Sweets that are quickly made have a solid place in my baking repertory; they are perfect for late-notice guests or to finish a more complicated dinner. One of the virtues of the Swedish Visiting Cake, for example, besides the universally appealing flavor, is that it is simple to throw in the oven. Our family butterscotch brownie recipe is super-fast. It's hard to beat the speed of my stand-by cobbler recipe. I make mental notes of those things that I can put together on a moment's notice, even memorizing the easy recipes. Do you?
Cookies are rarely difficult, but they can take a bit of time to form each one, and to bake in successive cookie sheet-fuls in the oven. So fast recipes for cookies are welcome finds. This week's assignment for the Tuesdays With Dorie baking group is Chocolate Spice Quickies. An intriguing name for a cookie: promising speed and spice in the same recipe.
n.o.e.'s notes:
- This week's hostess is Jessica of the blog My Baking Heart. To find the recipe, click over to her post, and to see how other bakers make these cookies, check here for their links.
- I made 1/2 recipe, and got about 20 cookies. These are petite little things, so they all fit on one baking sheet.
- The recipe gives a choice of cloves or allspice for the spice. I used cloves because I found them first in my spice cabinet.
- Rather than grinding almonds in the food processor, I used almond meal from Bob's Red Mill.
- I'm not sure why Dorie chose the recipe's title: these are no quicker than any other cookie; slower actually, if you count in letting the butter warm to room temperature, melting and cooling the chocolate, and the substantial chilling time before the cookies can be sliced and baked. They weren't difficult or super-time-consuming, but I wouldn't call them quick. In fact, I was baking madeleines at the same time and they were much faster and simpler.
the verdict:
These cookies didn't exactly deliver on either promise of their name: not only were they were no quicker than other cookies but the spice was almost undetectable. No matter, though, because they were addictive little morsels, tender yet chewy, and quite chocolatey. They were a bit like Dorie's World Peace Cookies (also slice and bake and chocolate) but not as sturdy and without the studded pieces of chocolate.
8 comments:
I'll be quick (since that is something you're after). I nixed the spice and added more almond flavorings (which helped). Strange though.... "spice" cookies should taste exactly that - spicy! They look superb though Nancy - I like the thickness of them. Something I will strive for next time. Mine caved in too... oddly! Here's to the next cooky recipe!
I thought they were quick because everything went in the food processor and zip, zap, they were done and in the frig cooling their heels. Slicing and baking was fast, only took mine 7 minutes...so I thought it was all fairly quick except the frig bit, but that works out great as I had errands to run. Mark loved them, he kept going back for more. I made a half batch as well as I figured Matt wasn't here and Mark would only eat so many. Wrong. I love the flecks of almonds in mine from using the almonds, so cute. Well, okay, as cute as a chocolate cookie can be. Did you see Margaret's?? I should do that next time, Mark would love that dipping bit and the nuts ON it.
Swedish Visiting Cake is also one of my go-tos. These cookies were fine. Others liked them more than me. I think next time I'll add some espresso powder to punch them up.
Yes, the spiece wsa disappointing. Maybe doubling next time. These were okay, but not a repeat.
Yes, definitely not spicy, nor quick. However, they were a fun little project for the holiday weekend. Thanks for baking along with me, Nancy! :)
These cookies look amazing Nancy! They are thick and chocolatey and begging to be tossed in a bowl of ice cream (something I picture your hubby doing ;P) They were pretty quick over here as I microwaved the butter to soften, and microwaved the chocolate to melt and threw everything in together completely out of order!! So mine came together in 5 mins or less!! And spicy... well, I took that to mean autumn spicy not hot spicy but now I'm curious what it would taste like with a tiny dash of cayenne pepper and some black ground pepper. hmmmm.
I like your analysis of how these are not exactly "quick." I remembered to set the butter out ahead of time, but melting and cooling the chocolate got me! Pretty good cookies, though.
So, it wasn't just me. I didn't taste the spice either, in fact I wondered if my spice had gotten old. Anyway, nice job, they look just right.
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