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Accordion-Pleated Cookies
Publication date: 03/19/2003
Yield: Makes 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
heavy-duty aluminum foil
confectioners' sugar, optional
Cream the butter. Gradually add sugar, creaming well. Blend in eggs, vanilla and salt. Beat well. Gradually add flour and nuts, if using; mix thoroughly.
Fold 1 yard of foil in half lengthwise. Fold the doubled foil crosswise into 1-inch pleats to make an "accordion-pleated" pan. Place foil on baking sheet.
Drop a rounded teaspoonful of dough into each fold. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden-brown. Cool 10 minutes.
Remove cookies and reuse foil. If desired, sprinkle cookies with confectioners' sugar or frost with icing.
Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "These are crisp, wedge-shaped butter cookies that people find intriguing. 'How did you get the cookies in this shape?' they ask. During the baking process the dough spreads to 5-inch-long cookies. They almost look like long biscotti, but with the tender consistency of a butter cookie.
"If the foil looks too greasy or has too many crumbs on it, wipe it clean before adding another batch of cookies, or just turn it over and use the other side of the foil. If you don't fancy using confectioners' sugar, a drizzle of melted chocolate makes these very elegant."
Almond-Brandy Snaps
Publication date: 12/06/2006
Yield: Makes 36 cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons light molasses
4 tablespoons brandy (divided use)
1 teaspoon brandy flavoring or vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
2/3 cup chopped packaged dates
granulated sugar for rolling
about 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter or margarine, brown sugar and spices together until fluffy. Beat in egg. Add molasses, 2 tablespoons brandy, the brandy flavoring and mix well.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt together and stir into creamed mixture. Add the chopped almonds and dates and mix well. Cover and chill dough until easy to handle.
Shape dough into small balls using a little less than 1 tablespoon for each cookie. Roll in granulated sugar and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Place about 2 inches apart and flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle with remaining brandy and top with sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Per serving: 119 calories, 2 grams protein, 5 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 16 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 132 milligrams sodium
--Leigh Snyder, Dundalk
Anise Cookies
Publication date: 07/24/2002
Yield: Makes about 50 cookies
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon anise extract or 3 tablespoons anise seed
Beat eggs with electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly. Continue to beat for 20 minutes (very important). Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. Beat in anise extract.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 1/2 inch apart onto well-greased baking sheet. Let stand overnight (or at least 8 hours), uncovered, to dry out. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven about 10 minutes or until cookies are a creamy golden color, not brown on the bottom. Remove to a rack and cool.
Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "Beating the mixture for 20 minutes may seem excessive, but you are making a kind of meringue that will yield a cookie with a nice, shiny gloss.
"Try to make cookies round by using 2 spoons and transferring the dough between the spoons before dropping the dough onto the baking sheet. If any little points stick out, make them smooth with your finger. The resulting cookie is soft, shiny and deliciously aniselike in flavor.
"I would not use the anise seed instead, as the little hard seeds would really change the texture of the cookies."
Anise Cookies
Publication date: 12/20/2006
Yield: Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon aniseeds, toasted
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (divided use)
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon pure anise extract (optional)
Toast the aniseeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl until light. Beat in egg yolk, brandy, extract (if using) and aniseeds. Add dry ingredients and beat just until smooth dough forms.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread remaining 2 tablespoons sugar on a small plate. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4 -inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cutter, cut out cookies.
Gather scraps, reroll on lightly floured surface and cut out more cookies. Place cookies 1 at a time on sugared plate; transfer cookies, sugar side up, to ungreased baking sheets.
Bake until bottom and edges are golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.
Per serving: 79 calories, 1 gram protein, 4 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 37 milligrams sodium
Apple-Cranberry Harvest Cookies
Publication date: 08/20/2003
Yield: Makes 36 cookies
Ingredients:
butter for pans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 cup peeled, grated apples, 2 medium
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup (about 5 ounces) dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 baking sheets or plan to reuse a cooled baking sheet.
Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until blended. Mix in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture. Mix in the milk, apples, walnuts and dried cranberries. Mix in the remaining flour just to incorporate it. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 2 of the baking sheets until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are light-brown, about 15 minutes. Reverse the baking sheets after 8 minutes, front to back and top to bottom to ensure the cookies bake evenly. Bake the third baking sheet of cookies.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool thoroughly.
Apricot-Pistachio Bars
Publication date: 12/19/2007
Yield: Makes about 65 1 1/2-inch squares
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter plus 1 cup (2 sticks) softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apricot brandy (optional)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
2 cups coarsely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
ICING:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Using the 1 teaspoon butter, grease a 10-by-15-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 1 cup butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well. Add the orange zest, vanilla extract and apricot brandy, if using, and beat to blend well.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, mace, apricots, currants and pistachios; mix well. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture; blend well.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.
To make the icing: In a bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice and mix to a medium-firm consistency. Spread on the top of the still-warm, uncut cookies in the pan and let stand until the icing sets. Cut the cookies into 1 1/2-inch squares.
Per square: 81 calories, 1 gramprotein, 4 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 12 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 21 milligrams cholesterol, 28 milligrams sodium
From "Christmas Sweets"
Austrian Nut-Butter Cookie Sandwiches
Publication date: 09/05/2007
Yield: Makes 2 dozen
Ingredients:
COOKIES: 1/2 cup soft butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
ICING:
1/4 cup butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons hot milk
For cookies, mix butter and sugar well. Add flour, then walnuts. Chill batter for several hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough on a floured board to 1/8 -inch thick. Cut into rounds with floured 2 1/4 -inch cookie cutter. Put on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in double boiler, melt butter and chocolate together. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and milk. Mix well.
Make sandwiches out of every 2 cookies. Put a small amount of icing in the middle and some on top and cool well before storing.
Per cookie: 146 calories, 2 grams protein, 9 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 15 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 15 milligrams cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium
-- Courtesy of Amy Pollokoff
Austrian Twists
Publication date: 12/08/2004
Yield: Makes 64 cookies
Ingredients:
1 package dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
3 egg yolks
one 8-ounce carton sour cream
FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
GLAZE:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Combine yeast and flour; add butter, mixing well with hands. Stir in egg yolks and sour cream. Shape dough into 4 balls; wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.
To make the filling: Combine sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Set aside.
Work with 1 portion of dough at a time. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1/4 -inch-thick circle. Spread 1/4 cup sugar mixture evenly over circle and cut into 16 equal wedges.
Roll up each wedge, beginning at the wide end and rolling to a point. Seal points firmly. Place on greased baking sheets, point side down.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over twists while they're still warm.
Per serving: 84 calories; 1 gram protein; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrate; 0 grams fiber; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 23 milligrams sodium
Cheryl West, Lisbon
Austrian Twists
Publication date: 11/28/2007
Yield: Makes about 5 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 package dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
3 egg yolks
one 8-ounce carton sour cream
FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
GLAZE:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Combine yeast and flour; add butter, mixing well with hands. Stir in egg yolks and sour cream. Shape dough into 4 balls; wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.
To make the filling: Combine sugar, pecans and cinnamon.
Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Work with 1 portion of dough at a time.
Place on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 1/4-inch thick circle. Spread 1/4 cup of the sugar mixture evenly over circle and cut into 16 equal wedges.
Roll up each wedge, beginning at the wide end and rolling to a point. Seal points firmly. Place on greased baking sheets, point side down. Bake for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. For glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over twists while they're still warm.
Per cookie: 84 calories, 1 gram protein, 5 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 23 milligrams sodium
Cheryl West, Lisbon
Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Publication date: 04/16/2008
Yield: Makes 30 cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal (not quick-cooking)
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together; set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled.
On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Use a large spoon to mix in the banana pieces, mixing just until they are evenly distributed and some of the pieces are mashed but most are still visible, about 20 seconds.
Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough (about 3 level tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Per cookie: 142 calories, 2 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 67 milligrams sodium
-- From "The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook"
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