Zosia's Reviews
6 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 6Sort by: Title 
| Date | Rating
Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
By Alice Medrich
Artisan - 2010
Alfajores : page 192
Eaten freshly made and crispy, or later in the day when the cookies have become more tender and cake-like, this is a treat that will satisfy anybody's sweet tooth.
I first tasted alfajores years ago when a Chilean co-worker brought them to a staff Christmas party. The cookie was thin and crispy but didn't have a lot of flavour.....it was all about the homemade dulce de leche filling. Since then, I've tried to replicate the flavour and experience of that first cookie with different recipes, but none of them have come close until now; this cookie is delicious on its own but the homemade filling (we're not talking about cooked sweetened condensed milk) puts it over the top!
The filling (pg337) is easy to make but does need time to chill. The dough comes together quickly and is easy to shape (roll into balls and flatten). My cookies ended up slightly larger than 2" so made only 21 sandwiches. If adding these to a holiday cookie tray, I would recommend making the smaller size. Apparently, these keep for 1 week, but I wouldn't know........mine were gone in a few hours!
useful (1)
Blondies : page 174
I was looking for a casual dessert to take to a barbecue that would complement the brownies I was already making. This recipe appealed to me as it used the same quick and easy method of a saucepan brownie and didn’t have too many add-ins, only nuts and chocolate chips.
Then I noticed the “upgrades”, variations of the basic recipe, which most of the recipes in this book provide. One included adding natural peanut butter and replacing the walnuts with hazelnuts. I thought this the perfect opportunity to use the natural hazelnut butter that was languishing in my pantry. This variation has a reduced amount of sugar and is finished with a sprinkling of sea salt.
This was the most heavenly blondie I’ve ever tasted – it had the chewiness one expects but it was nowhere near as sweet as they usually are and with the toasted hazelnuts, semi-sweet chocolate and touch of salt, it was quite the sophisticated tasting bar.
I doubled the recipe to bake in a 9”x13” pan and was able to cut it into 63 squares once it was chilled. Next time, I will press slightly on the chopped nuts and chocolate chips that are sprinkled on before baking as a little of this topping was lost during cutting.
useful (0)
Chocolate Pecan Batons : page 263
I was looking for an easy but elegant cookie that included walnuts or pecans to serve with this maple mousse – Alice Medrich to the rescue!
This recipe called for phyllo dough sheets, brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with a ground sugar-pecan-chocolate filling and rolled into cigar shapes and baked until crispy. The filling amount sprinkled on the dough seemed very sparse, but once each cookie was folded and rolled – each sheet yielded 4 - there was the right amount in every bite.
The little pastries were just what I was looking for…….buttery, crispy, and not too sweet. Delicious!
useful (0)
Lighter Lemon Bars : page 184
I love lemon desserts and a series of lemon dessert recipe reviews on this site had me craving one. I wanted something quick and easy and came across this lemon bar recipe which had the added bonus of being relatively low in fat.
A sweet, crunchy cornmeal cookie replaces the traditional buttery shortbread and the topping is as it should be: tart and tangy and bursting with lemon flavour. These bars are all about the lemon….the thin crust merely plays a supporting role. In fact, the comment I heard most often was that they were “more lemony” than most.
Alice Medrich likes these cold from the fridge and I prefer them at room temperature; either way they’re delicious.
useful (2)
Sticky Pecan Bites : page 239
I loved these, and if you're a fan of sticky buns, you will too!
Consisting of a biscuit dough made with cream that's smeared with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, rolled, sliced and placed on top of a pecan half, these cookies are done, (formed and baked), in less than 30 minutes. The dough is a little soft and sticky so make sure your work surface is always lightly dusted with flour. I recommend using dental floss or heavy thread to slice the roll.
If you have a penchant for a cinnamon or sticky bun, these will fit the bill (no yeast or heavy machinery required).
useful (2)
Twice-Baked Shortbread : page 330
I needed a crispy cinnamon cookie for a cheesecake I was making and was quite disappointed that what I was looking for - no frosting, no raisins, no trans fats - didn't exist in my grocery store.
Alice Medrich came to the rescue with this easy, versatile shortbread cookie made with melted butter that is pressed into a pan. There were nutmeg and cardamom variations listed so I thought I could adapt the recipe to my needs, adding 1tbsp of cinnamon to the basic recipe. The author explains that one key to the crisp yet tender texture is allowing the dough to rest before baking. I did this and the cookies were just that, crispy, but melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious!
My family was quite sorry to see them chopped up and used in a cheesecake!
useful (1)