WITH ICEBOX COOKIES, SUMMER BAKERS NEEDN’T SUFFER
Frozen dough rolls minimize time next to the dreaded oven
During these sun-kissed days of summer, I welcome easier approaches to baking. Icebox cookies are one of my favorite homemade convenience foods. Warm cookies are only minutes away when you’ve tucked cylinders of cookie dough in the fridge or freezer.
Call them slice-then-bake cookies if you like, but don’t confuse them with those double-sealed tubes of cookie dough you find at the supermarket. Icebox cookies are almost as handy but have endless flavor, texture and visual possibilities.
Smooth chocolate layered with cardamom-scented vanilla dough, then coiled into showy pinwheels. Or, rounds of cracker-crisp pistachio paradise, or vanilla beauties dotted with mini chocolate chips.
According to the 1997 edition of “The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, $30), what Irma Rombauer called icebox cookies in the 1931 edition were renamed refrigerator cookies in the ’50s by Marion Becker. Icebox harks back to a bake-from-scratch, bygone era. Somehow it seems homier.
But whether you call them icebox cookies or refrigerator cookies or, heaven forbid, freezer cookies, the dough is made in advance and chilled, then sliced as needed for baking.
The dough is formed into logs, then stored up to one week in the refrigerator or frozen for several weeks. Most recipes say a maximum of six weeks. Then, at baking time, unwrap the roll and slice with a thin, sharp knife. I have a very sharp, serrated bread knife that works well. Rotate the cookie dough log after every couple of slices to keep it from flattening on one side. Because the dough is cold, it carves into even, neat slices.
Before rolling the dough into a log, sometimes the cookie dough is very soft. In that case, it’s easier to chill the dough for an hour or so in the mixing bowl before forming it into a log.
To add glamour, roll the cookie dough logs in chopped nuts, or just before baking turn them round and round in sanding sugar (coarse sugar sold in a wide variety of colors). Baked and cooled, they can be partially dipped in melted coating chocolate and sprinkled with chopped nuts, then left on waxed paper for the chocolate to harden.
Oh, the luxury of homemade cookies whenever you want or need them. Stashed in the freezer, behind the rump roast, next to the rocky road, luscious logs of dough waiting to be sliced and popped in the oven.
Black and White Pinwheels Yield: About 3 dozen cookies INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom; see cook’s notes 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1cup (2sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce melted unsweetened chocolate
Waxed paper, parchment paper Cook’s notes: Dried cardamom seedpods are white (bleached), pale green (oven dried) or brown (sun dried). Inside the pod are tiny seeds. The outer pod is not generally used; the pod is broken away from the small seeds inside and discarded. If you buy the pods rather than the ground version, grind the seeds with a spice grinder or place in a heavy, zipper-style bag and pound with a pot or mallet.
DIRECTIONS
1: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt; set aside.
2: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat until smooth. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients; mix until well combined.
3: Remove half of dough and set aside. Add melted chocolate to remaining dough and beat until chocolate is thoroughly incorporated. Shape each of the two doughs into 6-inch squares. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 1 hour or until fairly firm.
4: Roll out the plain dough between 2sheets of waxed paper to a 7-by-14-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of paper. Roll out chocolate dough to a 7-by-14inch rectangle and place on top of the vanilla dough, gently pressing the two doughs together. Beginning with the long side, use the paper to help lift the dough and roll it into a tight cylinder. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator. For longer storage, place wrapped cylinders in a zipper-style freezer bag and freeze.
5: When ready to bake, using a sharp knife, cut dough into 1⁄4inch slices and place 1inch apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake about 10minutes or until golden. Transfer cookies to cooling rack.
Source: Adapted from “Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook” (Andrews McMeel, 1998, $16.95)
Pistachio (or Pecan) Crisps Yield: 50-60 INGREDIENTS
2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3⁄4 cup chopped, roasted pistachios (salted or unsalted) or 1 cup chopped pecans, divided use Waxed paper, parchment paper
DIRECTIONS
1: In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars; beat until fluffy and smooth. Add egg, oil and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients; beat until well blended. Add half of nuts; mix to blend. Cover and refrigerate dough 1 hour.
3: Divide dough in half. Place each portion of dough on a large sheet of waxed paper. Roll each into a log 2 inches in diameter. Roll each log in remaining nuts, pressing and patting them into the surface. Enclose in waxed paper and twist ends to seal. Place in zipper-style plastic bags and freeze at least 4 hours and up to 6 weeks.
4: Fifteen minutes before baking, put rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Just before baking, cut logs into 1⁄4-inch slices and place 11⁄2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Leave second log in freezer until just before slicing and baking. Immediately place in upper third of preheated oven. Bake 9-11 minutes or until nicely browned and slightly darker around the edges. Transfer cookies to cooling racks.
Chocolate Chip Icebox Cookies Yield: 40-50 INGREDIENTS
1 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil 1⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar 1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg 2teaspoons vanilla extract 1cup (6ounces) semisweet mini chocolate chips, see cook’s notes Optional: 3⁄4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
Waxed paper, parchment paper, plastic wrap
Cook’s notes: Be sure to use mini chocolate chips; regular-size ones make it too difficult to slice.
DIRECTIONS
1: In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, oil and sugars until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat until incorporated. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Add chocolate chips and nuts, if using; beat until well combined. If dough is very soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes in the mixing bowl.
2: Spoon half of dough on sheet of waxed paper, forming a rough log about 2 inches in diameter. Repeat with the second portion of dough. Smooth waxed paper around dough to help form smooth logs. Refrigerate logs for 30minutes and then roll them again, smoothing them further. Roll logs up in plastic wrap and place in zipperstyle plastic bag in the freezer. Freeze until completely frozen, at least 3hours. Bake immediately or leave in freezer for up to 6 weeks.
3: Adjust oven rack to upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Just before baking, peel plastic wrap off log and cut crosswise into slices 1⁄4- to 3⁄8-inch thick — due to the chocolate chips, the dough may not cut neatly, so it may be necessary to pat and smooth the slices back into shape. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
4: Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, in upper third of oven for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown all over and just slightly darker around the edges. Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let stand until cookies firm up slightly, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.