cook like james

Download Summer Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

One of my favorite summer strawberry recipes from Cooks Country magazine. The recipe comes together in stages, starting with a traditional graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake center, and a mousse-like strawberry topping resulting in a light, delicious, and portable summer dessert.

Crust

9 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces

½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

¾ cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 ½ pounds cream cheese

1 cup (7 ounces) sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

6 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled (1 heaping cup), plus 6 hulled strawberries

½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) plus 2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups sour cream

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide, and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray.

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Process cracker pieces and sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine, about 2 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened, about 10 pulses.

2. Using your hands, press crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

FOR THE FILLING:

1. In clean, dry processor bowl, process cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With processor running, add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla and process to combine, about 10 seconds. Pour cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. Bake until center is almost set but still jiggles slightly when pan is shaken, about 45 minutes.

FOR THE TOPPING:

1. Meanwhile, in clean, dry processor bowl, process 6 ounces strawberries and ½ cup sugar until pureed, about 30 seconds. Stir strawberry puree and sour cream in bowl until combined.

2. Remove cheesecake from oven. Pour strawberry mixture over cheesecake (cheesecake layer should be completely covered). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is just set, about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cheesecake cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Slice the remaining 6 strawberries thin and gently toss with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl. Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake out of pan. Cut into 24 squares. Garnish each square with 1 strawberry slice and serve.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to spend some time with friends in Israel during the Purim holiday, and one of the many highlights was exploring Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market, often referred to as "The Shuk". It is the largest market in Jerusalem with over 250 vendors selling everything from fruit and vegetables to specialty foods, and clothing to Judaica. It is without a doubt an experience that must be part of any visit to Jerusalem, filled with fascinating sounds, sights, and smells.  One of the more famous spots is the Marzipan Bakery, which some say has the best Rugelach in Israel, and based on the long lines, they may be right.

Rugelach is a traditional Jewish pastry that is crescent-shaped and bursting with any number of fillings – jam, cinnamon, nuts or chocolate. It comes in two distinct varieties - the first is built on a yeasted dough and most often found in Israel (and at the Marzipan bakery) and the second version, more common here in the States, is made from a dough that’s highly enriched with a combination of butter and cream cheese. This rugelach recipe, from Cook's Country, is light, flaky, and delicious - use your favorite fruit jam, or a combination of jams, to create a simply perfect filling.

Download Perfect Jam-Filled Rugelach recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon table salt

6 ounces cream cheese, cut into 3 pieces and chilled

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and chilled

¼ cup sour cream

⅔ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam, divided

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, optional

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1-2 tablespoons demerara sugar

NOTES:

The demerara sugar adds a nice crunch to these rugelach, but they are still great without it. If you have packets of Sugar in the Raw at home, you can use those in place of the demerara. When brushing the rugelach with the egg wash, brush only a few cookies at a time and then sprinkle them with the demerara sugar immediately. If you brush the egg wash onto all the rugelach at once, it will begin to dry by the time you get to the last rugelach, and the sugar won’t stick. If your jam contains large chunks of fruit, process it in the food processor to a smooth, spreadable consistency before using it. Be sure to check for doneness at 25 minutes; the jam tends to accelerate browning on the bottoms of the rugelach.

1. Process flour, granulated sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add cream cheese and pulse until large, irregularly sized chunks of cream cheese form with some small pieces interspersed throughout, about 5 pulses. Scatter butter over top and pulse until butter is size of large peas, 5 to 7 pulses.
2. Add sour cream and process until dough forms little clumps that hold together when pinched with your fingers (dough will look crumbly), about 10 seconds.
3. Transfer dough to clean counter and knead briefly until dough just comes together, about 3 turns. Divide dough in half (each piece should weigh about 11 ounces) and form each piece into 4-inch disk. Wrap disks individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll 1 dough disk into 12-inch circle on lightly floured counter. Using offset spatula, spread ⅓ cup jam evenly over entire surface of circle, sprinkle with finely chopped nuts if using. Using pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut through center of circle to form 16 equal wedges. Starting at wide edge of each wedge, roll dough toward point and transfer to prepared sheet, seam side down.
5. Wipe counter clean, dust counter with additional flour, and repeat with remaining dough disk and remaining ⅓ cup jam. Arrange rugelach in 8 rows of four on sheet.
6. Working with few rugelach at a time, brush tops with egg wash, then sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on sheet, about 20 minutes. Serve.

From the brilliant folks at America’s Test Kitchen, they describe these cookies as “chewy, crunchy, salty, and sweet. The addition of crushed pretzel sticks and crunchy peanut butter give the cookies a unique and satisfying texture, and if you are a fan of salty and sweet, you love the balance derived from a sprinkling of flake sea salt and sweetness of dark chocolate. You can find this recipe and many more in their cookbook The Perfect Cookie

Download Salted Peanut Butter–Oatmeal-Pretzel–Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

1 ¼ cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 cup (3 ounces) quick oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups packed (8 3/4 ounces) light brown sugar

⅔ cup Skippy crunchy peanut butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1 ½ ounces pretzel sticks, coarsely crushed (2/3 cup)

Flake sea salt

1. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
2. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture; continue to mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips and pretzels and mix until just incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 2 tablespoons chilled dough at a time, roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and space them evenly on prepared sheets, 12 per sheet. Press each ball to 3/4-inch thickness using bottom of greased dry measuring cup.

4. Bake until puffed and cracks just form on top, 11 to 13 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.

There are hundreds of recipes for chocolate chip cookies – thin, thick, crisp, chewy, with nuts and without – but this happens to be one of my favorites. Years ago my friend Scott took me to Kathleen’s Bake Shop in Southampton, now known as Tate’s, where I became a fan of the thin and crisp chocolate chip cookie. You can find her recipe for chocolate chip cookies in Kathleen’s Bakeshop Cookbook, but this one from Alton Brown really delivers the thin and crisp chocolate chip that I love.

Download My Favorite Thin Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, and vanilla and bring to room temperature in another bowl.
2. Cream the butter in the mixer’s work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Add the sugars. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed and add the egg mixture slowly. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and nuts if using. Using a #20 ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Cookies will be dark brown. Rotate the baking sheet for more even browning.
4. Remove the cookies from the pans immediately. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

These are wonderful little cookies to serve with tea, or as an after dinner treat with a nice wine. I found the recipe in America’s Test Kitchen’s new Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook and thought they sounded easy and original. Use high quality olive oil here, it lends a welcomed peppery taste to the slightly sweet cornmeal, and the fragrant fresh rosemary adds yet another depth of flavor. Superfast to make with a handful of ingredients, the result is a surprisingly complex and delectable dessert cookie.

Download Cornmeal Olive Oil Cookies recipe

Makes 12 Cookies

¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) flour

¼ cup (1 ¼ ounces) cornmeal

½ tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar

1 egg

½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust rack to middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.
3. Whisk olive oil with sugar until combined; whisk in egg and rosemary. Fold in flour mixture to form soft dough.
4. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden and centers puff and split, about 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool slightly on sheet, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Store cookies at room temperature for up to 3 days)

If you're a fan of fudgy, dark chocolate brownies, then you’ll love these cookies. Extremely moist and incredibly rich, these cookies pack a wallop of flavor. The powdered sugar gives them a festive holiday look but they are great any time of the year.

Download Dark Chocolate Snow Crinkle Cookies recipe

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 ½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups packed (10 ½ ounces) brown sugar

3 large eggs

4 teaspoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (2 ounces) confectioners' sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.
2. Whisk brown sugar; eggs; espresso powder; and vanilla together in large bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until no dry streaks remain. Let dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. The dough will be very soft and somewhat sticky.
4. Place granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in separate shallow dishes. Working with 2 tablespoons dough -or use #30 scoop, drop dough balls directly into granulated sugar and roll to coat. The sugar will prevent dough from sticking to your hands.Transfer dough balls to confectioners' sugar and roll to coat evenly. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheets, 11 per sheet.
5. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cool completely on sheet before serving.

Matzo (or matzoh or matzah) is the perfect crunchy, flaky base for a thin coating of buttery caramel, melted chocolate and a sprinkling of chopped nuts salt. It’s an addictive treat that’s perfect for Passover. Matzo is unleavened bread that first appeared on the “market” when the Israelites had to flee Egypt and did not have time to let their bread rise. It has been eaten for centuries during the Jewish holiday of Passover as a reminder of that exodus by forgoing cakes, cookies, pasta and noodles — anything made to rise with yeast, baking soda, etc.

Download Homemade Chocolate Caramel Matzo with Salted Almonds recipe

4 (6 1/2-inch) squares unsalted non-egg matzo

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or fleur de sel

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper Spray parchment lightly with cooking spray. Place matzo (cutting into smaller pieces if necessary) in an even layer on baking sheet and set aside.

2. Bring butter and brown sugar to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour caramel over matzo, spreading to coat completely. Place sheet in oven and bake until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove pan from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel and let sit 5 minutes. Spread chocolate in even layer and sprinkle with salt and almonds. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Invert brittle onto cutting board, discard parchment, and break into large pieces. (Brittle can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.)

Heart Shaped Linzer Nut Cookies with Raspberry Jam

Linzer cookies are based on the famous Linzertorte - a delicious tart made using a rich buttery dough with ground nuts, lemon zest, and cinnamon. It is one of the oldest known tart recipes, discovered in an Austrian abbey that dates back to 1653.  The tart is traditionally filled with black currant preserves and topped with a lattice crust.  In the States, raspberry has replaced black currant as the jam of choice.  Linzer cookies employ the same recipe as the Linzertorte but instead the dough is cut into cookies and two of them form a sandwich with the preserves.  Many years ago, when I was working long hours on a television show in NYC, my friend Michele stopped by my office and surprised me with a box of homemade heart-shaped Linzer cookies. It’s still a favorite Valentine’s Day memory – make some for your Valentine this year, it will make a lasting impression. 

Download Heart Shaped Linzer Nut Cookies with Raspberry Jam recipe

2-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) sliced almonds

2-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped pecans or skinned hazelnuts

9-1/2 oz. (2 cups plus 1 Tbs.) all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1 lemon (1-2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

7 oz. (14 Tbs.) chilled unsalted butter

1 large egg

11/2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. In a food processor, process the nuts with 1/2 cup of the flour until fine textured but not powdered. (To avoid overprocessing, stop the machine occasionally and feel the nuts; they may look like they’re still chunky, but they may actually just be clumping together.) Add the remaining flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Pulse mixture to combine.

2. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the flour mixture; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal, about 8 one-second pulses. Don’t over-process. Transfer to a large bowl.

3. Whisk together the egg and water; sprinkle over the flour mixture and toss gently to combine. The dough should hold together when pinched. (If it seems dry, sprinkle on a bit more water.) Gather the dough into two balls and knead briefly just to blend. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

To bake:

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

2. Generously flour a work surface. Roll one ball of the dough to about ¼-inch thick. (Keep the rest in the refrigerator, and if the dough warms up to the point of being sticky while you’re working with it, return it to the refrigerator.) Cut out as many 2-1/2-inch hearts as possible, rerolling the scraps to make more hearts. Arrange on the cookie sheets about 3/4 inch apart. Cut 1-1/4-inch hearts in the center of half the rounds. Reroll these center scraps to make more cookies.

3. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To assemble, spread a heaping 1/2 teaspoon preserves on the underside of the whole cookie hearts. Using a wire-mesh sieve, sprinkle the cut-out heart tops with powdered sugar. Place on top of jam covered hearts. 

This is a classic French cookie, found in almost every patisserie in Paris. They are super easy to make at home with the help of store bought puff pastry. Pepperidge Farm will work, but try find Dufour or Trader Joe’s Artisan puff pastry which I think has a much more buttery flavor.  The rolled dough will keep in the freezer until you’re ready to slice and bake the Palmiers, so it’s also a great “make-ahead” recipe. Makes 24 Palmiers.

Download Quick and Easy Puff Pastry French Palmiers recipe 

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cardamom

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed (Dufour or Trader Joe’s Artisan Puff Pastry work best)

1. Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the mixture on a clean work surface. Unroll 1 sheet of puff pastry and lay on sugared surface and sprinkle top with 3 tablespoons of sugar mixture. Top with second sheet of puff pastry and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Using a rolling pin, gently roll pastry sheets into a 10x12” rectangle.

2. Roll both short sides of dough toward the center until they meet in the center, making sure to roll tightly and evenly. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Remove dough from freezer and slice half of the dough into twelve 3/8” pieces using a thin sharp knife. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. Wrap remaining dough in plastic and freeze until ready to bake next batch. 

5. Bake until Palmiers begin to turn brown, about 14 minutes. Using spatula, flip cookies over, then rotate sheet and continue to bake until golden brown and crisp, 4-6 minutes longer. Quickly transfer Palmiers to wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough to make 12 more Palmiers.