BEET COOKIES

MISE EN PLACE THE COOKIE DOUGH

• Measure the butter and sugar into a bowl of a stand mixer or hand held mixer. Set aside. See How to Weigh and Measure for more info.
• Purée the beets in a food processor until very smooth. Avoid adding any additional water to the beets. The consistency of the purée will determine the final texture of the cookie dough.
• Combine well the egg, vanilla and beet purée, and set aside.

Mixing the beet puree, egg and vanilla.

• In a separate bowl, combine AP and whole wheat flours, salt and baking soda.

ASSEMBLING THE COOKIE DOUGH

• Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

The sugar and butter fluffy and aerated.

• Add the egg, vanilla and beet purée to the butter and sugar and beat until well combined.

The batter before the dough is added.

• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until the flour particles have disappeared.

Beet cookie dough mixed and ready for the fridge.

• Divide the dough into three equal portions and wrap each one in plastic.

Dividing the cookie dough into three portions makes rolling easier.

• Refrigerate until firm.
• NOTE ON THE CONSISTENCY OF THE DOUGH: The moisture of the beet purée will determine the consistency of your cookie dough. If your dough is too soft to roll, even after refrigerating, return it to the mixer and beat in a couple more spoonfuls of AP flour. Let the dough rest again to redistribute the moisture. The high protein of the whole wheat flour will absorb a good deal of moisture too.

ROLL OUT THE COOKIE DOUGH

• Line three baking trays with parchment or a silicon mat.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Heavily flour your work surface and remove one piece of cookie dough from the fridge.
• Roll, , turn and flip your dough often to keep it from sticking.

Rolling the beet cookie dough.

• Roll to 1/8 inch thickness and cut (with your daisy cookie cutter) each cookie firmly, twisting gently to release it and ensure the dough isn't sticking to the counter.

How to cut rolled cookie dough.

• With an offset spatula, transfer each cut cookie to a prepared baking tray.
• Fill the tray with 12-15 cookies and immediately set in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes. They don't spread much in the oven while baking. Overcrowding the tray will interfere with even baking.

Ready to bake a tray full of cut cookies.

• Knead the scraps together and chill again until firm enough to roll out. Continue until all the cookies are baked.

Kneading the scraps into a homogenous mass of dough.

• NOTE ON BAKING: In the oven, the pink colour will slowly fade and the cookies brown slightly. The cookies will feel firm to the touch when they are baked through. Be careful not to let the cookies brown too much.

A tray of baked Beet Cookies. Notice they’ve lost their vibrant colour.

• The cookies should pop off the tray. Set them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

GLAZING THE BEET COOKIES

• Because baking the beet cookies turns them brown, raspberry glaze returns the beet red to the cookie.
• Put the raspberry jam into a saucepan and heat gently until it loosens.

Gentle heat will loosen the jam in order to strain the seeds away.

Straining the seeds out of the raspberry jam ensures an even coat.

• Strain the seeds out of the jam, then simply brush 1-3 coats of glaze onto each cookie. Determine the intensity of colour you prefer. Keep in mind, the glaze will leave a sticky film.

Glazing the beet cookies with raspberry jam brightens the color.

APPLYING THE POPPY SEED CENTER

• With your finger in place to block the flow of a tiny funnel, put 2-3 pinches of poppy seeds inside and position the funnel over the center of the cookie.

Block the flow of poppy seeds from the funnel with your finger.

• When you're ready, remove your finger and let the poppy seeds fall onto the cookie.

Remove your finger quickly to release the poppy seeds all at once.

Beet Cookies. The Finer Cookie.

STORING THE COOKIE

• The glazed cookies will keep their crunch for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
• The unglazed cookies will keep their crunch for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.