Rich Roll Cookies

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone!

How do you celebrate this special day? Growing up, it was a given that we would wear green. If we didn't, my mother would be sure to pinch us. She also made green milk (gross!) and green food.

I don't fix green milk, but I do make green pancakes for breakfast. I also like to make green clover cookies. I'm excited to share the recipe with you - because wouldn't you know that I got my luck with this recipe for St. Patrick's Day. It's almost the same recipe (adapted again) as the Classic Christmas cookies, which I am going back to edit this version into it. They are adapted from the Rich Roll Cookies recipe in the Joy of Cooking, 1975 edition, and as I state in the Christmas cookies post, they are excellent for any occasion. This particular ver are exactly how I remember them being before going gluten-free. I top them with a milk glaze recipe, also adapted from Joy of Cooking.

I also like to make "spotted dog" Irish soda bread, which I shared with you yesterday. And, more importantly, I like to read a little of the history behind this day with my children. There are several books out there, but I like the one you see pictured above, Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola.

I don't know a whole lot about my Irish ancestors, but the older I get the more I want to explore the history behind all of my family and the countries and cultures that have influenced who I am today. That includes visiting those countries one day, as well. Until then, we'll have to read what we can and have fun in the kitchen.

And today as we celebrate, let's also remember Japan in our prayers.

Projected prep time: 25 minutes, plus chilling 3 hours; Projected bake time: 6-10 minutes
About 30 cookies (double recipe for more)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 1/4 cup Pamela's bread mix and flour blend (not the baking mix)
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in egg and pure almond extract.

Sift together flour blend and salt, then mix into butter mixture until all is incorporated and a smooth dough is formed. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about three hours.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a small amount of dough at a time and roll onto the sheet, then cut into desired shape and remove excess dough. This is how I eventually found success. Trying to transfer this dough is too difficult if you want to keep the exact shape.

Bake (top rack if gas oven) at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes depending on type of sheet you use. The edges should be getting brown, and the bottom should be brown. These cookies will burn very quickly once they are done, so watch them.

Let stand on sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

When completely cooled, top with frosting of choice or milk glaze (my preference).

Milk glaze
Total time: 5 minutes
(This will cover about two dozen cookies, so you'll need to make more if you have a lot of cookies)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk (warm will dissolve sugar faster)
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
Coloring if desired

Blend ingredients together and spread glaze over cookies or cake pieces

Transfer to wax or parchment paper lined sheets until glaze is set.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

"Spotted Dog" Irish Soda Bread

All these years I've thought I was making traditional Irish soda bread - only to discover earlier this week that it was actually "Spotted Dog" soda bread I was making. Apparently if you add raisins, fruits, seeds, etc. to the bread, it's no longer considered traditional soda bread.

So, I set out to make a gluten-free version of traditional Irish soda bread yesterday, only to bake up a tasty - yet crumbly and slightly doughy - soda bread. I stuck to the basics without even adding egg, only changing the flours but it flopped. Of course, I have to admit that even if I re-created a traditional version to be gluten-free, it still wouldn't be truly traditional, would it? I seriously doubt our Irish ancestors (my grandmother is half Irish) used gluten-free flours to make their bread. I'm sure it was wheat. So maybe I won't try so hard to re-create traditional Irish soda bread if it can't truly be done gluten-free anyway.

After the flop yesterday, I decided I'd just try to adapt the recipe I've used all these years. I tried last year and it was a flop, but now that I'm figuring out how to bake according to weight with the flours, I thought I'd try again with a greater variety of flours. It turned out really well. It had very much the same taste as I remember the gluten version having, but the texture was even better although maybe just a tad more crumbly. We deemed it a keeper, though. (And it's much less crumbly when completely cool!)

It's adapted from the Irish Soda Bread recipe in Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish, a cookbook that you've seen mentioned here before. I always opt to omit the caraway seeds, though. You'll need a scale for this recipe.

Projected prep time: 15 minutes; Projected bake time: 50 minutes
56 grams potato starch
56 grams tapioca starch
154 grams brown rice flour
29 grams sweet rice flour
77 grams white rice flour
29 grams amaranth flour
48 grams teff flour
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup butter (I use salted for this recipe)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg

Sift the dry ingredients together then cut the butter into it with pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in raisins.

Mix buttermilk together with egg and stir into flour mixture, mixing together by hand until all is moistened.

Place dough in well-greased Dutch oven or casserole dish.

Smooth out the top a little with the back of a wet spoon, and cut a large cross in the top about 1/2-inch deep.

If you are using a Dutch oven, cover with the lid. If you are using a casserole dish or cake pan, cover with a cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Remove lid and slice through cross again if needed, then bake for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy, and have a Happy Saint Patrick's Day!