People might shoot me for this one, but I really should get it out there - I like butter. Ah, but there's a caveat! I like the texture that butter gives things, not necessarily the flavor. But that's only true in baked goods - cook something, and you should drown that baby in butter. Garlic bread? Better with butter. Caramelized onions? Better with butter. Roasted veggies? Better with butter. Pasta? Better with butter. You get the idea. But cookies? Um, no thanks. I don't actually like the taste of butter in a cookie, let alone that slight (or sometimes not so slight) greasiness that you get when you make shortbread. Yech. And before anyone mentions it, yes I have tried cultured butter. I've tried Plugra. I've tried other European-style butters. None of them make me want to eat a wedge of shortbread
And so whenever I make shortbread, I'm a bit disappointed. All those wonderful ingredients! Flour, sugar, butter - it's like the holy trinity of baking. With our powers combined and all that. But in the end, all I get is meh. A slightly greasy meh. Especially when the shortbread melt and lose their shape, even after obsessive under-mixing, freezing, slicing, and re-freezing prior to baking. I am so over finicky.
But these sables? Oh, these are good. Man are they good. They're richer, thanks to the addition of egg yolk and a bit more sugar, and I sortakindamaybe amped up the spices quite a bit in my version. Dorie calls for 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg for the whole recipe. Well, I think that's wimpy (no offense, Dorie, I just don't have a subtle palate when it comes to fall spices!), so I made a half recipe with 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg and allspice. Oh yes. Yes yes yes. These made the apartment smell of Christmas, and it was a wonderful thing. Man was I excited when I tried them too - wonderfully sandy, rich, and flavorful, with none of the greasy buttery taste that shortbread leaves me with. I do believe I've found my latest favorite cookie! A big thank you to Barbara for picking these wonderfully simple and tasty cookies!
Last Week: Cranberry Pistachio Tart
Next Week: Cafe Volcano Cookies (two words - pleasantly surprised)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
TWD: Spice Sables
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43 comments:
good idea amping up the spices. i bet they were just that much better! i'll try that next time. thx!
Making a note in my cookbook to increase the spices when I make that version. Yum!
Hi, Caitlin. I know what you mean about butter cookies. I find that they can be hit or miss. Sometimes they are rich and satisfying, with the perfect crumb, and other times, they taste like absolutely nothing , and I find myself wondering, "Where the heck did all that butter go? Did it somehow evaporate up into the atmosphere while the cookies were baking?" I haven't yet had my butter cookie fix this season, and I think I'm going to have to give these a try. If they have your endorsement, they must be good. Have a happy Tuesday!
You...don't like the taste of butter in cookies?
I don't think we can be friends anymore.
But, really, greasy cookies suck, and I have to suspect that maybe you've made some less-than-great shortbread recipes? I've only made it once (Tartine's recipe), and I don't remember it being greasy at all.
I do agree that these cookies were great though. Yours look perfect!
Viva butter! Viva in my belly!
I thought these were fantastic too. The spice version sounds yummy.
How great! You are now a convert! LOL I'm not a huge shortbread fan either, but really liked these :)
I'm so glad that you liked these.
I generally do half butter, (for flavor) and half shortening for texture in cookies.
To me it is a win/win.
i love shortbread cookies, that's so sad that you sometimes find them greasy. Another way to up the spices is to grind your own if you don't already. I buy cinnamon sticks in bulk (I go through probably 20 sticks in a couple months) and have a really cheap coffee grinder to grind them. I suspect my neighbors don't love it when I do this at 3AM but it smells so good. I grind up a batch that lasts about a month and every time you just open the top my whole house smells like cinnamon!
Ah! I've never made shortbread before, but I do enjoy them out of the tin for some reason. Maybe it's because they're coated in chocolate or something :) But I'm pretty sure I would enjoy those spicy cookies!
I'm glad that these cookies make you like butter cookies just a little bit more! And I have a pretty strong palate when it comes to spices too - I say double them! Triple them!
Your sables are rockin in flavor and looks!
I too would amp up the spices. I love cinnamon. That said, I made mine plain this time. Wanted to see what they were like without any additions. Fabulous. Next time, cinnamon or lemon. No, maybe pecans. No wait... :)
Why double spices when you can quadruple them! I'm with you on that front. I'm making the spice variation next time I bake these.
Yay! So glad that you liked these, and they do make the house smell like Christmas - I want to use the spices next time.
I love the way you up the spices in everything. I bet these were fab like that. Great thoughts on butter too.
Thank you for baking along with me this week!
Love your super-spicy version! Now I want to make them, too.
They sound great! Look good too.
So I take it you weren't the kind of kid who would eat a stick of butter (like my cousin). :P
I love the taste of butter, but I'm with you on the greasiness. I hate to be sticky.
These look great.
I do think it's the addition of the egg yolk that takes these from ok to WOW! Because I don't like the greasiness factor either.
Amping up the spices is a great way to go. Love your photos! The middle one's a bit like a keyboard. Cute!
Definitly going to up he spices next time. These are way too easy to make not to make them all. the. time. And with more spice.
Very tasty. I like the shape.
C IS FOR COOKIE!!!!
Yeah for butta cookies! ;) Glad you liked these. Everyone is making me want to try all the variations--like spices!
Yes! This is one of my favorite Dorie cookie recipes too, and I always, always, always amp up the spices. I also throw some black pepper in, too, just for the fun of it. (The little black specks make the cookies look pretty, too!)
Okay, apart from that little confession of yours about butter (say what?), I'm totally on the same page as you when it comes to doubling the amount of spices in any recipe :)
My hubs loves Dorie's sables. I make lime ones. Yours look great!
yes, these are tasty little guys! and your spicy version sounds so perfect for the chilly weather!
I have yet to find shortbread cookies that I really enjoy, but you make these sound so incredible, I may just need to try veganizing them.
And PS, I agree, homemade vanilla extract is one of the best gifts ever! Anyone who bakes should be able to appreciate quality vanilla. :)
I have to agree with you Caitlin - I'm not typically a fan of shortbread either. It's ok, but not the first thing I'd reach for. I made the lemon version of the sables and thought they were really good though! I definitely want to try the spice version too. Glad these surprised you!
I agree with your choice--the spice sables have been my favorite variation so far. And I love the square shape...I was wishing I'd done square for mine, actually.
I'm all for buttery goodness in my baked goods, but I do agree with you on not liking the grease factor. Your sables look terrific.
I am glad these ended up working out for you. It looks like they turned out perfectly!
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Yours have such a perfect, pale color that I just love. I agree, these are delicious.
I like your amped up version. Just your description alone of how good your kitchen smelled makes me want to jump up and bake them!
When I started reading your post, it reminded me of that scene in Julie & Julia where Julie Powell talks about all the most delicious things in life are mostly delicious because of butter. Funny. Now I'm going to imagine you as Amy Adams. ;)
Love the shape of your biscuits here. I think these would be perfect for Christmas. Something nice and savoury to snack on. I agree about the spices. I was reading the cardamom crumb recipe from BFMHTY last night and referenced only 1 1/4 teaspoons of cardamom in the cake. I would amp that up to about 3 teaspoons!
Mmm...more spices. Yes, please! I did the spice version too and thought they were great, but a little more heat never hurt. And I'm with you on butter - I have a thing with buttercream icing. I can't stand it when you can actually taste the butter. These, however, were spectacular. And I love your shapes.
Don't like butter! Well, I guess I can forgive you this one if you forgive me for not liking ginger in baked goods...
glad you found a new love for butter in baked goods! :)
I thought you didn't like these when I began reading your post! Glad to hear that you actually did, since I've heard nothing but praises for it!
Love that whole spice idea. May have to go back and revisit some spicing with these. The butter counsel needs you as a promoter (just not with cookies). I would have thought just the opposite of you for some reason, so it's good to make note of that. How's the lemon cake coming for the wedding? Oh, btw, my word verification was DANTE...did you arrange that just for me? Thanks!
Mmm, those sound really good. I went with vanilla bean for this batch, but I really want to try the spice version, too. I love the way fall spices make the house smell, too.
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