Campari Shortbread Cookies with Crunchy Orange Sugar are shortcake cookies with several major twists. (Chelsea Kyle)
Campari shortbread cookies, red wine brownies and Parmesan cheesecake bars are a delightful change from sugar-laden Christmas treats.
By Erin Pride-Swaney / Special to The Herald
After the ginger and spice and everything nice of holiday treats, I find myself craving something sassy, even irreverent for a New Year’s soiree. thekitchn.com cookie columnist Jesse Szewczyk’s “Cookies: The New Classics” gives me the option of both.
“Cookies” is divided into eight sections, ranging from chocolaty and fruity to smoky, spiced, tart and nutty. To ring in the New Year, I honed in on Szewczyk’s “Boozy” section.
Szewczyk’s creativity truly shines here, with Campari-glazed shortbread and browned butter and red wine brownie cookies. I made both.
The Campari shortbread are like little pink jewels on the plate, complete with demerara sugar flavored with orange sparkling like New Year’s confetti. Campari’s bitterness is a surprising foil for the buttery sweetness of the shortbread — dare I say irreverent? These were a big hit at a cocktail evening with friends.
Red wine brownie cookies offered something richer and more complex. They’re decadent and chocolaty, with a mysterious hint of tannin. I found myself wondering if this combination would be even better in bar form. A large pan of red wine brownies and a bucket of vanilla ice cream seems to me a perfectly reasonable way to ring in the New Year after all 2021 has doled out.
But Szewczyk had my heart with his “Savory” section.
I put together a batch of rosemary-brown butter cookies — a shortbread packed with black pepper and parmesan — and laughed as I watched my dad’s face contort as he popped one in his mouth, expecting sweet, and getting sassy instead. He recovered by taking a few more for his whiskey companion plate.
The favorite, however, was Szewczyk’s savory cheesecake. Buttery crackers crumble into a salty crust while Parmesan and garlic bake into a creamy top that when sprinkled liberally with herbs, tastes something like Boursin cheese and crackers, but nicer to eat after a couple of Old Fashioneds. The original recipe calls for eggs, but my second time baking this I removed them to accommodate an allergy — I just increased the starch and swapped out half the sour cream for feta and pulled back on the milk. I also threw in finely diced shallots with extra garlic. It turned out deliciously, and I realized I’d found a new savory playground for a party appetizer.
Often a book touting itself as a classic hedges you into a corner with complicated ingredients and painfully long prep. “Cookies” instead offers a reinvention with modern pantry flavors like malted chocolate and preserved lemon. As with the cheesecake bars, I was inspired to tweak and change all the recipes I made — not because these weren’t perfect in their own right, but rather that they offer something so new that creativity can’t help but ensue. To me, this defines a classic. Any recipe that I could bake on repeat or change at will is going straight to the recipe file — happily, this has already been compiled into a colorful compendium of new cookie classics.
Who should buy this? Cookie lovers. Irreverent bakers. Those seeking new flavors for the New Year.
Campari Shortbread Cookies with Crunchy Orange Sugar
These Negroni-inspired shortbread cookies are coated with a hot pink glaze made with the slightly bitter aperitif Campari, giving the cookies a bold, orange-like flavor that balances the sweetness of the shortbread. A flourish of homemade orange sprinkles (which are surprisingly simple to make) gives them a bright, citrusy aroma reminiscent of the orange slice typically found in a Negroni. Makes 24.
2 tablespoons coarse sugar, such as turbinado or sanding sugar
3 sticks (24 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Campari (see note)
Note: Campari is a dark red liqueur with a fruity, intensely bitter flavor. Aperol, another less bitter and slightly sweeter apéritif, can be used in its place.
Make ahead: For extra-crunchy orange sugar, make it the night before and leave it out, uncovered, at room temperature.
Storage: The cookies will keep in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 1 week. (Just make sure the glaze is completely dry first.)
Make the Orange Sugar: In a small bowl, combine the coarse sugar and orange zest. Use your fingertips to massage the zest into the sugar until very fragrant. Scatter the sugar in a single layer on a plate and let sit at room temperature, uncovered, to dry while you make the cookies.
Make the Shortbread Cookies: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the flour. Mix on low speed until a dry dough forms, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour and press together into a ball. Dust the top of the dough with flour, place a second sheet of parchment paper on top and roll the dough until it’s ½ inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use a 2½-inch round cutter to cut out rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1½ inches apart. Press the dough scraps together into a ball and repeat the rolling and cutting process. Freeze the cut cookies for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Bake both sheets at the same time, swapping them midway, until the tops of the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 19 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
Make the glaze: In a large bowl, whisk together the Campari, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. (If the glaze is too thick, add more Campari; if too thin, add additional confectioners’ sugar.) Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Sprinkle the cookies with the orange sprinkles and let set for 1 hour.
This recipe makes 18 large cookies. You can make them smaller — just be sure to cut back on the bake time so you don’t overcook.
2 cups dry red wine, any variety
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3¼ cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
½ cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1½ cups packed light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (about 1⅓ cups)
Make ahead: If wrapped tightly in plastic, the finished dough can be stored in the refrigerator for several days before baking. If too firm to scoop, let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and try again.
Storage: The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the milk solids from burning, until the butter foams and then darkens in color slightly and is very fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl. Do not wash the pan.
To the saucepan used to melt the butter, add the red wine and 2 tablespoons (32 grams) of the granulated sugar and bring to a simmer over high heat. (Be careful; the wine will sizzle when you pour it in the pan.) Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ⅓ cup (79 ml), 16 to 18 minutes. (The easiest way to test if the reduction is ready is to pour it into a heatproof measuring glass to see if it’s at the ⅓-cup mark.) Pour the reduced wine into the bowl with the butter and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.
As the butter/wine mixture cools, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 and set 2 racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line three baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Whisk both the brown sugar and the remaining ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar into the butter/ wine mixture, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms, then stir in the chopped chocolate.
Using a large 2⅓-inch (#16) cookie scoop or ¼-cup measure, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. Place the dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (6 per sheet).
Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through baking, until the tops lose their shine but their cracks still appear slightly wet (don’t be tempted to overbake), 11 to 14 minutes, then bake the remaining baking sheet of cookies on either rack. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
These also mix up easily in a high-powered blender. Makes 16 large cheesecake bars.
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated, not shredded, Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
Tender herbs and greens, for serving (optional)
Storage: The cheesecake bars will keep in an airtight container in a single layer in the fridge for up to 1 week
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325. Grease an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan with the nonstick pan spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on all sides so it’s easy to lift out the bars after baking, and coat once more with the pan spray.
Place the crackers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse 20 to 30 times, until the crackers are the texture of coarse sand and no large pieces remain. Add the melted butter and process until the butter is completely absorbed by the cracker crumbs, 15 to 20 seconds.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and press into an even layer using the bottom of a measuring cup or clean hands. Wipe the food processor out with a paper towel and set it aside. Bake until the crust is light golden brown and very fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly. Leave the oven turned on.
While the crust is cooling, add the cream cheese, parmesan, sour cream, eggs, milk, garlic, cornstarch and salt to the empty food processor and process until completely smooth, 25 to 30 seconds. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and bake until the filling jiggles slightly when moved but the edges are fully set, 38 to 43 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the oven door halfway and let the cheesecake cool in the open oven for 30 minutes. (This will help prevent the top from cracking.) Refrigerate the bars uncovered for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
When ready to serve, carefully lift out the bars using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces (a 4 by 4 grid), wiping the knife clean between slices. Garnish the tops with the herbs and greens (if using).
Recipes reprinted from ‘Cookies: The New Classics’ by Jesse Szewczyk with permission from Clarkson Potter. Photography by Chelsea Kyle. Talk to us You can tell us about news and ask us about our journalism by emailing newstips@heraldnet.com or by calling 425-339-3428. If you have an opinion you wish to share for publication, send a letter to the editor to letters@heraldnet.com or by regular mail to The Daily Herald, Letters, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. More contact information is here. Gallery Seeking new flavors for the New Year? Try a red wine brownie cookie. (Chelsea Kyle)
Seeking new flavors for the New Year? Try a red wine brownie cookie. (Chelsea Kyle)
Campari shortbread cookies, red wine brownies and Parmesan cheesecake bars are a delightful change from sugar-laden Christmas treats.
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