Archive for Cookies

Fruit Pizza with a Sugar Cookie Crust

One of my favorite desserts is a fruit pizza.  My recipe uses a soft sugar cookie crust with a creamy vanilla filling.  Top this delectable dessert with your favorite fruit and voila! ~ you’ll have a dessert that will keep you coming back for more!

Give my recipe a try.  I know you’ll love it! 🙂

Fruit Pizza with a Sugar Cookie Crust

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Ingredients:

Cookie Crust:

Note: This dough makes enough for two pizzas, OR one pizza and a dozen sugar cookies, OR you can make two dozen sugar cookies.

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups white, granulated sugar
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling:

*Note: double the following ingredients for the filling if you are making two pizzas

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup white, granulated sugar
  • 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
  • Any fruit of your choosing, sliced.
  • For this particular pizza (see the photo), I used:
  • 1 can strawberry pie filling (use only the strawberries, not the thick sauce)
  • 2 cans mandarin slices, drained
  • 1 container fresh blueberries
  • 1 container fresh blackberries
Other items needed:
  • Parchment paper, cut to fit the size of your pizza or baking pan (go to Tips & Things for my instructions on how to cut parchment paper to fit your round baking pan)

Directions:

Make the crust:

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Break the cream cheese into small pieces then add to the mixing bowl.

Melt the butter; pour into the mixing bowl while still hot. Using a whisk, mix the sugar, cream cheese and butter together until somewhat creamy (the hot butter will melt the cream cheese this is what you want to happen).

Next, add the oil; continue whisking until the mixture is nice and creamy.

Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Using a spatula or large mixing spoon, fold in the dry ingredients. Stir only to the point where you don’t see any large clumps of the flour mixture.

Line your pizza pan with parchment paper. Using either your fingers or a rolling pin, press the dough onto the parchment paper lined pan, stopping when the dough is about 1 1/2 inches from the edge of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the crust starts to become very lightly browned. Set the crust aside to cool then top with the filling then fruit.

Make the filling:

In a small mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy. Mix in the box of instant vanilla pudding mix. Slowly mix in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until there are no lumps from either the cream cheese or pudding mix. Set aside.

Top the pizza:

Spread the filling on top of the cooled cookie crust. Top with your desired fruit slices. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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NOTE: DIRECTIONS FOR SUGAR COOKIES:

Make small balls (about the size of a ping pong ball) with the dough. Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a small spatula, slightly flatten the balls of dough (don’t flatten too much; the dough will expand during baking). Sprinkle different colored sugar sprinkles on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to brown lightly. After baking, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a cooking rack to finish cooling.

Sugar Cookies 2

Enjoy!

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Rosette Cookies

Rosette cookies are not native to Chamorro cuisine, but they are very popular on Guam.  I remember eating these cookies when I was a little girl — the more sugar on them the better!

My recipe for these crisp cookies adds cornstarch — this simple addition keeps the cookies nice and crispy for days, provided you store them in an airtight container (a ziplock bag works really well).

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like them.  🙂

ROSETTE COOKIES

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a shallow bowl, beat the two eggs.  Mix in the milk and water.

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2.  Mix in the flour, corn starch, sugar and salt.

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3.  Whisk until there are no more lumps.  The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.

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4.  Place the mold in the oil while the oil is heating up.

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5.  When the oil and mold are hot, lift the mold out of the oil.  Let as much of the oil drip off as possible (if you still have oil on the mold, the batter won’t stick to it).

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6.  Dip the mold into the batter, but careful not to submerge it.  Dip the mold only to just below the rim (if the batter goes over the rim, it won’t release into the hot oil).

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7.  Lift the mold up out of the batter.  Allow any excess batter to drip off.

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8.  Place the batter-covered mold into the hot oil.

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9.  Keep the mold submerged in the oil for about a minute or so — the rosette should drop right off the mold all by itself.  If it doesn’t drop off by itself, use a chopstick or fork to nudge the rosette off the mold.

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10.  Lift the mold out of the oil.  Fry the rosettes until golden brown.  Remove the rosettes from the oil and place in a metal colander to drip off any excess oil.

NOTE:  The mold must be hot before dipping in batter.  If the mold has cooled off (while you’re waiting for a batch of rosettes to fry), dip it back in the hot oil to reheat then repeat the process again.

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11.  While the rosettes are still hot (just after taking them out of the oil), shake them in granulated sugar, or a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (use as much cinnamon as you like).  I find it best to place the sugar (or cinnamon sugar) into a paper bag.  Place the rosettes in the paper bag, fold the paper bag closed, then shake-shake-shake to get the rosette coated all over with sugar.

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Here is a video that shows the dipping-frying process.

 

ENJOY!

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Rosketti ~ a Chamorro cookie

I won’t lie to you…you WILL need to have a tall glass of milk or water when you eat these starchy Chamorro cookies.  It calls for an entire container of corn starch after all, but despite all that starch, this is a melt-in-your mouth cookie you won’t want to miss out on.

As a little girl, I remember going to rosaries just so that I can have some of these yummy cookies.  I’d CAREFULLY (they crumble easily) wrap a couple of them in a napkin to bring home for later.

Nowadays, you’d expect to pay a good chunk of change to buy some ready-made for you.  I used to love receiving the occasional care package with a Crab Biscuit can inside.  That was the telltale sign, the can, for it wasn’t biscuits inside, but Rosketti, carefully packed so as not to break any.  But even if they did break, I didn’t dare throw any crumbs away!  Oh no!  I’d scoop those little bits up and eat them with a spoon, it was like gold to me!

But that was about oh, maybe 25 years ago.  I’ve since learned to make these crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth delights myself.

Since I originally posted this several years ago, I’ve since learned a bit about the origin of the name of this cookie.  This information is from the Guam Hispanic Heritage Facebook page:

“The ROSKAS of Guam. In many countries in the Hispanic world, on the Day of the Three Kings it is customary to serve a ring shaped sweet bread called ROSCA DE REYES. It is believed that in Guam, common Chamorro treats such as ROSKETI, BOÑELUS ROSKAS (commonly known as “yeast donuts”), and ROSKU shortbread were created as a simpler form of the traditional Spanish ROSCA. In Chamorro the word ROSKA refers to a ring or coil shape. ROSKETI and ROSKU are variants that carry the same meaning. The meaning and use of the word ROSKA seems to have been forgotten. And has resulted in ROSKETI being made other shapes in which they can’t truly be called ROSKETI.”

(Original post:  https://www.facebook.com/320261928099151/posts/1820010198124309/?extid=0&d=n)

Additionally, the owner of the Facebook page suggested that a more historically accurate name for what I have pictured below is “monedas” which means “coins.”

Well, whatever you choose to call it, it’ll be delicious regardless. 😁

Give my recipe a try, but have that glass of milk handy.  Enjoy!  🙂

Click on each thumbnail below to open up a full-sized photo.

Rosketti 1

Rosketti 2

Rosketti 3

Rosketti 4

These are so fun to make with a cookie spritzer.  Oh, the fun shapes you can make!

ENJOY! 🙂

Rosketti

 

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