Chewy molasses spice cookies

I have been going crazy over cookies these past couple of weeks but I’ve been keeping it a secret. Reason being, the next few days, from today and up until Christmas, are going to be dedicated to cookies here on the blog!

I have wanted to do a themed week for as long as I can remember but never got around to it. Perhaps I was a bit lazy and it was certainly difficult to find time to do it, but now I decided to make time because I want to get all of you excited about making cookies as well. Not that many of you need your arm twisted to start baking, but perhaps some of you are in need of a gentle nudge to get into the holiday spirit.

For the last couple of weeks I have been baking cookies morning, noon and night, testing new recipes, revisiting old ones, photographing, keeping notes, eating lots and lots of them. And I’m not done yet. I have yet a couple to make.

So, let’s start with the first ones, these chewy molasses and spice cookies. Yes, I am aware that I have been posting American recipes lately, but it is a complete coincidence. I don’t know how it happened, honestly, but I’m not complaining one bit.

These cookies are full of molasses flavor and the aroma of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. They are chewy in the middle and crisp around the edges, and the sugar coating makes them pleasantly crunchy. The dark brown sugar adds more sweetness but don’t go thinking that they are sickly sweet, no, they are just right, especially when eaten with a cup of strong coffee.

Now is the time to revel in the process of making cookies. Make them alone on a quiet afternoon, with your significant other, with your kids, your friends. Gift them to the ones you love because there is no better gift than a handmade one, especially when it comes in the form of a sweet cookie.

Happy baking!

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appétit

I used demerara sugar to roll the cookies in. Demerara is an unrefined sugar with large granules that gives the cookies an extra crunch, but you can also use granulated white sugar.

The easiest way to measure molasses or any other sticky ingredient like honey, glucose syrup, etc., without sticking to the measuring jug, is by oiling well its bottom and sides (I use sunflower oil). Remove the excess oil from the jug and pour the molasses inside. Empty it onto the rest of your ingredients and watch how easily the molasses pours out of the jug, without sticking to it one bit.

Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients
260 g all-purpose flour
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
65 g caster sugar
60 g soft dark brown sugar
115 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
80 ml molasses
1 large egg

Demerara sugar for rolling

Special equipment: hand wire whisk, plastic wrap, 1 or 2 large baking sheets, baking paper


Preparation
In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda and salt, and whisk. Whisking the dry ingredients is similar to sifting them but easier.

In a large bowl, add the caster and soft dark brown sugar, the melted and cooled butter, the molasses and the egg. Whisk vigorously with a hand wire whisk (no need for electrical) until the ingredients are well blended. You’re not looking to make the mixture fluffy or airy but just to mix together the ingredients well.

Add the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Switch to a spatula when the mixture becomes too thick to whisk and make sure there are no white spots from the flour in the resulting dough.
You should have a soft and pliable cookie dough that’s slightly sticky to the hands.
Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. The dough will firm up a bit and it will be less sticky and easier to work with.

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius / 375 Fahrenheit.
Line 1 or 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.

In a large plate, add demerara sugar.
Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and using the 1 Tbsp measuring spoon, scoop out dough and shape into small balls. Roll them in the demerara sugar and place them onto the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing them 5 cm apart because they will spread considerably while baking.

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake cookies for 8-9 minutes, until they are puffed, cracked and just set around the edges.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place the second one in.

Allow the cookies to stand on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store them in a cookie tin for up to five days.

Chili con carne

When it comes to meat stews, Greeks are unrivaled. From the simple and everyday tomato- and lemon-based meat stews (the two traditional types of Greek meat stews), to the more special kinds like Pastitsada and Sofigado hailing from the Ionian islands, Tas Kebab from Constantinople and Spetzofai from Pilio, they are like oases in the culinary desert of insipid and uninteresting meat stews from other countries, mostly Northwestern European, but let's not name names.

Greek meat stews may be wonderfully delicious but even I stray every once in a while from my culinary heritage when I become enchanted by new flavors and different combinations and by the promise of sensational gastronomic travels.

This time, the culprit is the chili con carne (chili with meat). A dish with American origins, that is mistakenly considered Mexican. It certainly has its roots in Mexican cuisine with its extensive use of chillies but it was a dish first cooked by the American settlers in the Southwest regions of the United States.

This is a dish whose versions are numerous with almost every part of the U.S. having its own special kind. With minced or cubed beef, with or without beans, beer and chocolate, with different levels of spiciness, I could go on and on.

This version here, I’d say is the least complicated because it doesn’t involve a lot of chillies, which I am unable to find here in the Netherlands, although it still contains several spices. I’m aware that chili connoisseurs (hi David!) will probably not fully approve of my chili con carne as it hasn’t got the hot Mexican chillies and it includes beans but hey, I love beans.

The white rice, avocado, lime and sour cream counterbalance the spiciness of the dish and complement it beautifully, making it a worthy rival of my all time favorite Greek meat stews.

Chili con Carne

Use fairly fatty meat which will add flavor to the dish and become tender when cooked. Chuck or blade roast are the ideal cuts of meat to use.
For those reading from the Netherlands, sucadelappen or schouderlappen are the ideal Dutch cuts of beef to use.

A Mexican beer like Corona or Sol will be a perfect pairing for this dish.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 kg chuck or blade roast, cut into 3-4 cm cubes and patted dry
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 fresh red chillies, chopped (seeds not removed)
1½ tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground allspice
1 large cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp tomato paste
800 g canned diced tomatoes
450 ml boiling water
Salt
1 Tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Handful of coriander (or if you don’t like coriander like me, use parsley)

To serve
White rice
Sour cream
1 lime
2 avocados, sliced

Special equipment: colander


Preparation
In a large and wide heavy-bottomed pan or preferably in a Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add enough beef pieces to cover 2/3 of the bottom of the pan (do not overcrowd the pan otherwise the beef will boil rather than brown) and brown the pieces on both sides. Remove pieces from the pan with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl. Brown the rest of the beef pieces in the same manner and place them in the bowl.

Add the onions to the pan and sauté them over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until they soften, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate the caramelized brown bits that are stuck on there. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the red chillies, all the spices and the oregano and sauté for a couple of minutes just until the spices start to give off their aromas. Don’t sauté them for longer otherwise they will burn and they’ll give a horrible taste to the dish.
Then add the browned beef, the tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes and pour the boiling water over the top. Stir well and turn heat up to high. When it comes to the boil, turn heat down to low and put on the lid.

Let the meat stew for 2-2½ hours or until it is tender. Check the meat every 20 minutes or so, stirring it around a bit.
About half an hour before the meat is done, season with salt. The reason you're adding the salt now is because if you add it at the beginning of the cooking process, the beef becomes tough.
Fifteen minutes before the meat is done, add the sugar and kidney beans and stir well.
Once ready, turn heat off and let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve the chili con carne garnished with fresh coriander or parsley, and with white rice, slices of avocado, a squeeze of lime and sour cream.

Cinnamon toast

When I woke up yesterday morning I had a strong sweet craving but alas there wasn’t a single sweet thing in the house. How could that happen? Well, it was one of those rare occasions, enough to make me a little crazy nevertheless. My craving was bad and I had to tackle it as soon as possible.

I remembered I had once tasted cinnamon toast at an American friend’s house and I loved it. I didn’t quite remember how to make it, so after I made sure I had white bread and ground cinnamon at hand, I winged it.

I quickly took the butter out of the refrigerator to soften while I mixed together some cinnamon, sugar and a dash of vanilla. I used a fork to cream the butter together with the other ingredients and immediately I knew I was in for a treat.

I smeared my bread with the smooth, reddish-brown concoction, making sure to cover every inch of its surface, and placed it in the oven. What came out minutes later was a wonderful surprise. It was crunchy and crispy and sweet and filled with the heady flavor and aroma of cinnamon, of caramelized sugar and of melted butter.

It was reminiscent of the cinnamon cookies my mom makes and those being sold at bakeries all around Greece. And I was delighted by that. What I realized was that I had actually made a cookie without actually making a cookie. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes food can do that to you. It takes us to unexpected places and it brings up images, smells and flavors hidden somewhere inside us, in our unconscious mind. Isn’t food wonderful like that?

Cinnamon Toast with Vanilla

Make this for breakfast or in the afternoon and have it with a strong coffee, a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa.

Some of my American friends may disagree with the fact that I take the cinnamon toast to a very crispy and crunchy stage when I bake it in the oven, but this is the way I actually prefer it for reasons stated above.
I used tijgerbrood, which is a type of Dutch bread with a crunchy crust that resembles a tiger pattern. Come to think of it, I must share a recipe for this soon.

Yield: 4 toasts

Ingredients
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 Tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large slices of white bread

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.

Using a fork (or if you’re impatient, a handheld mixer), mix the butter with the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until you have a creamy and smooth mixture.

Spread the mixture on the bread slices, taking care to spread it all the way to the edges for best results.
The bread slices I use are somewhat thin which makes the toast crispier when baked, but you can cut your slices thicker if you wish.

Place the bread on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes and then transfer baking sheet to the top rack of the oven and bake for further 5-7 minutes or until the top has taken on a golden-brown color and the bread has crisped up.

Take the bread out of the oven and enjoy it while it’s hot or warm with a cup of strong coffee.

The Lotus Eaters

No, the title of this post is not referring to the ancient Greek mythological human race from Homer’s Odyssey named Lotus-eaters, but to S and me. (Lotos is the Greek name for persimmon).

Since the beginning of autumn, when persimmons made their appearance at the markets, bagfuls of the orange-hued, plump fruit came into my kitchen weekly, to say the least.

We love eating fruits; in salads, desserts, savory dishes of all kinds, and throughout this autumn season our meals have been filled with dishes bejeweled with seasonal fruits.

As with several other fruits and vegetables, I first tasted persimmons when I moved to the Netherlands six years ago. I have no memory of eating them while in Greece, and when I finally tasted the shiny fruit, I was immediately addicted to its unique flavor.

Persimmons are an unexpectedly succulent, full-flavored and sweet fruit with a smooth flesh. With or without their glossy skin, they are best eaten when they are fully ripe and juicy. Eaten raw for breakfast, in salads or even roasted, they are simply wonderful.

I prefer to have them when they very soft and squidgy, cutting them in half and scooping out their flesh with a spoon, or eating them just as they are, skins and all, like an apple. In salads, I like them thinly sliced, skin on, and when I use them in cakes or desserts I tend to use their pulp.

In this salad, the persimmon is particularly interesting as its sweet taste and soft texture pairs uniquely well with the liquoricy fennel, the crisp peppery rocket, the salty and meaty prosciutto, and the rounded sharpness of the white balsamic vinaigrette.

It is always worth trying new flavors.
Small or great pleasures, as with everything worthwhile in life, don’t come to you unless you seek them.

Persimmon Salad with Prosciutto, Fennel and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I used my trusted mandoline to slice the persimmons and fennel thinly, but a good sharp knife will do the trick as well.

If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, substitute with dark balsamic vinegar. The flavor is almost the same, the difference lies in the color and consistency. The dark balsamic is, well, darker, and more syrupy. I didn’t use dark balsamic for aesthetic reasons mainly, as I wanted the colors of the salad to stand out and not be covered by the dark-colored, viscous vinegar.

Yield: 4 salad servings

Ingredients

for the vinaigrette
3 Tbsp olive oil
1½ Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
Pinch of caster sugar
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper

for the salad
1 large and ripe (but firm) persimmon
1 small fennel bulb with its fronds
70-75 g rocket leaves
6 slices of prosciutto, teared in half

Special equipment: mandoline (optional)


Preparation

make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl, add the olive oil, the vinegar and the sugar. Mix well with a fork or small whisk. Add some salt and pepper and give the vinaigrette a taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

make the salad
Rinse the persimmon and thinly slice it using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
Rinse the fennel bulb, remove the fronds and keep them. Slice the fennel bulb using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
Rinse the rocket, drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Mix half of the vinaigrette with the rocket in a bowl and transfer it to the salad plate you’re going to serve the salad in.
Add the sliced persimmons and fennel as well as the teared prosciutto on top, arranging the salad as shown in the photographs or in the manner you wish to present it.
Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette and garnish with the fennel fronds. Drizzle with more vinaigrette if needed.
Serve immediately.