More Cookie Recipes

I have such a variety of cookie recipes, though interestingly, I do not make cookies all that often. Holidays are when I go into high gear on making cookies - and that usually happens last minute, mainly as I am not generally keen on making all these individual things called cookies!! 

I have two more recipes to share here, and these are generally not ones I make for holidays. These first, I came up with the combination on my own, only later to find that indeed they are very similar in style to macarons, those cute little sandwiched meringue type cookies seen all over, now. I had long intended to try making macarons, yet they were just one of those things I couldn't seem to find the time to get around to. And then over time, macarons seemed to take the internet by storm, and suddenly they were everywhere. But long before I seriously got around to making macarons, this recipe just came together.

These macaron-like cookies are also basically egg whites and almond flour, and gluten free. I did add a touch of chocolate, but more as a spice mixture combo than as a chocolate flavoring agent. They are stellar in the flavor department, and at one point, I had a couple of teenage boys visiting, and they just about polished off the whole plate of these cookies.

Cinnamon Spice Macarons

These are single cookies; not the smooth-topped little sandwich types seen everywhere these days. Very similar in style, I made these a bit larger, but they are basically a meringue cookie with finely ground almonds. The spices make for an interesting combination. They disappeared in no time in my house.

Cinnamon Spice Macaron Cookies

Makes about 55 larger single macarons

Cinnamon Spice Macaron Cookies

6 egg whites (about ¾ cup total), room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup almond “flour” (very finely ground almonds)
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cocoa
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ to ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl combine the almond flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cocoa, cardamom, chile powder and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment.

In the bowl of a mixer, place the egg whites and cream of tartar and whip until the whites hold soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the meringue is smooth and glossy and holds stiff peaks. By hand, fold in the dry ingredients gently. Drop by rounded tablespoons into high mounds onto the parchment, allowing at least 2 inches between cookies, as they will flatten and puff as they bake. Bake the meringues for about 40 minutes on two racks in the oven. Switch the sheets top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the baking time. They should be dried on the outside and slightly soft in the center when done. 

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These next cookies make a gorgeous presentation. They are a bit time consuming to make, as they are tiny and involve a lot of little steps. They are also so fabulously delicious, that I had a very hard time not OD-ing, the first time I encountered them. I got this recipe from a lady named Colleen, about 40 years ago. I have no idea where she got the recipe. She said someone gave it to her, and she wrote it out on a recipe card for me. All I can say is, for some special occasion, these are a must try. As they are so tiny, the recipe makes a slew of the little wafers, and make over 50 little sandwiched cookies. 

Cream Wafers

These are tiny little things (about 1½ inches in diameter) and take a bit of time to make all the little rounds and then assemble. However, they are so flaky and light, the raves you will get will more than offset any time spent on making them. Believe me!

Single Wafers before Filling

Makes a lot of tiny cookies!

WAFERS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

Cream Wafers

⅓ cup whipping cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar

CREAMY FILLING
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food Coloring, optional

MAKE WAFERS: Mix together thoroughly the butter and flour, as for pie dough. Add the whipping cream and form a ball. Cover and chill.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out about ⅓ of the dough at a time, to about ⅛-inch thick. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated until ready to use. Cut the rolled dough into 1½-inch diameter circles. Transfer the little rounds with a spatula to a piece of waxed paper heavily covered with the granulated sugar. Turn each round so that both sides are sugar coated. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Prick the little dough circles with a fork about 4 times. Very important! Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until just set, but not brown. Repeat with the other ⅔ of the dough. Cool the wafers.

MAKE CREAMY FILLING: Cream the butter with the confectioners’ sugar; add vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Tint with food coloring if desired. Put a small amount of filling on the bottom side of one wafer, press another bottom side of a wafer against the filling, to make tiny sandwich cookies.

NOTES: When I made these recently, I used the base of a large star icing tip that measured the right size to cut out the little wafers. A small circle cutter will also work well, if it is not too large. These are too delicate to make them too large.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.