MANGO TEA CAKES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

We make so many different kinds of cookies in my family, but we are always on the lookout for something new and different that incorporates a favorite ingredient, in this case, fresh mangoes. If you have never cut into a mango, be advised that it has a large, white, flat seed at the center to which the pulp clings tenaciously. Cut in half a little off center as close to the seed as possible. Score the pulp in the halves with a sharp knife into squares and invert the peel to pop out cubes of the pulp to make separation from the peel easier. Wikipedia calls this the hedgehog method.

The recipe came from the Food Network site a few years ago. The cookies were delicious and sturdy, but looked so plain compared to the others we make that I needed a way to spiff them up a bit. After making a batch of mini chocolate ganache cupcakes, I had some of the white chocolate ganache left over and decided to add a tiny drop of pink food coloring to distinguish these cookies and add some color to our assortment. By the following year, everyone still remembered them and asked me to make the pink cookies again, so they did distinguish themselves among all the others. Alex still can’t eat them, though, unless I leave some of them plain.

The raspberry extract (McCormick’s) is a relatively esoteric ingredient that I only found recently. When I used it this year, I noticed that it contains propylene glycol, not one of my favorite ingredients. Since I already had bought it, I used it, but the cookies are delicious without it.

Mango Teacakes with White Chocolate Ganache

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mango puree (pulp from one large, ripe mango puréed in a food processor)
• 1-1/2 tsps. lemon zest (use a microplane)
• 1 tsp. raspberry extract (optional)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Ceresota or Hecker’s)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the mango purée, lemon zest, extracts and egg and mix well.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. On very low speed, carefully stir portions of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.

4. Drop portions of the dough with a 1-1/4-inch ice cream scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a conventional oven; 10 minutes in convection oven, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Top with White Chocolate Ganache. Makes about 4 dozen.

White Chocolate Ganache

• 5 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 small drop pink food coloring (optional)

1. In a small heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let stand five minutes, then stir until smooth. 

2. Stir in the butter until incorporated. 

3. Stir in the food coloring, if using.

4. Let stand until set enough that a ribbon of the ganache, dripped across the top of the mixture with a spoon, takes a count of 10 before disappearing back into itself. If it sets too much, rewarm gently on very low heat and cool again until the correct consistency is reached. 

5. Use a mini ice cream scoop (1-inch) to scoop a portion onto the center of each cookie. Let the chocolate set completely for 12-24 hours before packing between layers of waxed paper. 

These cookies freeze very well.