Cookie Monsters

The invitation to Christine Moore’s baby shower looked like any other--a little umbrella on the outside; place, date and time on the inside--except for the insert, a poem by her friend Teri Gelber. It began:

There’s one kind request to all of Chrissy’s guests:

Shower her with cookies to get her through the rest.

This request to bring a platter of cookies and their recipes seemed appropriate. Moore is the pastry chef at Les Deux Cafes--or was until her recent confinement. Before that, she’d worked in various pastry kitchens around town, including Nicola, Campanile and Europane. Many of the invited guests were friends and colleagues from those and other kitchens: pastry chefs, assistant pastry chefs, professional cookie makers.

The party was held at Les Deux Cafes on a warm Sunday afternoon. In fact, it was too warm to enjoy the lovely patio at this restaurant hidden away on Las Palmas in Hollywood, so we moved inside, into the cool, wood-paneled dining room of the Craftsman-style house.

Cynthia Hier, one of the shower’s organizers, and the chief cook and owner of her own custom cookie company, ‘Cyns Cookies,’ had made two kinds of thin butter cookies iced with colored royal icing: one cookie was an adorable pink baby-face with an endearing squirmy grin; the other a daisy white petals, yellow center. The daisies were displayed in a see-through gallon-sized salt shaker. The cookies were based on a basic recipe, but their charm lay in their decoration. They were so intimidatingly perfect only a true pro could have made them.

There were also some sizable florentines topped with a thin layer of chopped dried fruit and dipped in chocolate, making them a cross between a classic Florentine and a fruit cake. These and a buttery panettone were the work of Brian Cincotta, who works in the kitchen at Les Deux.

Leslie Cotterman, formerly in the pastry kitchen at Spago and now “doing pastry” at the Ritz-Carlton at Laguna Niguel, had set out two kinds of little sandwich cookies: tiny chocolate macaroons, each with a layer of ganache between, and linzer hazelnut cookies with raspberry jam filling. Cotterman credited the recipes to Sherry Yard, Spago’s executive pastry chef.

Kim Sklar, the pastry chef at Campanile, displayed her own version of a cookie called nuns’ breasts. These were the shape of flying saucers (and, presumably, nuns’ breasts). Made of semolina, these hefty, unusual cookies had a gritty crunchiness and a rich, creamy filling of pastry cream.

It was after each of us ate an entire nun’s breast that we realized that, at the rate we were going, we’d never have the appetite to try even one each of the various other cookies that were arriving by the multiple dozens with each new guest.

How many cookies can one person eat? We’d already tried five (counting a cube of panettone) and needed to start pacing ourselves. So we found cookie-sampling partners, other guests who would agree to eat half or a third of a cookie.

But why so many cookies in the first place?

The shower was thrown for Moore by David Wynn, the chef at Les Deux Cafes until his recent removal to Paris. The inspiration for the shower, he said, was the cookie parties thrown by his mother’s tennis group when he was a child.

The rules are simple, Wynn explained. Everyone brings a plate of cookies. So from the get-go (as we’d already observed), there will always be far more cookies than the guests can eat. The host provides bags or paper plates so that guests can take an assortment of cookies and recipes home. Wynn used charming Chinese food to-go containers.

“Those parties added to our family’s cookie repertoire,” Wynn said. “Some of my still-favorite cookie recipes came from them.”

Of course, this was not your average cookie party, because many of Los Angeles’ best pastry chefs were marching in with boxes, sacks and platters full of their favorite cookies. It was not the familiar parade of Toll House and oatmeal cookies, either. Some cookies were devised just for the shower; others were creative takes on old family recipes; some were just great old classics.

Nancy Silverton, the founding pastry chef and co-owner of Campanile and mastermind of the La Brea Bakery, created her own Iced Raisin Squares for the shower.

“When I was a little girl, the only kind of cookies I was allowed to eat were those healthy raisin cookies that came in long thin sheets, and you had to break them off in sections.”

Her present offerings were thicker. She’d broken them into slightly uneven pieces and wrapped them in wax paper, just as she might have found them in her lunch box way back in the dark ages before plastic wrap took over.

Meanwhile, cookies kept flooding in, as did an endless stream of presents. Moore’s mother, Barbara Sheridan, had made her cookies back in Maplewood, N.J.; they were a very delicate Italian spice cookie named polverone, which means dusty or powdery. To transport them across the country, Sheridan wrapped the cookies in tissue paper--a different color for each cookie. This made for a very pretty display, and it kept the fragile cookies intact.

Moore’s childhood friend Whitney Dineen brought macaroons. Mary Fletcher, who works at Europane, brought crisp-yet-chewy coconut oatmeal cookies. Teri Gelber, Silverton’s former assistant, described what she brought as “cowgirl” cookies--those big home-madey-looking cookies.” These very crisp, nutty oatmeal cookies studded with dried apricot chunks were one of Gelber’s favorite cookies growing up. “They used to be called cowboy cookies, but I changed that,” she said.

“I’ve never seen so many cookies,” said Moore, a tall blond woman--eight months pregnant, glowing and a little breathless from all the excitement. “I’m very lucky to have such good friends. I get very sentimental at times like this.”

Her baby was already known to be a girl and had been named Madeline Olivia.

Lulu Vallee, who works with Moore in Les Deux Cafes’ pastry kitchen, made a slightly pale green chocolate-dipped cookie about the size and shape of a finger. These were Chartreuse cookies, she said, based on an old family recipe. They were made mostly of ground-up pistachios, but their mysterious pale green color and faint but compelling minty flavor also came from Chartreuse liqueur. The dark chocolate dip was a ganache made with Valrhona’s dark Equatoriale chocolate.

Sumi Chang, the owner of Europane in Pasadena, brought amazing sticky, chewy macaroons shaped like little haystacks--or as Chang put it, “witches’ hats.” The quality and plumpness of the coconut made the cookie. She used unsweetened shredded organic coconut she’d found at Wild Oats.

Tina Wilson, who teaches at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts in South Pasadena, brought oatmeal raisin cookies. “It’s from the recipe off the oatmeal box!” she proclaimed. “Ever since I read Jeffrey Steingarten’s essay on box recipes--you know, when he goes and gets all these boxes and tests all the recipes?--I’ve had no qualms about cooking off boxes!”

Sherry Yard, Spago’s executive pastry chef, and Jackie Goldstein, one of her staff members, brought two types of cookies. Jackie’s contribution was adorable little sugar cookies that were folded protectively over a plump slice of dried apricot; these were named for exactly what they looked like: Babies in Blankets. Yard had done some research to find an appropriate cookie and came up with an Italian version called Biscotti Puerperali. The recipe is more than 100 years old and was served to women who had just given birth to restore their strength. Full of egg yolks--ergo protein--and containing no flour, these are actually tiny pudding cakes baked in mini-muffin cups.

Merilee Atkinson, a pastry cook at the La Brea Bakery, came up with her own Butterscotch Cashew Bars for the shower. “They were inspired by a peanut cookie by Maida Heatter,” she admitted, “but I did my own thing to them.” And what a good thing it was. These cookies had an insanely good sweet and salty thing going, plus a dreamy crunchiness like peanut butter cookies only far, far better.

When the presents were opened and the afternoon wound down, people started to fill to-go boxes with an assortment of cookies.

It turned out that Moore had made cookies for the party too: beautiful, perfectly formed fortune cookies, each clasping a ribbon bearing the handwritten message “Thank you for coming.”

Lest you think this is a fun idea and are tempted to try it for your next function, think again. Fortune cookie dough is elastic only when hot, and it cools quickly. Moore admitted she could only make two at a time. “It took me all afternoon just to make 50 cookies!” she exclaimed ruefully.

As people loaded up their boxes, it was mentioned that, curiously enough, nobody had brought the famous cookies called madeleines. “We all thought about making them,” said Wilson. “But then we thought everybody else was going to as well.”

Madeline Olivia, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, was born May 12. Mother and child are doing fine.

Cowgirl Cookies

Active Work Time: 20 minutes. Total Preparation Time: 3 hours. Easy

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried apricots, chopped

1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

1 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

* Combine flour, oatmeal, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, apricots and walnuts in large mixing bowl. Whisk together oil, vanilla and eggs in small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Form dough into walnut-sized balls and bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees until light brown, about 20 minutes.

8 dozen cookies. Each cookie: 70 calories; 19 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.17 gram fiber.

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

Active Work Time: 20 minutes. Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes. Easy. Quick.

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups roasted cashews or peanuts

* Cream butter and brown and granulated sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and stir to mix. Add flour and salt and stir just until blended. Add half of nuts and stir just until evenly distributed in dough.

* Press dough into ungreased 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle remaining nuts evenly over surface, pressing into dough.

* Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned over entire surface, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and, while still hot, cut into 2x3-inch bars (bars are hard to cut when cool.) Cool in pan about 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to finish cooling. Store in airtight container.

25 cookies. Each cookie: 197 calories; 238 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0..08 gram fiber.

Babies in Blankets

Active Work Time: 1 hour. Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

12 dried apricots, plumped in hot water 30 minutes and cut in half

12 prunes, plumped in hot water 30 minutes and cut in half

Cream butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and cream and beat again.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir to form dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before rolling out.

Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch circles. Drain apricots and prunes, reserving soaking water. Place 1 piece fruit in center of each circle and wrap “blanket” around “baby,” pinching together at center. Brush dough with water from fruit. Dust with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

48 cookies. Each cookie:

81 calories; 74 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

Biscotti Puerperali (Cookies for Birthing Mothers)

Active Work Time: 15 minutes. Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes. Easy.

Nourishing and delicate, just the thing for restoring the strength of women who have just given birth. This recipe dates back more than 100 years and was served to new mothers in Italy. It is really more of a brownie than a cookie.

3 tablespoons softened butter

8 egg yolks

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons brewed espresso

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped creme frai^che for garnish, optional

* Combine butter, egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso and vanilla in medium mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly combined, 3 to 4 minutes.

* Line 24 mini-muffin tins with paper cups. Distribute batter evenly among paper cups. Place muffin tins on jelly roll pan and place in 350-degree oven. Place 1 1/2 cups hot water in jelly roll pan, being careful not to get any water in muffin tins. Bake 12 minutes and remove from oven.

Cool 20 minutes and serve with or without a dollop of whipped creme frai^che.

24 biscotti. Each biscotti: 55 calories; 18 mg sodium; 95 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

Iced Raisin Squares

Active Work Time: 35 minutes. Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Silverton’s iced raisin squares are like old-time raisin squares gone to heaven--or at least to college. (She’s clearly given this recipe a lot of thought.) The cookie is short and pleasantly sandy (Silverton uses hard-boiled egg yolks to emphasize this effect), and the proportion of cookie to chewy raisins and crackly white icing is excellent.

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (1/4 pound) almond paste

5 extra-large egg yolks, hard-boiled

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 1/4 cups raisins or currants

3/4 cup water

1 egg yolk, beaten with splash of water, for brushing dough

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

* In food processor, pulse together flour, salt, cloves, cinnamon and granulated and brown sugars. Crumble in almond paste and process until combined.

* Using fine mesh strainer, sieve egg yolks into flour mixture and pulse on and off until just combined. Add vanilla extract and butter, pulsing on and off until dough just comes together.

* Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times to gather into ball. Divide dough in half and form each into rectangular bar about 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide. Wrap in plastic and chill in freezer until very firm, 1 to 2 hours.

* While dough is chilling, prepare filling. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring raisins and water to boil, shaking pan to prevent raisins from sticking. Cook until liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes.

* Finely chop raisins and return to saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly about 1 to 2 minutes, until dry. Set aside to cool.

* Remove half of dough from freezer to lightly floured surface. Cut in half and set one half aside. Using floured rolling pin, beat dough several times to soften. Dough will be very sticky. Re-flour rolling pin and surface of dough. Starting with narrow rectangular shape, roll dough out until 8 to 9 inches long, re-flouring when necessary.

* Turn dough once and roll to about 5 to 6 inches wide and about 1/8 inch thick. Slide bench scraper or metal ruler underneath dough to loosen it from work surface and slide dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

* Repeat with other half and chill on baking sheet in refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove remaining half of dough from freezer and repeat rolling and chilling process.

* Remove baking sheets from refrigerator. Place 2 strips of dough on floured surface and trim to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wide, using pastry wheel or knife.

* Evenly distribute raisins over surface of the 2 strips of dough to 1/2 inch from edge. There may be some gaps between raisins. Brush edges with egg wash.

* Place other 2 strips of dough over raisins, aligning edges with bottom layer of dough. Lightly dust surface of each with flour and firmly roll over entire surface with a rolling pin, rolling up and down length of cookie a few times and back and forth over width a few times. Chill in freezer until set, 3 to 5 minutes.

* Remove from freezer and trim edges with fluted wheel or knife to decorate and seal, removing as little dough as possible.

* Score dough with knife vertically with 1 line down center. At 2-inch intervals, score dough horizontally, to form small rectangles. Using fluted wheel, roll over lines to score, being careful not to break through dough. Brush entire surface of each with egg wash and dot each square 4 to 6 times with a toothpick to make 2 rows.

* Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack until firm and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

* Stir together powdered sugar and whipping cream in small bowl to make glaze. Glaze should be fairly thin; if necessary, add more cream to get desired consistency.

* When bars are cool, spread layer of glaze over surface of bars using a pastry brush.

* To break into individual cookies, place bar on counter, with shorter side closer to edge. Align first horizontal scored mark with counter edge and break it off, using counter edge as a guide to break against. Slide cookie down to next mark and break off, repeating as often as necessary. Break bars in half at vertical scored mark. You may first need to make very short incision with knife at mark’s edge to start breaks

16 cookies. Each cookie: 100 calories; 151 mg sodium; 87 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.62 gram fiber.

Sumi’s Macaroons

Active Work Time: 20 minutes. Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

1 cup egg whites

4 cups sugar

8 cups unsweetened shredded and preferably organic coconut, divided into two equal parts

* Mix egg whites and sugar together and in double boiler, slowly bring to 90 degrees (little hot to the touch). Remove from burner.

* Add half of coconut. Mix thoroughly. Cool few minutes. Add remaining coconut. Refrigerate 1 hour. Shape into pyramid, or cone or “haystack” shapes. After macaroons are shaped, chill 30 minutes or longer.

* Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

4 dozen cookies. Each cookie: 160 calories; 14 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.75 gram fiber.