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From: K
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 4:26 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Chocolate Leaf Cookies
Hi and happy New Year to you.
The folks at KAF suggested I contact you since you are the finder of lost recipes.
I am looking for a recipe for Chocolate Leaf Cookies, originally made famous by Bauer' Bake Shop in NYC in the 50s.
Unfortunately they no longer exist. I called the new owners who are now in the location and their bakery is called
Framboise Patisserie. The owner/baker is AJ. I asked if they still sell the Chocolate leaf cookies that Bauers used
to sell. They asked if it was a flat cookie covered in chocolate with an almond flavor... I happily said, "Yes" only
to find out that they make the cookie only for Christmas and are all sold out. I was told the name of the cookie is
" s p e a u l a i u s" they spelled it for me. I did find that cookie listed on your website but the recipes you
showed all contained spices (cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.) and the cookie I am seeking has none of those ingredients.
The Chocolate Leaf Cookie I know is flat in the shape of an oak leaf, which has been coated in dark chocolate.
The flavor is mild, a hint of almond flavor, very similar to the taste of a 7 layer rainbow cookie... meaning almond.
The cookie itself is more of a biscuit, like a social tea; it does have a snap to it. It is not as thin as a tuile
cookie nor as delicate. It more like a biscuit as it does have a snap to it when you break it. More like a social tea.
I found this recipe but the cookie is definitely not as delicate as a tuile. The ingredients sound like it could be correct.
Good Housekeeping Almond Leaves
I hope you can find the recipe... the cookie is sorely missed by hundreds of people if not thousands ;)
Please ask away if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
-k
Hello K______?
Please give your first name. I like to know people’s first names, not just their email.
Bauer's Bake Shop was a German bakery at : 64-59 Dry Harbor Road, Middle Village, Queens, NY . As you say, that location
is now occupied by Framboise Patisserie.
I did searches for any leaf cookie connected with either Bauer’s or Framboise Patisserie, but I had no success.
The only mention that I could find of these was another request on a message board, Serious Eats,
which gave this description:
...these were an almond paste or marzipan(i know i'm being redundant) cookie base in the shape of a oak leaf with a
knockout bitter sweet chocolate covering.
I looked for a German cookie in the shape of an oak leaf, also with no success. I don’t have anything on my site with that
spelling of “s p e a u l a i u s", nor could I find any cookie with that name anywhere. I’m going to speculate that you are
referring to the “speculaas” or “spekulatius” cookies on my site here: 12-21-03,
However, as you can see from those and these recipes, those cookies do contain spices, traditionally, and as far as I know, always:
Speculaas,
Spekulatius,
It does not sound to me as though you have actually tasted the Framboise Patisserie cookies. They might not be the same as the Bauer’s cookies.
Without more info, I am stymied. I will post this on the site.
Phaed
Update:
I have discovered some information about "leaf cookies."
All along, we have all been assuming that "leaf cookies" were originally a traditional German recipe, because at least two German bakeries in the US sold them - Bauer's and Ericann. As a result, I have been pursuing the "German" angle. However, that may not be the case. In America, at least, it appears that "chocolate leaf cookies" were popularized by a company that made baking supplies - cookie cutters and cookie molds in particular. That company, "Ateco", has been in business for many years and is still in operation.
"Ateco" makes an oak leaf mold or "stencil" and if you buy one, they send with it a recipe for an almond-flavored cookie that is topped with chocolate. Ateco calls these cookies "Wafer Leaf Chocolate Cookies." I think it is possible that the bakeries that sold "chocolate leaf cookies" were simply using the Ateco recipe and the Ateco Wafer Leaf Stencil to make the cookies. Of course, the recipe and the stencil itself may have been based on something that originally existed in Germany, but I have not been able to find any evidence of that. The recipe for the cookies is below. The stencil itself may be quite difficult to find. Most every place that had them for sale is now saying that they are "unavailable." These sites have photos of the stencil and advertise having one for sale:
Wafer Leaf Stencil
Ateco Wafer Leaf Stencil
The recipe is below.
Phaed
Ateco Wafer Leaf Chocolate Cookies
1/4 cup plus 1 teasp. butter
1/3 cup fine granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablesp. sifted cake flour
6 Tablesp. ground almonds
1/4 Teasp. almond extract
Cream butter with sugar, then with egg, until
very light and fluffy. Mix in flour, almonds,
extract.
Grease baking sheets and dust lightly with flour.
Spread mixture through Ateco's Wafer Leaf Stencil
onto sheets with spatula.
Bake at 350° F. till golden just at edges, about
10 minutes. Remove, loosening at once from sheets;
cool on wire racks.
On a plate over hot, not boiling, water, melt about
6 oz. dark sweet chocolate that has been cut into
pieces. Spread on bottoms of leaves. Mark veins in
leaves with knife. Let chocolate set at room
temperature, several hours or overnight.
-----Original Message-----
From: Carron
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2015 3:14 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Chocolate meringue cake
Years ago (early to mid 80’s, I believe) I made a recipe from Bon Appetit
that was a wonderful chocolate meringue cake. I believe it was submitted by
a reader. The cake was named by a female first name (Mary Jane, Mary Lou
etc). It was a double layer cake using chocolate chips, then a meringue
layer on each cake prior to baking. I also recall that the frosting was a
simple whipped cream. I’d really like to make this cake again as I remember
it to taste very chocolatey and everyone enjoyed it so much. I’ve searched
Bon Appetit but I cannot remember the female name.
Hope you can help.
Thanks,
Carron
Hello Carron,
Sorry, I can't find anything that matches your description. I'll post this
for reader input.
Phaed
From: Rose
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 10:49 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Boiled Fudge Frosting
Dear Phaedrus,
I have been looking for a boiled fudge frosting that my Mother would whip up for cakes that would set up
on the surface like almost like a ganache, but with a softer texture. My husband's Grandmother made it
and as he described it would come off in little sheets as you took bites of the cake and was SO good.
I found something on your archive that was kind of like it by the description, but used melted chocolate
and not the cocoa powder hers did. And there was more butter perhaps due to using cocoa powder rather
than the chocolate. I do remember Mom didn't beat it very much.
Thanks for your help!
Fudge Frosting
Ingredients :
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 sqs. unsweetened chocolate
Preparation :
Add sugar and milk, butter. Stir until boils HARD! Boil HARD 6
minutes. Don't stir while boiling. Remove from heat. Add vanilla
and chocolate. Stir until chocolate melted. Pour over cake. Will
be a hard, shiny frosting. Tastes like fudge. Frosting sets up
very quickly.
Rose
Hello Rose,
Well, below are some boiled fudge frosting recipes with cocoa. There are dozens of them.
I’m afraid things like “almost like a ganache, but with a softer texture”, and “it would
come off in little sheets as you took bites of the cake “, are not helpful in locating a
recipe, because those are things that would not be actually said in a recipe. If the below
recipes don’t suit, keep checking, as I will post this for reader input.
Phaed
Never Fail Fudge Frosting
1/3 c. cocoa
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/4 lb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix cocoa, sugar and milk; add butter. Bring to boil; boil 1 1/2 minutes. Take off heat.
Add vanilla and cool. Beat until spreading consistency.
-------------------------------------
Fudge Frosting
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (after pan is removed
from heat)
Bring to and boil 1 minute. Add vanilla and beat. If too thick, add a little milk.
If too thin, add a little powdered sugar.
-----------------------------------------
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute and
add vanilla, then beat until creamy.
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