Recipes: seasonal desserts

With all the molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices, these cookies would be especially well-suited to a crisp autumn day. I respectfully submit, however, that it is not so ridiculous to enjoy them on a hot day in Houston --especially if, like me, you are fervently wishing summer's sultry heat would just end already.


The really great thing about these cookies, though? Their crispy, chewy texture and wonderful spiciness lend themselves equally well to an autumn-friendly apple cider or to the most summery ice cream of them all. Peach ice cream, anyone? The fragrant Texas peaches at the market were seriously begging to be swirled into honey ice cream. Happy to oblige.


Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies (via Dorie Greenspan)

I love the look of these cookies - slim, round, dark, and crackly topped from the sugar you roll them in just before baking. I am also a huge fan of coarsely ground black pepper on almost everything, and Dorie Greenspan calls for a big pinch of it in the cookies. The other nice thing about the dough is that you can stash it in the freezer for up to 2 months.

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (339 grams)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar (217 grams)
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap) (161 grams)
1 large egg
About 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper.
• Working with a stand mixer (or hand mixer in large bowl), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for about 2 minutes to blend, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If some flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix in the last of the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula (to avoid overmixing the dough). You should have a smooth, very soft dough.
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
• Place the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball between your palms. One by one, roll the balls around in the bowl of sugar, then place them on the baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and use it to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.
• Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops feel set to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and, the cookies have spread and are touching, use a metal spatula to separate the cookies while they are still hot. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.
• Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Honey Peach Ice Cream (via Dorie Greenspan)

The lovely and well-balanced trio of honey, peaches, and vanilla makes for an extremely satisfying ice cream cone. Dorie calls for adding small chunks of peaches to the ice cream as it churns in the machine but, as I don't like how hard the peach chunks get after freezing, we added less diced peaches than she called for. Next time I make this, we will cook and puree all the peaches, omitting diced peaches altogether.

4 large ripe peaches (about 2 pounds, peeled and pitted)
1/4 cup honey
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Coarsely chop 2 of the peaches into 1/2 inch chunks and toss them into a small saucepan. Add the honey and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are soft by not mushy. This took about 8 minutes on our stove.
• Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and whir to puree. Set aside.
• Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and sugar together until very well blended and just thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/3 of the hot liquid. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Dorie says, if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reach at least 170F, but no more than 180F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard into a 2-quart glass measuring cup or clean heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla and peach puree.
• Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.
• Scrape the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, finely dice the remaining peaches and, just before the ice cream is thickened and redy, add the peaches and churn to blend. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze at least 2 hours, until firm enough to scoop.