Parshat Shelach inspiration:
“The Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel.’”
If I were to say “Thin Mints,” what would come to mind? Everybody’s favorite scout cookies, of course! My version is pareve so we can enjoy them at the end of our Shabbat meals.
Thin Mint Cookies
- ¾ cup margarine, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract, and ½ tsp peppermint extract for chocolate coating
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a stand mixer, cream the margarine on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the sugar and beat for about one minute until the color lightens.
Add the egg, vanilla extract and ¼ tsp peppermint extract until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and briefly whisk to remove any clumps and distribute ingredients. Then add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture, in the mixer, and mix on low speed until just combined.
Remove the dough from the mixer and roll it out to a ¼” thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Then transfer to a large baking sheet and refrigerate for at least one hour.
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Also have a cooling rack on hand for cooling and coating the cookies.
Using a 1½” cookie cutter (I used a small glass juice cup), cut out as many circles as you can. You will have to re-roll the dough a few times. This makes 36-42 cookies.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until they no longer glisten but are still soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before making your coating.
To make the coating, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or by heating in the microwave. (Heat for 20 seconds and stir, repeating three or four times until the chips have totally melted.) Add in the ½ tsp of peppermint extract and stir to combine.
Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate using a flat knife to distribute the chocolate and remove excess. Place the coated cookies on the cooling rack or on parchment paper and allow at least 45 minutes for the chocolate to set.
Parshat Korach inspiration:
“And on the following day Moses came to the Tent of Testimony, and behold, Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had blossomed! It gave forth blossoms, sprouted buds, and produced ripe almonds.”
Almond blossoms sprouting from Aaron’s staff is a beautiful mental image, so I just had to make Almond Blossom cookies! Delicious and lovely.
Almond Blossom Cookies
- ½ cup margarine
- ½ cup almond butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A small bag of sliced almonds
A handful of chocolate chips
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the margarine and the almond butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until it starts to get fluffy. Add the white and brown sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, coffee powder and cinnamon. Whisk briefly to distribute and eliminate clumps. Add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
Roll cookie dough into one-inch balls and place on lined baking sheet, a couple inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake for exactly 8 minutes, and then remove from the oven. While still hot, press a chocolate chip into the center of each cookie, and stick five sliced almond pieces around the chocolate chip, angled out like a flower.
Return the cookies to the oven for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Follow me @EdibleParsha on Facebook to see each recipe on the Monday of each parsha week for plenty of time to prepare it for Shabbat!
