Pecan Brandy Cookies

Pecan Brandy Cookies

     Over the holidays this year I invented the “six days of cookies.”  The name is self-explanatory – each day Sophie and I made a different type of cookie.  Easy right?  Well not really.  Our first cookie from “Tasteofhome Cookies” was a total disaster.  If you have the magazine don’t bother with the “tender Italian sugar cookies,” they were tasteless even with doubling the vanilla (actually I think I tripled it) and they were anything but tender (very dry and floury).  The only way we sort of saved them was by dipping them in mint chocolate.  I was so spooked by our first attempt that I chucked the magazine in the bin and went back to my tried and true books; Cookies by Nick Malgieri, my ages old Betty Crocker’s Christmas book, and Martha Stewart’s Holiday Handbook.  So while the holidays are over and the cookies are gone the recipes are here…finally.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons brandy

2 ¼  cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons

1 ¼ cup finely chopped pecans

½  cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

¼  teaspoon salt

     Cream butter and honey until fluffy in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add brandy,

and beat to combine.  Whisk flour, pecans, confectioners' sugar, and salt together in a

medium bowl.  Add to butter/brandy mixture and beat to combine.  If dough is too soft,

refrigerate for 30 minutes.

      Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll dough into balls using 1-tablespoon

measure or small ice cream scoop.  Place on baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake until just

browning about the edges about brown 12 to 13 minutes.  Be careful not to burn the

bottoms.  Cool completely on wire racks.  Roll cookies in confectioners' sugar to coat.

Store in an airtight container. 

  It’s All Delicious Notes:  This cookie melted in your mouth and would be a perfect

 treat for Easter as well!  Adapted from Martha’s recipe for Noel Nut Balls.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

They only come around this time of year...mint chocolate chips that is!  So, I snap up as many bags as I think reasonable, usually four, and then dole out the batches of chocolate chip cookies with that holiday twist from November to January.  I make a chocolate batter, but you could also whip up a traditional “Toll House” batter as well.  These cookies will fly off the plate either way!

Makes about 45 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon baking soda

8 oz butter, 2 sticks, room temperature

1 cup, 8oz light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup, 4oz-granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2-teaspoons vanilla extract

1 10oz bag of mint chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda together, set aside.  Beat butter and sugars together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Mix in flour and coco using a spatula, the dough will be stiff.  Stir in chips and distribute through batter.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough on parchment lined baking sheets 2inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes, cookies should be soft and just beginning to crisp up around the edges. Do not over bake! Transfer cookies to wire rack while still hot.

It’s All Delicious Notes:  Check out my other chocolate chip cookie recipe in the index of this site if you want to switch up the batter and make a traditional type cookie batter.

Lemony Snowflake Shortbread

These little snowflakes are light and buttery.  They do fall apart in your hands and melt in your mouth...just like a snowflake should!  You could also substitute the lemon extract for orange or take a more traditional route and use almond extract...oh, just had another thought...ANISE - after all 'tis the season and all!

Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter - softened (3 sticks)

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons lemon extract

3 ¼ cups flour

¾ teaspoon salt

Shimmer sugar for decorating

Mix flour and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.  Beat butter in another large bowl, using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add sugar (carefully or else you will have a powdered sugar cloud in the kitchen...trust me!).  Beat in vanilla and lemon extracts.  Add flour and mix on low until combined.  Divide dough in half, form into a flat disk, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm. 

Pre-heat oven to 325°F.  Line 3-4 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove cookie dough from fridge and let soften slightly.  Roll out 1 disk on lightly floured working surface to about 1/8” thick (no thinner or the cookies will burn).  Cut out dough using a snowflake cutter dipped in flour (or other Christmassy cut out).  Gather scraps and re-roll.  Repeat with second disk of dough.  Sprinkle with decorating sugar and bake for 20 minutes until cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges, do not over bake.

It’s All Delicious Notes:  cookies can be made a few days ahead and stored in an airtight container.  Dough can be made ahead and frozen for 2 weeks.

Sugar Cookies - Light and Lovely

I found the perfect sugar cookie recipe!  This with a little help from Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection and Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher.

I made two batches and they were both wonderful.  I was looking for a buttery, light cookie that didn’t spread into some un recognizable form if a cookie cutter was used, or didn’t turn itself from a cookie into a flat wafer when it heat the oven heat.  Well…BINGO on all fronts.

The first batch I used butter and finely grated lemon rind.  The second batch I used butter flavored shortening and vanilla.  The textures were almost the same.  The shortening cookies were slightly more delicate to handle, and puffed up a bit more in the oven then the butter based batch but that’s about it.  In house experts Sophie and Alex preferred the shortening cookies.  Me? I liked the lemony buttery ones…so go figure either way you get a traditional sugar cookie that reminds you of an old fashioned bakery!  But as we are getting close to Easter…lemon was just right!

Ingredients

Makes about 36

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8-teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (see notes below)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten

Freshly grated lemon peel from 1 lemon (or ½ and orange)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.  Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy and pale.  Mix in egg beating until well combined then mix in lemon peel.  Add the flour and mix by hand until well combined.  Turn dough out on to a piece of cling film and shape into a long roll about 2inches in diameter (or shape into a disk if you are going to roll out and use shaped cookie cutters) Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until firm. 

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Slice chilled cookie roll into ¼ pieces.  Place on baking sheet 1-inch or so apart.  Press down slightly with a flat spatula and bake for 12-15 minutes until small cracks appear on top, do not let edges burn and do not over cook (mine were done in 12 minutes exactly).  Cool on wire racks.

It’s All Delicious Notes:  If you go the shortening route, just substitute an equal amount of BUTTER flavored shortening for the “proper” butter.

You can substitute ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract for the lemon peel.

Around the winter holiday season a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon would be Christmas cookie   heaven.  These cookies will hold their shape for intense over the top holiday decorating.

Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu - Cookies