Happy Holidays - recipes for you!
My latest creation - a color field of cookies, 13 dozen to be given away minus 1 dozen for family consumption.
Happy Holidays!
Earl Grey Tea Cookies
ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 Tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves (mortar and pestle worked well)
½ teaspoon salt
2 (8 ounce) sticks unsalted butter, softened
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest
directions
1. Whisk together flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl: set aside
2. Put butter, sugar and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, slowly mix in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment papter, shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 ¼ inch in diameter. Freeze 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 oF. Cut logs into ¼ inch thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
5. Bake until edges turn golden, 13-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
modified from a Martha Stewart recipe
Orange Icing
ingredients
1 T cream cheese, room temperature
1 t grated orange zest
3 T milk (i used half and half)
½ t orange extract
½ t Angostura orange bitters
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
directions
1. Mix ingredients in bowl. Spread on cookies. Leave on overnight for icing to harden.
modified from a Cooks Illustrated recipe
Chocolate Butter Cookies
ingredients
20 Tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ½ sticks, softened to cool room temp, about 65 degrees)
½ cup cocoa powder (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 ¼ ounces)
directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375oF. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and espresso powder; stir until mixture forms smooth paste. Set aside to cool, 15-20 minutes.
2. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix remaining 16 tablespoons butter , sugar, salt and cooled cocoa mixture on high speed until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping sides of mixing bowl once or twice with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl. With mixer running on low, add flour in three additions, waiting until each addition is incorporated before adding next and scraping bowl after each addition. Continue to mix until dough forms cohesive ball, about 5 seconds. Turn dough onto counter, divide into 2 or 3 clumps onto parchment paper. Shape each into a log, wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Using a knife, cut the chilled log into ¼ inch thick discs and place on parchment lined baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
makes about 4 dozen cookies, depending on thickness of log
Cooks Illustrated recipe
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