Butter Cookies -- Who knew they could be so good??!!!

I wanted to add a butter recipe to the My Baking Addiction Holiday Recipe swap, so here is another post about a sweet treat.

We did this recipe in class a few weeks ago. Before baking these Tea Cookies, I didn’t think it would be a cookie I’d really care for… I mean, there is nothing to it. Personally, I like my cookies to be loaded — chocolate, caramel, raisins, peanut butter — you get the drift.

But I was wrong. Very wrong. I LOVED these cookies. I ate 6 of them during class and then continued to eat more when I got home that night. This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I was very happy to share these cookies with a co-worker of mine. Butter Cookies are her favorite because they are so simple. She gave me a very nice compliment (which always works on me). She said these cookies were the best Butter Cookies she’s ever had. It probably helped that they were delivered to her fresh, but hey, I’ll take a compliment like that any day!

You will need a piping bag and large star tip for this recipe.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.

Butter Tea Cookies

340 grams                    butter, at room temperature

128 grams                     powdered sugar

50 grams                       egg whites

a few drops                   vanilla extract

 380 grams                    bread flour

2/3 teaspoon                baking powder

1 teaspoon                     salt

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Cream the butter until pale and creamy then mix in the powdered sugar.

Add the egg whites and vanilla extract slowly and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until thoroughly incorporated, taking care to prevent over-mixing.

Using a pastry bag with a large star tip, pipe it on parchment.

Bake at 300 degrees for  20 minutes.

Decorate with dried cherry before baked or raspberry jam after baked. Dip in chocolate if desired.

One thing I really wanted to do was document my time at Kendall College through a blog. Unfortunately this wasn’t something I was able to accomplish. Working full-time, going to school 3 nights a week (and not getting home until 11:30pm or later) and planning a wedding took up a lot of my attention. Did I have time on the weekends to post? Sure, but spending time with friends and family was something I needed since my social life was non-existent during the week.

Guess who’s done with school in a month? This girl! I can not wait to have my free time back and to dedicate some TLC to this blog. I really have learned a lot since I started at Kendall. I hope to take some of the best recipes and tips I learned while in school and share them with you.

Besides finishing up my program, I’m looking forward to spending a whole month with my husband! Jim is enrolled in a MBA program out-of-state and we see each other on the weekends. When Jim is around, I find myself wanting to impress him with amazing meals and treats! Expect some hearty recipes to be posted when he’s around.

Well, maybe not too hearty… We are leaving for our honeymoon right after New Year’s and we’re going to Hawaii!! I’m very excited but also know I need to curb my holiday eating. Or maybe just quit my day job and work out all day so I can consume all of the goodies I want. Sounds nice but that’s not going to happen. Oh well, it’s all about balance, right?

One of the classes I’m in is Baking & Pastry. I must say I LOVE this class. I didn’t think I would be that thrilled about it because I’m impatient and I hate to measure. Turns out I still hate to measure, but we’re making at least 3 things each night, so I don’t have the time to be impatient. This weeks’ class was one of my favorites. I made my first cheese cake! Isn’t it pretty??

White Chocolate Cheesecake

My Mom made the best cheesecake. She would always complain and say the crust never turned out right, but it always tasted wonderful to me. Now that she’s gone, I was really excited to learn how to make this desert as a way to channel my Mom. I think I would have done her proud.

This recipe is to-die-for. And can I tell you how freakin’ easy it is? So frickin’ easy! Cheesecake has this stigma that its super decant (which it is) and it’s a hard thing to make. This recipe proves my opinion wrong. There are a few things I did which aren’t listed on the recipe. I added a raspberry glaze to the cheesecake before baking. Also be sure to egg wash your crust before you pop it in the oven. It will give your crust a nice crisp and shine. Of course, you can top this cheesecake with anything once it’s done baking. Fruit, carmel, whip cream, Oh my!

The Holidays are quickly approaching. If you want to impress your guests with a yummy rich dessert, make this White Chocolate Cheesecake… and also invite me over for a slice or two. No, only one slice! Honeymoon is less than 2 months away.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

• 110 g cookie crumbs
• 40 g white sugar
• 55 g butter, melted
• 55g toasted hazelnut(optional)

Mix together cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring – form pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Chill before pouring the batter on.

Cheesecake Filling

• 360 g white chocolate chips
• 120 ml heavy cream
• 672 g cream cheese, softened
• 100 g white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 5 ml vanilla extract or Vanilla bean 1 each

1. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour Batter over crust.
2. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan.

Bake at 325 for 60-90 min