Basil and Tomato Cookies Recipe

If you’re a fan of good bread, it’s hard to go wrong with biscuits. Both moist and tender while featuring a golden crust that crunches beneath your teeth, they’re a delicious pairing with everything from rich gravy to southern fried chicken. While cookies often play a supporting role, good ones can become the main attraction. Puree recipe developer Patterson Watkins shares these tomato basil cookies that deserve star status. As she describes it, “This combination of sun-dried tomatoes and basil (not to mention tons of garlic) is a perfect ingredient for flaky, buttery cookies.”

Plain cookies are foolproof and a crowd-pleaser, and this variation has a few simple elements that improve on the basic dough with just a little extra effort. If you can’t finish the batch while it’s fresh, freeze the leftovers in an airtight container so you can defrost and reheat them for a warm, comforting treat at your leisure. Snack on one as an afternoon snack, dip it in your soup, or use it as the base for an epic sandwich—there’s no wrong way to enjoy these tomato basil cookies.

Read more: 16 little-known facts about salt

Gather the ingredients for the tomato basil cookies

For this recipe, you’ll need the usual cookie ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, granulated sugar, refrigerated butter, and buttermilk. Extra flavor comes from diced sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, minced garlic and a touch of black pepper.

A word on the key ingredient: “Please, please, please only use the dried sun-dried tomatoes,” says Watkins. “Sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil will disrupt your fat-flour balance, creating…well, a mess, probably.” If you can’t get your hands on the fully dried version, Watkins recommends reducing the butter content by 2 to 3 tablespoons, although the results may not be optimal.

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients

Place the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes, basil and garlic

Add the sun-dried tomatoes, basil and garlic and whisk to combine.

Step 3: Cut the Butter

Add the butter to the bowl and, using a cookie cutter or fork, cut it into the flour mixture, creating pea-sized pieces.

Step 4: Stir in the buttermilk

Pour in the buttermilk and, using a rubber spatula, slowly fold or mix the ingredients together, creating a shaggy dough.

Step 5: Knead the Dough

Transfer the dough (and any scraps in the bowl) to a clean work surface, sprinkling with additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Knead until it holds together.

Step 6: Flatten the Dough

Using your hands or a rolling pin, press the dough into a rough rectangle about ½ to ¾ inch thick.

Step 7: Cut out the cookies

Using a 2 to 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles.

Step 8: Cool the Cookie Rounds

Transfer the cookies to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 9: Preheat the Oven

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F.

Step 10: Bake the Cookies

Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned. (Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake and rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking, as the bottoms will darken faster than the tops.)

Step 11: Enjoy the cookies

Serve hot.

What are the different ways to eat tomato basil cookies?

Bursting with salty sun-dried tomatoes, sweet garlic, and fragrant basil, these cookies already have a lot going for them. At the same time, these ingredients complement many other flavors. Watkins has experimented a lot with these flaky cookies, and his results show that you can do so much more with them besides eating them straight out of the oven. “I made a modified turkey club sando. I spread scallion cream cheese and topped them with cucumber slices (like a tea sandwich). I made some cheesy scrambled eggs and I used these tomato basil biscuits instead of a fork,” she said. lists.

The possibilities don’t stop there. Watkins also likes to cut these cookies in half and make them into a sandwich. Follow his lead and melt some cheddar cheese in the toaster oven, then dip the creation into tomato soup. Or, since the flavor profile of these cookies is Italian, they would make a wonderful sandwich base with fresh mozzarella and a layer of pesto to double the basil notes. Round out the meal with another comforting favorite, like homemade cream of mushroom soup, for the ultimate soup and sandwich combo.

How to make good cookie dough?

It can be easy to fall prey to the common mistakes everyone makes when baking cookies, but with a few simple tips, successful results are well within reach. Watkins’ number one tip is to use cold butter when making the dough. “It will reward you with that revealing flaky cookie that we all know and love,” she explains. The temperature of the butter is important because as long as the milk is cold, it will not completely melt into the flour. As a result, the butter will only melt as the cookies bake in the oven, releasing steam and creating a light, puffy texture.

Along the same lines, Watkins’ second tip is to avoid overdoing it when mixing cookie dough. “A few kneads—just enough to hold the dough together—is enough. If you overwork the dough, you might end up with super dense cookies that are more like scones,” she explains. In addition to producing tender cookies, less kneading means less work for you!

Basil and Tomato Cookies Recipe

Preparation time: 50 minCooking time: 15 minYield: 10 cookiesIngredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon of baking powder

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes

• ½ cup chopped fresh basil

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, chilled

• 1 ¾ cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, basil and garlic and whisk to combine.

3. Add the butter to the bowl and, using a cookie cutter or fork, cut it into the flour mixture, creating pea-sized pieces.

4. Pour in the buttermilk and, using a rubber spatula, slowly fold or mix the ingredients together, creating a shaggy dough.

5. Transfer the dough (and any scraps in the bowl) to a clean work surface, sprinkling with additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Knead until it holds together.

6. Using your hands or a rolling pin, press the dough into a rough rectangle about ½ to ¾ inch thick.

7. Using a 2 to 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles.

8. Transfer the cookies to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F.

10. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned. (Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake and rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking, as the bottoms will darken faster than the tops.)

11. Serve hot.

Read the original article on Mashed.