Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Honey is Music to my Mouth...

...is what Pooh Bear said when he tried these Dorie Greenspan cookies. I had been wanting to try these cookies for a while but never got around to it until I was studying for my Step 1 exam. Dorie describes them as an idea from the "back to earth movement in the 1970's." These have wheat germ in them...what attracted me to them...honey, and lemon zest. Honey is definitely very sweet and has a distinct taste. I didn't have lemon, so I used orange. I just love the way Dorie incorporates zests into sugar...the fragrance is amazing. The orange worked well, but I'd like to try it with the lemon as well, as I think that flavor combination will be a bit better. Because of the antioxidants in lemons and the healthy benefits of wheat germ, this is my entry to Sweetnick's ARF Tuesday. Head over to her site to check out the other recipes. Honey Wheat Cookies
adapted from Cooking: from my home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 cup wheat germ, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, 1/2 cup wheat germ, baking powder, and salt. Rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingers until the sugar is moist. Add butter and beat on medium until creamy and smooth. Add honey and beat another minute or so. Add the egg and beat 2 more minutes. Reduce speed and add the dry ingredients in 2 portions, only until the flour disappears. Scrape onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap well, and chill for at least 2 hours (up to 2 days). Preheat oen to 350 degrees F. Place 1/2 cup wheat germ in a separate bowl. Remove chilled dough and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the wheat germ. Place balls on a baking pan and press down slightly with your hand. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Cool on cooling rack.

10 comments:

Annie said...

I love using zest in my baking. I think it really adds another dimension to the final product. I love the idea of these cookies- the wheat germ intrigues me. I've been getting into more organic foods lately and these would fit right into my plans. Thanks for the idea and the great pics.

Brilynn said...

Score another one for Dorie! And I love that Pooh Bear quote...

Anonymous said...

Pooh bear meets Dorie! I love it!

Those cookies look deceptively healthy. Hmmmmmm

Red Dirt Mummy said...

These look great, they are almost worth forgetting that I can't eat citrus! (But, on second thought I'd better not LOL).

Glenna said...

Good job. Look great. Wish I had one and a glass of milk RIGHT NOW! LOL!

Unknown said...

Annie - I love zest, too! They're really good and pretty tender.

Brilynn - I love Pooh! It's from a pooh daily calendar I had YEARS ago!

Kate - Honey (nature's sugar), wheat germ...sure...they're healthy! :-)

RDM - I bet you could take the zest out if you wanted to try the honey and wheat germ taste. It still makes me sad that you can't have citrus.

Glenna - THanks! I hope you get to try them some time with that milk!

Vincent said...

Hey!! I can't figure out how to get your email address from this blog. I wanted to answer your coffee question. I actually spelled the coffee wrong on the blog. It is ILLY coffee. Google it and you will find out more about it.

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of the ricotta mixture in the lasagna. That sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

I just realized my lasagna comment went on this post. Whoops!
I missed these before. They sound fantastic!

Unknown said...

Cari - I'll have to check that out!

Kristen - I don't think I even realized that the comment was misplaced! I haven't tried it with ricotta but the cottage cheese part (or ricotta) is my favorite part of the lasagna. The cookies were very good. I'll probably make them again sometime.