Ghiradelli Star Cookie

Lark Creek Restaurant Group Wish Cookie

Gingerbread Wishes Cookie

Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler, Lark Creek Restaurant Group

• 5 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Ginger, ground
• 1 teaspoon Clove, ground
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom, ground
• ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
• 12 ounces Butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 Cup Ginger Sugar (see recipe below)
• ½ Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/8 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Lemons, zest only
• 1 Cup Molasses
• 1 Extra-Large Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• ¼ Cup Buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Water

Sift first 6 ingredients and set aside.  Whisk eggs and buttermilk together and set aside.  Place butter and salt in bowl of standing mixer, mix on low to smooth butter. Add ginger sugar and lemon zest and mix till smooth.  Scrape down and add molasses, mix until smooth.

Mix baking soda and water together and whisk into egg mixture then add to mixer in two additions, scraping in between additions and mixing until smooth. Add flour in 3 additions, scraping down in between.

Remove bowl from mixer and make certain dough is completely homogenous before wrapping in 4 packages, roughly 2 inches thick. Dough must be refrigerated until firm enough to roll, preferably overnight so flavor can also develop.

Roll cold dough out in batches to 1/4 inch thick.  Refrigerate again before cutting stars.

Brush stars with a mixture of 1 part water to 1 part corn syrup and bake at 350 degrees until center springs back when touched.

Ginger Sugar

Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler, Lark Creek Restaurant Group

• 1 Pound Sugar
• ½ Pound Sliced, candied Ginger
  

Place sugar and rough chopped ginger in bowl of food processor and grind until the mixture resembles sand and the ginger is broken down.

Cream Cheese Icing

Pastry Chef Patti Dellamonica-Bauler, Lark Creek Restaurant Group

• 1 Pound Cream Cheese, room temperature
• ¾ Pound Butter, soft
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 ½ Pounds Sifted Powdered Sugar

Place cream cheese in mixer with paddle.  Mix until smooth then add butter (should be same temperature and consistency as cream cheese). In 2 additions, scrape down mixer and add extracts.  Begin adding sugar and scraping down as needed.

Ghirardelli's Wish Star Chocolate Cookie

Created by Chef Emily Luchetti in honor of the Ghirardelli Make-A-Wish program
Makes about a dozen cookies.

Shortbread

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 bar (4oz) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
  

Dipping

• 1 bag (11.5 oz) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tbsp butter
  

Melt baking bar on double boiler and set aside. Mix flour and salt together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and mix just until blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured board, roll dough to ¾ inch and cut with cookie cutters. If the dough is very soft, chill again for at least 30 minutes. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Melt chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp butter in double boiler. Dip cooled cookie in melted chocolate mixture and let chocolate set.