One of our meathawkers, Ian, has been delighting us in the shop recently with his amazing baked treats, made using some of the new grocery products we carry at Sanagan’s! I’ve been lucky enough to get a taste of these treats before they’re gone, and they are delicious. Ian shared three of his recipes with us, I hope you all get to enjoy them as well this holiday season!
- Peter
All recipes and photos by Ian Hoffam
Classic Shortbread
This classic shortbread is as easy as 1, 2, 4 (1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, 4 parts flour)! All you have to do is whisk the sugar and flour together, then cut in the butter using either a pastry cutter or a food processor (try not to use your hands, you want to keep the butter as cold as you can). Roll small handfuls quickly into 3/4-inch sized balls, pressing each down with a fork twice to create a classic cross-hatch pattern (They might look overly crumbly, but they’ll bake up just fine). Top with flaky sea salt. Bake 30 minutes at 300°F.
Walnut and Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk
These cookies are a fast favourite all year round! Start by browning the butter in a pan with tall sides, melting over low heat and swirling around to prevent burning/uneven browning. The butter will foam; continue swirling until foam subsides, the butter smells like toasted nuts, and the solids have turned a golden brown.
Ingredients
½ cup brown butter (see note above)
½ cup walnut oil
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp kosher salt
200 gr dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
100 gr toasted walnuts, broken or left whole
to taste flaked sea salt
Method
- In a work bowl, combine the brown butter with the walnut oil, then add the brown sugar and the granulated sugar. Then mix in 2 eggs, one at a time, followed by 2 tsp of vanilla.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt, and mix well to form a dough. Finally, the most important part: fold in the dark chocolate, broken into small chunks, and the toasted walnuts (I like to leave them whole, but you can chop them or break them up). Let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour, or longer in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cut a small piece of the dough, and shape into balls about the size of a ping pong ball. Gently press the cookie dough down on the baking sheet, just enough to form a flat surface. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on cookies, and bake 9-10 minutes in the hot oven. You should let them cool 15-20 minutes before eating, if they last that long!
Chocolate-Orange Pinwheels
These are a revived version of an old family favourite! Using lard as well as butter produces a cookie with a lighter, crumblier texture than you’d otherwise get. The chocolate dough gets its intense colour from both melted dark chocolate and black cocoa powder, available at your favourite bulk retailer. It gives them a slight Oreo flavour!
Orange Dough
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ lb lard
¼ lb butter, cut into large cubes
1 navel orange, zest only
4 tsp orange liqueur
Method
- In a work bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Put the dry mix in a food processor, then add the lard and butter. Mix together using the pulse function, until a crumbly dough is formed. Add the orange zest and liqueur, and pulse until mixed. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly until a smooth dough is formed. Push down to create a disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
Chocolate Dough
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup black cocoa
1 cup sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ lb lard
¼ lb butter, cut into large cubes
60 gr (2 oz) bittersweet chocolate, melted
Method
- In a work bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Put the dry mix in a food processor, then add the lard and butter. Mix together using the pulse function, until a crumbly dough is formed. Add the melted chocolate and pulse until mixed. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly until a smooth dough is formed. Push down to create a disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
To Assemble
- Roll each disk of dough between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper into a 9x13 inch rectangle.
- Remove top layer of plastic/parchment from each sheet of dough. Place chocolate dough rectangle directly in front of you on the countertop, with the orange dough rectangle behind it. In one fluid motion, grasp the sheet beneath the orange dough and pull toward yourself to flip the rectangle over onto the chocolate dough. Roll away from yourself, jelly roll style, then refrigerate another 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Slice dough log into cookies about 1cm thick, then bake on parchment paper for 11 minutes.