Sofficini Softies Recipes

Steps:

• In a saucepan heat the milk, salt and butter until it boils. Do add enough salt or else the pastry will have no taste.
• When the milk boils, add the flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon. remove from the flame and mix further until it leaves the side of the pan.
• Let it cool down until just warm and knead on the work surface until the pastry holds its shape well. Use some flour to stop it from sticking.
• Cover in plastic wrap and set aside until completely cool. DO NOT REFRIGERATE!
• Mix the tomato sauce with the bechamel sauce. Chop the cheese into small pieces.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry to about 3 mm thick and using a small plate ( approximately the size of a C.D) as a guide, cut up circles. I make about 8.
• Put about a tablespoon of sauce and a tablespoon of cheese, fold in half, then seal the edges by pressing down with your fingers. * the amount of filling depends on the size of the plate you are using.
• Dip the sofficini in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs ** you may now freeze them in a single layer until needed. To cook just deep fry as usual.
• Deep fry till golden. Cut it up to see the filling ooze out! Yummy.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.
• Line cookie sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray. Leave little "ears" of foil sticking up on the sides, large enough to grab later.
• Unwrap squares of chocolate and break them apart. Put them in a small microwave safe bowl, melt them for 90 seconds on high. Stir them until they're smooth and set aside to cool while you mix up your cookie dough.
• Combine butter and sugars together. Beat on medium speed until smooth. (Less than a minute).
• Add baking soda and salt, resume beating on medium for another minute, or until incorporated.
• Add egg and beat on medium until the batter is smooth (another minute).
• Add the peppermint and chocolate extracts, and mix for about 30 seconds.
• Shut off the mixer and scrape the bowl. Then add melted chocolate and mix again for another minute on medium speed.
• Shut off mixer and scrape down bowl again. At low speed, mix in half of the flour. Once incorporated, mix in sour cream.
• Scrape down bowl again, add the rest of the flour and beat until fully incorporated.
• Stir bowl with a spoon a few times. Mix in pecan pieces by hand.
• Use a teaspoon to spoon the dough onto the foil-lined cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet. (If dough is too sticky, chill for half an hour and try again.).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until they rise and are firm.
• Slide the foil from the cookie sheets and onto a wire rack. Let the cookies cool on the rack while the next sheet is baking. When the next sheet is ready, pull them onto the counter/table and slide the new foil onto the rack. Keep alternating until all dough is baked.
• When all the cookies are cool, set them out on wax paper for frosting.
• FROSTING.
• Put broken chocoalte squares into a microwave safe bowl. Melt on high for 90 seconds. Stir until smooth and set aside.
• When chocolate is cool, mix in the butter. Then stir in the powdered sugar.
• Mix in the vanilla extract and the cream. Beat the frosting until it's of spreading consistency. (This is no-fail frosting, if it's too thick add more cream, too thin, add more powdered sugar).
• Frost your cookies and leave them on the waxed paper until the frosting has hardened.
• When the frosting has hardened, arrange the cookies on a pretty platter. They store well in a covered container, when separated by wax paper.
• If you don't have time to frost, coat the cookies with powdered sugar while they're still warm. Do a second sprinkling once cool.