Coconut Date Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Greetings, from my hometown! It remains unclear how long will be my California stay, but needless to say it will be filled with citrus and strange fruits if it carries on much past this week. In the meantime, there isn’t much that needs to be justified about these pudgy little oatmeal sandwich cookies that I made in Baltimore last week—they’re delicious, and so stupid cute. Melissa Clark gets it right again, as always, by adding some toasted coconut and swapping out the classic but insipid raisin for a totally charmed handful of dates. Dark brown sugar, as it should be, and honey, as I love it to be, round out the sweetness profile, and this cute little cookie is stuffed with a roly-poly rope of filling that really brings it all together. You may be stuck whiling away your winter in the sun or even stuck under a pile of snow, but either way, these cookies belong on your counter and in your belly—make ‘em today!

Coconut Date Oatmeal Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

Adapted from Melissa Clark

Yield: 24 2-inch cookies, enough for 12 sandwiches

Only thing is, the photo of Clark’s recipe shows her cookies are as being much thinner. Mine turned out nice and thick and domed—I have no idea why—and I didn’t change much except to toast the oats. They’re undoubtedly good either way! I also cut her recipe in half, and I used a different filling that didn't require mascarpone (because I'm poor)!

Coconut Date Oatmeal Cookies

40 grams shredded sweetened coconut flakes

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

165 grams packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

95 grams all-purpose flour  

4 grams fine sea salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

4 grams ground cinnamon, divided

130 grams rolled oats

50 grams dates, pitted and chopped

30 grams granulated sugar, for rolling

Cream Cheese Filling

Yield: enough to fill the recipe above!

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 ounces unsalted butter, softened

1.5 ounces powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut flakes and oatmeal on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast, stirring occasionally, until coconut is lightly colored and both oats and coconut are fragrant, seven to ten minutes. Set aside to cool. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.

2.  In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in brown sugar and honey, then beat until very fluffy, about five minutes. Beat in the egg until well mixed, then vanilla. Scrape bowl.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and one gram of the cinnamon. With the mixer set on low, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until combined. Mix in the oats, dates, and toasted coconut by hand. Be certain that everything is evenly combined!

4. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and remaining three grams cinnamon. Roll heaping tablespoonsfuls of dough into balls, then roll balls in cinnamon sugar; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between dough balls. Flatten tops just a little bit, and bake until cookies are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5.  Make the filling and assemble: Using the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla until mixed, scrape down the bowl, and beat again until filling stiffens up, about five minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Pipe or scoop one to two tablespoons of filling per sandwich onto half the cookies; top with remaining cookies. (I preferred more filling to less, duh!) Assembled sandwiches will keep packaged in the fridge for several days. Clark warns about them becoming soft if filled and not eaten, but I liked ‘em that way.

Honey Panna Cotta with Olive Oil and Pine Nuts

There’s a newish restaurant in Baltimore that you have to visit. It’s called Bottega, a BYOB 20-seater with a northern Italian menu, and the first time I ate there, the one-man kitchen had run dry of about a third of the menu. In my mind, that was an excellent rather than a bummer situation. The ingredients, their farmers, the food, and the service are special, and I don’t think that anything communicates that quite so well or confidently as does abiding by smallness. There’s a lot to be said for enoughness and the choice to be out when you’re out. Like, you have zero uncertainty about the quality of the entirety of your offerings, and your efforts are so intentional and so focused, that a disappointed diner isn’t possible. Smallness—as opposed to the rote production that characterizes its opposite—could be the trick to the sort of success I keep experiencing at Bottega.

Simplicity might be the other side of the smallness coin—Bottega has that too—and it was the restaurant’s simplest dessert that was one of the best finishers I’ve had in seriously forever. They’re currently offering a ginger-lemon panna cotta, infused with both flavors only barely, and it was purely, completely delicious—unmuddled. Set just a skosh more than pudding and a million miles south of jello, panna cotta is a straightforward cream dessert that is disarmingly good. Weirdly good. When we ate there last week, I’d been considering baking some fussy tarts and fancy cakes for fun this weekend, but Bottega’s panna cotta righted my course and all. So, inspired by Bottega's general excellence and specific deliciousness, here’s a panna cotta riff with a pretty tasty honey profile, complemented by olive oil, salt, and pine nuts if you so choose. It’s small, simple, and delicious—there’s not much else you need.

(OH. And if you find yourself in Baltimore, totally please go to Bottega. My favorite savory dishes have been the venison pappardelle and the speck with stracciatella; literally everything has been good.)

Honey Panna Cotta

Adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert

Makes about 8 servings

Use the best dairy and honey to be found, y’all. I mean, we always say that, but since there are so few parts to this dessert, it’s especially excellent to use your favorites since every ingredient is discernible. Medrich cautions us to measure granulated gelatin very carefully, since even a hair too much could wrestle the panna cotta into jello territory.

3 sheets sheet gelatin OR 2 1/2 teaspoons granulated gelatin

1 1/4 cups cold whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup mild, delicious honey

1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Honey, olive oil, salt, and toasted pine nuts for garnish

1.  Pour the milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top, don’t stir, and let soften for about ten minutes.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, honey, and salt until steaming, but but not boiling; stir a few times to ensure it does not scorch. Remove the cream from heat, add the milk and gelatin to the pot, and whisk vigorously to dissolve the gelatin.

3. Set a large bowl with a spout over a larger bowl filled with ice and a bit of water. Pour the hot cream mixture into the spouted bowl, and allow it to cool to 50 degrees F. Divide the cream mixture between your ramekins or jars, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to set for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

4. When ready to serve, top your panna cotta with a spoonful of honey, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a couple of pine nuts. Panna cottas will keep, covered in the fridge, for about a week.

Caramellow Chiffon Pie (Or New Moon Pie)

Y’all, I know it’s tardy to just now be slip-sliding into the New Year, but last year was a rocky one. I ended 2013 in the red: down two friendships, one relationship, and one job for which I had blindly relocated from a beloved city to a new (though admittedly excellent) one. While the start of the year covered me in citrus and the warmth of home, then hopscotched me back to Maine for a little bit of baby goat midwifery, the latter half of 2013 cascaded into an extremely challenging and dispiriting plane.

After an egregious though arguably appropriate amount of drinking my feelings and binge-watching The Good Wife—Alicia Florrick’s wintry color palette is just so good—I think I’m starting to emerge. Or, at least, Hulu is out of episodes and it’s time to get going on this new year. And while I’ve no idea as to the sorts of challenges or excellence that 2014 will pose, I can say that I’m planning to 1.) Stop lying, and 2.) Start following through—with a PMA and a fresh-ass smile on my face. So in the name of resoluteness and the beginnings brought about—blessedly—by every new year and every day spent free of television, allow me a word about this pie.

It had the potential to fail—caramel! soft ball stage! scalded milk!—but turned out totally excellent. I mean really. I’m calling it a caramellow chiffon, though you could also call it butterscotch chiffon, or caramel cloud, or frankly a new moon pie since it looks like a full-on lunar situation. It’s a technique that I learned at Woodberry Kitchen: a thin layer of graham cracker crust, filled with a caramel pudding that has been fluffed with fresh whipped marshmallow, then topped with whipped cream and crushed candy. I mean, it tastes like milky-sweet caramel clouds, and you should trust me on this considering the aforementioned decision to baseline at Honesty. In any case, the recipe requires several pots and steps, in addition to a few hours chillage in the fridge, but it’s a breeze to make—particularly if you take a moment to read through the directions twice and get all set up before you ignite your burner. But have at it! You deserve a new moon pie to go along with your new year, even if you started it on time two weeks ago. And of course, I’m wishing all my buds and readers and nonreaders a spiritually healthful and prosperous new year!

Caramellow Chiffon Pie
I used a ten-inch cake pan, which made a pie that was two inches tall. I recommend a smaller pan for a taller slice—get some height to 'er! And don't feel limited by the crust or topping options: chocolate or gingersnap crust could be excellent, as would topping the whipped cream with caramel. It will also work to fold the marshmallow into cooled pudding: the structure would allow you to fold in some ribbons of caramel of toffee sauce for a marbled effect. Go nuts!

For Crust

9 whole graham crackers, broken up

¼ cup light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1.  Make the crust: preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grind crackers, sugar, and salt in a food processor until fine. With motor running, pour in melted butter, and run until all crumbs are evenly moistened. Press onto bottom of 8-, 9-, or 10-inch springform cake pan with removable bottom. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until crust is fragrant and golden brown. Set aside.

For Caramel Pudding
Pudding portion adapted from Melissa Clark

3 cups heavy cream

1 ½ cups whole milk

150 g. dark brown sugar

5 grams fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup water

4 large egg yolks

1 large whole egg

12 grams cornstarch

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1.  Make the pudding:  In a small pot, bring cream and milk to a simmer. Cover to keep warm. In a smallish-medium pot, bring brown sugar, water, and salt to a boil. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally to keep mixture from scorching, until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about eight minutes. The mixture should be a deep brown color and smell nutty and caramelized.

2.  Immediately whisk cream mixture into brown sugar to stop the cooking. The mixture will seize. Bring to a boil over low, whisking constantly, and cook until smooth.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg and cornstarch. Slowly pour a ladleful of hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. Slowly pour egg mixture into the pot with the cream, whisking all the while. Cook over low for another two to four minutes, until thickened. It’s fine if the mixture comes to a simmer.

4. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large, wide bowl and whisk in butter until smooth. Set aside.

For Marshmallow

13 grams gelatin

113 grams very cold water

200 grams granulated sugar

113 grams Lyle’s golden or light corn syrup

6 grams fine-grain salt

Softly whipped cream, for topping

Crushed graham crackers, crushed Health bar, or some other tasty goodness, for topping

1.  Make marshmallow:  Add water and gelatin to the bowl of a mixer, and let bloom for at least ten minutes. Then, in a medium pot, add sugar, corn syrup, and enough water to moisten the sugar—a third of a cup will probably do.

2.  Over medium heat, stir sugar mixture with a fork until the sugar is dissolved, then cease stirring and allow mixture to come to the softball stage, 236 to 240 degrees. Pour hot syrup over gelatin, then use the whisk attachment on low for a few minutes until mixture is foamy. Ratchet up the speed and whisk on high until the marshmallow has formed medium-soft peaks, about six to eight more minutes—be careful not to overwhip, lest the mixture get too stiff.

3.  Assemble:  Working quickly, fold marshmallow and six grams of salt into the warm pudding, making sure that the filling is evenly mixed and uniform in color. Pour filling into cake round, and allow to set for at least four hours. When ready to serve, run a small knife around edge of pan to loosen springform ring. Then run your serving knife under hot, hot water, dry, make one cut, then wet, dry, and cut again. Top with whipped cream and smooshed graham crackers or candy as desired.