The color pink has a specific taste. It’s light, sweet, and just ever so slightly cherry, maybe even rose, just hinting at those flavors. Yes, the color pink becomes so much more than just a color when it’s involved in food. It tastes like the warmth from a hug, a feminine hug, like a mother or grandmother; or the smell of a newborn’s neck, ever so slightly sweet, light, and fresh; or the feeling of a lover’s kiss who has been gone a long long time, nourishing, sweet, and sensual. The color pink has elements of all these tastes in it for me and last night I read that someone else had their own thoughts on the taste of pink as well. So I had to try her recipe (which ultimately was her friend Jimmy’s recipe) for Jimmy’s Pink Cookies. They are fantastic, a perfect shortbread crumb that crumbles then melts in your mouth as you chew. The frosting is decadent with just a hint of cherry or rose that makes them taste, well, more pink!
“Academic baking” as a friend likes to put what I do (and I got a huge kick out of), definitely has it’s perks:). Especially when you are one of my friends living within walking/biking proximity of my home because you will more than likely be getting these goodies. A girl can try to eat all this stuff by herself (and trust me, I’ve tried) but actually, I the enjoy sharing part almost as much as the baking. Now, back to the “academic” part…thesis writing calls!
Jimmy’s Pink Cookies (Molly Wizenburg)
For the cookies:
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon kirsch, rose water, cherry extract, or maraschino cherry juice (I actually used more maraschino cherry juice flavor as it’s a diluted compared to the rest and it was delish)
red or rose food coloring
To make cookies, combine the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and beat, first on low speed, and then slowly increasing to medium, until light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt, and whisk well. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating until the flour is just absorbed. Add the vanilla and beat well to incorporate. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a large clean surface and turn the dough out onto it. Shape into a disk, wrap well, and refrigerate for one hour.
On a clean, floured surface, roll th dough out to a thickness of 3/8 inch. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into whatever shapes you would like. (I personally use a drinking glass for circles). Jimmy uses a much bigger cutter, often in the shape of a heart.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake them one sheet at a time, keeping the second sheet in the refridgerator until the first one is done, for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are pale golden at the edges. Do not allow them to brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely on the pan.
To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butterin the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed to fully incorporate, then raise the speed to medium/medium high and beat until there are no lumps, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flavoring and a few drops of food coloring and beat well. The frosting should be a pretty shade of pink. Taste, if it needs more “pink” flavor, go ahead and add more. Generously spread onto the fully cooled cookies.
Stored in an airtight container, pink cookies will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days–and they are delicious cold–or you can freeze them indefinitely.
Yeild: 20-24 (3 inch) cookies
Bon Appetit!
