[Sca-cooks] Cookie Recipes

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

I haven't posted mine yet, though one of them is in the Florilegium.

Anise Sugar Cookies (Bizcochos)

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
8 egg yolks
1 pound wheat starch (approx. 4 scant cups)
1 pound sugar (approx. 2 cups + 5 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons ground anise seed
1 teaspoon salt additional sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place the eggs and egg yolks in the bowl of an
electric mixer. Beat on medium for a minute. Gradually add the sugar to the
eggs. Turn the speed to low and gradually add the starch, salt, and anise to
the egg mixture. Beat on medium for 10 minutes. You will have a thick,
fluffy batter.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Alternatively, you may lightly
grease the pans or use non-stick pans. Drop the batter by tablespoons 2
inches apart. After a moment, they will spread out on the pan, and will
spread further during baking. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Place in preheated
oven. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the cookies are set and a
toothpick or knife-blade comes out clean. The cookies should not be
browned on top; there should be no more than a slight hint of golden color
around the edges. Remove carefully from the pan with a spatula. Cookies
will be soft when they are first removed and may be prone to breakage.
They become firmer as they cool. Cool on racks. Store after cooling in an
air-tight container. Makes approximately 5 dozen 3-inch cookies.

Notes: I found wheat starch at my local Chinese grocery. If it is not
available in your area, substituting all-purpose flour would probably work.
Another recipe for bizcocho in the same cookbook calls for either starch or
flour. Egg quantities were reduced on the assumption that medieval eggs
were smaller. I tried using parchment paper, but found that cookies were
much easier to remove intact from greased pans.
This recipe is from Granado, 1599.  For the original recipe, see:
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/cookies-msg.text


Cranberry-almond biscotti

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 C. dried sweetened cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking
powder and salt. Whisk to blend well. In a separate bowl, combine sugar,
butter, eggs and almond extract. Beat with an electric mixer until well
blended. Mix in flour mixture and cranberries. Divide dough in half. Using
floured hands, shape each piece of dough into 2 1/2 inch wide, 9 1/2 inch
long and 1 inch high logs. Transfer to baking sheet, spacing evenly. Bake
until brown (logs will spread some), about 35 minutes. Cool completely on
sheet on rack. Maintain oven temperature. Transfer logs to work surface.
Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2" thick slices. Arrange slices, cut
side down, on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes; turn biscotti over. Bake
until just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Transfer biscotti to rack.

(Found on various websites; author unknown.  The original recipe calls for
white chocolate and slivered almonds on top, which I omit.)

Brighid, who needs to bake some of the biscotti for a Christmas shipment
to in-laws in Colorado...


Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
rcmann4 at earthlink.net