Some time ago a kind and enthusiastic reader sent me cookies inspired by COLD MAGIC. I wrote about this event and included the recipe for “Cold Magic cookies” on the Orbit Books blog (here).

It’s a wonderful recipe (I have eaten these cookies and they are excellent). Since this is the season for baking (well, okay, every season is the season for baking, but you know what i mean), I thought it time to introduce the equally scrumptious “Cold Fire cookie.”

This recipe was also created by baker and seamstress extraordinaire, Raina Storer.

Here’s what she has to say about the Cold Fire cookie recipe:

To commemorate Cat’s great consumption of fruit and rum during her time in Expedition, as well as as her time on Salt Island… these cookies combine all these flavors to great effect.  The extracts can be difficult to find, but ultimately they served the best to really deliver the tastes of Cat’s adventures in Cold Fire.

The fabulous recipe:

Ingredients:

dough —
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 TB (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling dough
1 TB light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 TB pineapple extract
1 1/2 tsp lime extract
1/2 cup minced preserved guava
Maldon salt for sprinkling

glaze —
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 TB dark rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Line two large baking sheets with parchment, or spray with non stick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Save the butter wrappers aside.  Either by hand or with an electric mixture, beat butter for 3 minutes until soft, then cream the butter with the sugars at medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the egg and pineapple and lime extracts. Beat at medium speed until combined.  Mix in about 1/4 of a cup of the preserved guava, reserving the other 1/4 for garnish.  Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.

Place 1/2 cup of sugar into a shallow bowl for rolling.  Dip your hands in water to ensure the dough will not stick to them, and then drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into the bowl, coating with sugar, and rolling into balls.

Place balls on cookie sheet, about two inches apart.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Using the butter wrappers, butter the bottom of a drinking glass, then dip in the remaining sugar.  Flatten the balls with the bottom of the class until they are about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Garnish the flattened dough discs with pieces of the remaining guava, and sprinkle small pinch of Maldon salt on top.

Bake until golden at edges, about 15 minutes.  Cool cookies on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

When cookies have completely cooled, prepare glaze.  Combine rum with confectioner’s sugar, and whisk until smooth.  You may add rum or sugar to thin or thicken glaze as desired.  Using a spoon, drizzle glaze atop each cookie.  While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle additional Maldon salt to taste.

(me again: I can’t wait to see what Raina comes up with for Cold Steel)