Two winning cookies, by popular demand

Dear SOS: I enjoyed Amy Scattergood’s cookie article (“Cookie of the Year,” Dec. 13) and am anxious to try out the Top 10 cookies. However, I found the website had listed only eight. Would you send me No. 9 and No. 10, apple-butter-filled gingerbread cookies by Maury Rubin and sesame tuiles by Tomi Harase?

CAMILLE WALLER

Rancho Santa Margarita

Dear Camille: We received many letters requesting the recipes for these two cookies, so here they are. The apple-butter-stuffed gingerbread, from Maury Rubin of the City Bakery in Brentwood, is spiced with cinnamon and ginger and is rich with molasses and brown sugar. The sesame tuiles, from Tomi Harase of Cafe Blanc in Costa Mesa, are crisp, delicate and elegant.

Apple-butter-filled gingerbread cookies

Total time: 1 hour, plus 4 hours chilling

Servings: About 3 dozen cookies

Note: Adapted from Maury Rubin, chef-owner of the City Bakery. The apple butter recommended is Eden Organic Apple Butter, which can be purchased at Whole Foods. You will need a 2 1/4 -inch round cookie cutter.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

5 tablespoons molasses

1 large egg

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups apple butter, such as Eden brand

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the unsalted butter until slightly soft. While this is mixing, combine the sugar and dark brown sugar, then add this in a stream to the butter. Add the molasses and then the egg. Mix until uniformly combined, then stop the machine.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon. Add half to the mixing bowl and resume mixing slowly. When the mix becomes crumbly, stop the machine again and add the remaining half of the dry ingredients. Resume mixing until all of the ingredients are uniformly combined. Refrigerate the dough until chilled throughout, at least 4 hours.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to three-eighths inch. Stamp out two 2 1/4-inch circles for each cookie, then cut a quarter-size hole in the center of one circle (this will be the top of the cookie). Repeat to use all of the dough.

4. Place one circle of dough (the bottom of the cookie) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place one tablespoon of apple butter in the center of each piece. Place the top gently onto the bottom. Gently press around the edge to secure it to the bottom. Space cookies 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.

5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until edges are lightly browned and cracked. Let cool for 30 minutes; these are best when completely cooled.

Each cookie: 178 calories; 1 gram protein; 32 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 19 mg. cholesterol; 75 mg. sodium.

*

Sesame tuiles

Total time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

Servings: Makes about 9 dozen

Note: From Tomi Harase, chef-owner of Cafe Blanc in Costa Mesa.

1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds

1/2 cup toasted black sesame seeds

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. In a frying pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat until the seeds are fragrant and the white sesame seeds are golden brown.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, melted butter and sesame seeds and mix by hand until combined. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for an hour.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Lightly stir to re-incorporate all the ingredients. Use a piece of flexible cutting mat or material of similar thickness such as a plastic coffee can lid to make a template; cut out a roughly 1-by-3-inch oval design. Place the template on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and spread the dough evenly into the cutout with a small offset spatula or a spoon. Leaving 1 to 2 inches between cookies, repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp and lightly golden. Cool on a rack.

Each cookie: 14 calories; 0 protein; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 4 mg. cholesterol; 1 mg. sodium.