Christmas Cookies

[Michael M]

Kourambiedes...hmm; what's this one?

[Lindacakes]

Michael M,

If you wouldn't mind sharing your recipes for Brown Butter Cookies and Gianduja Sandwich Cookies, they sound very interesting to me.

I love anything made with brown butter -- Nick Malgieri's Browned Butter Hazelnut Financier is about the tastiest thing I've ever eaten.

L. Cakes

[emmalish]

Michael M, it sounds like you might need to post all your recipes – I'd love to see the Mexican Tea Cakes recipe.

[ludja]

Kourambiedes...hmm; what's this one?

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Here's a thread on these Greek cookies: click

[Michael M]

I'll certainly share!

Cuccidati

FILLING

8 oz. black figs

3.75 oz. raisins

scant 2/3 C. honey

1/4 C. brandy

1.5 tsp orange zest

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp ground cloves, nutmeg

1 TB cinnamon

4 oz. almonds, roasted

3 oz. walnuts, roasted

Coarsely chop nuts, remove from food processor. Combine the rest; when homogenous, add nuts. Let chill at least 8 hours.

DOUGH

4 oz. AP flour

1 C. + 2 TB sugar

1 TB baking pwdr.

1 tsp salt

8 oz. butter, cut into small cubes

2 large eggs

1/2 C. whole milk

1.5 tsp vanilla

1.5 tsp lemon/orange zest

Pulse to mix dry ingredients in f.p., then cut in butter until fine crumbles. Dump into bowl and stir in wet ingredients. Form dough into 2 rectangles; chill at least 8 hours.

Roll one rectangle 13" x 10" and cut into 4 strips parallel to the 10" sides. Fill the center of each resulting 10" x 3/25" rectangle with a "worm" of filling, then flatten this somewhat. Wrap dough around filling a la Fig Newtons, flip so that seam side is down, cut into 1/2" slices.

Cook 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven until golden brown; remove from sheets after 3 minutes to rack. Overcooked yields a less buttery flavor.

Glaze with 1 cup 10x, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 1.5-2 TB brandy. In Italy these are often finished with colored sprinkles.

Brown Butter Cookies

from Gourmet, Dec. 2005

2 sticks butter

3/4 C. sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 C. AP flour

1 tsp. b. soda

1/8 tsp salt

Brown butter moderately dark, shock pan to stop process. Cool in ice water about 4 minutes; add sugar and vanilla.

Whisk dry ingredients together in bowl, add butter mixture gently. Shape into ball, wrap in plastic, let stand at room temp 1-2 hours to develop flavor.

Form cookies by shaping them in a teaspoon; mixture will be crumbly. Flatten top while it's in the spoon, then slide out, flat side down. Bake until just pale golden, 8-15 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Transfer after 5 minutes, cool completely.

Can be filled with preserves, chocolate.

Gianduia Sandwich Cookies

DOUGH

1/2 C. hazelnuts, roasted, deskinned

1/2 C. sugar

1.5 C. AP flour

1.5 sticks butter

1/4 tsp salt

In f.p., pulse nuts and sugar until fine, then cut in butter. Divide dough into 2 parts, roll out into logs about 12" long, chill until firm.

Slice 1/8" thin, cook on parchment at 350 for about 13 minutes.

FILLING

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2 oz. milk chocolate

2 TB hazelnut butter

1/3 C. cream

Make like a ganache, then chill 15 or so minutes until semi firm. Fill cookies.

Nut Cookies, Mexican Tea Cakes, etc.

2 C. walnuts or pecans, roasted

2 C. AP flour

3/4 tsp salt

2 sticks butter, softened

1/3 superfine sugar (or whiz some in f.p. then measure)

1.5 tsp vanilla

1.5 C. 10x sugar

Chop 1/2 the nuts medium coarse. Set aside. Process remaining nuts with salt and flour (to catch the resulting oils) until very fine.

In mixer, beat butter and sugar until light, then vanilla. Scrape frequently. Add remaining ingredients and mix only a few seconds until dough comes together. Scrape, mix gently a few more seconds; don't overwork.

Form balls or crescents fairly small, cook on silpat/parchment 17-19 minutes in 325 oven until golden brown; don't overcook or you lose butter flavor. Cool 2 minutes, remove to rack, cool to room temp. Roll in 10x sugar. You can re-roll in sugar just before serving.

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I avoided obvious baking things, and needless to say, use the best butter you can find. Enjoy!

[Pam R]

Michael M, it sounds like you might need to post all your recipes – I'd love to see the Mexican Tea Cakes recipe. 

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You forgot the words "in RecipeGullet" in your request!

As the P&B Posting Guidelines state, it makes it much easier for everybody to find recipes later on if they're entered into RecipeGullet.

[Michael M]

Oops, didn't think. Should I move them there?

[Pam R]

You can just add them - thanks!

[Dana]

I'm looking for a recipe for pecan tassies - they may have already been discussed here, as I didn't read through this whole thread. They should have a cream cheese crust. Any one have a good one?

[Michael M]

I've added them to Recipe Gullet.

[Swisskaese]

I'm looking for a recipe for pecan tassies - they may have already been discussed here, as I didn't read through this whole thread. They should have a cream cheese crust. Any one have a good one?

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My mother makes these for the holidays. However, I do not have here recipe. Here is a similar one from Martha Stewart. You can substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone:

Pecan Tassies

[Lindacakes]

Ah, MichaelM, I can't wait to try those. Thank you so very much!

I've been using butter from the Vermont Butter and Cheese company -- most excellent stuff.

[kiliki]

I'm glad to hear an endorsement for those brown butter cookies that were in Gourmet-I was thinking about making them this year.

For our local community center bake sale and for work, I'll make:

*Citrus Sugar Cookies (with citrus icing)-these were in Bon Appetit some years ago and remain the tasties rolled/cut-out type cookie I've ever had

*Gingerbread shapes

*Chocolate-Hazelnut crinkles

*Russian Tea Cakes (Mexican Wedding Cakes, whatever you want to call them)

*Bittersweet chocolate cookies (from the Babbo Cookbook-mostly because I made some last week and have more ready to bake in the freezer)

*And maybe jam thumprints or the brown butter cookies.

I went it to a store called Cookies in Seattle recently and bought some neat new snowflake cutters in all sizes and some fine colored sugars for decorating the sugar cookies and gingerbread (I do like them better with just citrus icing, but it's fun to decorate a few). This woman has everything cookie related if anyone needs anything.

Edited November 30, 2006 by kiliki (log)

[SusanGiff]

Are you making the Chocolate Hazelnut Crinkles from this month's Gourmet? If so, can you let us know how they turn out? Or if you have another recipe you've used successfully, I'd love to see it. They sound great.

Susan

[Pat W]

Kourambiedes...hmm; what's this one?

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First of all, thank you Michael M. for the recipes. It's going to be fun to try the Cuccidati. I have one question about the filling. When you say "homogeneous", do you mean evenly ground together, or ground until something closer to a puré?

About the Kourambiedes (aka Greek Butter Cookies), they are a lot like Mexican Wedding Cakes, but without the nuts. There undoubtedly hundreds of versions, here is the one we make.

Kourambiedes

2 Cups sweet butter. at room temperature.

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted.

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 Tablespoons cognac or brandy.

4 1/2 Cups cake flour, sifted twice.

Confectioner's sugar for rolling.

Preheat oven to 350.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until thick & lemon lemon colored. Add confectioner's sugar gradually, then egg yolk, then brandy.

By hand, gradually work in enough flour to make a soft dough that will roll easily in the palm of the hand without sticking. If a little sticky, chill for an hour or so.

Gently pat & shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet & bake about 15 minutes or until sandy colored (not browned).

Cool on racks. When still warm, but not hot, roll in confectioners sugar. When completely cool, sift a little more over the top.

If mixed gently, they turn out very melt-in-your-mouthy & with a lovely, delicate, not too sweet flavor.

pat w.

*By the way,This recipe originally came from the 1961 New York Times Cook Book. I have changed the wording & format a little. Also the original recipe gives the option of studding each cookie with a whole clove before baking.

[Michael M]

When you say "homogeneous", do you mean evenly ground together, or ground until something closer to a puré?

I just mean until the wet ingredients blend together into a sticky mass. Then I add the pre-ground nuts. Thanks for the recipe.

[Swisskaese]

I'm looking for a recipe for pecan tassies - they may have already been discussed here, as I didn't read through this whole thread. They should have a cream cheese crust. Any one have a good one?

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My mother sent me her recipe and I put it in RecipeGullet:

Pecan Tassies

Edited December 2, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Abra]

MichaelM, those cuccidati look heavenly! I'll be making those for sure this year.

[Michael M]

MichaelM, those cuccidati look heavenly!  I'll be making those for sure this year.

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You know, I just made up the filling so it can chill, and by the time all the ingredients combine, the smell is heavenly: spicy, alcohol-tinged and with an almost vanilla/tabacco overtone (in a good way).

[ComeUndone]

After a few weekends of hardwork, my holiday baking's all done! I highly recommend Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie. Lots of great recipes that I'll be returning to in years to come.

This is what I made this year: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...sent_you_h.html

[Pille]

I'll be making piparkoogid, or Estonian Christmas peppercookies again (using this recipe), and then many other cookies, as there should be at least seven different types of cookies or cakes on the table

[jende]

After a few weekends of hardwork, my holiday baking's all done! I highly recommend Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie. Lots of great recipes that I'll be returning to in years to come.

This is what I made this year: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...sent_you_h.html

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Wow, those look great! Where did you buy the lacquer boxes? And are those just muffin cups that are holding the cookies?

[ComeUndone]

Wow, those look great! Where did you buy the lacquer boxes? And are those just muffin cups that are holding the cookies?

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Thanks! The "lacquer" boxes are actually plastic. I bought it for $25CND at Utsuwa no Yakata (http://www.utsuwa.com). The box is actually 3 tiers but I don't want to make the gift too large so I only used two. I used paper muffin liners to hold the cookies.

[ColleenD]

Candy-

Your cookies are gorgeous! The mittens sound adorable, too. Will you be posting them on your blog?

[SushiCat]

After a few weekends of hardwork, my holiday baking's all done! I highly recommend Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie. Lots of great recipes that I'll be returning to in years to come.

This is what I made this year: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...sent_you_h.html

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Hazelnut chocolate sables I need that Herme book! Lots of love in those cookies, they look amazing! thanks for sharing ...

eta - fixed typo!

Edited December 12, 2006 by SushiCat (log)