EDIBLE ENTERTAINING

EDIBLE ENTERTAINING COOKIES FOR GROWNUPS

Make these spicy, sophisticated cookies for the adults in your life

RECIPES AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA TUNIS AND AMBER TURPIN

Season of sweetness and warming spices. Season of gathered friends and abundant serving platters. Season of giving and receiving, season of evergreen needles and lit candles. Cookie season, that’s what it is. These recipes complement each other so beautifully, arranged on a platter, it’s hard to pick just one as a favorite. Luckily, you don’t have to. Want to be the star of the annual cookie exchange? We have you covered here.

Gluten Free Tahini Chunk Blondies

These are so good, you don’t miss the gluten one bit. Rich sesame flavor, chocolate chunks and dense texture satisfy and delight.

1 cup tahini 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup chopped chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the edges for easy removal.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the tahini and the sugar and mix well until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and stir well until thoroughly combined. Mix in the chocolate chunks.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, being careful not to overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Carefully lift the parchment out of the pan and let sit until cool. Cut the blondies into small squares. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Conifer Needle Shortbread

What a delicious way to celebrate our local, native conifers! Make sure you can identify the tree you want to use, as some trees with needles, like yew, are not safe to ingest. Our local douglas fir, coast redwood and various species of pines are all delicious in their own way, though; nibble some foliage to get a sense of the flavor, if you are unsure. Mincing the needles finely lets the flavors release into the buttery dough, while the texture remains smooth.

1½ cups butter, softened 1 cup sugar, divided ½ cup conifer needles (douglas fir, redwood, pine, etc.), finely minced 2 teaspoons lemon zest ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons orange zest 1 teaspoon lemon juice 3 cups flour

Gather several foot-long branch tips from any of our local native conifers. Douglas fir, redwood and various pine species are all excellent, flavorful choices. (Those without access to these trees can substitute rosemary, if desired.) Use sharp trimming scissors to cut the needles finely, directly off of the twigs. Alternatively, pulse needles (removed from branches) in a food processor, or mince finely with a sharp knife. Measure ½ cup minced needles.

Combine about ½ cup of the sugar with the minced conifer needles and the lemon zest in a mortar and pestle to release the flavorful oils. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, just combine in a small bowl and let sit until ready for use. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor. You can also mix the sugar and conifer needles together and store them in a jar, for several weeks ahead of time, to use as flavoring for these and other baked goods.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the needle mixture with the remaining sugar, butter, salt and vanilla and cream well until fluffy.

Add the orange zest, lemon juice and flour, ½ cup at a time. The dough will be crumbly at first but the zest and juice help keep it together. Gather dough with your hands and roll into an oblong log. Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Remove dough from the refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Contributors Amber Turpin and Jessica Tunis live in the Santa Cruz Mountains and have been friends for a long time. They share a love of food and writing, adventure and good company.

Gingersnaps

They’re classic for a reason, but this recipe takes them to the next level. Spicy not only from the ginger, but also from the complementary heats of cayenne and ground pepper. Crispy as a gingersnap should be; the melted butter helps with that, and the small amount of milk adds just enough moisture to help bind together the relatively dry dough. While pressing the just-baked cookies down with a glass is unusual, it helps make them denser and crispier—a worthwhile extra step.

½ cup salted butter, melted then allowed to cool ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for topping ¼ cup dark brown sugar 1 large egg yolk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon whole milk 2¼ teaspoons ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper Scant 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, finely minced (optional) 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

In a large bowl, combine melted, cooled butter, white and brown sugars, vanilla extract, egg yolk, milk and spices. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and, if using, the minced crystallized ginger. Add incrementally to the sugar mixture until dough forms.

Spread a small measure of granulated sugar on a plate. Using your hands, form the dough into balls of about 2 teaspoons in size, and roll the balls through the sugar to coat.

Space the cookies 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven. They will have puffed up somewhat while baking. Immediately after removing from the oven, use a clean, flat-bottomed glass to flatten the cookies firmly down. This will help them firm up and stay crisp, as well as give the cookies a classic, flat gingersnap look. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Spicy Chocolate Bites

Dense, dark nuggets with unexpected heat from cayenne and black pepper, these chonky darlings will warm you from the inside out.

1½ cups flour ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¾ cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup cocoa nibs

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and spices and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until almost all incorporated. Add the cocoa nibs and continue to mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Pinch off pieces of the chilled dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press a fork firmly into the top of each cookie to create indentations and slightly flatten each ball. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove to rack and cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.