Cooking
Page 262 in the old book / page 279 in the new book
These two biscotti-like cookies - last week's Hazelnut Rusks and this week's Black-and-White Rusks - have left me wishing there were more like them in the book. I've had little prior experience with this type of cookie, but have especially enjoyed these two. Fortunately, there's a whole chapter of biscotti to be explored in Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies!
These lovely two-toned cookies have two flavors as well. The outer layer has grated orange zest in it and the middle has some melted chocolate added to it. Forming the roll isn't difficult and the dough is generally easy to handle, though I did find the chocolate dough became somewhat brittle with time. This is another cookie for you former Play-Doh lovers :-) Both the middle and outer layers are rolled on a board into long ropes. The outer layer is flattened and then pulled up around the middle chocolate rope. The long oval shape of the individual slices is achieved by cutting on a very sharp angle after baking.
These cookies are a little easier on the teeth than last week's, thanks to half a cup of oil in the recipe, but they are still quite crunchy. The combination of chocolate and orange is wonderful and their looks and durability would make them ideal for holiday gift giving and even mailing.
Here's the panel (don't listen to Denny)...
Suzanne: "Delicious! I love everything about this cookie. I love the smell of the orange and the crunchiness of the cookie. The cookie was so attractive with its thin, angular shape and chocolate in the center. I’m sure I will be eating more then one of these cookies. Rating - 5.0"
Denny: "OK, but not much flavor. Maybe they should be thrice-baked with a real good cookie on top and another on the bottom. Even with the chocolate I could only give them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "Zesty orange flavor with a hint of chocolate. Yum! A little more crunchy than I usually like, but it works for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Terri: "These are very much like biscotti and very tasty with the touch of chocolate in the middle. These are quite crunchy but would be perfect with tea or coffee. The slight orange taste adds a nice touch of flavor! Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.6
Next week - Palm Island Brandy Snaps
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Hazelnut Rusks
Page 260 in the old book / page 277 in the new book I guess Maida's cookie book was written before biscotti were all the rage. Maida describes this recipe as an old German recipe and there's nary a mention of those other twice-baked cookies we've...
- Mondays With Maida - English Gingersnaps #2
Page 234 in the old book / page 258 in the new book This cookie is a smaller, spicier, and orange/lemon-scented (and yes - snappier!) variation of last week's English Gingersnaps #1. I loved the orange and lemon rind in these - it really brightened...
- Mondays With Maida - Tropical Sour-cream Cookies
Page 176 in the old book / page 209 in the new book Lemon juice and the grated rind of both lemon and orange give these soft cookies a very nice citrus flavor, but they have an unfortunately bland appearance. They need something to pretty them up - perhaps...
- Mondays With Maida - Ischler Cookies
Page 171 in the old book / page 206 in the new book I knew these were going to be a hit - how could they not? Two cookies, rich with butter and ground almonds, are sandwiched together with some sweet and tart apricot jam and then given a crowd-pleasing...
- Mondays With Maida - New Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies
Page 125 in the old book / page 163 in the new book Rather uncharacteristically, Maida provides no background on this cookie or its origin at the start of the recipe, but I believe these New Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies are so named because of the...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Black-and-White Rusks
Page 262 in the old book / page 279 in the new book
These two biscotti-like cookies - last week's Hazelnut Rusks and this week's Black-and-White Rusks - have left me wishing there were more like them in the book. I've had little prior experience with this type of cookie, but have especially enjoyed these two. Fortunately, there's a whole chapter of biscotti to be explored in Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies!
These lovely two-toned cookies have two flavors as well. The outer layer has grated orange zest in it and the middle has some melted chocolate added to it. Forming the roll isn't difficult and the dough is generally easy to handle, though I did find the chocolate dough became somewhat brittle with time. This is another cookie for you former Play-Doh lovers :-) Both the middle and outer layers are rolled on a board into long ropes. The outer layer is flattened and then pulled up around the middle chocolate rope. The long oval shape of the individual slices is achieved by cutting on a very sharp angle after baking.
These cookies are a little easier on the teeth than last week's, thanks to half a cup of oil in the recipe, but they are still quite crunchy. The combination of chocolate and orange is wonderful and their looks and durability would make them ideal for holiday gift giving and even mailing.
Here's the panel (don't listen to Denny)...
Suzanne: "Delicious! I love everything about this cookie. I love the smell of the orange and the crunchiness of the cookie. The cookie was so attractive with its thin, angular shape and chocolate in the center. I’m sure I will be eating more then one of these cookies. Rating - 5.0"
Denny: "OK, but not much flavor. Maybe they should be thrice-baked with a real good cookie on top and another on the bottom. Even with the chocolate I could only give them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "Zesty orange flavor with a hint of chocolate. Yum! A little more crunchy than I usually like, but it works for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Terri: "These are very much like biscotti and very tasty with the touch of chocolate in the middle. These are quite crunchy but would be perfect with tea or coffee. The slight orange taste adds a nice touch of flavor! Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.6
Next week - Palm Island Brandy Snaps
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Hazelnut Rusks
Page 260 in the old book / page 277 in the new book I guess Maida's cookie book was written before biscotti were all the rage. Maida describes this recipe as an old German recipe and there's nary a mention of those other twice-baked cookies we've...
- Mondays With Maida - English Gingersnaps #2
Page 234 in the old book / page 258 in the new book This cookie is a smaller, spicier, and orange/lemon-scented (and yes - snappier!) variation of last week's English Gingersnaps #1. I loved the orange and lemon rind in these - it really brightened...
- Mondays With Maida - Tropical Sour-cream Cookies
Page 176 in the old book / page 209 in the new book Lemon juice and the grated rind of both lemon and orange give these soft cookies a very nice citrus flavor, but they have an unfortunately bland appearance. They need something to pretty them up - perhaps...
- Mondays With Maida - Ischler Cookies
Page 171 in the old book / page 206 in the new book I knew these were going to be a hit - how could they not? Two cookies, rich with butter and ground almonds, are sandwiched together with some sweet and tart apricot jam and then given a crowd-pleasing...
- Mondays With Maida - New Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies
Page 125 in the old book / page 163 in the new book Rather uncharacteristically, Maida provides no background on this cookie or its origin at the start of the recipe, but I believe these New Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies are so named because of the...