Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Strawberry Cream Center Court Dreams
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
1 hour 15 mins
40 mins
2 hours
Serves:
30 cookies
Shannon created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Series 17. Inspired by her late nan's wish to visit Wimbledon, these strawberries-and-cream cookies wrap a cheesecake-style center in a dough marbled with strawberry jam. Nigella Lawson praised the flavor and loved how the strawberry came throug...
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Ingredients
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE CENTERS: 8 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, cold ⅓ cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp cornstarch ½ tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE STRAWBERRY JAM: 1¼ cups strawberry jam, seedless or not
FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH: 2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp fine sea salt
FOR THE TOPS: ¼ cup of the reduced strawberry jam, held back
EQUIPMENT: Small saucepan Piping bag or teaspoon Two lined trays (freezer-safe) Two large baking sheets Parchment paper #20 cookie scoop (3 Tbsp) Kitchen scale Toothpick Wire racks
Method
STEP 1: MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE CENTERS
Beat the cold cream cheese with the powdered sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract until just smooth. Do not overbeat, or it will loosen. Pipe or spoon 30 small mounds, about 2 tsp each, onto a lined tray and freeze until hard, at least 30 minutes.
STEP 2: REDUCE THE JAM
Simmer the strawberry jam in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until it has reduced to about ¾ cup and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear trail. Spread it on a plate and chill until cold. Set ¼ cup aside for the tops.
STEP 3: MAKE THE DOUGH
Whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until glossy. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, then fold them into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain.
STEP 4: MARBLE IN THE JAM
Dot the remaining cold reduced jam over the dough and fold three or four times only, so it stays in visible streaks rather than turning the dough pink.
STEP 5: FILL AND SHAPE
Scoop 30 portions with the #20 cookie scoop, about 1¾ oz (50 g) each. Flatten each in your palm, set a frozen cream cheese center in the middle and close the dough around it. Roll smooth and check that no cheese shows. Weigh a few on a kitchen scale and adjust so all 30 match.
STEP 6: CHILL AND HEAT THE OVEN
Chill the filled balls on a tray for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP 7: BAKE
Bake one test cookie first to check the timing in your oven. Then place 7 or 8 balls on each sheet, 3 inches apart, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, swapping the sheets halfway, until the edges are golden and set and the centers have lost their wet shine. A slight soft dome is right; a shiny, sunken center is not done. Keep the second round chilled until it goes in.
STEP 8: FINISH THE TOPS
As the sheets come out, add a small dot of the held-back jam to the top of each cookie and drag a toothpick through it once to marble it into the surface.
STEP 9: COOL AND BAKE THE SECOND ROUND
Leave the cookies on the sheets for 10 minutes so the centers finish setting, then move them to wire racks to cool completely. Bake and finish the second round the same way.
STEP 10: STORE AND SERVE
Because of the cream cheese centers, store the cookies chilled in an airtight container and eat within two days. Let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
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Instructions
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE CENTERS:
8 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, cold
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp vanilla extract(/interesting-ingredients/vanilla-extract)
FOR THE STRAWBERRY JAM:
1¼ cups strawberry jam, seedless or not
FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH:
2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
(/interesting-ingredients/vanilla-extract)4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
FOR THE TOPS:
¼ cup of the reduced strawberry jam, held back
EQUIPMENT:
Small saucepan
Piping bag or teaspoon
Two lined trays (freezer-safe)
Two large baking sheets
Parchment paper
#20 cookie scoop (3 Tbsp)
Kitchen scale
Toothpick
Wire racks
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE CENTERS
Beat the cold cream cheese with the powdered sugar, cornstarch and vanilla extract until just smooth. Do not overbeat, or it will loosen. Pipe or spoon 30 small mounds, about 2 tsp each, onto a lined tray and freeze until hard, at least 30 minutes.
STEP 2: REDUCE THE JAM
Simmer the strawberry jam in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until it has reduced to about ¾ cup and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear trail. Spread it on a plate and chill until cold. Set ¼ cup aside for the tops.
STEP 3: MAKE THE DOUGH
Whisk the cooled melted butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until glossy. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, then fold them into the wet mixture until no dry streaks remain.
STEP 4: MARBLE IN THE JAM
Dot the remaining cold reduced jam over the dough and fold three or four times only, so it stays in visible streaks rather than turning the dough pink.
STEP 5: FILL AND SHAPE
Scoop 30 portions with the #20 cookie scoop, about 1¾ oz (50 g) each. Flatten each in your palm, set a frozen cream cheese center in the middle and close the dough around it. Roll smooth and check that no cheese shows. Weigh a few on a kitchen scale and adjust so all 30 match.
STEP 6: CHILL AND HEAT THE OVEN
Chill the filled balls on a tray for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP 7: BAKE
Bake one test cookie first to check the timing in your oven. Then place 7 or 8 balls on each sheet, 3 inches apart, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, swapping the sheets halfway, until the edges are golden and set and the centers have lost their wet shine. A slight soft dome is right; a shiny, sunken center is not done. Keep the second round chilled until it goes in.
STEP 8: FINISH THE TOPS
As the sheets come out, add a small dot of the held-back jam to the top of each cookie and drag a toothpick through it once to marble it into the surface.
STEP 9: COOL AND BAKE THE SECOND ROUND
Leave the cookies on the sheets for 10 minutes so the centers finish setting, then move them to wire racks to cool completely. Bake and finish the second round the same way.
STEP 10: STORE AND SERVE
Because of the cream cheese centers, store the cookies chilled in an airtight container and eat within two days. Let them stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
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