I love baking cookies!!
I'll post a few of my favorites!!!
These first ones takes time but come out beautiful and are delicious.
Italian Christmas Rainbow Cookies
Ingredients:
7 oz marzipan paste or almond paste
1 cup sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 drops green food coloring, or to desired color
5 drops red food coloring, or to desired color
12-oz jar raspberry jam (preferably seedless)
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 3 (13- by 9-inch) metal baking pans. Line bottom of each with wax paper, letting it extend at 2 opposite ends, and grease paper. Break marzipan paste into small pieces and grind with sugar in food processor until no lumps remain. Transfer to a large bowl and add butter. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then add yolks and almond extract and beat well. Beat in flour and salt on low speed. Beat egg whites in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold stiff peaks and stir one third into batter to lighten slightly (batter will still be stiff). Fold in remaining whites thoroughly. Divide dough into thirds (about 1 1/2 cups each). Stir green food coloring into one third and red food coloring into another, leaving one third plain. Spread each dough separately into a pan. (Layers will be thin.)
Bake layers in batches in middle of oven until just set and beginning to turn golden along edges, 7 to 10 minutes total. Run a knife along edges to loosen from pan, then while still hot, invert a large rack over pan and invert layer onto rack, pulling gently on wax paper overhangs to release if necessary. Peel off wax paper and cool completely.
Line a large shallow baking pan with wax paper and slide green layer into it. Spread half of jam evenly over green layer and carefully top with plain layer. Spread remaining jam evenly over uncolored layer and carefully top with pink layer (trim edges if necessary). Cover with plastic wrap and weight with a large cutting board or baking pan. Chill at least 3 hours.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove weight and plastic wrap and spread chocolate evenly over top, but not sides, of pink layer. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, and cut into small diamonds (12 rows crosswise and 12 diagonal rows).
Cooks’' note: Do not make this dough ahead.
Storage: Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. (Note: These cookies may be frozen, preferably before slicing.) This cookie improves with age.
For best flavor, make the cookies up to 3 days before serving and store them covered in the refrigerator.
Makes about 7 dozen diamonds.
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Logs
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 48 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Mix in the flour, and then one cup of the chocolate chips. Shape dough into 2x1/2 inch logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until firm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pan (shortbread is brittle).
4. Melt the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and shortening over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate, then into the nuts. Place onto waxed paper until set.
Russian Tea Cakes/Mexican Wedding cookies/Kouranbiethes (Greek) Cookies/Snowballs
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes
Yields: 36 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond)
6 tablespoons confectioners'
sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped Pecans, ground fine
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for
decoration
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into mini balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.
Notes:
You can freeze the dough
Store in an airtight container
If dough is crumbly, add 1 Tbsp milk
Options:
Choc Chips
Sprinkles
Cloves (Greek)
Good with almond extract, pecans (fine)
and you can add green food coloring to be festive.
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
These are just what they say: big, soft, gingerbread cookies. They stay soft, too.
Servings: 24
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Cookies are my favorite thing to bake and I make around 20 different types during the holidays. Looking forward to this thread!
)
more recipes, thanks.
