Recipe: Tammie Coe's Recipes for Cookies, Pie and Truffles - 4

These are the only sweets recipes available on the Internet from Tammie Coe's. I believe she has a cookbook out. Not sure is the cookie recipes are in there or not.

---

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH FONDANT
Source: Tammie Coe of Tammie Coe Cakes
From: AZCentral.com, Dec. 9, 2009
Makes 1 to 2 dozen, depending on cookie size.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 cups all purpose flour
Fondant (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter, sugar, baking soda and spices. Add eggs 1 at a time, until combined, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a separate mixing bowl, add molasses to the vinegar, stir, allow to foam, then add to the butter-sugar mixture (this process neutralizes the acid in the molasses). Add the flour, just to blend. Then place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, folding the sides of plastic over dough. Mash dough into a disk. Chill disk for 2 hours.

Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness, then stamp your favorite shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly golden (the cookie will be still be a little soft).

FOR FONDANT:
Covering cookies with fondant can be fun but a little challenging. Be sure to gather all the tools you need before you start.

Store-bought fondant (available at craft stores and baking stores)
Resealable plastic bag
Paste colors (a concentrated form of food coloring)
Rolling pin
Corn starch or powdered sugar (to prevent sticking)
Paring knife
Dish of water
Pastry brush
Fun candies to garnish (optional)
Parchment-lined cookie sheet for dismount of finished cookies.

Sketch out your colors and design first, from simple stars to reindeer. The fondant dries quickly, so once made, be ready to decorate. Always keep the fondant in a resealable plastic bag; do not let sit uncovered. Lightly dust surface and rolling pin with starch or sugar, then knead fondant until soft. Wrap fondant. Cut a small piece off and start to roll out very thin; 1/8-inch is a nice thickness. Brush one cookie at a time with water and cover the cookie with fondant (you may need to dust your hands with starch or sugar). Gently rub the fondant over and in the little crevices of the cookie, trim off excess fondant and put scraps in resealable bag to save for more cookies or later use. Reroll. To add color, dip a small paint brush in the paste colors and decorate the fondant. Use a little of the concentrated color at a time until arriving at the exact shade.

---

SALTED CARAMEL MERINGUE COOKIES
Source: by Tammie Coe
From: AZCentral.com, Feb. 8
Makes about 32 cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
Fleur de Sel salt for topping
1/2 pound dark or light chocolate (for dipping)

Heat oven to 220 degrees F.

Add sugar and egg whites to a mixing bowl. Mix until blended. Warm mixture in a double boiler until sugar is completely melted. Remove from heat, pour back into a mixing bowl, and use an electric mixer to whip until completely stiff.

Pour mixture into a pastry pipe, and pipe out into 1- to 2-inch heart-shaped cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Top liberally with Fleur de Sel salt.

Bake for 90 minutes.

TO MELT CHOCOLATE:
Fill the bottom half of a double boiler with water, making certain the bottom of the top half doesn't touch the water. Bring the water to a simmer. Break chocolate into chunks and place in the top half, then place over the simmering water. Be careful that the water doesn't boil or splash into the chocolate because any moisture will cause it to seize. Stir gently with a plastic spatula.

When melted, gently dunk cookies in the chocolate. Place on a clean, dry surface to allow chocolate to harden.

---

PUMPKIN PIE
Source: Tammie Coe Cakes
Enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Pie provided by Tammie Coe Cakes, with two locations in Phoenix. All of the ingredients for this recipe are easily obtained at local grocery stores.

FOR THE PIE CRUST:
1 cup flour
1/8 cup white granulated sugar
1/8 cup salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/8 cup cold water

FOR THE PIE FILLING:
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can preferably Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin Pumpkin
1 (12 fl. oz.) can evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (for serving)

TO MAKE THE PIE CRUST:
Dump the flour, 1/8 cup sugar, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if mixing the dough by hand). Mix for a second or two to blend the dry ingredients. Add the butter and then, running the mixer on low (or by hand with two knives or a pastry cutter), work the mixture until it's crumbly and the largest pieces of butter are no bigger than a pea (about 1/4 inch). As the mixer turns on low sprinkle the cold water evenly over the flour and butter. Work the dough until it just pulls together as a shaggy mass.

To roll out the dough pat into a thick flattened ball. Lightly flour your work surface and roll dough 12 inches in diameter. Gently lift dough and transfer it to the pie pan. Unfold and ease the dough round into the bottom of the pie pan without stretching it. (Pre-made pie crusts can also be used.)

TO MAKE THE PIE FILLING:
Mix 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl.

Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Do not freeze, as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.

*1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin spice may be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger and cloves; however, the taste will be slightly different.

VARIATION:
For two shallow pies, substitute two 9-inch (2-cup volume) pie shells. Bake in preheated 425 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F; bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until pies test done.

---

TAMMIE COE'S TRUFFLE RECIPE
Source: 12 News, Arizona, Dec. 17, 2008

1 pound (455 g) of dark chocolate (be sure to select a chocolate that you enjoy the flavor of)
1 cup (235 mL) heavy (whipping) cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder (for coating)

Cut the chocolate into pieces using a large serrated knife (like a sturdy bread knife). Cutting the chocolate into strips about 5 mm apart with the serrated knife will cause the chocolate to break into small pieces. Pieces of chocolate will fall all over the place, so I like to place the cutting board in a sheet pan to catch the chocolate shards. Pour all the pieces into a medium heat proof bowl.

Bring the cup of heavy whipping cream just to a boil. Pour the heavy cream onto the chocolate and allow it to sit for five minutes. Stir the now melted chocolate with the cream. Once this mixture cools, it will form a hard ganache that can be molded into shapes. The melted ganache should be smooth in texture without lumps. If not all the chocolate has melted, you can heat the ganache gently over a hot pot of water. Stir until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth. Transfer the ganache into a smaller bowl to cool.

When the ganache is solid, it may be easier for you to scoop out when working with a smaller bowl. Let the ganache cool down and chill for about an hour in the refrigerator to harden.

Using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop scoop out balls of hard ganache and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. After forming all the balls, chill the pan in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes to allow the ganache to harden back up and set into their shapes.

Scoop a little cocoa powder into a small bowl. Roll each ganache ball in the cocoa powder to coat.