Three-Ingredient Cookies
Shortbread and Date-Tahini Cookies
Hello,
A cookie jar seemed like the best companion illustration for this piece, but I apologize to readers with Coulrophobia or a fear of clowns. This colorful cookie jar was not drawn from life, but from an eBay listing accessed on my phone. I grew up with two children peering out from windows in a ceramic pumpkin that stored our cookies. Today, I keep cookies in a large, clear glass apothecary-style jar that reminds me of how my grandmother remembered cookies kept on the stairs to their root cellar. The clown cookie jar seems like one that might have been in Andy Warhol’s collection, which was auctioned in 1988 by Sotheby’s. Warhol’s 175 cookie jars sold for a whopping $275,000. Provenance is everything, as this clown on eBay was only $42.
One afternoon recently, my husband ran out to do a quick errand in town. When he returned an hour and a half later, I asked him if he had encountered a problem. He replied that he had decided to take a side jaunt to a neighboring town to see if the Girl Scouts were still outside the pizza parlor selling shortbread cookies. He came home empty-handed. My first thought was that there is probably a website or app that can direct you to where the little girls in green are stationed. There is indeed a website. Secondly, are those cookies really that special, or was he trying to encourage scouting? My husband made it all the way to become an Eagle Scout, whereas I never graduated from the Brownies, so I decided it was probably a bit of both. We have his scouting vest decorated with all his badges tucked away in a drawer. When I checked the ingredients on the box of half-eaten Girl Scout cookies in the bread drawer, I discovered that their shortbread cookies are made with palm oil, and not an ounce of butter. I don’t mean to disparage the Girl Scouts, but I decided to make homemade shortbread and see which he preferred. After all, shortbread is all about the butter!
The shortbread I made is listed as Scotch Shortbread in Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. The recipe does not specify, but I used salted butter. In many shortbread recipes, the dough is pressed into a baking pan, and the cookies are cut into squares after baking. This recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out, and visually, I prefer the little whimsical shapes. My husband liked the cookies, but prefers the “crunch” of the Girl Scout cookies. At least, now, he can find the scouts’ location online.
Scotch Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
3/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
2 c. unbleached white flour
Directions
Mix butter and sugar thoroughly. Measure 2 level cups of flour and add to the butter-sugar mixture. Work the flour in with your hands. Chill.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough to 1/3 to 1/2” thick. Cut with small cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. The cookies do not brown or change shape.
Yield: 2 dozen 1” cookies.
My other 3-ingredient cookie (plus salt) is from Love, Chef Laura. Date- Tahini cookies are easy and delicious, although, like shortbread, they make a very small batch. I had dates, tahini, and coconut flour in the house when I came across this recipe. I changed the directions ever-so-slightly, and I imagine that regular flour could be substituted for the coconut flour.
Date-Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ c. dates, pitted and finely chopped
½ c. smooth tahini
¼ c. coconut flour
pinch of salt
sesame seeds for rolling (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Next, soak the dates in hot water for about ten minutes. After the dates have soaked, drain the water and press the dates with your hands, removing as much water as possible. Place the dates in a food processor and process for about one minute until fairly smooth.
Add the tahini, coconut flour, and a pinch of salt to the dates. Process the cookie mixture until it is smooth. Next, using a 1-tablespoon measure, scoop the cookie dough out and roll it into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball in the sesame seeds (I only did the tops), then place it on the cookie sheet. Gently press down, forming a slight disc. Continue with the remaining cookie dough.
Bake the cookies in the oven for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the sides.
Yield: 2 dozen half-dollar-sized cookies
What’s your favorite cookie to bake (or buy)?
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Vicki
You had me at "three-ingredient"! You must have amazing willpower if you have a clear glass cookie jar in your house. I've never seen recipe like the date tahini one, and I'm excited to make it. I have lots of vegans and gluten-free folks around and they will love these cookies.
Mmmm, both of these sound so good, especially the date tahini—I do love a simple cookie with few ingredients! My favorites are probably the chocolate chip meringues my mother used to make. I’ve only tried to make them once, and they didn’t come out right—chewy, while hers were crispy and melty.