That is my first test of Deanna's vanillas that she gave me for Christmas. I made one large batch of shortbread dough, then split it up into quarters flavored each with a different vanilla.
You may remember, the solvents were Vodka, Rum, and Bourbon. As a control, I also used our regular kitchen vanilla, the Whole Foods house brand 365 Organic.
Unfortunately, I think I didn't use enough vanilla to really expose the flavor. I put a teaspoon in each of the batches, because the half teaspoon that the recipe recommended seemed way to small. I think I could have gone to two teaspoons without issue.
We served these at our housewarming party, and the overwhelming response was … they were all delicious, but not terribly different from each other. The strongest opinion was that the Rum cookies were the best. I agree, though it seemed to me that it was less about the flavor, and more about the Rum cookies having a much smoother texture, something almost creamy about them.
I shall have to try again, perhaps with something that is less focused on the flavor of butter. An angel food cake, or divinity/seafoam, or icing. Any other vanilla favorites in this crowd?
Thanks, Deanna!
So glad you used it, too bad you couldn't taste it. Do they smell very strong just in the bottle? I have not used mine yet, I think I just have the one made with vodka. I did not know initially that vanilla should be in dark bottles, so remember to keep them in the cupboard. If I make some again I will have to get brown bottles.
ReplyDeleteThe cookies look luscious. I would love your recipe. I had a recipe in a little cookbook with Peanuts characters, I believe bought from Weekly Reader in grade school that had a shortbread recipe that was super easy, but I cannot find that little cookbook. I know it is around here somewhere. I love shortbread cookies, especially Walker brand.
Not to whine, but I never did get my invite to the housewarming party. Hmm.
In the bottle, yes, they do smell quite like both vanilla, and their alcohol. I really do think I just overpowered them with butter.
ReplyDeleteMy shortbread recipe comes from the book Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman, and is *very* simple: 1 part butter, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts flour (and often a pinch of salt). It's all by weight, so when using one stick of butter at 4 oz, that's 8 oz sugar and 12 oz flour.
Put the butter and sugar in a stand mixer, and mix until they're well-combined, and the butter lightens in color a bit. Add the flour a few ounces at a time, scraping to keep things combined. When mixed, roll into a log somewhere between a quarter and a half-dollar in diameter.
Put the log in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to stiffen it (to help with cutting later). Preheat the oven to 325ยบ (I think, but maybe higher). Slice the log into coins an eighth of an inch or so thick. They won't spread much, so you can place them on a cookie sheet with an inch or less between them.
Bake until they just start to turn color around the edges - usually somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes.
This recipe responds super well to additions. Lemon juice and poppy seeds. Mint extract. I think I even used bing cherry juice once. But, it's a butter-and-sugar flavor first, so if either of those is strong, you'll need to correct additions accordingly.
And don't worry too much about the lost invitation - this was the valley-only event. We didn't even invite people from up the peninsula. There are definitely more parties coming.
Somehow the sound of something being overpowered with butter just sounds right, and very tasty.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe. Sounds simple enough and adding the lemon juice sounds so fresh tasting. I bet the Bing cherry juice ones were pretty.
Okay, I will let it pass about not getting my invite. I do hope we can get out to see you both in the not too distant future.
I wish that Ratio cookbook would have been printed back in the 1970's. My final in Food Science class would have been tons easier. We had to draw "techniques" and prepare them without any reference materials. One of mine was " the use of air as a leaving agent". I had to make an angel food cake without a recipe. It wasn't the highest cake in the world but I passed.
ReplyDeletePS…..cookies look yummy.
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