It’s easy to lean on familiar favourite recipes, whether it’s a savoury meatloaf or a flakey chocolate chip cookie, and these always have a trusted place in any kitchen. But sometimes, the similar effort can achieve a new and inspiring result, as is the case with this recipe, Little Ox-Eye Cookies. Using just four ingredients for the cookie and whatever tasty filling you have on hand, you can create a treat that looks impressive and tastes great.
Students at Lethbridge College’s Culinary Careers program learn this recipe as part of their pastry/baking curriculum each year. You can taste for yourself some of the other delicious creations of the students at the Garden Court Restaurant during the academic year. To book a table, call 403-382-6999. And in the meantime, try out these sweet treats for yourself.
And don't forget to check out this video of Lethbridge College chef and staff member preparing this recipe.
Ingredients
Pastry flour................................................ 750 grams/6 level cups
Unsalted butter, softened ..........................600 grams/1-1/3 pound
Icing sugar .................................................. 300 grams/2-1/3 cups
Large egg yolks .....................................75 grams/approximately 4
Nutella, jam, peanut butter, etc. .....................Enough to fill cookies
Icing sugar...............................................................Enough to dust
Method
- Preheat oven to 385? F.
- Sift flour and icing sugar.
- With your hands or the paddle attachment of a mixer, work all ingredients to a smooth paste.
- Once formed into a firm but tacky ball, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill well for about an hour.
- Once chilled, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly dusted counter to 3 mm (1/8”) thick. Cut as many circles as you can with a ring cutter/cookie cutter. Remember the bigger the ring the fewer cookies you will have. Keep the circles close together to eliminate waste.
- Take half of the circles as bases and cut a circle out of the other half with a smaller cutter to create rings.
- Place all cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cooked but remove before the cookies become browned, about five to seven minutes.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the cookies to cool until you are able to handle them.
- Take the solid bases and place a half teaspoon of your favorite filling onto them. This could be chocolate, Nutella, jam or preserves, peanut butter or any other delicious filling.
- Dust the rings with extra icing sugar. Place one of the dusted rings lightly on top of the filling-filled base.
Enjoy.
Makes approximately four dozen cookies.
