December 28th- Lemon Cookies

Rainy day here in Vermont. As a skier all this rain is a downer but snow will come around. Lots of yoga in the meantime.

Lemon cookies are delicate and full of lemon flavor with an added boost from lemon extract.

Eat them up and share the cookies with people you do not know and people you do know. I have had so much fun sharing the cookies with strangers this month. We have given cookies to Vermont Gas working in front of our house, to the folks working at the Burlington library, Phoenix Books in Essex, Sweet Clover Market, IBM, the mail carrier and more! Sharing is all part of the joy of making these little cakes.

Lemon Cookies

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 baking powder

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon lemon oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, and lemon oil. When the mixture is creamy, add the sugars, a bit at a time, beating until fluffy. Finally, mix in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

3. Scoop out two level teaspoons of dough for each cookie and roll eat piece into a ball. Place the balls on prepared baking sheets and use bottom of a drinking glass, dipped in confectioners sugar, to flatten them to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, and 1 3/4 to 2 inch diameter.

4. Bake the cookies for ten to twelve minutes until they are lightly brown.

5. To make the glaze place the sugar in a small mixing bowl, and stir in lemon juice, then add the cream, a little at a time, to achieve the consistency you like. Then spread the cookies with the glaze and let them set for a hour or so before wrapping.

December 27th- Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

A relaxing day before another holiday family gathering on Sunday.

By now the house smells like butter all the time. I had lots of requests for oatmeal cookies and I found these to be my favorite. You can substitute dark chocolate for the white or change the nuts to anything you prefer. Enjoy!

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups old-fasioned rolled oats

2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350. Add butter and sugars in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Stir in vanilla.

2. Sift flour, baking baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually stir into butter mixture until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate, coconut, and nuts.

3. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inch apart. Flatten slightly. Bake cookies until golden, 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit one minute then transfer to cooling racks. Store cookies in an airtight container up to three days.

December 26th- Gingerbread Village

Uno, fine wine, great company, wood heat, candles, sledding, and amazing foods were the highlight of my Christmas day. Late afternoon we snacked on pate, nuts, Vermont cheeses, and French olives. Then, after twilight sledding and cards in front of the wood stove, we enjoyed a large batch of Spanish paella with chorizo and vegetables. Lots of smiles and memorable laughs were had!

Thank you for your wonderful emails. The cookie marathon will continue until January 31st. Please remember that I have a helpful search link on my website chefcontos.com where you can type in key words or recipe names. You will find this very helpful.

Gingerbread men are the norm but I decided to mix it up a bit. Included were moose and bear gingerbread. After all, this is Vermont. I decided not to make a gingerbread house but I made a little gingerbread family. This recipe is the best I have ever used, and let me tell you, I have been making gingerbread houses and cookies for 20 years. The dough is friendly and very easy to work with. You don't have to chill the dough, just mix and roll.

Gingerbread

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark molasses

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with electric mixer. Add molasses and mix well. Add rest of ingredients and mix until well incorporated, 1-2 minutes.

3. Form dough into a ball and roll out with extra flour as needed. Using cookie cutters, cut out your cookies and place on a silpat lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 1-2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

4. Decorate as desired. Personally I just dust with powdered sugar.

December 25th- Chocolate Amaretti Cookies

Christmas Eve! Our home smells like bacon and gingerbread. Prince Charming grilled Lamb Sausage and Local Beef Brochettes outside on the charcoal webber. We sipped Cake Bread Cellars Pinot Noir and danced to Christmas music. Louis Armstrong and very old blues Christmas music are some of my favorites. Christmas Eve was one big hors d'oeuvre party. Blue goat cheese stuffed paeppadew peppers, whole nuts for cracking, citrus, and white bean soup. I made a batch of gingerbread and truly just enjoyed the time. Since I was young, I always opened one gift on Christmas Eve, this year was no different. My lovable birdbrain sister from Miami, Florida found a one piece pajamas suit and hysterically had to send it up to me in Vt. Thanks Al!

Cookie talk- Amaretti cookies are so fun to have around. They last for months. If you do not dip them in chocolate they are grea to grind in the food processor and use in all sorts of desserts. They have no wheat, butter, and egg yolks. So kinda healthy?

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Makes 18

3 cups blanched almonds
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 ounces dark chocolate, melted

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine meal. Add the sugar and continue to process for another 15 seconds. Finally, add egg whites and almond extract, continue to process until a smooth dough forms around the blade.
3. Using 2inch ice cream scoop, place dough onto prepared baking sheets. Cookies should be at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cookies should be golden. Allow cookies to cool completely on the paper before removing. Then dip 1/2 the cookie into the melted chocolate. Store in a dry place.

December 24th- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk

Holiday grocery shopping is wild, I know I am not alone here. I was grocery shopping yesterday at two busy markets. I entered the colorful produce section where I loaded fruits and vegetables into my cart. The crowd was on that same mission I was, excited to be shopping for one or two holiday dinners. My menus were not finalized, I was going to plan one of my menus while being inspired at the market. The next thing I know, I pilled all my produce and more on top of my grocery list. Accepting that it is way too late to get it now, I continue on, winging it. You must understand I grocery shop everyday. My grandmother makes fun of me because every time I call her I am on my way to the grocery store. We do tons of cooking and eating that it becomes too much to plan all the time. Besides, I like our food fresh. I had no special orders unlike most at the market, picking up large pieces of meat and so on. Me, I knew what I needed would be in stock because I was not cooking a traditional holiday meal. More to come about our holiday menus.

Cookie talk- Freshly ground peanut butter and dark chocolate just love each other. This recipe originated from a wonderful article in the New York Times last week. The story was about weddings in Pittsburg that have elaborate cookie tables. A relative is in charge of the cookie organizing while family and friends make tons of cookies for the special day. Up to 2000 cookies will be displayed at the wedding party. Click here to read more.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk

Makes about three dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Nonstick spray or vegetable oil for cookie sheet, optional

3/4 cup chocolate chunks

Sanding sugar for rolling the cookies

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat until well blended. Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate for about 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpats and set aside. Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
3. Roll cookies in sanding sugar and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake until very light brown and puffed, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove sheet tray from oven. Using a wine cork make a indent into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly, and add about 5 chocolate chunks to the cookie center (filling up the holes). Return to oven until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Chef Contos in the New York Times!!!

It is not everyday you can say you were in the New York Times. But I can say it today!

My Chocolate Espresso Sparklers were one of 35 cookies picked for a holiday special.

Click here to read more.

Click here to see a picture of all 35 cookies.

Prince Charming and I celebrated at The Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond, Vermont. Chef Steve's chicken liver pate always makes me smile. Thank you Neal, Andy, and the crew for a welcoming dinner.

Thank you New York Times!

Happy gourmet holidays,

Courtney

December 23rd-Mexican Chocolate Cookies

My Mexican Chocolate Cookies are rich and dense but soft and brownie like. The cinnamon and chocolate are best friends. The almonds tie all the cookies flavors together. This is a new cookie I developed for my cookie marathon. Mexico and and the fabulous Mexican cuisine has been in my life since I was born. One of the restaurants my father owned was Mason De Lago. Mason, as we called it, was a casual Mexican restaurant in Chicago still remembered by many downtown locals today. Another Mexico tie-in is; I lived in Ziaquatinao, Mexico for 8 months when I was 17 years old. I adore Mexican culture and cuisine. I will be traveling to Mexico in March where I will take some advanced cooking classes and explore. Wish I had more pictures of this cookie for you but we ate them all.

Happy Holiday,

Courtney

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 32

1 stick unsalted butter, sifted

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon

1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat 350. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until thick, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

2. Drop batter using a 2 inch scoop, onto parchment lined baking trays, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Press down a bit with the palm of your hand to lightly flatten cookie and then press almonds on top. Chill 30 minutes before baking. Bake about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

December 22nd-Vienna Cookies

Wow! Twenty one days of making cookies so far. Just so you know I am still having tons of fun with this cookie marathon project. Although my desire to eat cookies for breakfast has not gone away as I had wished.

Last night I had my first and not my last meal at Trattoria Delia in Burlington Vermont. I dined with thee Dinner Bell, of Ferrisburgh Vermont, Sarah Anderson. Sarah has a wonderful catering business called Dinner Bells. We shared many good laughs as we always do.

Cookie Talk-The dough for these cookies is flakey and buttery, similar to pie dough. My preference is using locally made and organically grown jam. The fruit flavor from the jam and the low sugar content in the dough is the draw.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Holidays

Vienna Cookies

Makes 18

1/2 (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 cup apricot or raspberry jam

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Confectioners sugar, for sprinkling

Cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the flour and knead until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Preheat the oven to 400. Line two baking trays with silpats or parchment paper.

Roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick and cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/4 teaspoon jam in one corner of each square. Fold square to completely cover the jam, press down to seal, and roll diagonally. Place on cookie sheets and form into crescents.

Beat together the egg yolk and milk; brush this glaze onto the crescents and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake 12 -15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks, then sprinkle with confectioner sugar.

December 21st-Gluten Free Treat

This Sunday morning started with watching birds at the feeder while water in the kettle came to a boil. Later, moving a bit faster, I started answering emails on my Mac. After catching up on emails, I moved into my creative culinary realm, the kitchen. Walnut, oat bran, and blueberry (organic berries we picked in August) pancakes were prepared for Prince Charming and I. Sweet potato hash browns are a staple with morning pancakes in our home. Of course, these get topped with Vermont's liquid gold: Maple Syrup.

Gluten free and wheat free has been requested of me more than a few times lately. I know this isn't a true cookie but a delicious, sweet treat it is. They're easy to prepare and semi healthy. I used bittersweet chocolate because I love dark chocolate. If you like extremely sweet desserts you might choose to use sweetened coconut but as you may have noticed my recipes call for reduced sugar (most recipes use much more). Maple sugar is very easy to find in Vermont. If you can not find maple sugar where you live, you can order it at Morse Maple Farm.

Enjoy!

Coconut Maple Haystacks

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons maple sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Arrange 1 1/2 inch paper candy cups on a baking tray. Melt chocolate in a large bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir occasionally just until smooth (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup coconut, maple sugar, and pecans. Using a 1 inch scoop. Scoop into paper cups. Sprinkle with coconut. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks

December 20th-Kourabiethes

Happy Sunday morning! I'm over flowing with gratitude and joy, thank you for your emails, keep them coming.

Last night's holiday party was in a beautiful Vermont home decorated with fragrant Christmas trees, a gingerbread village, and the punch bowl centerpiece that surely packed a punch. The food was splendid and the company was engaging. Big thanks to Lauren and Dave for the invitation and throwing a memorable party.

Nina Contos was my dad's mother. She was an amazing cook, mostly I remember her coffee cake and Kourabiethes. Kourabiethes are a Greek New Year cookies and they are definitely a Contos family tradition. I have a copy of Nina's original recipe which talks about heating the oven just right with wood. Wonderful! Similar to my life now here in Vermont. My mom even had a super large bowl just for baking theses cookies because she made so many batches at once. Sharing this cookie and recipe with others has long been our tradition. Every Christmas and Greek Easter a tissue paper bow tied bundle of this cookie was baked and shared with family and friends. About 4 years ago I added my own twist on the cookie by adding cocoa powder. If recipes could be family members this would be one. Here in VT I have my own following of friends that look forward to this cookie baked in my kitchen.

Kourabiethes

Yield: 3 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoon Brandy

2 ½ cups flour

pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted


Preheat oven to 350º

In a bowl mix the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.

Mix in egg yolk and brandy.

Then add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder, a little at a time. Knead well until dough is smooth.

Divide dough in half. Mix in cocoa powder into one half, mix until incorporated.

Take small pieces of dough and shape into balls using both even amounts of the chocolate and the plain dough to create a marble effect. Shape the size of a small egg or shape into crescents, or into small pears and insert a clove in the top of each.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake cookies 18-20 minutes.

Roll Kourabiethes while warm in powdered sugar. Then sift sugar over as they must be very well coated.

Variation: You may add 1/2 cup blanched and finely chopped almonds to the dough.