These luscious Kahlúa truffle triangles cookies are perfect for a party. Because they’re a bar cookie, they’re not fussy to make and they yield a but batch of pretty and delicious treats.

convert Ingredients
For the crust
6 3/4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 ounces (3/4 cup) confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 ounces (3/4 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces, more for the pan
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the kahlúa truffle filling
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into squares or very coarsely chopped
3/4 cup whole or 2% milk
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
4 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Kahlúa

Method
Make the crust
1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, allowing foil to overhang the long sides of the pan to act as handles for removing the cookie later. Lightly butter the foil.

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Process the ingredients briefly to combine, about 15 seconds. Scatter the cold butter pieces and the vanilla over the flour mixture and process, using short pulses, until the dough begins to form small clumps, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingertips, press the dough into the pan in a smooth, even layer. Bake until pale golden, especially around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake or the crust will be hard and crispy. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

Make the kahlúa truffle filling and bake the cookies
1. In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate, milk, and butter together over a pot of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and Kahlúa on medium-high speed until foamy and lighter in color, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the chocolate mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour the chocolate batter over the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out wet and gooey but not liquid, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack. As it cools, the center may sink a bit, leaving the edges slightly (about 1/2 inch) elevated. While the truffle filling is still warm, use your fingertips to gently press the edges down to the level of the center, if necessary.

4. When completely cool, cover with plastic and refrigerate until very cold, at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. Using the foil as handles, lift the rectangle from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Tipping the rectangle, carefully peel away the foil.

5. Using a hot knife, cut the truffle rectangle lengthwise into 1 1 2-inch strips, wiping the blade clean before each cut. Cut each strip on alternating diagonals to make small triangles. Let the truffle cookies sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving. The baked truffle cookies can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, for up to two days.

Make ahead and freeze: You can bake these truffle cookies up to one month ahead: Wrap the cooled baking pan in heavy-duty plastic wrap and freeze (no need to cut them into triangles first).

Recipe © 2009 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

I still remember my third-grade Halloween party. So when my oldest daughter, Olivia, was in the third grade, I decided to throw her a party, too. I satisfied my inner Martha and draped the furniture in white sheets, and spent hours tea-dying ripped cheesecloth to hang as curtains. Olivia and I cut hundreds of bats from black construction paper and taped them all over the walls and ceiling. We laid a ghostly buffet set with our scariest tarnished silver cake stands and platters and piled them high with chocolate bats and orange shortbread pumpkins, and these airy ghost-shaped meringues. The scariest thing about this party was how exhausted we all were when it was over. These little meringue ghosts have reappeared over the years—it’s a great way to use up leftover egg whites. They make a great nibble alongside a dollop of pudding, as you relax with your feet up and wait for the first trick-or-treaters to knock at your door.

convert Ingredients
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
48 mini semisweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup)

Method
1. Set a rack in the middle shelf of the oven and place a second rack on the top shelf. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large metal bowl and using an electric mixer set at low speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the salt, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and continue beating until soft peaks form. Beat in the vanilla.

3. Gradually, add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks.

4. Sift the confectioners’ sugar, a second time, over the meringue. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the sugar into the meringue just until no streaks of sugar remain. Do not fold any more than is necessary. as overmixing will deflate the meringue.

5. Spoon the meringue into a large self-sealing plastic bag. Use a sharp pair of scissors to snip 1/2 inch off from one corner of the bag to form a makeshift piping bag.

6. Pipe 12 meringue ghosts onto each lined baking sheet. Hold the bag upright and squeeze the meringue, forming a wide base, a slightly smaller middle, and a curled top (almost as if you were piping a soft-serve ice-cream cone) to form a chubby, upright ghost shape. Press two chocolate chips (flat side out) into the face of each ghost to form eyes.

7. Bake the meringue ghosts for 2 hours, or until crisp. Baking the meringue ghosts for a long time at a low temperature ensures they will remain crisp and very white. If the meringues start to color, reduce the oven temperature to 175°F (79°C). When the meringue ghosts are crisp, turn the oven off and allow them to cool in the oven for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Recipe © 2009 Jill O’Connor. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Rome never sleeps. Beyond its many blocks of government ministry offices is a neighborhood complete unto itself: cheese shops; groceries and produce shops; hardware and motorcycle accessories stores; wineshops; shops selling hosiery, linens, discount clothing; and bread bakeries and pastry shops. The pastry shop on via Barletta is open twenty-four hours a day.

At a restaurant around the corner and a few blocks away, we were served  ring-shaped almond butter cookies (a ciambella) along with a sweet red dessert wine. Unfortunately, we left without the recipe. So good was just the memory of this cookie that we were forced to reconstruct it once we had returned home. Here is our recipe.

convert Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds
Scant cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whole anise seeds
6 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. In a food processor, pulverize almonds with 1/4 cup of the sugar until fine. Combine the almonds, flour, baking powder, salt, and anise seeds in a large bowl, mix together, and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and remaining sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix thoroughtly. Add one-third of the dry mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the remaining dry mixture in two additions.

4. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment.

5. Drop the butter cookie batter by teaspoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheet or parchment paper. (Or you can pipe them out as 3-inch-diameter rings with a pastry bag and a plain tip. If the batter is stiff and difficult to pipe, loosen it up by adding one beaten egg white.)

6. Bake until the butter cookies just begin to turn golden brown at the edges, about 12 to 15 minutes, but watch carefully.

Recipe © 2009 Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Cookies aren’t exactly a specialty of the Portuguese. The traditional ones tend to be crumbly and plain, more like a dunking biscuit. One day at a dinner party, though, I had a sweet thin cookie with a distinctive snap. I immediately made notes in my ever-present little black book; the only thing is, I never asked the hostess for the recipe. I spent months trying to come up with a cookie that matched hers, and finally I’ve done her proud. But I wanted to ratchet up the recipe, adding two iconic Portuguese flavors to the mix: olive and lemon. Serve these lemon and black olive cookies alone, as a lovely accompaniment to tea, or, my favorite, as a crunchy bite alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet.

Atenção: Sample an olive before you buy them. Strong-flavored ones can give a bitter aftertaste to the cookie.

convert Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mild oil-cured black olives, rinsed quickly if particularly salty, pitted, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large egg, beaten

Method
1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and crank up the heat to 375° F (190°C).

2. Stir together the flour, olives, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the oil and egg, pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix with your hands until the dough no longer looks dry and holds together when squeezed, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Fill a small bowl with sugar and set nearby. Pinch off 1 rounded tablespoon (about 1 ounce) of dough, roll it into a ball, and coat it well with sugar. Place it in one corner of a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking sheet, place another piece of parchment on top, and using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a 3 1/2- to 4-inch circle, a scant 1/16 inch thick. The edges will be ragged; that’s how they should be. Repeat with 5 more wafers on the same sheet. Lift off the top sheet and slip the parchment with the cookies onto the baking sheet.

4. Bake until the lemon-olive cookies are edged with brown and pebbled on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Slide the parchment onto a wire cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough. Once cooled, the cookies will keep in an airtight container for several days, but I doubt they’ll stick around that long.

Recipe © 2009 David Leite. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Monday night football and weekend golf with the guys are ordinarily stiff competition, but have no fear. Serve up this hazelnut thumbprint with a “kiss” of white chocolate on top, and you’ll captivate him for good. Unfilled cookies are best stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week. If filled, cookies should be stored in the fridge (the filling is perishable) and enjoyed within 2 to 3 days, before the cookies get soft.

convert Ingredients
For the hazelnut cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lightly toasted chopped hazelnuts (with skins), cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, separated
2 1/2 teaspoons pure hazelnut extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups untoasted chopped hazelnuts (with skins; for rolling)

For the white chocolate ganache filling
12 ounces premium white chocolate, finely chopped or ground in a food processor
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon pure hazelnut extract

Decoration (optional)
About 1/4 cup lightly toasted, coarsely chopped hazelnuts (with skins), cooled, or 3 1/2 to 4 dozen large (3 mm) silver dragées

Method
Make the cookies
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two or more cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Place the flour, hazelnuts, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until the nuts are finely ground but not pasty. Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and extracts. Continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the mixture is well blended. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture, blending just until incorporated.

3. Finely chop the untoasted hazelnuts and place in a large bowl or cake pan to form a shallow layer.

4. Roll the dough between your palms into 1-inch balls. For the most uniform balls, first portion the dough into 1-inch mounds using a level 1 3?8-inch (#70) scoop or 2 level teaspoons per mound; then roll into perfect balls. If the butter was overly soft to start, the dough may be sticky and hard to handle. Chill as needed until easily shaped. Take care not to over chill, however, or the dough may crack when you make the indentations in Step 6.

5. Place the egg whites in a small bowl and whisk until frothy. Work with one ball at a time. Lightly coat the ball with beaten egg white and then tumble in the untoasted hazelnuts to evenly coat. Roll between your palms again to firmly fix the nuts in place. Repeat with the remaining balls.

6. Arrange the cookies 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb or the end of a round-handled spoon, make a cup-shaped indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, re-pressing the indentations midway through the baking process. When done, the cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom. Immediately transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make the ganache filling
1. This filling will set if made too far in advance, so make it no sooner than you intend to fill the cookies. Begin the ganache by placing the chopped (or ground) chocolate in a large bowl so it forms a shallow layer. Set aside.

2. Pour the cream into a medium (3-quart) nonreactive (stainless steel or coated) saucepan. Place over medium to medium-high heat and scald the cream. (That is, heat the cream to just below the boiling point. The cream will put off steam, but no bubbles should break on its surface.)

3. Immediately strain the hot cream through a fine-meshed sieve directly onto the chocolate. Let the mixture sit 1 to 2 minutes without stirring, and then gently whisk until the chocolate is entirely melted. (If the chocolate does not completely melt, set the bowl over barely simmering water in a double boiler and stir regularly until smooth. Do not overheat, or the ganache may break.) Stir in the corn syrup. At the very end stir in the hazelnut extract

4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill about 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Beat on medium speed just until the ganache turns a shade whiter and holds the “tracks” left by the beater. Do not over beat, or the ganache will break and become grainy.

Assemble the thumbprints
1. Work quickly before the ganache sets. Fit a pastry bag with a medium (3/8-inch) 6- to 8-pronged star tip and then fill the bag with the ganache. Hold the tip perpendicular to the cookie and pipe a rosette into the indentation by moving the bag in a tight circle. Quickly pull the bag up or to the side to form a delicate peak. (Alternatively, use a teaspoon to dollop the filling in the indentation.) Repeat with the remaining cookies. Top each cookie with a piece of coarsely chopped hazelnut or a single silver dragée if you prefer more glitz. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe © 2009 Julie M. Usher. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.