Venetians / Rainbow Cookies / Tri Color Cookies

Venetians / Rainbow Cookies / Tri Color Cookies by Bakewell Junction

I’m sharing a delicious recipe that I made a few weeks ago.  This Christmas my friend Chris sent over her cookies and they were unbelievably delicious.  She agreed to give me her recipe and they turned out wonderfully.

My prior attempt to make Venetians with a different recipe a few years ago didn’t turn out well at all so I hadn’t tried another recipe until now.  My husband and I won’t even eat these if they’ve been purchased because they just don’t taste good.  I can hardly believe how delicious these are.

Although there’s some extra steps in assembly, these cookies aren’t really too difficult to make.  I did learn some things while making this recipe.  My Apricot preserves had some apricot chunks in it and I should probably have removed the chunks (although there were no complaints, mind you).  My almond paste wasn’t broken up evenly and it didn’t incorporate evenly into the cake (again, no complaints).  I’ve added tips at the end of the recipe so you won’t run into the same things.

I hope you try this recipe because you will get what I call the “wow factor”.  When you serve these cookies, anyone that tries them will say wow.  So do you like these cookies from the Italian bakeries?  The cookies have so many names, what name do you use?

Enjoy!

Venetians / Rainbow Cookies / Tri Color Cookies

Yield:  48 or 64 cookies (depending on cut)                  Cook Time:  15 minutes

• 8 ounces Almond Paste (I used the Odense 7 ounce tube)
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 4 tablespoons almond extract
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 drops red food coloring
• 12 drops green food coloring

Icing and Filling

• 1 12 ounce jar apricot preserves
• 1 – 2 Special Dark Chocolate bars (I used a combination of Lindt and Ghirardelli)

Directions:

Step 1:  Spray 3 13 by 9 by 2 baking pans with cooking spray, line with wax paper and then spray the wax paper with cooking spray too.  I didn’t have three pans of this size, so I prepared my cakes one at a time.

Step 2:  Break apart almond paste until it looks like grains of sand and no lumps remain.  Step 3:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract.  Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add flour and salt. Mix until combined.  In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Carefully fold into the batter.

Step 4:  Take 1/3 of the batter (about 1 1/2 to 1 1/3 cup) and add 10 drops of green food coloring.  Using a folding motion mix the food coloring throughout the 1/3 portion of the batter.  Add additional drops as needed to reach the color you want.  Spread the green batter as evenly as possibly in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes until the edges become light golden.

Step 5:  Take 1/3 of the batter (about 1 1/2 to 1 1/3 cup) and add 10 drops of red food coloring.  Using a folding motion mix the food coloring throughout the 1/3 portion of the batter.  Add additional drops as needed to reach the color you want.  Spread the red batter as evenly as possibly in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes until the edges become light golden.

Step 6:  Take the remaining 1/3 of the batter (about 1 1/2 to 1 1/3 cup) and spread as evenly as possibly in the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes until the edges become light golden.  Cool all three cakes completely.

Step 7:  Warm the apricot preserves in a bowl in the microwave at 30 second intervals while stirring between intervals.  Heat for a maximum of 1 1/2 minutes.  Place wax paper on a cookie sheet and then the green layer.  Spread 1/2 the apricot preserves on the green layer.  Place the untinted layer on top of the green layer.  Spread the remaining apricot preserves on the untinted layer.  Place the red layer on top of the untinted layer and cover with wax paper.  Place another cookie sheet on top of the layers and place weight on top.  Chill everything overnight in the refrigerator.

Step 8:  Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and remove the weight.  Cut the edges of the layers so there are clean edges.  The cut pieces are great for snacking.  Carefully melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave.  Spread the chocolate on the top and sides of the cookies.  Let the chocolate dry.  Turn the cookies over and spread chocolate on the bottom also.  Let the chocolate dry.  Turn the cookies over and cut into 8 by 8 pieces or 6 by 8 pieces.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.

Tips:

• Breaking up the almond paste can best be accomplished by breaking it into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes and using a food processor, mini chopper or blender to break it up completely.  If you don’t have access to any of these, you can use a grater to break it up.
• When the apricot preserves are heated, you can remove any large apricot chunks before spreading.  Heating the apricot preserves allows the preserves to soak into the layers and cling together better.
• To cut the layers into pieces, carefully use a sharp serrated knife.  Have the layers placed with the long edge closest to you.   Run the knife under hot water and dry it.  Cut the layers in eight slices (if you want larger cookies, make 6 slices) along the long edge of the layers.  To minimize cracking in the chocolate, start cutting in a sawing motion with the warm knife until you break through the chocolate; then press down until the knife cuts through to the bottom of the layers and chocolate.  You will likely need to repeat running the knife under hot water after four slices.  Turn the pieces that look like long narrow logs sideways.  Repeat running the knife under hot water.  Using the same sawing motion to get through the top layer of chocolate and then pressing down to cut through to the bottom of the layers and chocolate, cut each log into 8 pieces.  You will likely need to repeat running the knife under hot water for each log you cut.  Plus if some of the chocolate cracks, then you have a great snack.
• Making these a few days ahead of time allows the flavors to meld and they taste even better.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from my friend Chris.

This post may also be entered in the following linky party. Click the button below to see the other great posts in the blog hop.

Black and White Cookies {or Red for Valentine’s Day with White Chocolate} #chocolateparty

Black and Whites | Bakewell Junction

It’s Valentine’s Day in a few days and I’ve been wanting to share a post for Black and White cookies, so I made a few changes to have them fit the holiday.  These are easy to make and tasty too.  As I wrote this post I noticed that Paula Deen’s original recipe got a lot of negative comments but I didn’t have the same problems and I’m glad when I printed the recipe there weren’t any comments yet or I might never have tried the recipe.

I wanted the cookies to have a heart shape, so I tried two different methods to have the cookies turn out that way.  I first tried to make heart shaped molds out of heavy duty aluminum foil but although the shapes looked okay, the cookies turned out more like biscuits because I made the molds too small so the cookies were too thick (that didn’t hurt the taste any though).  For some of the cookies, I cut the round shapes to have a point at the bottom and a divot at the top.  Do you like the look of the smaller and thicker molded cookies or the cut cookies?

Black and White Cookies

Yield:  20 to 25 cookies                  Cook Time:  15 minutes

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing and Chocolate

• 1/4 cup boiling water, as needed
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 ounces chocolate candy bar (use your favorite brand)
• red food coloring, optional
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

Step 1:  Mix together flours and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes lighter in color and is thoroughly mixed.

Step 2:  Incorporate eggs into the butter mixture individually at medium speed until each is well incorporated.  Add milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Step 3:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare cookie sheet by covering it with parchment paper.  For regular Black and White round cookie shape, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough on the prepared cookie sheet.  For heart shaped cookie molds, place the molds on the prepared cookie sheet and drop the heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into the molds while ensuring that some of the dough will fill the entire shape.  Space cookies at least 2 inches apart and bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before icing.  If cutting the round cookies into a heart shape, cut the rounded edges from the sides to a point at the bottom.  Then cut a divot or “v” at the top of the circle.

Step 4:  Prepare the icing by mixing the powdered sugar and water (as needed) together in a medium bowl.  The icing should be spreadable but not thin.  If tinting the icing for Valentine’s Day, add 20 or more drops of red food coloring until the icing becomes a nice shade of red.  The flat side of the cookie will become the top for these.  Spread the icing on half of the flat side of each cookie.

Step 5:  Break the chocolate candy bar into small pieces and melt in a double boiler or the microwave.  If using the microwave, melt the chocolate in small increments and stir before additional heating until it’s of spreadable consistency.  Spread the chocolate on the other half of the flat side of each cookie.  Let icing and chocolate set.

Step 6:  If using the additional garnish, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave.  If using the microwave, melt the white chocolate in small increments and stir before additional heating until it’s of spreadable consistency.  Spoon the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag and snip the corner, making a small hole for piping.  Pipe heart shapes in the middle of each heart shaped cookie.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen on foodnetwork.com.

This post may also be entered in the following linky party. Click the button below to see the other great posts in the blog hop.

Pfeffernusse Cookies

Pfeffernusse | Bakewell Junction

This week I’m sharing a recipe that reminds me of the Pfeffernusse that my sisters and I loved from Stella D’Oro.  The company is still around but it’s been sold at least once and they no longer make Pfeffernusse or at least I can’t find them.  There are other cookies that we remember fondly but I haven’t found recipes for those yet.

Pfeffernusse (which means pepper nut) are a lightly spiced cookie that’s quite delicious.  Be sure to coat with powdered sugar, since the dough isn’t very sweet.  It’s a great bite-sized treat.

Pfeffernusse

Yield:  75 cookies                  Cook Time:  10 – 15 minutes

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar for coating

Directions:

Step 1:  Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, black pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the cloves, cinnamon and anise seeds to the flour mixture and set aside.

Step 2:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Add the egg and beat well until light.  Beat in the almonds.  The flour mixture will be added to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the remaining ingredients.  Mix in the molasses; then mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture; then mix in the brandy; then mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture; then mix in the honey and lemon rind; then mix in the rest of the flour mixture; finally mix in the lemon juice.  Beat well.  Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Step 3:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cookie sheet by covering it with parchment paper or cooking spray.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place at least 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 4:  Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.  While cookies are still warm, roll in powdered sugar until well coated.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe from Barbara Grunes’ Joy of Baking cookbook.

This post may also be entered in the following linky party. Click the buttons below to see the other great posts in the blog hop.

Struffoli (Fried Italian Honey Balls)

Struffoli by Bakewell Junction

I have another recipe that you just gotta try.  This recipe is a Neapolitan favorite.  There are similar recipes in other regions of Italy but this is the best.  My husband’s family had a recipe but it just wasn’t quite right, so I was thrilled a few years ago when I found this one.  There are many similarities between this recipe and last week’s post but I always make both because I can’t make just one.

Since this recipe is a little finicky, here are a few detailed tips.

Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and set aside.

Cut in the butter.

Add the vanilla and the first two eggs.

Once combined, then repeat with the next two eggs and again with the last two eggs.

Knead dough for 5 minutes and form into a ball.

Place the dough on floured cutting board and lightly flour the top.

After the dough has rested, begin forming the balls by rolling the 1/2 inch strips and cutting into 1/2 inch balls.

A quarter of the dough formed into balls looks like this.

After 3/4 of the dough balls have have been formed, begin heating the oil to 375 degrees.  Fry the balls in batches.  To ensure the cookies cook evenly on all sides, I shake the basket to turn them.

Just to give you an idea of how much the little balls puff up.

Move drained fried balls to a large bowl lined with paper towels.

After all the cookies are fried, heat the honey in a medium sauce pan.

Add the cookies to a rubbermaid container and pour the warm honey over the cookies and turn them to coat.

Great for gifts in ziploc containers.

Struffoli

Yield:  too many to count                  Cook Time:  90 minutes

Cookies

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or vegetable shortening
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs
• oil for deep frying (I use olive oil)
• 40 ounces honey or more to taste, slightly warmed

Decorations

• Non-pareils
• White candy coated almonds (Jordan Almonds)

Directions:

Step 1:  Combine sugar, flour and baking powder in a large bowl.  Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the butter is completely combined.  Mix in the vanilla.  Mix two eggs at a time.  The batter will look like a very thick cookie dough.

Step 2:  Knead the dough for 5 minutes.  Flour hands when the dough is sticky.  Form the dough into a ball and set the dough on a floured cutting board.  Dust the dough with flour, cover with a clean cloth and let it rest for at least 1/2 hour.

Step 3:  Divide the dough into quarters for easier handling.  Roll each quarter into 1/2 inch logs.  Cut into pieces that are about half of my pinky fingernail or 1/2 inch.  This will make a whole lot of little balls.  Be sure to keep them small as they will grow to 2.5 times the size as they cook.  Repeat with all the remaining dough.

Step 4:  When about 3/4 through forming the dough pieces, heat oil to 375 degrees in a sauce pan or a deep fryer.  I use a cast iron deep fryer with a basket.  Deep fry dough pieces about 2 to 3 dozen at a time depending on space until golden brown and cooked through (this works best if one person rolls the dough and another fries them).  Ensure the cookies are cooked on all sides evenly by shaking the basket to turn them or use a fork.  Place fried cookies in a large bowl lined with paper towels to drain.

Step 5:  Once all the cookies are fried and there is no more dough, transfer them to a large Rubbermaid container.  Heat honey in a sauce pan for at least 5 minutes on medium to high heat until it thins out and is quite warm.  Pour warm honey over fried cookies while they are still warm.  Stir cookies carefully (so they don’t get mashed) to ensure they are all covered with honey.

Step 6:  Place the cover on the container and flip the container upside down.  Repeat flipping the container every 30 minutes or so to ensure the cookies are well coated.  The cookies will soak up most of the honey as they are coated and recoated by flipping the container over and over.  Before serving sprinkle the cookies with hard candy colored balls (nonpareils) for decoration and add the candy coated almonds also.  Try not to eat them all.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for many days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe from Elodia Rigante’s Italian Immigrant Cooking cookbook.

Italian Wine Cookies

Italian Wine Cookies by Bakewell Junction

Although Christmas has past I’m not ready to move on from posting my sweet treats.  This recipe is my husband’s family recipe that I’ve modified to formalize the measurements and find the right wine to use.  The recipe called for muscatella wine – it was an Italian wine made with moscato grapes that couldn’t be found any longer.  The first time I tried making these, I used a red wine and it didn’t work out very well but I’ve been successful several times since then.  I hope to give you all the necessary information for you to be successful too.

The original recipe read something like the following.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 cups flour
• baking powder
• pinch of salt
• honey
• 2 glasses muscatella wine
• 1 glass oil

Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
Bring wine and oil to a boil and add to mixture.

Roll dough into pieces and roll on cheese grater.
Deep fry pieces.
Pour honey over fried cookies.

My husband’s family (along with anyone else who has tasted them) is thrilled with the results of my changes to the recipe and I hope you are too.  I wasn’t able to find the original muscatella wine that was originally used in the recipe but I have a large liquor store locally and they suggested using Orange Grove Moscatel wine which was more expensive than I would have liked but it was worth it.  This is a very sweet wine that is quite tasty.  It’s worked well for the past few years even though it’s from Spain (the Valencia region) instead of Italy.  Last week I went to purchase some more and found out that they no longer work with the distributer that used to sell them the wine.  Luckily I still had enough to make this recipe.  The liquor store suggested another wine made from moscato grapes from Portugal but it’s sold in bottles that are half of a 750 ml bottle for $11 each and I would need to buy two to have enough for one recipe.  Instead I purchased another wine made from the same moscato grapes but it isn’t as sweet as the Orange Grove wine and it’s a little bubbly.  I’ll have to see how that works with my recipe the next time I make it if I can’t find the Orange Grove Moscatel.

Since this recipe is a little finicky, here are a few detailed tips.

Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the wine and oil in a sauce pan to heat; stir occasionally.

Add the wine mixture to the flour mixture and mix together until combined.  Then let cool overnight.

My husband usually helps with the forming of the cookies, so first he pinches off pieces of dough and rolls them between his hands.

Then he places the rolled dough pieces onto a cheese grater at the top – the side with the largest holes.

Then he places the heel of his hand on the dough and prepares to roll the dough to the bottom of the cheese grater.

After the dough is rolled to the bottom of the cheese grater, there a little divots and nubbies on the dough piece.  So it’s ready to fry.

While the cookies are being formed, the oil should be heating to 375 degrees.

To ensure the cookies cook evenly on all sides, I shake the basket to turn them.

Move drained fried cookies to a large bowl lined with paper towels.

After all the cookies are fried, heat the honey in a medium sauce pan.

Add the cookies to a rubbermaid container and pour the warm honey over the cookies and turn them to coat.

Serve and enjoy with Strufoli or your favorite treat.

Italian Wine Cookies

Yield:  too many to count                  Cook Time:  90 minutes

Cookies

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 cups muscatella/moscadella wine (I used Orange Grove Moscatel.  You could try Moscato di Pantelleria, Sutter Home Moscato, Marco Negri Moscato, Robert Mondavi Winery Moscato d’Oro, Muscat Canelli or Woodbridge Moscato – I found these other wines on the internet.)
• 3/4 cup oil (I use olive oil)
• 20 ounces honey or more to taste, slightly warmed

Decorations

• Non-pareils
• White candy coated almonds (Jordan Almonds)

Directions:

Step 1:  Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.  Bring wine and oil to a boil (I let it boil for a bit for the alcohol to cook off) in a medium sauce pan, stirring occasionally.  Add to dry mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

Step 2:  Cool dough completely (I let cool covered with plastic overnight in the refrigerator).

Step 3:  Roll dough into pieces about the thickness of a pencil (they will puff up a bit as they fry) by 2 inches and roll on floured cheese grater to create divots.  While the dough pieces are being formed, heat oil to 375 degrees in a sauce pan or a deep fryer.  I use a cast iron deep fryer with a basket.  Deep fry dough pieces about 1 to 2 dozen at a time depending on space until dark golden brown and cooked through (this works best if one person rolls the dough and another fries them).  Ensure the cookies are cooked on all sides evenly by shaking the basket to turn them or use a fork.  Place fried cookies in a large bowl lined with paper towels to drain.

Step 4:  Once all the cookies are fried and there is no more dough, transfer them to a large Rubbermaid container.  Heat honey in a sauce pan for at least 5 minutes on medium to high heat until it thins out and is quite warm.  Pour warm honey over fried cookies while they are still warm.  Stir cookies to ensure they are all covered with honey.

Step 5:  Place the cover on the container and flip the container upside down.  Repeat flipping the container every 30 minutes or so to ensure the cookies are well coated.  The cookies will soak up most of the honey as they are coated and recoated by flipping the container over and over.  Before serving sprinkle the cookies with hard candy colored balls (nonpareils) for decoration and add the candy coated almonds also.  Try not to eat them all.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for many days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Family recipe.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Recipe Roundup

It’s almost Christmas and the blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com ended last week.  I wish it could have gone on longer as I have more Christmas Treats to share but I’m sure I’ll get the chance.  Many thanks to Brenda for hosting.

This is a roundup of the recipes I submitted to the linky party.  They are delicious and there is still some time to make some treats so click on the links below to get the recipes.  Happy baking.

Almond Crescents by Bakewell Junction

• Week 1 – Almond Crescent Cookies

Pizzelle by Bakewell Junction

• Week 2 – Pizzelle

Phil’s Grandmother’s Italian Cookies by Bakewell Junction

• Week 3 – Phil’s Grandmother’s Italian Cookies

Giant Ginger Cookie by Bakewell Junction

• Week 4 – Giant Ginger Cookies

Italian Almond Crescents by Bakewell Junction

• Week 5 – Italian Almond Crescents

baci di dama by bakewell junction

• Week 6 – Baci di Dama

Mini Linzer Cookies by Bakewell Junction

• Week 7 – Mini Linzer Cookies

Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies by Bakewell Junction

• Week 8 – Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies
  

  Apple Crumb Pie by Bakewell Junction

• Week 9 – Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Shoofly Pie by Bakewell Junction

• Week 10 – Shoofly Pie

Decadent Bourbon Balls by Bakewell Junction

• Week 11 – Decadent Bourbon Balls

Florentines by Bakewell Junction

• Week 12 – Florentines

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 12 ~ Florentines

Florentines by Bakewell Junction

It’s the twelfth and last week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us this week, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

This week I’m sharing a recipe that I’ve been making for several years.  They’re always a hit for Christmas or any time.  These look similar to the lace cookies that have been on the internet recently but I think they are sufficiently different that you should give them a try.

My sister and I have made these crisp Italian cookies to bring to several parties and we always get requests for more.  There is a bit of knack to getting these cookies to turn out well, so this week I’m adding some additional pictures so you can get the same results we do.

Next week is the week before Christmas and it’s the week I normally take vacation to do all my baking.  I’ve been doing this for many years now and it’s a little different than everyone else who takes vacation between Christmas and New Year’s Day but it works for me.  When I started my Christmas baking I wrote down a list so I would know approximately how much of each ingredient I would need.  This my list.  You can see that I’ve crossed off some things and make others that aren’t even on the list but at least I have an idea of what ingredients I need in total.

Here’s the second page.

When heating the flour and wet ingredients to boiling, let it bubble up a bit,

After taking the mixture off the heat, add in the dry mixture and stir until completely combined.  Stir occasionally during cooling.

After at least an hour of cooling time, begin portioning the dough for baking.

A full baking sheet ready for the oven.

Hot out of the oven.

Once the cookies are filled and cooled, store layered between wax paper.

Enjoy.

Florentines

Yield:  35 – 45 sandwich cookies                  Cook Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced and blanched almonds, chopped in the mini chopper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (I use dried orange peel)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey

Filling

• 1 1/2 cup to 1 3/4 semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Step 1:  Place the oven rack in the middle or top of the oven.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Cautions:  Do not use a dark pan or one that is non-stick coated, as these can make the cookies burn; do not skip using the parchment paper, as you will not be able to remove the cookies from the pan without it.

Step 2:  Combine almonds, flour and orange zest in a medium bowl.  Stir until well mixed and set aside.  Combine sugar, butter, cream and honey in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  I let it froth up a little as I believe this will help it hold together better.  Let the batter cool for at least 1 hour.  Be sure to stir occasionally.

Step 3:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Using one of the cookie sheets you’d set aside earlier, place 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons of the batter for each cookie for 8 cookies.  I use a large cookie sheet and only make 8 cookies at a time because these spread quite a lot.  The cookies are are about 4 or 5 inches apart.

Step 4:  Bake one pan of cookies at a time for 10 minutes on the middle or top rack (they will burn on the bottom rack) until they are lacy and golden.  Begin checking the cookies at nine minutes – the cookies can go from undercooked to burnt in an instant.

Step 5:  Carefully slide the parchment paper and cookies onto a cooling rack.  When cooled, transfer the cookies to paper towels.  Repeat with the remaining batter, alternating cookie sheets for each batch until batter is finished.  If the cookie sheet doesn’t cool quickly enough, I put it in the refrigerator to speed the cooling.

Step 6:  Pair like sized and shaped cookies together.  Melt about 1/3 of the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water or a double boiler.  Melt additional portions of the chocolate as needed in the assembly process – this will help prevent overheating and reheating the chocolate.  Spread the melted chocolate on the bottom of one cookie and quickly top with the other cookie in the pair, bottom side down.  Both cookies in the pair should have the smooth bottoms towards the center and the lacy tops towards the outside.  Repeat for the remaining paired cookies.

Tips:  You can substitute milk chocolate, if you prefer.  You can drizzle tops with additional chocolate and add sprinkles if desired.  The cookies are thin and crisp, so be careful not to burn yourself when filling with the melted chocolate.  The number of cookies this recipe makes can vary widely depending on the size of the cookies.  If the cookies run together or get too large, you can break them into smaller pieces – similar to brittle with chocolate filling.  This bears repeating…Do not use a dark pan or one that is non-stick coated, as these can/will make the cookies burn; do not skip using the parchment paper, as you will not be able to remove the cookies from the pan without it.

Storing:  Store cookies with wax paper between layers (the cookies will stick together if not layered with wax paper) on a platter and covered with aluminum foil in a cool place but does not need refrigeration.  The cookies are fine for many days when stored this way.  If you’re making them ahead, the cookies can be stored before filling with chocolate in the freezer.  Be sure to layer with wax paper and carefully store them in a container that will prevent them from breaking.  Let the cookies return to room temperature before filling with chocolate in this case.

Enjoy!!!

Adapted from Florentines courtesy of Giada De Laurentis on FoodNetwork.com.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 12, December 13, 2012

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

I’ve seen some of the other bloggers that participate in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats listing their submissions from the prior weeks.  I like this idea, so I’ve incorporated it into this week’s post.  If you’ve missed my posts for the prior weeks, here’s a reminder:

• Week 1 – Almond Crescent Cookies
• Week 2 – Pizzelle
• Week 3 – Phil’s Grandmother’s Italian Cookies
• Week 4 – Giant Ginger Cookies
• Week 5 – Italian Almond Crescents
• Week 6 – Baci di Dama
• Week 7 – Mini Linzer Cookies
• Week 8 – Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies
• Week 9 – Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Week 10 – Shoofly Pie
• Week 11 – Decadent Bourbon Balls

This post may also be entered in the following linky parties.  Click the buttons below to see the other great posts in the blog hop.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 11 ~ Decadent Bourbon Balls

Decadent Bourbon Balls by Bakewell Junction

It’s the eleventh week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

This week I’m sharing a quick and easy no-bake recipe that I tried for the first time last year.  These were a hit last Christmas and I made them for the Christmas lunch at work this year.  They are addicting and delicious.  My co-workers loved them and that sort of reaction is the best part of sharing these goodies.

Some time around the end of last year my husband found a new Jack Daniels bourbon – it’s Honey Jack Daniels.  Honey liquor plus Jack Daniels creates a unique flavor.  If you can find some, be sure to try it in this recipe.

Enjoy.

Decadent Bourbon Balls

Yield:  50 balls                  Cook Time:  no bake

Ingredients

• 60 vanilla wafers, finely crushed (I use Nilla Wafers in the mini chopper)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped (used the mini chopper)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1/4 cup Honey Jack Daniels or your favorite bourbon

Coating

• 1 cup powdered sugar, divided

Directions:

Step 1:  In a medium bowl, mix together Nilla crumbs, powdered sugar, almonds and cocoa.  In a small bowl mix honey and butter together until well combined.  Add the butter mixture to the crumb mixture and stir until well combined.

Step 2:  Dissolve instant coffee in the bourbon.  Mix well with crumb mixture and set aside for 15 minutes.

Step 3:  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in 1/2 cup powdered sugar for garnish.  Let sit overnight and roll in remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar for a second coating.

Tips:  You can substitute rum for the bourbon to make rum balls.  You can substitute cinnamon sugar, green and red sprinkles, Christmas confetti, colored sugar crystals or your favorite coating.  Note that Christmas confetti and sprinkles need to be pressed into the dough balls as they don’t stick very well.

Storing:  Store balls in a sealed plastic container at room temperature.  The balls are fine for several days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Adapted from Decadent Rum Balls on Allrecipes.com.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 11, December 6, 2012

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I’ve seen some of the other bloggers that participate in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats listing their submissions from the prior weeks.  I like this idea, so I’ve incorporated it into this week’s post.  If you’ve missed my posts for the prior weeks, here’s a reminder:

• Week 1 – Almond Crescent Cookies
• Week 2 – Pizzelle
• Week 3 – Phil’s Grandmother’s Italian Cookies
• Week 4 – Giant Ginger Cookies
• Week 5 – Italian Almond Crescents
• Week 6 – Baci di Dama
• Week 7 – Mini Linzer Cookies
• Week 8 – Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies
• Week 9 – Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Week 10 – Shoofly Pie

This post was also entered in the following linky parties.  Click the buttons below to see the other great posts in the blog hop.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 8 ~ Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies by Bakewell Junction

It’s the eighth week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

Welcome back and thanks for reading about all the Christmas cookies I make.  Today I’m sharing another recipe that I’ve been making for the past several Christmases.  These are decorated cookies and since I’m sharing them with you, I made some changes to make them look a little less cartoonish (that’s a new word – no need to thank me).  I also used some tips from Bridget at Bake at 350 while making these.  Since Bridget makes the most beautiful cookies, I thought that my cookies would look better by following her lead.

As I mentioned last week, the star I cut out of the Mini Linzer cookie tops are used at the top of the Christmas Tree cookies.  I iced the stars and topped with sparkling sugar to give them a little sugar bling.

Enjoy.

Using an inexpensive cookie sheet (tips via Bridget), line it with wax paper and placed the cookies along the edges so they could be decorated without smearing any of them.  Then I ringed the cookies with a thin bead of icing (another Bridget tip).  I turned the cookie sheet as I went along until they were all done (another Bridget tip).

I filled in the center of the cookies with icing and before the icing dried, I added the star at the top, used Sugar Pearl Sprinkles for the garland and melted chocolate for the trunk.

Christmas Tree Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Yield:  25 – 30 cookies                  Cook Time:  10 – 12 minutes

Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (I put the stick in the microwave upside down for 8 seconds and then right side up for 6 seconds to soften)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg (I use extra large)

Royal Icing

• 3 tablespoons powdered egg whites (I skip the powdered egg whites)
• 4 cups (1 pound box) powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons of water
• Green food coloring

Decorations

• Sugar Pearl Sprinkles
• 1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate, melted (heat in the microwave for 30 second increments and stir until melted)
• White sparkling sugar

Directions:

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2:  In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg, vanilla and sugar and blend with an electric mixer, since this is a small dough a hand held mixer will do.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined – this will be more of a folding motion rather than stirring.  Shape dough into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Step 3:  Place the chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 3/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin.  Using a 4 1/2 to 5 inch Christmas Tree shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies.  After you finish cutting the rolled dough, you can gather the scraps into a flat disc and roll out the dough again and repeat cutting out the cookies.

Step 4:  Place the cookies on the cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Bake chilled cookies 10 – 12 minutes until edges begin to become golden.  Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets.  Carefully move cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.  Repeat for the remaining cookies.

Step 5: For the icing (make 1/4 or 1/2 the recipe), combine the powdered egg whites, powdered sugar and water in a bowl.  The icing should be the consistency of honey.  Reserve two teaspoons of the icing to remain as white.  Mix in enough of the green food coloring to the remaining icing to turn it a vibrant green color.

Step 6:  Line an inexpensive cookie sheet with wax paper.  On top of the wax paper, ring the edges of the cookie sheet with the cooled cookies facing outward.  Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the green icing into the corner of a ziploc bag and cut about 1/8 inch of the tip off.  Pipe the green icing along the outline of each of the cookies but bypassing the trunk at the bottom of the cookie.  Cover the remaining green icing with a damp paper towel and then plastic wrap to store until the next day.

Step 7:  While the outlined cookies are setting, pour 2 teaspoons of the white sparkling  sugar into a small bowl, dip the star cut-outs from last week’s Mini Linzer cookies in the reserved white icing and then dip the iced side of the star into the white sparkling sugar.  Place the stars iced and sugared side up on a platter to dry.

Step 8:  Since the outlined cookies have set a bit, use a small spatula to spread the melted chocolate on the cookies’ tree trunks.  I used a demitasse spoon because I’m just more comfortable using spoons rather than a spatula.  After all the cookies’ trunks are finished, let the outline and chocolate dry overnight.

Step 9:  Stir the green frosting to ensure it hasn’t separated.  Using a spatula, fill in the outlined cookies to the edge of the outline.  After filling in several, go back to the first one and add the star at the top of each filled cookie and then add the sugar pearl sprinkles in rows to look like garland.  I added a row from each point on one side of the cookie to the other and then some of them I added a swag going diagonally from one row of garland to the other – to look almost like a z.  Repeat in batches of several cookies for the remaining cookies.  Let dry overnight.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for many days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe from Family Circle magazine, 12/12/2000.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 8, November 15, 2012

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I’ve seen some of the other bloggers that participate in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats listing their submissions from the prior weeks.  I like this idea, so I’ve incorporated it into this week’s post.  If you’ve missed my posts for the prior weeks, here’s a reminder:

• Week 1 – Almond Crescent Cookies
• Week 2 – Pizzelle
• Week 3 – Phil’s Grandmother’s Italian Cookies
• Week 4 – Giant Ginger Cookies
• Week 5 – Italian Almond Crescents
• Week 6 – Baci di Dama
• Week 7 – Mini Linzer Cookies

This post was also entered in the following linky parties.  Click the button below to see the other great cookies in the blog hop.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 7 ~ Mini Linzer Cookies

Mini Linzer Cookies by Bakewell Junction

It’s the seventh week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

The weeks are flying by and I’m sharing another recipe that I’ve been making for the past several Christmases.  Although these cookies have mini in the name, they aren’t small cookies.  They are rich and when they’re first made they are a bit crispy but as the preserves and flavors meld together the crispness goes away and they melt in your mouth.

Just so you know, the star I cut out of the cookie tops are used on another cookie that I make for Christmas.  I’ll post those next week.  Be sure to tune in for that.

Enjoy.

Mini Linzer Cookies

Yield:  18 – 20 sandwich cookies                  Cook Time:  10 – 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup good seedless raspberry preserves (I substitute grape jam because that’s what my husband likes)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2:  In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix with an electric mixer.  Add vanilla to the butter mixture.  In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Mix on low until dough begins to form.  Shape dough into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Step 3:  Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick with a floured rolling pin.  Using a 2 3/4 in inch plain or shaped cutter, cut out cookies.  For half of the cookies, cut a hole out of the middle in the shape of a star (for Christmas).

Step 4:  Place the solid cookies on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Bake chilled cookies 10 – 12 minutes until edges begin to become golden.  Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets.  Carefully move cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.  Repeat for the remaining solid cookies.  Place the cut out cookies on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Bake chilled cookies 10 – 12 minutes until edges begin to become golden.  Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets.  Carefully move cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.  Repeat for the remaining cut out cookies and the star cut outs.

Step 5:  Pair similarly sized solid and cut out cookies together.  Spread the jam or preserves on the flat side of solid cookies.  Dust the top of the cut out cookies with powdered sugar.  Press the flat side (bottom) of the cut out cookies on top of the preserves creating a sandwich cookie with the preserves in the middle and the powdered sugar on top.  Reserve the star cut outs for another cookie in the Christmas cookie platter.

Tips:  The dough is a bit crumbly, so when rolling the dough try to close any cracks.  Since the solid cookies have more dough, bake them separately from the cookies with the center cut out.  This way the cookies with the center cut out can be baked for less time and aren’t overcooked.  Watch the star cut outs carefully as they are much smaller than other cookies and will cook much more quickly.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for several days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook recipe on Food Network.  A variation of Eli Zabar’s shortbread cookies.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 7, November 8, 2012

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This week in addition to the Christmas Treats, I’m joining Food Bloggers Support for Sandy.  This is was created by Barb of Creative Culinary and Jenn from Jenn Cuisine to show support for the victims of Sandy.  Be sure to visit their sites to see what the other supporters have made.  It would be great if you could join us or donate to the Sandy relief efforts.  There are still many people who don’t have electricity, heat or homes.  If you’re looking for an organization to donate, some of the organizations that are helping victims of Sandy are:

• Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• Feeding America