Fudgy Brownies

Fudgy Brownies

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When I first tested Mamaw’s recipe, I had a total baking fail and ended up with brownie soup. I’m not sure what I did to achieve such a disastrous baking feat, but I suspect my Aunt Rhunda may have some clues—more about that story later. These fudgy brownies are reminiscent of their 19th century Chicago cousins but with the extra boost of butter.

Remember, brownies are a celebration of chocolate, making quality of the chocolate important. So splurge a little and get the best chocolate you can afford!

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Yield: 24 brownies

Author: Sweet Tea & Fried Pies

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Fudgy Brownies

When I first tested Mamaw’s recipe, I had a total baking fail and ended up with brownie soup. I’m not sure what I did to achieve such a disastrous baking feat, but I suspect my Aunt Rhunda may have some clues. These fudgy brownies are reminiscent of their 19th century Chicago cousins but with the extra boost of butter. Brownies are a celebration of chocolate, making quality of the chocolate important. So splurge a little and get the best chocolate you can afford.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper leaving about one inch hanging over the sides.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and the chocolate chips over low heat until smooth. Whisk in the sugars until fully incorporated. Remove from heat and let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Add the flour and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the nuts, if using.
4. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 1½ hours.
5. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the brownies from pan. Place the brownies on the wire rack and cool completely, an additional hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Calories

258.45

Fat (grams)

14.55

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.28

Carbs (grams)

31.77

Fiber (grams)

1.27

Net carbs

30.50

Sugar (grams)

22.36

Protein (grams)

2.80

Sodium (milligrams)

134.88

Cholesterol (grams)

35.84

Recipe Developed by Kylia Kummer, Sweet Tea & Fried Pies © 2019. All rights reserved.

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Bake While You Sleep Cookies

Bake While You Sleep Cookies

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Like little nut-dotted clouds, these are easily the most elegant and richest cookies I’ve ever made.  They literally do bake while you sleep. Go with it. It works. 

I get slightly nervous whenever I hear the words “meringue”—and when the cast members of my favorite baking show causally toss around “French Meringue,” “Swiss Meringue,” and “Italian Meringue” in their conversations with the hosts, I watch in awe as they confidently decide between the three.  

So what’s the difference?

These cookies are actually drops of French meringue that are baked. French Meringue is made by mixing egg whites with granulated sugar. It’s not as stable as Swiss or Italian Meringues, but it’s generally smoother, silkier, and lighter. Swiss Meringue is prepared by beating egg whites and sugar in a pan that sits above boiling water. It’s denser than French meringue but great as a base for buttercream frostings. Lastly, Italian Meringue is made by mixing egg whites with hot sugar syrup, and is great for topping pies and frostings. 

For these cookies, the French meringue drops are baked, or more accurately, dried in a relatively cool oven, which gives these cookies their crispy crust and soft, light interior. As a bonus, the chopped nuts add to the texture of these cookies. Try using chopped walnuts, pecans, or—for a summertime treat—lime zest. 

tips for making Bake while you sleep cookies

The steps to making meringue are pretty simple. The full recipe is below, but here are some tips to ensure your Bake While You Sleep Cookies turn out perfectly each time. 

• For the very best results, use room temperature eggs. 

• To avoid graininess that sometimes plagues meringue slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at time.

• The type of bowl you use matters! Go with metal or glass, and if you have a copper bowl—even better! Make sure your bowl and whisk are clean and dry. Any moisture can make your meringue soft. 

• Not only does the bowl matter, so does the weather. Dry days are better for meringue making than rainy, humid days. 

• You’ll know when your meringue is ready when it is glossy and forms short peaks. 

• Be very gentle when folding in the chopped nuts by hand. You don’t want to knock the air out of your beautifully whipped eggs. 

• Parchment paper is a must! Otherwise it will absolutely stick to your baking sheet. 

• Bake While You Sleep Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for three weeks or frozen for up to six months.

useful tool for making bake while you sleep cookies

Like this recipe? Follow me on Instagram for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe to Pinterest for later by clicking on the image below.

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Yield: 48 cookies

Author: Sweet Tea & Fried Pies

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Bake While You Sleep Cookies

Like little nut-dotted clouds, these are easily the most elegant and richest cookies I’ve ever made. They literally do bake while you sleep. Go with it. It works.

Prep time: 15 MCook time: 6 hourTotal time: 6 H & 15 M

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Using a standing mixer, beat egg whites until creamy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat well, gradually adding sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat until very stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, and gently fold in chopped nuts.
3. Place cookie sheets in oven and then turn oven off.
4. Leave in oven all night (about 6 hours). No peeking!

Calories

28.76

Fat (grams)

1.51

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.24

Carbs (grams)

3.41

Fiber (grams)

0.20

Net carbs

3.21

Sugar (grams)

2.92

Protein (grams)

0.71

Sodium (milligrams)

12.70

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

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Lemon Cardamom Pistachio Wedding Cookies

Lemon Cardamom Pistachio Wedding Cookies

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Cardamom is one the world’s oldest spices, dating back 4000 years.  It’s incredibly citrusy, spicy flavor and aromatic fragrance is punctuated by additional zing of the lemon and saltiness of the pistachios in these cookies.  

These Lemon Cardamom Wedding Cookies are variation on the Russian Tea Cake, with very similar variations as Mexican wedding cakes, butterballs or snowballs, which are all spherical shortbread cookies covered in powdered sugar.  By the 20th century, they were a part of weddings, Christmas celebrations and Easter traditions in the United States. 

tips for making wedding cookies

The full recipe is below, but here are some tips to ensure your Lemon Cardamom Pistachio Wedding Cookies turn out perfectly each time. 

• Use dried lemon zest for your lemon sugar, you’ll be happier with the results. 

• As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to bake cookies one sheet at a time in the center rack of your oven. If your oven is like mine, you probably have hot spots, or places in your oven that tend to make food cook faster than other. If so, rotate your baking sheets about two-thirds of the way through cooking.

• Cool your cookies on wire rack. Don’t have one? Invest it one. They make a difference, trust me.

• Wedding cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or frozen for up to two months.

useful tool for making wedding cookies

Like this recipe? Follow me on Instagram for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe to Pinterest for later by clicking on the image below.

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Yield: 72 cookies

Author: Sweet Tea & Fried Pies

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Lemon Cardamom Pistachio Wedding Cookies

Cardamom is one the world’s oldest spices, dating back 4000 years. Its incredibly citrusy, spicy flavor and aromatic fragrance is punctuated by additional zing of the lemon and saltiness of the pistachios in these cookies. Baker’s tip: use dried lemon zest for your lemon sugar, you’ll be happier with the results.

Prep time: 15 MCook time: 55 MTotal time: 70 M

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 2 cups unsalted butter, soften
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups chopped pistachios or walnuts

Lemon Sugar

• 3 tablespoon of dried lemon zest
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter in a bowl or standing mixer, and gradually add powdered sugar. Mix until fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, salt and cardamom until fully incorporated.
3. Blend in flour gradually and mix well; stir in pistachios.
4. Shape into balls using about 1 tablespoon for each cookie. Place cookies about half inch apart on prepared baking sheets and bake for 18 minutes. Cookies will be light colored and slightly golden on the bottom when ready.
5. While cookies are cooling, make the lemon sugar by mixing the dried lemon zest and powdered sugar. Once cookies are slightly cool, roll them a few at a time in the lemon sugar mixture.
6. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container. Dredge cookies again in lemon sugar just prior to serving.

Calories

107.95

Fat (grams)

6.46

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.35

Carbs (grams)

11.38

Fiber (grams)

0.52

Net carbs

10.86

Sugar (grams)

4.75

Protein (grams)

1.45

Sodium (milligrams)

56.92

Cholesterol (grams)

13.56

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Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies

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A holiday classic, this recipe gives an unusual twist to thumbprints cookies by adding a layer of nuts to the shortbread cookie nest. What I love the most about this recipe is the richness of the cookie dough and that you can use any type of jam you want.

These cookies are typically made with butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, and raspberry jam, which goes in the indentation (usually made with your thumb) in the middle of each cookie.

I’m always fascinated when I bake a cookie that has reigned in popularity for over two hundred years, while traveling the globe with very little adaptation to the recipe. These cookies have done just that.  Thumbprint cookies are also known as hallongrotta, which means "raspberry cave" in Swedish, Polish Tea Cakes, and Butter Balls. Dating back to the nineteenth century or earlier, these cookies were a staple at eastern European coffee parties before becoming the go-to for American cookie exchange parties.

The French bake a version of these cookies called Niçois Suns, which are balls of almond paste rolled in chopped almonds, pressed in the center and baked. A touch of apricot jam in the center of each cookie becomes the sun, which is surrounded by rays of pistachio slivers—hence the name.

I think my grandmother would have been excited to know that her recipe pays homage to both the eastern European version and French version of what we call “Thumbprint Cookies.”

tips for making Thumbprint cookies

These cookies can be made last minute, since there’s no chilling time required. The full recipe is below, but here are some tips to ensure your Thumbprint Cookies turn out perfectly each time. 

• In this recipe the eggs are separated. That’s to give the cookies their fluffiness. While generally eggs should be at room temperature, cold eggs will be easier to separate. If you don’t have a nifty egg separator, use your hands or a strainer.

• As a general rule of thumb (see what I did there?), it’s best to bake cookies one sheet at a time in the center rack of your oven. If your oven is like mine, you probably have hot spots, or places in your oven that tend to make food cook faster than other. If so, rotate your baking sheets about two-thirds of the way through cooking.

• Cool your cookies on wire rack. Don’t have one? Invest it one. They make a difference, trust me.

• Remember that cookies scorch easily and it may be hard to tell if they’re burning because of the nut covering. Just beware, they may appear slightly under baked when you pull them out of the oven. Go with it, and trust your inner baker. They will firm up as they cool.

• Thumbprint cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or frozen for up to two months. 

useful tool for making thumbprints

Like this recipe? Follow me on Instagram for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe to Pinterest for later by clicking on the image below.

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Yield: 72 cookies

Author: Sweet Tea & Fried Pies

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Thumbprint Cookies

A holiday classic, this recipe gives an unusual twist to thumbprints cookies, which date back to the 19th century. Beware, they may appear slightly under baked when you pull them out of the oven, but trust your inner baker.

Prep time: 15 MCook time: 40 MTotal time: 55 M

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 egg, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup ground pecans
• Jam of your choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy; add egg yolks and vanilla to the creamed mixture. In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to cream mixture to fully combined.
4. Slightly beat egg whites and set aside.
5. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the dough and roll into balls. Dip balls into beaten egg whites and roll in ground pecan and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly to allow for spreading.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and press thumb into center and return to oven for 8 minutes.
7. Add jam to indented center while still on baking sheet and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Calories

52.97

Fat (grams)

3.76

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.73

Carbs (grams)

4.30

Fiber (grams)

0.24

Net carbs

4.07

Sugar (grams)

1.45

Protein (grams)

0.69

Sodium (milligrams)

17.52

Cholesterol (grams)

11.95

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