The first thing I asked P. when he came home was whether he had liked the cookies I had managed to sneak into his bag before he left. He asks me often to bake cookies, you see, and I don’t very often.
“How did you do that?” he said.
“Do what?” I responded, a bit puzzled.
“The pattern on the cookies”.
Aha!
I guess I knew something that he did not, and it made me feel powerful.
Ok, only for a little while.
I am usually not known to be good (awful as a matter of fact) at assembling things. In fact, I pretty much dislike it. For example, take a piece of furniture that requires assembly. I know well that such things typically come with instructions but I *really* do not like to read them. It is all the more ironical as I used to translate user guides. Boring, c’m on, you also think so, don’t you? So, if I am left in front of a random unassembled piece of furniture, I suffer. It can take me days before I even bother to start, and so when I run out of patience, I bother ask P.. He is the one with a lot of patience. Well, not really. But for these things, he does. Besides, it is also his thing as he loves to assemble and debug things.
On the other hand, with food, c’est une toute autre histoire (another story). I am always keen to challenge myself to something new, trying hard to understand the mechanisms that are required to produce certain foods. Perhaps I should think that the industrial drawing class I took in high school is finally helping, even if my teacher kept telling me that the pieces I drew could never be assembled. “C’est joli (pretty) mais c’est un montage impossible, mademoiselle Peltre,” I was used to hearing him comment when looking at my assignments! But with food, this is something else, n’est-ce pas?
I initially found inspiration to make these cookies from the latest copy of Cuisine et Vins de France I received a few weeks ago. In the magazine however, the cookies were only pink because of the Biscuits Roses de Reims — which you know I like to cook with by now — and used almond flour. I liked the idea but also felt like adding something more. I wanted the cookies to be more colorful and interesting to look at, and thought to include a pattern. Then, I thought about associating two colors that I find pretty together: Chocolate and Pink. Chocolate being one of my péchés mignons (weaknesses), it was pretty easy to twist my arm for this new idea of mine. So even if I did not need to have won a Noble Prize to know how to create the pattern on my cookies, seeing P.’s reaction was pretty amusing. I guess it simply shows that he does not spend enough time in the kitchen, does he?
But then, à chacun son truc ! Everybody has their own way. And now, I only wished that Monsieur K., my former high school industrial drawing teacher, could see that I am well capable of assembling things! Montage possible, this time!
You need:
- For the pink dough:
- 1/2 cup Biscuits roses de Reims powder (6 biscuits crushed thinly)
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- A few drops of red coloring (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup hazelnut flour
- 1.5 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
- 2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2/3 cup hazelnut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
For the chocolate dough:
Steps:
Note: Prepare the two doughs separately, but following the same steps.
- Melt the butter. Add the red coloring if using (or cocoa powder) and mix well, until smooth.
- Sift separarely the flour, baking powder, hazelnut flour and confectioner’s sugar.
- Place the dry ingredients — include the Biscuits Roses de Reims powder for the pink dough — in a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and add the melted butter progressively. Mix until everything is well blended.
- Add the egg. Mix until you have a homogeneous dough that you will shape into a ball. Wrap it in plastic and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
- At this stage, follow the same steps to do the second dough, chocolate if you started with pink, or vice versa.
- Once the doughs rested, roll each of them flat, 1/3 inch thickness.
- Preheat your oven at 350 F.
- Cut long strips in each, and place them next to each other, chocolate/pink and so on. Make sure that they stick to each other. If necessary, use a rolling pin to make this happen.
- Cut cookies using a cookie cutter of the shape you like and place them on a cookie sheet.
- Bake them for 10 min. Let cool on a cooling rack. These cookies keep well in an air-tight metallic box, that is, if you can resist for that long.
Ingrédients :
- Pour la pâte rose :
- 50 g de poudre de Biscuits roses de Reims (6 biscuits réduits en poudre fine)
- 60 g de beurre fondu
- Quelques gouttes de colorant rouge (facultatif)
- 1/2 càc de levure chimique
- 1 gros oeuf
- 70 g de farine
- 70 g de poudre de noisettes
- 20 g de sucre glace
- 120 g de farine
- 2 càs de cacao non sucré, de qualité
- 60 g de sucre glace
- 70 g de poudre de noisettes
- 1/2 càc de levure chimique
- 1 gros oeuf
- 60 g de beurre fondu
Pour la pâte chocolat :
Étapes :
Remarque : Préparez les deux pâtes séparément, mais en suivant le même principe.
- Faites fondre le beurre. Ajoutez le colorant alimentaire si vous l’utilisez (ou le cacao) et mélangez bien, sans grumeaux.
- Tamisez séparément la farine, la levure, la poudre de noisettes et le sucre glace.
- Placez les ingrédients secs — y compris la poudre de Biscuits Roses de Reims pour la pâte rose — dans un saladier (ou le bol d’un robot à pied) et ajoutez le beurre fondu progressivement. Mixez juqu’è ce que tout soit incorporé.
- Ajoutez l’oeuf. Mélangez pour obtenir une pâte homogène que vous façonnez en boule. Enveloppez-la dans du film étirable et mettez au frigo pendant 2 heures.
- A ce stade, recommencez pour la deuxième pâte.
- Une fois les deux pâtes reposées, étalez-les sur une épaisseur de 1 cm.
- Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
- Découpez des bandes que vous placez les unes à côté des autres, chocolat/rose et ainsi de suite. Assurez-vous que les joints sont scellés (au besoin passez un rouleau à patisserie pour que les joints adhèrent mieux).
- Découpez les sablés avec un emporte-pièce de votre choix. Mettez-les sur une plaque de cuisson et cuisez au four pendant 10 min. Sortez-les du four et laissez refroidir sur grille. Ces sablés se conservent dans une boîte métallique pendant quelques jours, si vous résistez.
Technorati Tags: Food Styling, La Tartine Gourmande, Food Photography, Biscuits roses de Reims, chocolate
Bea, did you photograph the cookies on a mirrored surface? It looks almost magical…the cookies are adorable!
Bea, these cookies are so pretty, and I must say romantic too…
Amazingly beautiful and ever so stylish! I love the way they look…
ils sont tout simplement magnifiques et en tant que fan des biscuits de reims je vais tenter absolument cette recette, merci
Beautiful! I love the pink and chocolate colors!
And tied up too… such a nice touch. (I love chocolate and pastel: pink, blue, they are so nice together.) What a sweet gift for your husband and a nice present for your readers.
Je n’ai jamais tenté les cookies mais là je dois dire que j’ai très envie de me lancer…
Ce mélange bicolore leur donne un petit côté “haute couture”…
Superbes!
c’est si inventif (et déclinable à l’infini) ! … et je n’ai pas besoin de me demander si c’est bon (forcément ça l’est, des biscuits roses et du chocolat !)
La perfection personnalisée !
Il faut que j’arrete de venir chez toi, je fais des complexes a chaque fois………divin !!!!!!!!!!
magique! photo sublime
They are so cuuuute…
Et, finalement, simples à réaliser. Bravo !!
like pink color~ like chocolate color~ love the both two color~
so much i want to eat a piece of it~ aha~
De vrais bijoux ces cookies !
wow, I’m really impressed, they look so lovely!
The idea of striped cookies has to be tried:)
Oh ! Ils sont splendides ! Quelle bonne idée tu as eue !
Et tu trouves des Biscuits roses de Reims chez toi ?
Tes gâteaux sont magnifiques et je m’empresse de les mettre dans ma liste des recettes à tester !
Alors là, Mlle Peltre, c’est vrai que c’est joli et bien réussi, mais c’est un montage impossible (du moins pour moi) puisque les biscuits roses on ne les trouve pas partout.
Bea, tu devrais envoyer le lien a ton ancien professeur 🙂
Vraiment Bea, je ne trouve rien a dire. Et c’est rare chez moi. Je dirai juste “Une vraie marveille”.
Quelle classe! Tes biscuits sont très “élégants”, je ne doute pas non plus une seule seconde de leur saveur (j’aime bcp les biscuits roses de Reims, je les utilise volontiers pour des charlottes ou un tiramisu aux fruits rouges), bref, tu nous donnes là une recette que l’on brûle d’envie d’essayer!
Et pour finir ds les compliments, tes photos ci-dessus sont très réussies, j’adore tout particulièrement la première! Bravo!
These are so delightful Bea. Think of all the different colour/flavour combos you could do. Just perfect.
Superbe ! Vraiment, c’est toujours un vrai plaisir de venir ici. Tu maitrise magnifiquement la cuisine et la photographie. Ton blog est une source d’inspiration pour beaucoup d’entre nous, je n’en doute pas.
Bravo
Bien à toi
verO
These are so lovely, Bea!
This is JUST what I needed for my black/white/pink birthday party in 2 weeks! I never leave any comment, as I would repeat what everybody agrees upon: what creativity and beauty! Expecting your posts is one of my treats!
This is what your mind was developing when you were experiencing those lapses!
Beautiful and wonderful to catch P so unaware!
Pink is such a yummy color!
What beautiful cookies!!
franchement Bea, ca ne peut plus continuer comme ca !!! Tout est tellement beau et appetissant que ce que je fais semble de la tambouille…. 😉
As-tu pense a faire des cartes postales de tes magnifiques photos ?? Moi j’adore envoyer des cartes et j’utiliserais bien les tiennes de photos !
Corinne
What a cute idea, don’t you love that clever feeling? I have a bunch of hibiscus powder I’ve been trying to use up, and I think this could be a perfect application!
Absolutely gorgeous, Bea! I love them!
wahouw you’re blog is really great and there are such beautyful receipts and also you’re pictures are wonderful…
En fait ça fait super longtemps que je praitque plus l’anglais que j’adorais pourtant….Mais je crois que tu auras compris que j’ai été séduite par ton blog!
bonne soirée
c’est super, et comme justement je viens d’acheter mon premier paquet de biscuits rose de Reims, je vais essayer cette recette.
as always, gorgeous pictures and a fun story to accompany them.
Those are lovely!
J’adore comment tu reinvente ta photographie. Si mon oeil ne me trompe pas, tu as joue avec du verre superpose et ca rend genial! J’admire ta patience pour l’assemblage des cookies…c’est en general le boulot que je laisse a ma mere!
Le gout doit etre delicieux!
Your cookies are so cute! I’m sure your teacher would be proud of your assembly skills now 🙂
I love your site. The way you can search for a recipe from the categories…it’s superb. In fact, you were my inspiration, when I came to create InterWined, a wine blog. I thought I’d let you know that.
Plus, your recipes are excellent. “Versatility in a Spinach and Sweet Potato Cake” is now a family favourite. Tried it with Courgette once. Not as good.
Anita, no not a mirrored surface. Just black background.
Mandy, thank you!
Rosa, thanks. They were fun to make, I have to say.
Valerie, ah oui moi aussi un vraie fan.
Kat, yes, nice eh?
Molly, oh yes you are right, all these colors are pretty together.
B comme bon, ah oui c’est marrant, je n’y avais pas pensé mais maintenant que tu le dis, c’est vrai.
Mayacook, merci.
B, oui délicieux, et je suis difficile en cookies.
Lili, merci, enfin presque 😉
Claude-Olivier, ah mais non, il n’y a vraiment pas de quoi! Merci.
Tablissimo, oui tout simples!
Yoyo, thank you!
Bergeou, tout colorés.
Evelin, yes, not sure why I thought about this, I think it is because I have a pen I love with these two colors.
Mingoumango, 🙂
Lorette, oui oui, je les trouve, sans problème. Boston est truffée de bonnes choses importées.
Mary, ah mais à Boston, c’est possible, pas là où tu es?
Gracianne, oui, si seulement! 😉
Rose, merci!
Cécile, très gentil à toi. Merci de ton mot!
Helen, yes indeed.
Vero, merci. Tu me fais un honneur, là!
Patricia, thank you!
Lucie, great. I hope you like them! Have fun with your party.
Tanna, ah yes, that was funny indeed. He rarely gets puzzled like this.
Jeff, oh yes!
Deborah, thank you.
Corinne, ah ah, tu es bien trop gentille. Je suis sûre que tu exaggères là. Une bonne tambouille! Tu as une bonne idée, je devrais m’y mettre. Merci de me la suggérer.
Mercedes, oh hibiscus. I have meant to use it too. Just have to buy some some day!
Gilly, thanks!
Manue, ahah, merci.
Hilda, thank you! Contente que cela te plaise.
Brilynn, thanks.
Helen, non c’est un fond noir 😉 Ca trompe, hein? 😉
Joey, thank you. I think he should see it indeed.
Sean, oh that is super cool. Thanks for letting me know. I will make sure to visit! And delighted to hear you enjoyed the cake!
Merci pour la technique pour avoir les 2 couleurs c’est vraiment superbe comme toujours!
Bonne idée, très chou! I love this magazine as well, and like the twist you added to the recipe. Question : u didn’t have a problem getting the cookies to stay together ie no milk or water needed to help stick the strips? I recently started a blog http://www.asweetpea.wordpress.com love to hear your thoughts 🙂
Bicolores ??!! Magnifiques!
Les miens sont plus simples, c’est sûr…
A retenir l’idée des bandes.
trop trop beaux avec 2 couleurs ! on en croquerait volontiers!
I finally found some time to try this today! They came out looking beautifully, but were a bit dry and surprisingly not at all sweet. 🙁 I wonder where I went wrong. Do you have any suggestions for upping the sweetness factor?
Alessette,
I am not so sure. The only thing I could think of is the way to measure the sugar. I always go by weighing my ingredients, which I find much more precise than just using cups or Tbsp. I know well that in the US, not everyone owns a scale, but if I would have to give an advice, it is to use one anyhow since everyone measures things differently when using cups. I even myself find differences when I do cups. It depends on how things are packed. Hope this helps. If you prefer sweeter, you can always add more sugar anyhow. thank you! One thing more, in the pink dough, most of the sugar comes from the biscuits roses de Reims. As to the chocolate, it is not too sweet because I like chocolate when it is more bitter, so if you prefer sweeter, add more sugar, like perhaps 1 to 2 Tbsp more.
I made these for a party for my boyfriend getting his PhD this week and they came out wonderfully. The dough was easy to work with and yet they look so fancy. Thanks for the recipe.
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ils ont l’air delicieux, ces biscuits! mais dites, comemnt on fait si on arrive pas a en trouver des biscuits de Reims? j’habite Geneve et je sais pas ou en trouver…
Jamie,
Un autre biscuit du meme type alors, mais avec du colorant rouge. Des biscuits a la cuiller normaux avec du colorant? Pas la meme chose completement, mais la texture du gateau est alors la. Bonne chance.
Hi!!
a quick question…what if i dun have hazelnut flour? can i just use all purpose flour, or ground almond is better??
Can’t wait to try out the recipe 🙂 🙂
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