July 16, 2014

The Incognito Mojito

Minnesota State Fair Winner

Have you ever had a Mojito? That delightful Cuban drink with crushed mint and fresh lime? It is one of my favorite cocktails to have on vacation and in the summer. One of the Minnesota State Fair winners last year (2013) was a cookie inspired by these same delightful flavors. Read on about Crystal’s experience in making them and try them this summer too!

-Cyndi

It’s summer! After the long winter most of us experienced, I am savoring summer as much as I can, and the Incognito Mojito made my summer even better! Every bite of this cookie makes me think of sunshine. The texture is light and chewy, and the subtle lime flavor makes me want sit outside and enjoy them with a nice cool drink. Follow this “how-to” to experience these cookies for yourself.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the rack in the middle of the oven. Next, zest your lime and set aside.

Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Melt your butter in the microwave. In another bowl, put in the sugar and cream cheese, and pour the warmed, melted butter on top. Whisk to combine, making sure there are no clumps of cream cheese visible.

To this mixture, add in the oil, egg, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk ingredients until smooth. Gently fold in the flour mixture until a consistent dough is formed. Roll the dough in balls of approximately 2-3 tablespoons. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12  minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.

The icing adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cookies. To make the icing, first finely chop your mint. Next, pour milk in a bowl and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar. Stir until smooth. If the icing gets hard to stir, just add a little more milk until it’s workable again. Once all of the confectioner’s sugar and milk have been combined, mix in the corn syrup, vanilla extract, and chopped mint. Mix until icing is shiny and smooth. Make sure you let the cookies completely cool before applying icing.

Spread the icing onto the cooled cookies. You may want to let the iced cookies sit before serving to give the icing a chance to harden. The hardened icing is like a candy shell on top of the chewy cookie! Now let’s all continue to enjoy summer with some Incognito Mojito cookies on the side!

-Crystal

The Incognito Mojito

The Lime Cookie:

2 1/4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

2.5 ounces cream cheese (room temp)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and still warm)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

Zest of 1 lime

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

The Mint Icing:

4 teaspoons milk, plus extra if needed

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

4 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)

 

The Lime Cookie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with the rack in the middle. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Place sugar and cream cheese in a bowl and pour the warmed butter on top. Whisk to combine the ingredients, making sure the clumps of cream cheese are visibly absent. Mix in the oil, egg, zest, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Gently fold in the flour mixture until a consistent dough is formed.

Roll the dough into balls of approximately 2-3 tablespoons. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 10-1 2 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to brown. Let the cookies cool before applying the icing.

 

The Mint Icing:

Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar to the milk in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Once all of the confectioner’s sugar and milk have been combined, mix in corn syrup, vanilla extract, and chopped mint. Mix until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Spread the icing mixture onto the cooled cookies. Makes approximately 24 cookies.

-Recipe from Greg, 2013 Minnesota State Fair, Gold Medal Flour Scratch Bakers Cookie Challenge