Mountain Cat
Guru
- Joined
- 12 Apr 2019
- Local time
- 4:58 PM
- Messages
- 3,132
- Location
- Hilltowns of Massachusetts
- Website
- goatsandgreens.wordpress.com
I did this one on a spur of the moment inspiration, assuming you can call this an inspiration. But they can be nice to make with children, who from what I remember from making genuine cookies with cookie cutters back in that day, was indeed fun.
I have these farming cookie cutters, see? And a challenge from Cookingbites.com to use puff pastry. This ran together yesterday to create this make-it-or-not recipe.
Dufour puff pastry is my puff of choice - Pepperidge Farm's really has an unpleasant aftertaste to me. Dufour however comes as one extended (but folded) sheet, so break off what you want to use when the puff pastry hasn't fully thawed, but just enough that you can break what you want, off. Or use the whole sheet, just break this brand into quarters for ease of rolling/cutting, especially if you are working with limited surfaces.
Obviously, your choice of cookie cutter is no-holds-barred, limited only by what you can find. If you don't have any cutters, simply make balls using the lips of various-sized drinking glasses. I'd found a set of farm-themed cutters on Amazon, and went with that. J only made enough of these as proof of principle - besides I only had about 100 grams left from an earlier dish (which won't be posted because alas that one was a fail). And, being just one person in experimental mode - this was right for me. Don't need the extra carbs....
Although I don't discuss it below, you can use an egg wash (2:1 beaten egg to water), painting this over the pastry surface before decorating. . Benefit: Nice shiny sheen. Detriment: the pastry won't puff as much. I wanted PUFF daddy puff.
Prior to the oven:
The pig: seasoned with cinnamon and cacao powder,
The cow: seasoned with white sesame seeds and cumin sides, with a little dill on the face.
The tractor: seasoned with berbere, allspice, paprika.
Prep Time: 15 minutes.
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes.
Rest Time: Just enough not to burn fingers.
Serves: Make enough for your needs, say three apiece?
Cuisine: ???
Leftovers: Just that day.
Puff Pastry "Cookies"
Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
Roll out the puff pastry using a rolling pin, (or a liter bottle of soda or a wine bottle, if you don't bake enough to justify the space needs of a rolling pin). Flour your work surface and the rolling pin prior to rolling. Make the flattened puff pastry thin uniformly.
If you are using the entire pack, it helps to do this half or quarter of a pack at a time.
Using your shapes, cut out the "cookies". Gently move them to your baking surface, that you have pre-coated with butter (or as I did, bacon grease).
Decorate, using the spice and herb suggestions above, gentle pinches everywhere.
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, checking at ten. You should see a light to deep tan coloration. And, that signature PUFF. Pull from the oven and serve, still warm. Room temperature, if that is what works with the rest of your meal, is still very tasty.
I have these farming cookie cutters, see? And a challenge from Cookingbites.com to use puff pastry. This ran together yesterday to create this make-it-or-not recipe.
Dufour puff pastry is my puff of choice - Pepperidge Farm's really has an unpleasant aftertaste to me. Dufour however comes as one extended (but folded) sheet, so break off what you want to use when the puff pastry hasn't fully thawed, but just enough that you can break what you want, off. Or use the whole sheet, just break this brand into quarters for ease of rolling/cutting, especially if you are working with limited surfaces.
Obviously, your choice of cookie cutter is no-holds-barred, limited only by what you can find. If you don't have any cutters, simply make balls using the lips of various-sized drinking glasses. I'd found a set of farm-themed cutters on Amazon, and went with that. J only made enough of these as proof of principle - besides I only had about 100 grams left from an earlier dish (which won't be posted because alas that one was a fail). And, being just one person in experimental mode - this was right for me. Don't need the extra carbs....
Although I don't discuss it below, you can use an egg wash (2:1 beaten egg to water), painting this over the pastry surface before decorating. . Benefit: Nice shiny sheen. Detriment: the pastry won't puff as much. I wanted PUFF daddy puff.
Prior to the oven:
The pig: seasoned with cinnamon and cacao powder,
The cow: seasoned with white sesame seeds and cumin sides, with a little dill on the face.
The tractor: seasoned with berbere, allspice, paprika.
Prep Time: 15 minutes.
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes.
Rest Time: Just enough not to burn fingers.
Serves: Make enough for your needs, say three apiece?
Cuisine: ???
Leftovers: Just that day.
Puff Pastry "Cookies"
- 1 package puff pastry, thawed but still cold. (You can thaw it for a couple of hours in the fridge.)
- A handful or two of flour.
- Savory spices for décor: Let your imagination be your guide. Find ones with color contrast. Reds and red-browns: Berbere, some mild chili powders, cinnamon. Yellows: Tumeric, some curry mixes. Browns: cacao powder. Whites: Sesame seeds (toast them for tan). Greens: most any herb, or even consider fresh herbs such as chopped dill. Blacks: Black sesame seeds.
- About a tablespoon of oil, butter, or bacon grease.
Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
Roll out the puff pastry using a rolling pin, (or a liter bottle of soda or a wine bottle, if you don't bake enough to justify the space needs of a rolling pin). Flour your work surface and the rolling pin prior to rolling. Make the flattened puff pastry thin uniformly.
If you are using the entire pack, it helps to do this half or quarter of a pack at a time.
Using your shapes, cut out the "cookies". Gently move them to your baking surface, that you have pre-coated with butter (or as I did, bacon grease).
Decorate, using the spice and herb suggestions above, gentle pinches everywhere.
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, checking at ten. You should see a light to deep tan coloration. And, that signature PUFF. Pull from the oven and serve, still warm. Room temperature, if that is what works with the rest of your meal, is still very tasty.
