Christmas Cookies Redux

[heidih]

But UPS guys say baklava - ok on it

[David Ross]

Certainly not my Mother's Christmas thumbprint cookies, (which were delicious), but a newer take on this favorite.  These are really rich so I eat only one at a time.  

 

For the Filling-

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

For the Cookies-

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. chopped pistachios

1 tbsp. chopped pecans

 

 

Make the Filling-

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and cream until blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to make a creamy frosting, then add the chopped pecans.  You can make the filling ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge. 

 

 

Heat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom and beat until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the flour and beat until the dough is blended.

Shape 1” balls of dough, then gently flatten.  Toss the cookie in the chopped pistachios.  Press your thumb down in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly browned.  Press your thumb down again in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a rack.

Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star tip and fill the center of the thumbprint cookies. Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

[kayb]

On 12/6/2020 at 10:27 AM, David Ross said:

Certainly not my Mother's Christmas thumbprint cookies, (which were delicious), but a newer take on this favorite.  These are really rich so I eat only one at a time.  

 

For the Filling-

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

For the Cookies-

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. chopped pistachios

1 tbsp. chopped pecans

 

 

Make the Filling-

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and cream until blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to make a creamy frosting, then add the chopped pecans.  You can make the filling ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge. 

 

 

Heat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom and beat until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the flour and beat until the dough is blended.

Shape 1” balls of dough, then gently flatten.  Toss the cookie in the chopped pistachios.  Press your thumb down in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly browned.  Press your thumb down again in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a rack.

Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star tip and fill the center of the thumbprint cookies. Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

 

How much powdered sugar, or did I miss that?

 

[David Ross]

15 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

How much powdered sugar, or did I miss that?

 

oops!  Here is the revised recipe:

For the Filling-

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

 

For the Cookies-

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. chopped pistachios

1 tbsp. chopped pecans

 

Make the Filling-

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and cream until blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to make a creamy frosting, then add the chopped pecans.  You can make the filling ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge. 

 

Make the Cookies-

Heat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom and beat until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the flour and beat until the dough is blended.

Shape 1” balls of dough, then gently flatten.  Toss the cookie in the chopped pistachios.  Press your thumb down in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly browned.  Press your thumb down again in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a rack.

Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star tip and fill the center of the thumbprint cookies. Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

[kayb]

Thanks!

[heidih]

I was going to give it a pass this year but my UPS, IT guys, and gardener have been super sweet. I am not supposed to give the trash collectors things (government employees) but.... So I may cave, order supplies and bake next week.  I can keep the plates in freezer till able to give out. They seem to appreciate my standards which I have mentioned before - and in troubled times maybe those are the best comfort.  So baklava, Linzer bars, pumpkin bread, and spiced chocolate chip. Can't sleep anyway so baking in the morning dark is ok by me. 

[MokaPot]

3 hours ago, heidih said:

I was going to give it a pass this year but my UPS, IT guys, and gardener have been super sweet. I am not supposed to give the trash collectors things (government employees) but.... So I may cave, order supplies and bake next week.  I can keep the plates in freezer till able to give out. They seem to appreciate my standards which I have mentioned before - and in troubled times maybe those are the best comfort.  So baklava, Linzer bars, pumpkin bread, and spiced chocolate chip. Can't sleep anyway so baking in the morning dark is ok by me. 

 

Sounds good, @heidih. I love baklava and Linzer torte (your bars sound good). If you feel up to it, post some photos.

[heidih]

56 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

Sounds good, @heidih. I love baklava and Linzer torte (your bars sound good). If you feel up to it, post some photos.

 

My baklava ideally looks like the images in our topic. I use @ChefCrash method now. The Linzer I do now are "lazy style - press dough part into pan, spread jam, crumble on topping. Yes I used to hand roll the ropes for the the criss-cross but tastes same. My Recept calls them that. 2018 above https://forums.egullet.org/topic/146110-christmas-cookies-redux/?do=findComment&comment=2181217

Excellent baklava topic. My proportions are from a Jordanian neighbor - lemon not blossom water

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by heidih (log)

[Shelby]

Got my cookies baked yesterday.  Nothing super exciting, just my usuals.  I just couldn't find any new recipes that called out to. me this year.  I was feeling like making fudge but I'm sure I don't have the ingredients for that and I'm not going to the store.

 

Soft ginger, sprinkles and thumbprint.  Gave a good bunch to my UPS man, some went in the freezer and a few are out for us to eat.

 

[Kim Shook]

38 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Got my cookies baked yesterday.  Nothing super exciting, just my usuals.  I just couldn't find any new recipes that called out to. me this year.  I was feeling like making fudge but I'm sure I don't have the ingredients for that and I'm not going to the store.

 

Soft ginger, sprinkles and thumbprint.  Gave a good bunch to my UPS man, some went in the freezer and a few are out for us to eat.

 

All three look really good, but I especially like the looks of the sprinkle ones.  Is that just regular sugar on the white ones?  It looks like snow!  Would you share the recipe and method, please?

[Shelby]

10 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

All three look really good, but I especially like the looks of the sprinkle ones.  Is that just regular sugar on the white ones?  It looks like snow!  Would you share the recipe and method, please?

Sure!  They are easy--I like easy dessert recipes lol.  My house is usually around 60F so I lay the butter and cream cheese out before I go to bed.  I thought I had red sanding sugar but I only had white and green.  Regular sugar gets lost --you really want sanding sugar.

 

Christmas Cookie Sparkles

[Kim Shook]

Tonight is sugar cooky night.  We are crazy people when it comes to decorating cookies:

I have never in my adult life cut things as close as I am this year.  😳

[Toliver]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I have never in my adult life cut things as close as I am this year.  😳

You're not "cutting it close"...instead you're "extending the celebration of the holiday season".

Don't worry about any sort of deadline. You're incapacitated due to your knee so just give yourself some slack and enjoy it for the holiday tradition that it is.

[something2]

A coworker introduced me to these Czech Christmas cookies last year and I've been waiting to make them ever since. They're called "wasp-nest" cookies and are vaguely chocolately, very nutty, subtly alcoholic, and are filled with a custard center. Best part is they're no bake!

[ElsieD]

13 minutes ago, something2 said:

A coworker introduced me to these Czech Christmas cookies last year and I've been waiting to make them ever since. They're called "wasp-nest" cookies and are vaguely chocolately, very nutty, subtly alcoholic, and are filled with a custard center. Best part is they're no bake!

 

More details, please.

[something2]

The cookies are basically three parts. The base, the outer shell, and the filling.

 

The base is simply a vanilla wafer cookie, something like a Nilla wafer.

 

The outer shell is a mixture of butter, icing sugar, ground walnuts, ground Nilla wafers, cocoa powder, and a splash of rum. Mixed to the consistency of play-doh.

 

The filling is butter, icing sugar, rum, egg yolk, a splash egg-nog, and another splash of rum. I wasn't really comfortable with uncooked egg so I subbed the egg yolk and egg-nog with some custard powder and ground nutmeg.

 

I used a beehive mould (I found one on Amazon) to make the shape, but apparently you can do it with a knife and some patience. There's a few youtube videos if you search it up by it's Czech name (Vosi Hnizda). Basically you press the outer dough into the mould and use the "corer" to make a space on the inside. From there you can fill it and place a Nilla wafer on the bottom. Then simply open the mould and you're done! I'm not Czech so I don't know how close to the real traditional cookie I got, but it's fairly easy to google a variety of recipes. I hope that helps satisfy some of your curiosity! I certainly had never seen them before my coworker.

[curls]

Had time for some baking and candy making and wanted to bring some cheer to the neighbors. @patris thank you for the marshmallow recipe; I really like how they turned out!

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, curls said:

Had time for some baking and candy making and wanted to bring some cheer to the neighbors. @patris thank you for the marshmallow recipe; I really like how they turned out!

 

What a nice neighbour!

[blue_dolphin]

On 12/23/2020 at 7:52 AM, Kim Shook said:

 

I have nowhere near this amount of decorating sugars & sprinkles, but you've given me a great idea to get them out of my spice cupboard and box them up together.  Thanks!

Edited January 2, 2021 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Kim Shook]

4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

I have nowhere near this amount of decorating sugars & sprinkles, but you've given me a great idea to get them out of my spice cupboard and box them up together.  Thanks!

I don't have much in the way of kitchen space, so NONE gets wasted on stuff I use once or twice (sometimes for Easter) a year.  These go in some otherwise unused cabinets in the family room.  

[patris]

On 1/1/2021 at 6:52 PM, curls said:

Had time for some baking and candy making and wanted to bring some cheer to the neighbors. @patris thank you for the marshmallow recipe; I really like how they turned out!

 

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked them. Everything looks so great - lucky neighbors!

 

[Shelby]

Anyone doing any cookies this year?  I didn't do any last year.....wasn't planning on doing any this year but then I read this thread lol.

[Kim Shook]

I don't have any idea what is going to get done this year.  I want some cookies, but don't know what I'll be able to manage, if anything.  I'd love to see what other people are doing though.

[curls]

I'm hoping to have time to bake some cookies. If I do, I'll probably bake almond spritz and chocolate chip. Would like to bake one more for a nice trio but haven't figured out the third cookie type to bake -- maybe mandelbrot. 

[lemniscate]

I may do some Polvorones with lard (might experiment with bacon fat LOL).