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| Cookies featuring California native mint. |
We
hope our previous post (April 2016) inspired you to make some alcohol extracts
of mints from your garden. These extracts
can be used in a wide range of dishes.
In fact, they can be substituted in any recipe calling for mint
extract. Just remember that ‘kitchen
extracts’ – particularly those using native mints – are usually milder than the
mint or spearmint extract you buy at the store.
You’ll likely need to increase
the amount needed; and you’ll just have to experiment to get the right flavor.
We
like to use our alcohol extracts in cookies and other baked goods usually
flavored with vanilla. These recipes – which commonly use white sugar (or other
light-flavored sweetener like Stevia) and no strong spices – are perfect for
showcasing the delicate native mint flavors.
Here are three cookie recipes Mother Nature’s Backyard visitors have
enjoyed. Try them and leave your friends
and family guessing ‘what flavor are these cookies?’
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| Hint of Hummingbird Sage Cookies: a California mint. |
We
first made this recipe with Hummingbird sage extract – hence the name. But we’ve found other mints to be equally
delicious. We use small (1 inch) cookie
cutters for garden events, tea parties and tastings. And we like to use flavored sugars as a
topper (see below). You’ll need to
flavor and color the sugars ahead of time; but they are an easy way to add a
unique, festive touch to these cookies.
The recipe is
an adaptation of a great sugar cookie recipe from Maida Heator’s Book of Great Cookies.
Hint of Hummingbird Sage Cookies
3 ¼ cups + 2 Tbsp sifted
all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ sticks butter (best)
or 6 oz. (3/4 cup) margarine; you can use a mixture of butter/margarine
¼ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ Tbsp Hummingbird
Sage extract*
1 ½ cups granulated
sugar
2 eggs
Additional granulated,
flavored or decorative sugar for topping**
Sift
together flour & baking powder; set aside.
Cream softened butter or margarine.
Add vanilla, Hummingbird Sage extract and sugar. Beat well.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg is added. Add dry ingredients slowly, scraping bowl
to be sure that everything is well mixed.
Place
dough in a wax-paper lined bowl, or divide dough in thirds and wrap each third
in waxed paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
After
dough is chilled, preheat oven to 400° F.
Take one third piece of dough,
and roll it to the desired thickness on a well-floured pastry cloth. We like to slightly flatten the dough with
our hands and turn the dough once before rolling. We use a wooden rolling pin with a cloth
rolling pin ‘sock’ that has been rolled in flour to keep the dough from
sticking. We roll the dough to 1/8 to ¼
inch thick.
Cut
the dough with cookie cutters. Carefully
transfer the cut-outs to ungreased cookie sheets, placing them about 1 ½ inches
apart. Sprinkle the tops with
granulated sugar or colored decorative sugars.
Bake until edges are just lightly tanned – about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on then – they brown quickly. Remove from oven. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack with a
large metal spatula (pancake turner).
Let cool. Enjoy!!
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* Use an
alcohol extract of Hummingbird sage or any other garden mint whose flavor you
like. For instructions see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/04/california-gourmet-making-flavored.html
**
We like to make flavored sugars for
a finishing touch. Place 1 cup of granulated
sugar in a jar or plastic container. Add
¼ cups mint leaves (of the same flavor as the extract), washed, patted dry and
coarsely chopped. Cover and let sit 24
hours, shaking occasionally. Remove the
leaf pieces using a sieve. Dry the sugar
(air dry or in a warm oven) until it no longer clumps. Store in an airtight jar; use within a month
for best flavor. The sugar can be
colored with a few drops of food coloring.
Just add coloring to the jar, then shake until all the sugar is colored.
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| California Gourmet Icebox Cookies Flavored with California native mint flavors |
Icebox
cookies are usually called ‘refrigerator cookies’ in modern cookbooks. But we like the old time name, harkening back
to the days when these cookies were cooled in old-fashioned iceboxes.
Icebox
cookies are the baker’s dream, particularly when making lots of cookies in a
short amount of time. You make the
dough, shape it into rolls, then cool the rolls in the refrigerator for several
hours. Then you slice the dough into
thin rounds and bake. Icebox cookies
were the original ‘slice-and-bake’ cookies.
We’ve
taken a simple vanilla icebox cookie recipe (found in many cookbooks) and
modified it to feature our native mint extracts. The taste is like a minty shortbread cookie –
very nice with tea or coffee, or as dessert. As
always, you may need to modify the amount of extract to suit your taste.
California Gourmet Icebox Cookies
1 cup
butter or margarine, softened*
1 cup
sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp
milk
¼ tsp
vanilla extract
2 Tbsp
native mint extract**
3 cups
all-purpose flour
½ tsp
baking soda
4-5 drops
food color (if desired)
Colored,
flavored sugar (if desired)
Place
butter/margarine and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cream until light, then add egg, milk and
extracts. Beat until light, fluffy and
well-mixed.
Sift
together flour and soda. Add a little at
a time to the butter mixture, mixing until well mixed. Add food coloring (if desired) and mix well.
Divide
dough into four equal parts. Place each
fourth onto a piece of waxed paper. Form
the dough into a long roll (like a log), about 1 inch in diameter. If desired, you can roll the dough ‘log’ over
colored sugar to give a decorative edge.
Roll up each log in the waxed
paper, then place on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator. Chill at least 3-4 hours.
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| California Gourmet Icebox Cookies - ready to bake |
Take
a roll from the refrigerator, remove the waxed paper, then slice into pieces
about 1/8 inch thick, placing each slice 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie
sheet. If desired, sprinkle tops with
decorative and/or flavored sugar. Bake at
375° F (190° C) for 5-8 minutes (or when edges are a light golden brown). Remove cookie sheet from oven. Let cool about 1 minute, then remove cookies
to a cooling rack.
Store
in an airtight tin or glass cookie jar for up to 2 weeks.
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* We use ½
cup butter & ½ cup margarine or vegetable shortening
** Use an
alcohol extract of any garden mint whose flavor you like. For instructions see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/04/california-gourmet-making-flavored.html
 |
| California Meltaway Mint Icebox Cookies. These cookies are flavored with native mint extracts |
Here is
another icebox cookie recipe that works well with our native mint
extracts. The texture is somewhere
between a cookie and a candy – utterly delish!
We modified
this recipe from a peppermint cookie recipe posted by The Kitchen McCabe: http://thekitchenmccabe.com/
California Meltaway Mint Icebox
Cookies
1 ¼ cups
butter or margarine (we used ½ butter/1/2 shortening)
½ cup
powdered sugar
1 ½ cups
all-purpose flour
½ cup
cornstarch
¼ tsp
vanilla extract
5 tsp.
native mint extract*
Food coloring
(if desired)
Colored sugar
crystals, decorative sugar or flavored sugar**
Place the
softened butter/margarine and powdered sugar in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, until light
and fluffy. Add extracts and mix in.
Sift
together flour and cornstarch. Add to
butter mixture in several batches and mix until just combined. Add food coloring if desired and mix in.
Place
dough on a sheet of waxed paper (18-20 inches long). Form dough into long roll (log) about 1 to 1 ½
inches in diameter.
Spread
colored/flavored sugar on waxed paper.
Roll log in the sugar to coat the outside edges. Pour off excess sugar (if any).
Wrap log
in waxed paper. Chill on a cookie sheet
in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
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| Slicing California Meltaway Mint Cookies |
Remove
dough from refrigerator. Unwrap and cut
into 1/8-1/4 inch slices. Place 1 inch
apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake
at 300° F (150° C) oven for 12-15 minutes.
Bake shorter time for softer cookie; longer for crisper cookie. Cookies remain white - don’t really brown.
Remove
cookie sheet from oven. Transfer cookies
to a wire rack to cool. When completely
cool, store in an airtight container.
Makes about
45 cookies.
____________________
* Use an
alcohol extract of any garden mint whose flavor you like. For instructions see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2016/04/california-gourmet-making-flavored.html
**
We like to make flavored sugars for
a finishing touch. Place 1 cup of granulated
sugar in a jar or plastic container. Add
¼ cups mint leaves (of the same flavor as the extract), washed, patted dry and
coarsely chopped. Cover and let sit 24
hours, shaking occasionally. Remove the
leaf pieces using a sieve. Dry the sugar
(air dry or in a warm oven) until it no longer clumps. Store in an airtight jar; use within a month
for best flavor. The sugar can be
colored with a few drops of food coloring.
Just add coloring to the jar, then shake until all the sugar is
colored.
 |
| Cookies flavored with extracts made from California native mints. |
We hope you’re
inspired to use your new mint extracts in new and creative ways. These recipes are just a starting place – enjoy!
____________________________________________________
We encourage you to
send us your questions, comments and recipes (either comment below or e-mail to
us at : mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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