Executive Chef Sean Curry
Event:
Cookies & Cheer, Luxury Cookie Exchange
Thursday, November 29 and Friday, November 30
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park
200 N. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601
Tickets available for purchase at www.fairmont.com/chicago/promotions/holidays/
Recipes:
Maple Bacon Shortbread
5 pieces Crispy Bacon
¼ tsp Salt
1 stick Butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
¼ cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
¼ cup melted chocolate, ½ milk and ½ semi-sweet
Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Chop 4 pieces of bacon. Mix flour, corn starch and salt. Combine butter, maple syrup and sugar in mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until creamy, about 90 seconds. Reduce speed and add flour mixture until fully combined; do not over mix. Stir in chopped bacon by hand. Roll dough in between two sheets of parchment to ½” thick. Chill in freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from freezer and using a 1 3/4” cookie cutter, cut out several cookies. Bake on silpat baking sheet for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet. Melt chocolate in a shallow bowl. Dip cookie about half way in. Let cool on parchment paper. Finely chop remaining slice of bacon and sprinkle on chocolate. Chill until hard. Refrigerate up to one week.
Makes 8 cookies – recipe easily doubles, quadruples, etc.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
1 lb. Butter
1 1/3 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
½ tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
4 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
4 oz Pecan Pieces, chopped
In a medium bowl, cream butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together.
Add dry ingredients including pecans.
Roll into 1” balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes then toss in powdered sugar.
Makes 6 dozen cookies.
Speculoos Ornamental
½ cup Almond Flour
¼ tsp Nutmeg
1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
¼ tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
½ cup Butter
½ tsp Ginger
½ cup Brown Sugar
¼ tsp Cardamom
½ cup Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Coriander
1 Egg
In a medium bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add egg. In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients and fold in with butter, sugar and eggs.
Turn the dough onto a clean surface, and knead gently to form a ball. Pat into a rectangular shape, then dust both sides with flour. Roll into a rectangle 3/16” thick, using a ruler for guidance. Slide a spatula beneath the dough to loosen, and brush away the excess flour.
With a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3/4-inch strips, then cut crossways to form 2-inch rectangles. Or, you may use your favorite cutter that is 2” in diameter.
With the offset spatula, transfer the cutouts and scraps to a parchment-lined half sheet pan, leaving an inch between each piece to account for spread. Bake at 320 for 12-14 minutes.
