Sweet Sunday's Yummy Lit Review:Black and White Hearts
Every once in a while there comes a time when only a heart shaped cookie will do. This past Thursday, the day that marks my parents wedding anniversary, was one of those times in my household.
A combination of low funds and my love for baking led me to give the creative gift of freshly baked cookies. I told my parents to put down a request for any kind of cookie they desired - chocolate, nut, toffee, peanut butter, coconut... anything. Instead, they gave me free reign. Stating that whatever I made tastes great (besides those meringues from a few weeks ago), I was told to come up with something on my own.
After reading through many recipe books, websites, and blogs I came across this recipe for Black and White Hearts. The ingredients looked scary... cream cheese, shortening... the kind of stuff that leads to bad health. But it's not every day your parents hit 32 years of matrimony. With this in mind I felt fully justified to try out this yummy looking concoction.
Here's the recipe from The Cookie Bible (2004, p 118):
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1. Combine butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Add flour; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half; w rap each half in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut dough with lightly floured 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in small saucepan over very low heat 4 to 6 minutes or until melted. Dip half of each heart into melted chocolate. Refrigerate on cookie sheets or trays lined with waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
I have used The Cookie Bible many times before and I've never gone wrong. Black and White Hearts are no exception. The recipe was easy to follow. With the help of the internet I was able to convert ounces into grams. And during the "2 hour refrigerate the dough" downtime I was able to create a second batch of cookies which will be featured in next week's Sweet Sunday Yummy Lit Review.
However, there is one catch to this recipe... and a warning for those who set out to create these cookies.
Do NOT dip the entire half of a heart into melted chocolate. I did this for a full tray of cookies... and after I took them out of the refrigerator I was left with 12 cookies glued onto a cookie tray.
It seems like a simple concept really - of course the chocolate was going to dry hard and stick to whatever it is near... be it a baked cookie or a cookie tray. Thankfully I caught onto this predicament before putting the chocolate coating onto the second tray of cookies.
In the end I was left with four dozen delicious cookies. Cream cheese and shortening, two ingredients I have always avoided to include in my cookie baking sessions, lend these treats a distinct and rich taste. And there's something so refreshing about getting a cold cookie out of the fridge on a warm summer's day.
Hope you all have a sweet Sunday!
A combination of low funds and my love for baking led me to give the creative gift of freshly baked cookies. I told my parents to put down a request for any kind of cookie they desired - chocolate, nut, toffee, peanut butter, coconut... anything. Instead, they gave me free reign. Stating that whatever I made tastes great (besides those meringues from a few weeks ago), I was told to come up with something on my own.
After reading through many recipe books, websites, and blogs I came across this recipe for Black and White Hearts. The ingredients looked scary... cream cheese, shortening... the kind of stuff that leads to bad health. But it's not every day your parents hit 32 years of matrimony. With this in mind I felt fully justified to try out this yummy looking concoction.
Here's the recipe from The Cookie Bible (2004, p 118):
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1. Combine butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Add flour; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half; w rap each half in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut dough with lightly floured 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in small saucepan over very low heat 4 to 6 minutes or until melted. Dip half of each heart into melted chocolate. Refrigerate on cookie sheets or trays lined with waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
I have used The Cookie Bible many times before and I've never gone wrong. Black and White Hearts are no exception. The recipe was easy to follow. With the help of the internet I was able to convert ounces into grams. And during the "2 hour refrigerate the dough" downtime I was able to create a second batch of cookies which will be featured in next week's Sweet Sunday Yummy Lit Review.
However, there is one catch to this recipe... and a warning for those who set out to create these cookies.
It seems like a simple concept really - of course the chocolate was going to dry hard and stick to whatever it is near... be it a baked cookie or a cookie tray. Thankfully I caught onto this predicament before putting the chocolate coating onto the second tray of cookies.
In the end I was left with four dozen delicious cookies. Cream cheese and shortening, two ingredients I have always avoided to include in my cookie baking sessions, lend these treats a distinct and rich taste. And there's something so refreshing about getting a cold cookie out of the fridge on a warm summer's day.
Hope you all have a sweet Sunday!
These sound yummy! Gonna have to try. Hmmm. No cream cheese or shortening in the house. Time to start next week's shopping list. :-)
ReplyDeleteThose are the cutest! And I'm sure they taste divine... I've got to give them a try. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteMmm they look yummy!!
ReplyDelete