Assorted Festive Cookies in a Box
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Difficulty:
easy
Difficulty
Preparation:
30 min.
Preparation
ready in 1 hr 44 min.
Ready in
Ingredients
for
4
- For Lace Cut-Out Cookies
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for work surface)
- 1 ½ tsps Baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- powdered sugar (for dusting)
- For Cinnamon Star Cookies
- 5 egg whites
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (plus extra for work surface)
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 5 ½ cups almonds (with skins; ground)
- 1.333 Tbsps kirsch (cherry brandy)
- For Decorative Icing
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Preparation steps
1.
For Lace Cut-Out Cookies:
2.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in the beaten eggs and gradually knead in the flour mixture. Knead until the dough pulls away from the bowl and a smooth dough forms.
3.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4.
Preheat oven to 325º F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5.
Divide the chilled dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured, roll out each portion one at a time, to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Cut out using corrugated nesting lace cutters and place on prepared baking sheets.
6.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve. Yield approximately 4 dozen.
7.
For Cinnamon Star Cookies:
8.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, stir in the confectioners' sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
9.
Fold the cinnamon, ground almonds and cherry brandy into the meringue mixture to form a stiff dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
10.
Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar, roll out dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut out cookies, using star cutters in three different sizes. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and allow to dry overnight at room temperature.
11.
Preheat oven to 325º F. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Stars should be soft in the middle. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over half of the warm cookies. Transfer to wire rack to cool and set completely.
12.
For Decorative Icing:
13.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites and lemon juice until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in the confectioners' sugar and beat until glossy and stiff. Place the icing in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip. Artfully decorate the remaining cookies. Allow the icing to dry and set. Serve. Yield about 40 cookies.
