Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Quantity: 24 cookies
Who would have known that you can make dessert recipes with wild mushrooms? The Candy Cap mushroom is truly one of a kind, boasting a sweet vanilla and maple-like flavour that makes it a perfect addition to cookies and pastries. Many chefs use dried candy caps in muffins, crème brûlée, cornbread and homemade ice cream as they hold such a strong flavour and are novel menu ingredients. Picked in Washington and Oregon, these local wild mushrooms are a must-try for an adventurous cook!
Place dried mushrooms in a bowl of lukewarm water, soak for 15-20 minutes
Drain water and pat dry with a paper towel
Add 1 tbsp butter to a pan over medium heat, sauté candy caps for 7-10 minutes
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar then beat in egg and vanilla
Slowly add flour while stirring, then chopped pecans and sautéed candy caps
Roll cookie dough together into three logs, each about 1 ½ inches in diameter
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F)
Slice cookies about ¼ inch thick and place on ungreased baking sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes until bottom of cookies are a light golden brown
Serve and enjoy!
Tip:
You can prepare a batch or two of the cookie dough in wax paper to freeze and hold for a special occasion! If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you can still enjoy these unique beauties in savoury dishes; some people cook them with pork, game meat, soups and risottos, and stir-frys!
