Split-Second Cookies

You've probably seen these treats before on a Christmas cookie platter.  I never knew what they were called until recently when I found a recipe online.  Good thing too because they've become a new favorite!

If you're a fan of jam thumbprints then you'll definitely love split-seconds.  In fact, you may even like them better because they are so simple to make.  

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit dear friends in Seoul.  It was the middle of August and the humidity and heat were pretty unbearable.  Luckily we had guests passes to the fantastic pool at the Grand Hyatt and used the facilities quite often.  

After a day of swimming and sunbathing my favorite thing to do was visit the on-site hotel bakery and buy their delicious panna cotta, served in these adorable glass jars.  The cool and creamy cooked cream covered with fruit coulis was the perfect way to beat the heat.  

My version of panna cotta includes buttermilk in the recipe. The slight tang of the buttermilk beautifully complements the jam topping.   It's the perfect light dessert to enjoy this summer!

P.S. The jars in the photos are the ones I collected from my Seoul trip...I ate my fair share of panna cotta!

Hamantaschen

I kid you not, I've been waiting a year to make these hamantaschen, the traditional cookie served during the Jewish holiday of Purim.   Don't laugh but it was actually Costco that introduced me to these delicious treats.  Gotta love the weekend samples! 

Given my inexperience with the triangular shaped cookies I turned to the internet for help.  There were a few recipes online but none that really caught my eye so I ended up improvising by using a simple shortbread recipe and Solo apricot cake and pastry filling.  My interpretation of hamantaschen may not be as authentic as your Bubbe's but for now I think they're pretty darn good!

Happy Purim!

 

TWD Rugelach

This week's TWD recipe is rugelach, a Jewish pastry traditionally formed in a crescent shape by rolling a triangle of cream cheese dough around a filling.  Inside you'd typically find cinnamon, nuts, chocolate or fruit.   

I strayed from the published recipe on two fronts: filling and shape.  Personally I'm not really a fan of cinnamon mixed with fruit, the exception being apples, so I skipped the filling recipe and instead used prepared jams: raspberry and mini chocolate chips or apricot and toasted walnuts.  Secondly I shaped my pastry the traditional way, as crescents, rather than rolling and slicing them.  Call me a baking rebel if you must.

I can't honestly say that I fell in love with the rugelach.  My reception to them was lukewarm at best but I did love how flaky the pastry was.  If you'd like to try the recipe for yourself you can find it in the Baking With Julia cookbook or head over to The Urban Hiker or My Baking Heart blogs.