we returned to our hotel, and Bharat presented each of us with a khata prayer scarf and we said our final goodbyes. Our trip was officially (and quickly) reaching its end. 

{Bharat, me, and D after our Christmas dinner}

What's Baking: Chocolate-Drizzled Shortbread Cookies

As much as I love making some of my favorite cookie recipes, it's always fun to try something new. On Monday night, I decided to give shortbread cookies a try, and my, oh, my, what a great idea! After baking the cookies and letting them cool, I added a little drizzle of chocolate over top of each one, giving the cookies a subtle chocolate flavor that melded well with the buttery shortbread.

Chocolate-Drizzled Shortbread Cookies (printer-friendly version)
makes about 56 cookies

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup good-quality chocolate discs (for melting)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
4. Add the flour mixture in batches to the ingredients in the mixer, stirring in between each addition. Once a dough has formed, turn it out onto a floured surface. (I love to work on a floured extra-large cutting board to prevent the entire countertop from getting messy.)
5. Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. (Avoid over-chilling the dough, as it will become harder to work with.)
6. Roll the chilled dough 1/4-inch thick. Use a 2-inch square cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the dough. Place the square cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. (Depending on the size of your cookie sheet, you can get at least 20 cookies per batch. Since they spread very little, you can place the cookies fairly close together on the baking sheet.) Sprinkle each cookie with granulated sugar.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.
8. Remove from the oven and place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
9. As the cookies cool, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and microwave in 30-second increments, until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir between melting periods with a wooden spoon. Once the chocolate has melted, stir quickly to make the chocolate glossy in appearance.
10. Once the cookies are at room temperature, place them on a baking sheet or flat platter covered with wax paper. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. (You can also dip the cookies in the chocolate, or make whatever pattern you prefer.) Place the baking sheet or platter with the cookies in the fridge until the chocolate has set.
11. Store the cookies in a tightly-lidded container, placing sheets of wax paper between each layer of cookies to prevent them from sticking together. Cookies can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator, but I'm sure they won't last that long!

 (adapted from this Barefoot Contessa recipe)