Cayenne-Cheddar Cocktail Cookies
February 15, 2009
I use a lot of storebought cheese straws, cheese crackers, cheese biscuits, whatever you want to call them, in the gift baskets I sell. I’ve found that every hostess worth her salt also has a recipe for a homemade version of this tasty snack. Here is one of mine. I call this version “cookies” because they are soft, not crunchy. They are spicy, cheesy and extremely rich. Perhaps a little too rich. They taste great, but I’m bothered a bit by the way they sort of spread and crinkle around the edges. I think I’ll try using less butter next time. Any suggestions? If you have a recipe for these crowd-pleasing cocktail bites, I’d love to hear it. I know there must be tons of them out there. My mom used to make a version with Rice Krispy cereal in them, but I seem to have lost that recipe.
CAYENNE-CHEDDAR COCKTAIL COOKIES
Substitute sharp cheddar for the smoked, if you like. (If you’ve been following this blog you know that I am still trying to use up all that dang smoked cheddar!) Serve these warm from the oven, or cooled, with a sparkling white wine or my favorite, pink champagne.
INGREDIENTS
(Makes 25 to 30 cookies)
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
25 to 30 pecan halves
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add cheese and beat well. Combine flour, salt and cayenne; gradually add to cheese mixture, beating well.
- Shape dough into ½-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Press a pecan into each ball to flatten.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
FIND A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST AT ELIZABETH W. GIFT BASKETS!
Valentine Tostadas
February 10, 2009
Happy Valentine’s Day from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
I know it’s corny, but it was so easy to make this appetizer into a heart shape that I couldn’t resist. Remember how you used to make a Valentine by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting out the half-heart shape, then unfolding to reveal a complete heart? Do the same thing with a large flour tortilla and you’ve got the base for this irresistible, healthy hors d’ oeuvre. Of course, if you can’t find your scissors, it tastes just as good in a round shape.
VALENTINE TOSTADAS
(Makes 4 large tostadas)
Ingredients
1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes (about 4)
½ cup pitted, coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
½ cup yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 small cloves roasted garlic
4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
½ cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Stir tomatoes, olives, onion, yellow and red peppers and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small bowl to blend. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fold each tortilla in half (if making hearts), cut into heart shapes and unfold. Place two tortillas on each of the two baking sheets.
- Squeeze a clove of roasted garlic onto each tortilla and use your fingers to smear it over the tortilla. Brush each tortilla lightly with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle each with the mozzarella. Top with the tomato mixture, spreading almost to the edges. Sprinkle with the feta.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until tortilla is crisp and browned around the edges and cheese is melted. Sprinkle the parsley on top, slice into wedges and serve.
FIND A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST AT ELIZABETH W. GIFT BASKETS!
Frosted Coconut Valentine’s Day Cookies
February 2, 2009
My gift basket business gets pretty hectic around Valentine’s Day, so I don’t always get to make my favorite heart-shaped cutout cookies. If you’d like to make cutout cookies, see this post for Christmas cookies, which are made from the same user-friendly dough. If you’re strapped for time the following cookies make a fine alternative. To make them even easier, use a tub of storebought frosting and add a drop or two of red food coloring instead of making your own. I tried the Duncan Hines “Creamy Home-Style Cream Cheese” and it’s not bad.
COCONUT GIRLIE-GIRL COOKIES WITH PINK FROSTING
These cookies look a little prissy, but hey… they’re for Valentine’s Day!
(Makes 25 to 30 cookies)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 package (7 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut (about 2 ¼ cups)
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pink Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Spread ½ cup coconut on a small baking pan and toast in a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, then remaining coconut; mix until just combined.
3. Divide the dough into two portions. Shape each portion into a log about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours. (Dough logs can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough on the counter for 15 minutes before proceeding.)
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the dough into ¼-inch rounds and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cookies stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Spread frosting on each cookie and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
PINK CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Using an electric mixer, beat one 8-ounce package of room-temperature cream cheese and ½ stick of room-temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, beat in 1 cup confectioners’ sugar a few tablespoons at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional) and 1 to 2 drops of red food coloring; increase speed to high and beat until frosting is light, fluffy and pale pink in color, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before using. Makes about 1½ cups.
FIND A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST AT ELIZABETH W. GIFT BASKETS!
