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Chai Spice Cookies

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This recipe creates dramatically large, melt-in-your-mouth, 4-inch cookies. For smaller ones, use a 1-inch scoop and place them 2 inches apart.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white or golden whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons Chai Spice Blend, divided use
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 1/3 cup sanding sugar

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside (you’ll bake the cookies in 3 batches; if you have that many cookie sheets, prep them all).

Step 2

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons chai spice, and the cinnamon.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and sugar-spice mixture and beat on low until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, stopping to scrape up any of the butter that may be on the bottom of the bowl.

Step 4

In a small bowl, whisk the sanding sugar with the last tablespoon of chai spice. Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to make a dough ball and drop it into the sugar-chai mix. Roll it around to coat, then place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 6 balls, spaced 4 inches apart—they will spread considerably as they bake. Bake one cookie sheet at a time in the center of your oven for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through; the cookies will puff, then flatten as they cool. Repeat with the next batch. As that batch bakes, use a large spatula to transfer the first batch of cookies to racks to cool. Repeat with the final batch.

Yields 18 Cookies

Grape Galette

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

A galette is a freeform tart that you can fill with almost any fruit you like. Fall grapes are a perfect choice—you can use one or more varieties, including intensely flavored concord grapes, as long as they’re seedless or you take the time to remove the seeds with the tip of a paring knife after halving them.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
  • 6 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 cup pastry flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/4 cup white or golden whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the crumble:

  • 1/4 cup whole white pastry flour
  • 8 tablespoons rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the filling:

  • 4 cups seedless red grapes, halved
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the assembly:

  • 1 tablespoon half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon sanding sugar

Directions

Step 1

Make the crust: Cut the butter into small cubes and return to the fridge to stay cold. Next fill a large measuring cup halfway with ice and cold water; set aside. 

Step 2

Place the flours, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the cubed butter and process for 10 seconds, just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the food processor running, add the olive oil and then 4 tablespoons ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube until dough forms large clumps, about 30 seconds. Test the dough: It should hold when you press a small amount together. If it’s too dry, add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse for a few seconds. Transfer the dough to an 18″ length of parchment paper and form into a flat oval. Fold up the sides of the paper and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Step 3

Make the crumble: Combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until completely incorporated and large crumbs form. Chill until ready to use.

Step 4

To assemble the galette, unwrap the dough on a countertop and dust the dough and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll out dough, rotating a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a rough 12″ oval. Slide the dough, parchment paper and all, into a rimmed sheet pan. Chill for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400°F.

Step 5

Place the grapes in a large bowl and toss with the sugar, cornstarch, olive oil, and lemon juice. Spoon the filling over the dough, leaving a 2″ border. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the outer perimeter of the grapes, pressing down with two fingers or a serving fork as you move around the tart. Drop dollops of the crumble randomly over the visible grapes.

Step 6

Brush the dough border with the half-and-half, then sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the dough turns a rich golden brown. Let cool for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Yields 8 servings

Annie’s Baked Pears with Ice Cream and EVOO

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Annie also shared her recipe for slow-baked pears. “The long cooking time is essential—they’re just not the same if you try to hurry the dish along,” she explained. Serve them with the best-quality store-bought ice cream or make your own. Note: The pears can also be baked with the skins on for a more rustic look.

Ingredients

  • 2 large ripe green pears
  • 1/2 cup water, more if needed
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • Vanilla or vanilla olive oil ice cream
  • Slivered almonds (optional)

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel, halve, and remove the core from the pears.

Step 2

Place the pears, cut side up, in a baking dish and pour the water around them. Add the vanilla pod or extract to the water. Place 1 teaspoon olive oil, topped with 1 teaspoon butter, in the cored center of each pear half. Sprinkle the sugar over the pears

Step 3

Cover the baking dish (use foil if it doesn’t have its own cover) and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, checking periodically to make sure the water has not evaporated (add more water if necessary). At the end of the cooking time, the sugar and water should have just started to caramelize, and the tip of a sharp knife should easily pierce the fruit.

Step 4

Let cool slightly, then serve with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of olive oil, some syrup from the baking dish, and a sprinkling of almonds, if desired.

Serves 4

“Grandma in the Mountains” ANZAC Biscuits

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), these “bickies,” or cookies, were created for soldiers fighting in World War I because they could withstand a long sea journey—ANZAC’s first major military action was in Gallipoli, Turkey. This version, a chewy inside with a crisp outside, comes from Annie Paterson. “It’s my grandmother’s and mother’s recipe that I have been making since I was a child,” she said. If you want a crisper cookie, leave out the coconut. Golden syrup, also popular in British and Irish treats, is a sweetener made from cane sugar; it’s available online, but you can substitute maple syrup.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarse rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened (desiccated) coconut flakes
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons boiling water
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons golden syrup

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl, mix the oats, flour, coconut, and sugar. In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and boiling water; place next to your stovetop.

Step 3

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the olive oil and syrup. Whisk in the baking soda mixture, then pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Wait 5 minutes, then stir again.

Step 4

For jumbo cookies, use a 2-inch ice cream scoop and drop them on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the cookies turn golden. Let cool to room temperature before storing in a cookie tin.

Makes twelve 3-inch cookies