Almond Sablés

One-third of a batch (or 1 1/4 cups) freshly made Almond Cookie Dough
1 1/2 tbs. granulated sugar
1/4 cup turbinado (or granulated sugar) - (I used a mixture of sprinkling and granulated sugar) (I have no idea what turbinado sugar is but I will google it later)

Sprinkle the 1 1/2 tbs. granulated sugar onto the dough and work it in with your clean hands until it's evenly dispersed

On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a log about 6 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter.

Wrap the log in waxed paper or foil

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight (again, I chose the 2 hour route)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Put the 1/4 cup sugar on a flat surface such as a tray or clean counter top.  Roll the log of dough in the sugar, pressing so the sugar adheres.  Cut the log into 1/4-inch slices and arrange them at least 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookies sheet.  Let the cookies sit at room temperature while the oven heats.  Bake until the edges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan front to back about halfway through baking.  Let the cookies sit on the sheet for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack with a metal spatula.  Let cool before storing airtight.

Three in One Dough

Chocolate Thumbprints - Hazelnut Almond Crescents - Almond Sables

These were so easy to make, once the dough is made.  Roll in sugar, slice and bake.  These reminded me so much of Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, except they're homemade :)  Well this ends my feature of the Three in One Cookie Dough Recipe.  I'm thrilled that I'll have a variety of cookies to put out for our Christmas party next weekend.  It's so much easier when you have a cookie dough recipe that will make a variety.  Have a great weekend!

Hazelnut Almond Crescents

One-third of a batch (or 1 1/4 cups) freshly made Almond Cookie Dough

1 cup hazelnuts
1 to 2 tbs. confectioners' sugar: more as needed

Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350F degree oven for about 7 minutes.  Watch closely to make sure they don't burn

Once toasted, rough chop until they're coarse ( don't look too close, I may have toasted them a wee little too much :\   )

Pour the hazelnuts onto the dough and

with your hands work the hazelnuts into the dough

Shape level measuring tablespoons of dough into fat crescents and put them in a container lined with waxed paper.  This is my first time ever making any kind of crescent cookie, as you can see I need some practice... so don't laugh

Cover and refrigerate the cookies for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight (I went the 2 hour route)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Arrange the crescents 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake the cookies until the tops are lightly colored and the bottoms are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheet from the front to back halfway through baking.

Let the cookies cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes and then sift the confectioners' sugar over them.

Transfer to a rack to cool

Sift more confectioners' sugar over the cookies before serving if necessary.

This is the second batch of cookies that I made from the Almond Cookie Dough.  These crescents were fun to make but I definitely need work in shaping them.  It wasn't hard at all but I think I might make them a bit thinner as these were a little too thick for my palate.  I left some out for the family to taste but not many as I need to freeze them for next weekend's party here at Spottswood Place.  It's not like we have any desserts since it's only two days after Thanksgiving and there's plenty of pumpkin, mincemeat and a little bit of chocolate cream pie left.  Have a great weekend!

Three in One

Chocolate Thumbprints - Hazelnut Almond Crescents - Almond Sables

Get a head start on holiday baking with this versatile recipe.  Make this one delicious dough, in this case an almond flavored one, that serves as the base for the three different and delicious cookies I will be featuring in this post along with the next two. These recipes were taken from the 2009 Holiday Edition of Fine Cooking Magazine.  Sooo, let's get started!

MASTER RECIPE - ALMOND COOKIE DOUGH

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. table salt

3/4 cup whole almonds (I used slivered)

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut in large chunks and slightly softened
4 tsps. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. pure almond extract (I used 1/2 tsp)

3 cups bleached all-purpose flour

Process the sugar and salt in a food processor until it looks powdery and a little finer, 30 to 60 seconds.  Add the almonds and process until they're finely chopped, about 20 seconds.  Add the butter and the vanilla and almond extracts.  Pulse until the butter is smooth, scraping the bowl as necessary.

 Add the flour and pulse until a soft dough begins to form around the blade.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl and stir briefly with a rubber spatula to be sure it's evenly mixed.  As you can see, I just dumped it into the bowl from my food processor. The blades were easier to take out that way, I really hate messin' with them, they scare me.

I rolled the dough into a log so that I could portion the dough into equal thirds.  Take one portion for the next recipe, cover the other two and set aside.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINTS

One third of a batch (or 1 1/2 cups) freshly made Almond Cookie Dough (see above recipe)

1/4 cup coarse sugar, such as turbinado, demerara or sanding sugar

2 1/2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

5 tsp. unsalted butter

Scoop up a generous teaspoonful (2 level tsp.) of the dough.

Shape into a 1-inch ball with your hands.  Roll the ball in the sugar.

Set on tray lined with waxed paper.  Repeat with the rest of the dough, setting the balls slightly apart.

Press a thumb or forefinger, dipped in flour, into each ball to create a depression.

Cover and refrigerate the cookies for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight (I couldn't wait overnight so I went with the two hours)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and arrange them 1 inch apart on an ungreased or foil-lined cookie sheet.  Let the cookies sit at room temperature while the oven heats.  Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.  Gently redefine the depressions with your thumb or the tip of a wooden spoon's handle, if necessary.  

Rotate the sheet and continue to bake until the tops are lightly colored and the bottoms are golden brown, another 8 to 12 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a rack and let cool completely.

While the cookies cool, prepare the filling.

Put the chocolate and butter in a heafproof bowl set in a wide skillet of almost simmering water (or microwave on medium power for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after the first minute.)  When the chocolate is almost completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and stir until completely melted and smooth.

Spoon the filling into each depression. 

 If the filling hardens while using, reheat it in the pan of hot water.

I know it probably would have been easier to use a Hershey's kiss in place of the chocolate but I love baking things from scratch especially when I have all the ingredients and the time.  Aren't they adorable??

I was very busy today, as a matter of fact, this dough and batch of cookies along with the other two batches of cookies took me most of the morning but I didn't mind.  I wasn't planning to go out shopping (I never do on Black Friday).  Just planned to sleep in and do some baking.  My daughter is having a party here at the house next weekend and I knew this would be my only chance to have the time and strength to bake some cookies for her party.  Three cookies from one dough!  Now that's what I'm talking about.  I will post the other two tomorrow some time tomorrow.

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Throwback Thursday #9

Grandma Coles Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup shortening, softened

1 cup 10x sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. red food coloring

1/2 cup crushed peppermint

1/4 cup of granulated and 1/4 cup of sugar crystals, blend together

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Combine the shortening and the sugar in an electric mixer bowl or food processor with the sharp blade.  Then add the egg, and the almond and vanilla extracts.

Combine the flour and the salt.  Then gradually add the dry ingredients to the food processor and mix.

Divide the dough in half.  Add the red food coloring to one of the halves.  Use a utensil to blend in the food coloring and then use your hands to blend it in completely until it's one color only.

The divided doughs.  Scoop out a teaspoon of each dough.  Roll into a ball and then shape into a small roll

Like this

Take both rolls and roll together until they're one piece like this.

Carefully transfer roll to a lined baking pan and shape into a candy cane.  Bake for 9 minutes.

While the candy canes are still warm, dredge both sides into the sugars

This is another popular Christmas cookie that my hubby's mother baked and sent to us through the mail.  So many memories of her package arriving and with every hand on the package wanting to be the first to grab a goodie.  As a young bride (many moons ago) hubby asked me to make these for him and I haven't made this exact recipe since.  You'll see why.  I'm not sure what it is, but these cookies are the hardest to make out of all of them.  The dough does not cooperate as you roll it so it's constantly tearing up under your palm as you roll it.  When I was younger I was impatient and very frustrated.  So when I asked her for the recipe yesterday, those horrible memories came to mind and I was a little apprehensive.  With many years between the first time and today, I figured being older and wiser would make a difference.  Well,..... the dough once again was being very stubborn but I didn't get frustrated like before.  It was a little time consuming which why it was the only cookie I baked today otherwise I probably would have made another kind.  Anyway, it was nice to sit down and take a break once the cookies were finally done.  

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks of butter) softened at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tbs. light corn syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned, not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted (I loathe pecans so I skipped these)

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted

3 1/2 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Using a stand alone mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light an fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Scrape the bowl.

Add the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla;  beat for 1 minute on medium speed.

Mix in half of the all-purpose flour.  Sprinkle cake flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl and beat on low speed until well blended.

add the cranberries

then add the toasted coconut

then add the oats

then add the white chocolate.  With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula stir all the ingredients

until well blended like this.  With your hands, roll into 2 oz balls (a scant of 1/4 cup).  Flatten to 1/2" thick. On a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, space them about 2" apart and bake for 16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. (I didn't take any pictures of this part only because my hands were too greasy).  Cool for at least 1 minute.  These cookies will keep for about 4 days at room temperature or  for several weeks in the freezer.

I really need a freezer.  We already have a really nice one but it's jam packed.  I'm going to try to make room to freeze some cookies so I can have them for the holidays.  Makes no sense in eating all of them now, right???? ;)

i Savor the Weekend