1 of 2
J.J. Lane
2 of 2
Asking a baker to pick his or her favorite cookie is akin to insisting parents name the child they love most. It’s impossible. Need proof? Just run that cookie query by Kate Baltz, a highly gifted pastry chef who has worked with Charlie Trotter, Emeril and Wolfgang Puck, as well as at some of St. Louis’ favorite restaurants, including Monarch, The Crossing and Savor. First, she mentions a pumpkin cookie with golden raisins and “all the spices of fall.” Then she tosses in “a good chocolate chunk cookie” (with really fine, chichi chocolate). And there is the “nice, chewy peanut butter cookie” with chunks of dried cherries or the coconut macaroon with macadamia nuts that’s drizzled with chocolate. The list goes on. “I can’t get enough snickerdoodles. And Mexican wedding cookies—I love those. And I’m a fan of a good sugar cookie.” Unlike the more mundane version, her recipe includes a hint of lemon verbena or lavender.
Baking is Baltz’s passion—she’s just launched her own company, Kate Baltz Confections—but it’s also a comfort. “After a not-so-great day, it’s really reassuring to know there’s a big chunk of cookie dough in the refrigerator,” she (who’s all of a size four) says. Imagining goo-coated fingertips, Baltz is asked exactly how she consumes the raw concoction. “Alone? With a spoon. With guests? I cut off slices, because that is what you do with guests.”
While Kate is a master of the sweet confection, she admits to severe limitations on the entrée or savory side. “If I ever have children, they’re going to be fatties with bad teeth.”
But Baltz’s dessert plate includes more than mere cookies—she bakes wedding and birthday cakes and knocks out a devastating truffle. In fact, her friends eagerly await the holidays, when they get a Kate Baltz Confections collection of her all-natural chocolate chunks of heaven. She is now starting to sell the truffles in shops around town. And as with her cookies, just don’t ask her which flavor is her favorite. Is it the peanut butter with bits of bacon covered in chocolate that was such a star at Savor? Or the fruit cluster hidden under a thick coating of chocolate? Or …
We’re getting ahead of ourselves—what about that favorite cookie? Like the diplomatic mother, Kate could only narrow it down to three.
Happy holidays—and happy eating.
COCONUT MACAROONS WITH MACADAMIAS & DARK CHOCOLATE
Yields about 2 dozen
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped, lightly toasted
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, melted & cooled
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the first four ingredients. Stir in coconut and nuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoon portions of the mixture 2 inches apart. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. Cooled cookies can be either dipped in or drizzled with melted chocolate.
MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES
(I prefer the flavor of Marcona almonds rather than pecans. Pistachios work nicely too.)
Yields about 2 dozen
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Marcona almonds, coarsely ground
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter with 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla, scraping sides of bowl. Slowly add flour, followed by almonds until just combined. Do not over mix. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 3 hours. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 16-18 minutes or until tops are lightly golden.
When cookies are relatively cool, toss each in the remaining 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar.
"P B & J" CUPOOKIES
(These chewy peanut butter cookies, with the addition of chopped dried fruit, remind me of peanut butter and jelly, one of my all time favorites culinary combinations.)
Yields about 3 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural (no added sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped dried tart cherries (dried blueberries, dried strawberries, or Craisins are nice alternatives)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with both sugars, scraping sides of bowl often. Add eggs one at a time, followed by peanut butter and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Then stir in the dried fruit. Do not over mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently press down on balls with the palm of your hand. Bake around 18 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
