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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Holiday Recipes
Why not share some of your favorite holiday recipes with your alumni family members? We promise to give you all of the credit. With friends like you, who needs Food Network?!
Makes about 5 dozen, 3"Christmas tree shaped cookies
For the Cookies: 15 oz (3-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 t table salt 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 T finely grated lemon zest 1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 large egg 1 t vanilla extract
For the icing: 1 large egg white 6-1/2 oz (1-1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar 1/2 t fresh lemon juice Decorating or finishing sugar
Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest and rosemary. Add the egg and vanilla; continue beating until well blended and smooth, about 30 seconds more. Reduce the speed to low and gadually add the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough is just combined; don't overmix. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
Roll one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment to an even 3/16" thickness. Slide the dough and parchment onto a coolie sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line four cookie sheets with parchment.
Using a 3" or similar Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and arrange them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Press the scraps together, reroll and cut (if the dough becomes too soft to handle chill until firm). Repeat one more time and then discard the scraps. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake two sheets at a time until the cookies' edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and swapping the sheets' positions halfway through for even baking. Cool the cookies on racks.
Make the icing: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. If not using immediately, transfer the icing to a small bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the icing to prevent it from drying out.
Decorate the cookies: Spoon some of the icing into a small pastry bag with a small (3/16") plain tip. Or, use a small plastic bag and cut a tiny bit off a bottom corner of the bag. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to outline the rim. If the icing is too thick to pipe, put it back in the bowl and stir in water, a drop at a time, until it pipes easily but still retains its shape. If the icing is too thin, add confectioners' sugar, 1 t at a time.
Outline the trees with icing; then sprinkle on finishing sugar while the icing is still wet. Once the icing is dry and hard, store cookies in airtight containers.
Lemon-Rosemary Christmas Tree Cookies
ReplyDeleteMakes about 5 dozen, 3"Christmas tree shaped cookies
For the Cookies:
15 oz (3-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t table salt
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 T finely grated lemon zest
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
For the icing:
1 large egg white
6-1/2 oz (1-1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
1/2 t fresh lemon juice
Decorating or finishing sugar
Make the cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest and rosemary. Add the egg and vanilla; continue beating until well blended and smooth, about 30 seconds more. Reduce the speed to low and gadually add the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough is just combined; don't overmix. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
Roll one half of the dough between two sheets of parchment to an even 3/16" thickness. Slide the dough and parchment onto a coolie sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line four cookie sheets with parchment.
Using a 3" or similar Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and arrange them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Press the scraps together, reroll and cut (if the dough becomes too soft to handle chill until firm). Repeat one more time and then discard the scraps. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake two sheets at a time until the cookies' edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and swapping the sheets' positions halfway through for even baking. Cool the cookies on racks.
Make the icing:
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. If not using immediately, transfer the icing to a small bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the icing to prevent it from drying out.
Decorate the cookies:
Spoon some of the icing into a small pastry bag with a small (3/16") plain tip. Or, use a small plastic bag and cut a tiny bit off a bottom corner of the bag. Pipe the icing onto the cookies to outline the rim. If the icing is too thick to pipe, put it back in the bowl and stir in water, a drop at a time, until it pipes easily but still retains its shape. If the icing is too thin, add confectioners' sugar, 1 t at a time.
Outline the trees with icing; then sprinkle on finishing sugar while the icing is still wet. Once the icing is dry and hard, store cookies in airtight containers.