Almond Butterscotch Drop Cookies

Firstly, let me apologize for taking a bit of a break from the posting - getting a masters degree really gobbles up your time!

On with the cookies...

For me, drop cookies evoke so many memories. I remember sitting on the bright red countertop, watching my mother make her famous chocolate-chip cookies, eagerly waiting for her to turn around so I could snatch a secret "taste-test". Despite my attempt to stealthily run my finger along the edge of the bowl and quickly pop the dough into my mouth, she always knew what I was up to. And yet she would always pretend to take a little extra time gathering her ingredients or getting the spatula so I could try to sneak one more delicious dollop. 

Drop cookies are homey and rustic, and they also make a wonderful holiday treat. These cookies are extremely easy to make and don't require a lot of time or effort - perfect for holiday parties, a tasty little treat with hot cocoa, or a secret midnight snack. 

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butterscotch sauce*
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

*Click the link for a delicious bourbon butterscotch recipe. If you're pressed for time, you can use store-bought butterscotch. 

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter, sugar, and butterscotch together in a large bowl until fluffy. 
3. Add the salt, vanilla, and egg and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Slowly add the flour and beat until just incorporated, do not over-mix.
5. Add the almonds and with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until the almonds are evenly incorporated. 
6. Using two spoons (one to scoop the dough and the other to easy it off the spoon onto the sheet), drop about a tablespoon of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2" of space between each cookie. 
7. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack and enjoy while still warm!

Yield: about 20 cookies

Strained Yogurt and Almond Tart

"What is strained yogurt?" you may be thinking. "And why would it make a good tart filling?" All of these are good questions. My wonderful sister, Jen, has recently been exploring fermenting vegetables as a way of preserving them. the main ingredient in this process is whey. So she purchased a 16 oz. container of yogurt and strained it through cheesecloth to separate the whey. Once the whey is strained out, the remaining milkfats and cultures are called, simply, strained yogurt. The consistency is a cross between greek yogurt and cream cheese and the flavor is light and somewhat tangy. My sister abhors anything that even remotely resembles cream cheese, so she gifted the strained yogurt to me...and then it dawned on me - why not use this delicious cream cheese-like stuff to make an almond tart!

What You'll Need:
For the Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold cut into cubes
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the Filling:
1 cup (or 8 ounces) strained yogurt*
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-pupose flour
2 large eggs
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds

*Any yogurt will do - you can even use low fat yogurt. Simply place a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and strain the yogurt through cheesecloth. Reserve the whey and use it to make my Sweet Whey Bread recipe.

To make the crust, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl or food processor and whisk or pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and resembles cornmeal. If using a food processor, pulse a few times until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Combine the egg yolks and heavy cream in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture. Using your hands, work the egg into the dough until the dough comes together to form a ball. Again, you can also just pulse the processor a couple times until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wwrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

To prebake the crust, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a clean, floured work surface. Gently lay the crust over your tart pan and press it into the pan. Be sure the pastry is securely up against all edges, otherwise the pastry will shrink. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the crust and fill with rice, beans or pie weights. Place the crust back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove the crust from the fridge and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes are up, gently lift one corner of the foil. If it sticks, the crust is not ready. Return it to the oven and check thereafter every 2 minutes. If the foil does not stick, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes with the aluminum foil and weights in place. After 5 minutes, remove the foil and weights and let cool. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.

While the crust is cooling, let's prepare the filling. Combine the strained yogurt and sugar in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. The longer you beat, the fluffier your tart will be. Beat in the flour. Add 1 egg at a time and beat after adding each one until fully incorporated. Add the cream and extracts and beat until the mixture is light and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and sprinkle the almonds on top. Place the tart in the oven and bake until filling is set, about 35 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool. The tart will puff up substantially as it bakes, but it will fall as it cools - this is what you want. Serve chilled with blackberry preserves.