Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Our Christmas Cookie Must-Haves

A person’s Christmas cookie plate is very personal, but we believe the perfect plate of holiday cookies contains representatives from all of the major cookie groups: chocolate, fruity, nutty, shortbread, and spice. These categories are broad with plenty of room for interpretation, but if you hit each one, you’re sure […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Our Favorite Holiday Cookies

There’s a lot to love about the holidays, but cookies are pretty high on the list. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite cookie recipes to help inspire your baking. Remember that nearly all cookies are great for freezing, whether in baked or raw dough form, so get a […]

Cookies

Partridge in a Pear (Dog) Treat

Makes about 4 dozen, depending on the size of your cookie cutter Dogs are family, too, and this treat is an easy way to show them you care! This dough is very forgiving and can be customized to your furry friends’ favorite flavors. You may need to add or reduce […]

Cookies, Free Recipes

Pecan Diamonds

The Iconic Pecan Diamond Are they a cookie? A dessert? A bite-size pecan pie? Craig Claiborne of The New York Times called them the “sweet hallmark” of CIA, and they are. Pecan Diamonds have been a CIA tradition for nearly six decades. They were offered to guests with coffee at […]

Cookies

Pignoli Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies Pignolis, also called pine nuts, make a delicious, toasty-tasting cookie. Ingredients 2 1/4 cups sugar 2 cups almond paste 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Pinch kosher salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup egg whites 1 cup pine nuts, or more as needed Directions Preheat […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Piping Makes Perfect: Detailed Designs

Piping is often functional: use a pastry bag to transfer the mousse to the serving bowls, place the glaze in a piping bag to cover the cake. Precision is nice, but not always necessary. But if you are interested in creating detailed cakes, homemade chocolate bonbons, cute cookies, or delicate […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Raise the BAR on Your Cookie Game

Bar cookies are baked in one large pan and portioned after baking. This term is used for traditional cookies like brownies and blondies, but baking cookies in this manner also creates the opportunity to layer flavors and textures, resulting in new varieties of delicious cookies. Just as with drop cookies, […]

Cookies, Free Recipes

Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutter You are an artist, and the holiday cookie plate is your canvas! This year, we would like to give you the gift of sugar cookies that are easy to make, hold their shape when baked, and are […]

Cookies, Family Fun

Royal Icing

Makes about one cup If you won’t be using the icing right away, take the following steps to keep the icing from drying out: Clean the sides of the bowl or container to remove any drips; if a dry crust develops on the bowl, small pieces can drop into the […]

Cookies, Family Fun

Rugelach

Makes 2 dozen cookies Dough Ingredients 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted Ingredients 2/3 cup raspberry jam 1 2/3 cups chopped pecans Cinnamon Sugar (1 cup sugar combined with 1 […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Scaling Baking Recipes Up and Down

Doubling or tripling recipes or cutting them in half successfully requires more than simple multiplication. Recipes for baked goods rely upon a number of “sensitive” ingredients, such as leaveners, flavorings, seasonings, and thickeners. These ingredients don’t scale up or down directly in proportion with other ingredients. If you are planning […]