Just Baking

Where are you autumn?

We haven’t heard from you in weeks. You are supposed to be here. The calendar says October, but the warm sun on my shoulders says spring. I look outside my window and even with orange trees and crunchy leaves on the street, nothing says you’re near. I see pumpkins and witches dressing my town. I smell apple cider and fresh baked donuts, but people are in sleeveless shirts and baring shoes, and nothing says you’re near.

Where are you autumn?

Where are you so I can wear my warm slippers and colorful scarves? So I can lay down on the couch with my daughter, hugged by a warm striped blanket. So I can see the early morning mist and run under the pouring rain looking for a shelter. So I can look outside my window and think to myself: “there is nothing like home!” So I can eat bowls of lentils and green split peas and spicy soups. So I can run on my way to bed and have a hard time getting out of it.

Where are you so I can miss summer and appreciate what nature has to offer? Where are you autumn so I can take a break at four and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate?

Where are you? I brought you some cookies; jam filled cookies. I thought you might wanna come for a visit.

I love strawberry jam filled cookies, especially when they are buttery and melting. Your cookies must be so tender even a toddler, with only six teeth can eat them without any problem.

You might ask yourself: “but what’s so special about her jam filled cookies? I know how to make them!”

Well what I am about to give you is the BEST jam filled cookies you’ve ever had. And I even added some tricks and tips from my own experience:

1- Butter has to be at room temperature. It’s very important for it to be mixed properly with the icing sugar. Take it out of the fridge hours before using it.

2- The recipe here calls for plain flour, but instead I always use cake (pastry) flour instead, it works much better. It gives a “fragile” touch to the cookie. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use a mixture of plain flour and corn starch (¾ measure of plain flour for ¼ measure of corn starch)

3- Sift all the dry ingredients.

4- The thickness of the cookies should be the same so that they all cook evenly. ½ inch (1.27cm) to ¾ inch (1.90cm) is the perfect thickness.

5- Count the cookies. Each center cut cookie has to have its pair.

6- Bake them at low temperature (325 °F-165 °C) and keep a close eye on them.

7- Share them with your loved ones and even with strangers, who will love you after that.

Strawberry Jam Sandwich Cookies

Recipe: adapted from here
- 9 ounces plain flour
- 1 ½ ounces cornstarch
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Strawberry Jam or any kind of jam.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Add flour, cornstarch and salt and mix until the dough comes together in large clumps.  Press the dough together into a ball, and then divide it in half. Flatten each ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 40 min. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out the cookies using a cookie cutter of your choice, and cut out the center of half of the cookies. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (parchment paper) and bake at 325°F, one sheet pan at a time, for about 12-15 min or until the edges are light brown. Let them cool for 5 min on the baking sheet before transferring them to cool completely on a wire rack.  Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the cookies that has been cut in the center with icing sugar. Spread the jam over the cookie that hasn’t been cut in the center. Place the cutout cookies on top of the jam-covered cookies. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days.

 Petits Sablés a la Confiture de Fraise

 In francais please: adaptée d’ici
- 265g de farine
- 50g de Maizena
- ½ c.c de sel
- 250g de beurre mou
- 90g de sucre glace
- 1 ½ c.c d’extrait de vanille
- Confiture de fraise ou autre

Dans une jatte, mélanger le beurre et le sucre glace. Battre jusqu’a ce qu’il osit bien incorporé. Ajouter la vanille et mélanger encore. Ajouter la farine, maizena et sel et battre jusqu’a ce que la pate se forme.
Former deux patons de la meme taille. Couvrir de film alimentaire et mettre au frais pendant 40 min.

  adaptée Dans une jatte, mélanger le beurre et le sucre glace. Battre jusqu’a ce qu’il osit bien incorporé. Ajouter la vanille et mélanger encore. Ajouter la farine, maizena et sel et battre jusqu’a ce que la pate se forme.Former deux patons de la meme taille. Couvrir de film alimentaire et mettre au frais pendant 40 min.Etaler la pate au rouleau de patisserie sur une surface légerement farinée. Découper les petits sables a l’aide d’un emporte piece de votre choix, puis couper le center de chaque petit sable en tenant en compte le fais que chaque petit sablé coupé au center doit avoir son fond qui va etre sans découpage au centre.

Mettre les sable sur une plaque a patisserie tapissée de papier sulfurisé. Faites cuire a 165°C, un plateau a la fois, pendant 12-15 min ou jusqu’a ce que les bords deviennent légerement dorés.

Laisser refroidir 5 min sur la plaque a pattiserie avant de transfere vers la grille de patisserie pour refroidir completement.

Saupoudrer chaque sablé decoupé au centre de sucre glace. Garnir les sables qui n’ont pas été decoupé au centre de confiture et couvrir des sables au sucre glace.

Peut se garder pendant 4 jours dans une boite hermétique.