Best Glazed Chocolate Crème Fraîche Cookies Recipes

GLAZED BEETS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• For the beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Massage each beet with about a teaspoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place the beets on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour, or until you can easily pierce them with a knife.
• When the beets have cooled enough to handle but are still warm, unwrap them and rub them with a dry kitchen towel or paper towels to remove their skin. Cut the beets into quarters and allow to cool completely.
• Fill a high-sided saute pan with 1/4 cup of water, the honey and butter and place over medium-high heat; stir gently. Once the mixture begins to thicken and form a glaze, turn off the heat, add the cooked beets and toss to coat them in the glaze. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the pistachios, toast them in a small saute pan over medium heat just until they're warm and you can smell their "pistachio-ness." Cool and chop or crush them slightly; they should remain chunky to give good crunch to the dish.
• For the creme fraiche, place it in a bowl and mix with the lemon zest and about half the chopped mint. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the dish.
• To serve, spoon the creme fraiche mixture over the bottom of a medium serving dish. Place the warm beets (reheat them if necessary) on top of the creme fraiche in a single layer. (Resist the urge to pile these beauties high; you'll want to be getting creme fraiche and beet in every bite.) If there's any glaze leftover in the pan, pour it over the beets. Sprinkle the pistachios over the beets. Tear the parsley leaves with your fingertips and let them fall naturally over the beets. Sprinkle on the rest of the mint, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and you're good to go.

LAVENDER COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Pulse the lavender in a spice or coffee grinder until finely ground. Remove 1/4 teaspoon to a small bowl; set aside for the glaze. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar to the remaining lavender in the spice grinder and pulse until the sugar is fine.
• Combine the butter, lavender sugar, the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until combined, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour and beat until the dough comes together, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Divide the dough between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and roll each into a compact 10-inch log. Wrap each log in the plastic and refrigerate until very firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap one log of dough and slice into 3/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden around the edges, 20 to 24 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining log of dough.
• Make the glaze: Combine the white chocolate, half-and-half and the reserved 1/4 teaspoon ground lavender in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water); stir until melted, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let sit until the glaze thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. (If the glaze gets too thick to drizzle, reheat over the simmering water, stirring.) Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and top with sprinkles. Let set, about 2 hours.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Melt cocoa and butter together in a small saucepan over low heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract. Stir in hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is thick and smooth.

CRèME FRAîCHE POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, including the rim. Sprinkle a little sugar into the pan, tilting to coat the bottom and sides in a thin, even layer.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. (Using 1/2 teaspoon baking powder yields a dense and velvety interior, while 1 teaspoon makes the cake slightly airier and softer.)
• In a large bowl using an electric mixer, either hand-held or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.
• With the mixer set on low speed, beat in half the flour mixture. Beat in the crème fraîche, then the remaining flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. (Depending on your pan, it may fill it all the way to the top, and that is OK.) Bake until the cake is browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes while you make the syrup.
• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup/120 grams of the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract or rum, and 2 tablespoons water, whisking until smooth. (It should be quite thin. Add more water, if needed.) Using a long, thin paring knife, pierce the cake all over about 20 times, poking all the way through. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the syrup over the warm cake. Reserve remaining syrup in the bowl.
• After the cake has cooled in the pan for an hour, run a thin metal spatula or butter knife around the edges to release them from the pan, then unmold the cake onto the rack to finish cooling.
• Whisk crème fraîche and remaining 1/2 cup/60 grams confectioners' sugar into the syrup until you get a thick glaze, as thick as heavy cream. Add a little more confectioners' sugar or water if needed to get the right texture.
• Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.