Hogwarts Confections: The Gryffindor Cookie

Okay. I'm just going to say it outright. Just so there's no misunderstanding.

I'm not a fan of Gryffindor.



Maybe it's the fact that I never identified with that particular Hogwarts house. I'm all for chivalry and bravery for sure, just as long as I'm not the one participating in such acts. All in all, it's the characters who live within the house that really get my goat. I'm okay with the Weasleys, but Ron's overacting/mugging during the movies drive me ape. I knew someone like Hermonie when I was in grade school - I'm pretty sure I pushed her in the mud because I thought she was a bossy know-it-all. And then there's Harry. Don't get me started with him.

I'm sure this won't make me very popular, but I thought Harry was a pretty lame duck protagonist. Don't get me wrong, books one through four were fantastic. Loved them. But something must have snapped within Harry (and JK, I guess) in book five. He started to whine. A lot. I get it, dude. Your parents are dead. Well, you know who else had their parent's die in front of them? Bruce Wayne. And do you see Bruce Wayne whining? Of course not. Because he's fucking Batman, Harry.



I apologise. Harry Potter is okay. I guess. Honestly, I think these cookies are much better.

We put together our lovely sugar cookie recipe, cutting out two shapes and sandwiching them together to form a starburst. Pure strawberry preserves sit in the middle. Together, they provide a rich goodness that would be perfectly at home within the Gryffindor common room.

And, for all you Gryffindors out there - I'm sure you're all cool dudes. Slytherins are just cooler.




The Gryffindor Cookie
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
Strawberry jam or preserves
extra sugar and confectioner's sugar for sprinkling

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix your butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well again. Add vanilla and continue to mix. Sift in your flour and stir with a wooden spoon until your batter comes together. Set in the refrigerator to cool for at least a half hour.

3) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take out your cooled dough and roll it to about 1/8 of an inch. Use two different round cookie cutters (we used a larger star shape and a smaller scalloped shape) and cut the dough. With your smaller circle, use the larger end of a piping tip to cut out the middle of your dough. Lay the smaller dough circle on the centre of your larger circle. With a quarter-teaspoon, scoop a bit of your strawberry jam or preserve in the cut-out centre of your cookie. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges have begun to turn golden. Set out to cool and then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Enjoy!