Almond Blackberry thumbprints

 preheat oven to 375

 Cream together:

2 cups butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar 

add:  

6 egg yolks

2 T vanilla

2 teaspoon almond extract

when well combined add: 

2 C almond flour

3 C flour

make cookie dough in 2 T size balls, roll in a half/half mixture of almond flour and granulated sugar.   Use back of round 1/2 teaspoon to press an indent into top of cookie.   Add tiny bit (1/2 tsp?) blackberry jam into each indent.     Bake 11 minutes, until edges lightly brown.    

Variation:   make balls, but flatten with back of a glass, no indent, no jam.    Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar.  

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies - the ugliest cookie you'll ever love

 

First prep 12 oz of Buttersworth original hard candies.    Unwrap, put them in a gallon ziploc bag, put bag into an old pillowcase or fold into a dishcloth, and pound with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy sauce pan:   

 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 Cream together:

 2 sticks butter, at room temperature 

1 cup brown sugar

Then add: 

2 eggs

1 T vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

When well combined add in:

2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

Then add: 

12 ounces hard butterscotch candies (prepared as described)

Drop by the tablespoon onto parchment lined sheet pans, 3" apart.    Small balls, socially distanced.   These cookies seriously spread, y'all.      

Bake ~10 minutes.   If your oven is uneven, turn the pans halfway.   

Let the cookies cool on their tray, undisturbed.      Then store cooled cookies between layers of parchment.    

Pecan Bars

Preheat oven to 375.     Take your biggest ROASTING PAN (yes, you read that right) and line with parchment paper.    

For crust:

cream:
1.25 pounds butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar

add:
3 eggs
1 T good vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt

when that is well combined, add 4.5 cups of flour.    

Press into the roasting pan (put some flours on your fingers, but it'll be a mess anyway) - bake for 17 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pan combine:

1 pound butter
3 cups dark brown sugar
teaspoon of orange zest
dash of salt

in a single cup measuring cup:  bit of molasses, bit of orange juice, remainder corn syrup   (which I was subbing for honey)

melt over medium heat, then boil for three minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in:

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 pounds chopped pecans
1/2 pound pecan halves

Pour over crust, return to oven for 30 minutes.   

Soft Sugar Cookies

What to do on a rainy day with four young children to entertain?   (I was borrowing a couple of them for the morning)    Make cookies!     We didn't have quite enough time to make rolled cookies, wait for them to cool and then frost/sprinkle them, so I needed a recipe that added the sprinkles before baking.    These also TASTE very, very good. 

 

Soft Sugar Cookies

~ 2 dozen 

• 2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 t double strength vanilla 

Preheat oven to 375 standard/350 convection.   Whisk flour with baking powder and salt.    In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar.    Then add in egg and vanilla (use the good stuff).       Much like when making peanut butter cookies, roll balls of dough in sugar (maybe bourbon/vanilla bean infused raw sugar?) or sprinkles, and place on parchment lined pans - far apart!    I was doing 8-9 cookies on a half sheet pan.     Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on edges, allow to cool a few minutes on the parchment before removing from tray. 

Rolled shortbread cutout cookies ... i.e the best buttery sugar Christmas cookie EVER

the JOY cookies, stocking and star above are from this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 sticks cold butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons light cream (or half and half or heavy - I've used all three at different times)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix flour, salt, sugar together in bowl of mixer or food processor.      Add butter and mix until it's a crumbly consistency.     Whisk together yolk, cream and vanilla, then knead into butter/flour mixture.  

Divide dough in half and roll out each piece between two sheets of wax paper or parchment.    Chill on a baking sheet in your fridge, on the porch in December or in the freezer for even a few weeks.  

Preheat oven to 325 and line baking pans with parchment. 

Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters, re-rolling and re-chilling scraps.      Bake about 12 minutes, until the edges brown ever so slightly.   Be careful not to move the cookies too quickly so they don't break.


Variation:   to add color BEFORE baking mix serious paste food colors with some cream and brush onto cookies BEFORE baking.    Alternately sprinkle with colored sugar BEFORE baking.     Or wait until after they've cooled and then do a butter icing or royal icing!  

Raspberry Pecan Rugelach - or my new favorite Jewish Christmas Cookie!

So in visiting Zabar's in NYC, in addition to becoming completely addicted to their spectacular $8/pound coffee, I discovered a wonderful little pastry called Rugelach.     Getting it shipped from New York to Philly is a bit pricey though, so I decided to try my hand at making it.   

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks cold butter, cubed
1 (8oz) package cold cream cheese, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raspberry preserves
powdered sugar
finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)


1.  Mix salt and flour together in food processor big bowl.

2.  Add butter and cream cheese, and pulse about 12 times, until it looks a bit sandy / crumbly.

3.  whisk together yolk and vanilla.    Add to processor and turn on until a soft dough forms.

4.  Split dough into four equal balls, wrap each in parchment or wax paper, flatten into a disc about an inch thick and chill at least 20 minutes, or a couple of days.

** preheat oven to 375 **

5.  Sprinkle a work surface with powdered sugar.   Use more powdered sugar on rolling pin.  (don't skimp - the dough itself has no sugar)  Take just one piece out and roll into a messy thin circle-like shape.    

6.  Microwave jam enough to soften, and mix in some powdered sugar.    Spread thinly on dough and sprinkle with nuts.  

7.   Slice dough (using a pizza cutter if you have one) into 16 wedges.    Starting from thick end, roll each up and place on parchment lined baking pan.    Chill this pan for about twenty minutes (I just put it on my porch in December).  

8.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.   

So far I've only tried raspberry/pecan filling, but it's common to see walnut/brown sugar/cinnamon or chocolate or apricot (with apricot jam and chopped dried apricots)  

Wonderful macaroons that just happen to be gluten free

Coconut Macaroons Recipe 

Ingredients:

 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk 

 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Almond cookies

A yummy new cookie, I put together with a variation from a rugelach dough!

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
2 sticks cold butter, cubed
1 (8oz) package cold cream cheese, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
squeeze of orange juice


In a food processor quickly blend flour, salt and sugars.   (Just use a cup of powdered sugar if you don't have vanilla sugar).     Add butter and cream cheese and pulse until crumbly - about 12 pulses.     Whisk together egg yolk and flavorings and add, then run food processor until dough forms.

Split dough into four pieces, and roll out between parchment paper.    Chill (I put mine out on my porch in December).     Then cut with round cookie cutters.   (I used the mouth of a standard canning jar).  Transfer each round to a parchment lined baking pan.

Place a small (about 2 tsp) bit of marzipan onto one side of the round, then fold and seal the half moon.   I pressed one sliver of almond into the top of each cookie for easy identification as an almond cookie. 

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.   Immediately sprinkle with powdered sugar and cool completely before transferring to a storage container.  

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies: Just remember 1

1 cup peanut butter (I prefer Jif)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped peanuts

Mx the first five ingredients well, then add chopped peanuts.  Taking rounded tablespoons of dough, roll into balls.    Roll balls in sugar or just sprinkle on top.   Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.   Bake on parchment paper, in a 350 degree oven, for about 15 minutes.    IMPORTANT:  allow these to cool a few minutes before you remove them to wire racks to cool completely. 

If desired, press a Hershey's kiss, (or a dark chocolate drop) into the cookie IMMEDIATELY after removing from oven!

Butter pecan icebox cookies

I've been playing around trying to develop a non chocolate go-to cookie, and I think these are a winner.  

1 stick butter, softened
1 C brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1.75 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar, mix in egg and vanilla.   Mix in dry ingredients, then pecans.  Roll into one thick (about 4 inch) roll in wax or parchment paper and refrigerate a few hours or a few days.

Slice in 1 inch slices, then cut the round in quarters.  Bake on ungreased cookie pan at 375 for about 15 minutes.  

Royal Icing

A wonderful icing for gingerbread cookies or cutout cookies. Left to dry overnight it will completely harden. Perfect as the "glue" for a gingerbread house or to attach decorations and sprinkles to cookies. I would NOT attempt this if my mixer was broken.

1/4 cup of pasteurized egg white (buy in the carton in the egg section at the grocery store)

1 pound powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

water, if necessary

food coloring (paste type), if desired

Mix the powdered sugar into the egg white, vanilla and lemon juice about a cup at a time. Once somewhat combined, turn mixer to a high setting (using whisk attachment) and beat until stiff peaks stage.

Once you reach this stage you can use in a few different ways:

1. Spread the thick mixture directly onto cookies.

2. Use as "glue" in cookie house construction)

3. Scoop out approximately a third of this recipe into a smaller bowl. Combine with about a tablespoon of water and food coloring of your choice. Spoon into a sandwich size zip-top bag. Cut a VERY small hole in one corner, and use to squeeze onto cookies. (Do the same thing omitting the color to decorate with white)

Christmas Cookies: Gingerbread (gingerbread men, gingerbread starts, gingerbread trees ....)

Ingredients:



1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons ground ginger (for a spicy cookie - use less if you like)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (again, for a spicy cookie)

1.5 tsp ground cloves

pinch of salt

pinch of ground allspice, just because it there in the spice drawer

2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 cup molasses (I used blackstrap, but regular will be fine too)

5 cups all purpose flour



In electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add spices and salt and mix well. Add the baking soda mixture and molasses - beat for a while until thoroughly combined or until you reach the commercial break of the holiday special you are watching. Add the flour one cup at a time, then beat for two more minutes until well mixed. Let the dough stand while you go eat dinner or some other activity of your choice for about an hour.



Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on the counter. Put about a third of the dough in the middle of the sheet, then rip another piece off of equal length to make a parchment-dough-parchment sandwich. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out. Make sure to flip over your "sandwich" every minute or so. If the paper on either side starts to crinkle into cracks of the dough, carefully peel off the paper and lay it out flat and roll away. (Deep cracks will result in cracked cookies when baked). I think you are supposed to be getting the dough no greater than a quarter of an inch thick. If you ever figure out how to accomplish this, please let me know. Mine are probably 1/2 inch thick.



Place the dough sandwich on a cookie tray in your refrigerator overnight, or lay it on top of the ice cream containers (or any items the same height) in your freezer for 20-30 minutes. Repeat with the remaning thirds of dough.



Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets. Remove a dough sandwich, which should now be cold and firm, from the fridge or freezer. Peel off the top layer of parchment, carefully flip it over so its is still sitting on parchment, and peel off the bottom layer. Now use whatever cookie cutters you like, and arrange cut cookies on a baking tray, no closer than 1.5 inches apart. If you like you can add the hard cinnamon candies for gingerbread men buttons or raisins before baking. Reroll and refrigerate the scraps from between the cookie cutters. Because you are not rolling on flour, the chance of a tough and overworked dough from the scraps is much reduced.



If you actually managed 1/4 inch thickness for your dough, then try baking for seven minutes. Mine were taking 10-12 per tray, depending on the size of the cookie. Remove to wire racks for cooling.



I decorate mine with royal icing:

Pistachio Wedding Cakes

New Christmas season, same recipe as last year: Pistachio Wedding Cakes. If it ain't broke ...

Christmas Cookies: Maple Glazed Cookies

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together until light and fluffy:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

Mix in:

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix in gently (on low setting if using mixer):

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto baking tray, spacing 3" apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

For glaze: reduce 1/2 cup maple syrup by half. Drizzle over cookies, then sprinkle LIGHTLY with coarse salt. Allow glaze to harden overnight. Store in airtight containers.

Walnut Rum Blondies

Any recipe that includes butter, brown sugar and rum is bound to be a winner ....

2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons dark rum
Pinch salt
2 cup flour

2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Butter a 13 x 9 pan.

Pour melted butter into mixer, and add brown sugar. Cream until well mixed. Mix in eggs, vanilla, salt and rum. Add flour and beat until just combined. Add walnuts and mix until stirred in.

Scrape batter into pan and spread with spatula until about evenly covering pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until done (like brownies be careful not to overbake - they'll set up a bit more as they cool). Cool completely before cutting, if you can wait.

Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

I'm moving this week, so I don't have much access to kitchen or computer, so the leftovers are long ago consumed for each recipe this week, but hopefully still useful!

OATMEAL RASPBERRY BARS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam (I've substituted homemade strawberry jam at least once)

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spread 3/4 cup coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast in middle of oven, stirring once, until golden, about 8 minutes, then cool.

Blend together flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor, then add butter and blend until a dough begins to form. Transfer to a bowl and knead in oats and toasted coconut until combined well.

Reserve 3/4 cup dough, then press remainder evenly into bottom of a buttered 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan and spread jam over it. Crumble reserved dough evenly over jam, then sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup (untoasted) coconut.