MAKES 30 COOKIES
The almonds will continue to toast while the biscotti bake, so toast the nuts only until they are just fragrant.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted biscotti that were hard and crunchy, but not hard to eat, and bold in flavor. To keep the crumb hard, we used just a small amount of butter (4 tablespoons), and to keep the biscotti from being too hard, we ground some of the nuts to a fine meal, which helped minimize gluten development in the crumb. To ensure bold flavor in a biscuit that gets baked twice, we increased the quantities of aromatic ingredients.
- baking powder
- salt
- almond extract
- vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil spray
MAKES 32 COOKIES
If the dough gathers into a cohesive mass around the blade in the food processor workbowl, you have overprocessed it. Make sure to stop processing at the point where the mixture is separate and pebbly. If at any point during the cutting and rolling of the crescents the sheet of dough softens and becomes impossible to roll, slide it onto a baking pan and freeze it until it is firm enough to handle. Once the crescents are baking in the oven, start checking them for doneness at eighteen or nineteen minutes, especially those on the top-level rack. Feel free to substitute an equal quantity of chopped pitted prunes, chopped dried apricots, dried currants, dried cherries, or dried cranberries for the raisins in the filling.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
On the way to a rugelach recipe that gave us tender cookies with a bounteous filling, we discovered that freezing the circles of rolled-out dough before applying the filling gave our baked cookies the flakiest, most delicate texture. For the best filling for our rugelach recipe, we processed the preserves briefly in the food processor to break up larger pieces of fruit, which tend to spill out during baking. We chopped the nuts very fine and added them to the filling last, so they would block seepage.
- CREAM CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM DOUGH:
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- table salt
- sour cream
- FRUIT FILLING:
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
- EGG YOLK-AND-MILK GLAZE:
- large egg yolks
- milk
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Any flavor of jam can be used for this recipe; we found seedless jams work best. For best results, bake only one sheet of cookies at a time.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Including cream cheese in the cookie dough gave it a welcome richness. When making the impression for the jam, we made sure to wet our fingers before touching the dough. Re-indenting the dough balls after baking them for a few minutes prevented the indentation from disappearing during baking.
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/11/secrets-to-jam-thumbprint-cookies/
- seedless raspberry jam
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- large egg
- vanilla extract
MAKES SIXTEEN 4-INCH COOKIES
We like these cookies made with pecans and dried sour cherries, but walnuts or skinned hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans, and dried cranberries for the cherries. Quick oats used in place of the old-fashioned oats will yield a cookie with slightly less chewiness. If your baking sheets are smaller than the ones described in the recipe, bake the cookies in three batches instead of two. These cookies keep for 4 to 5 days stored in an airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag, but they will lose their crisp exterior and become uniformly chewy after a day or so.
- baking powder
- baking soda
- table salt
- large egg
- vanilla extract
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
If the dough becomes soft when slicing the cookies, return it to the refrigerator until firm.
- VANILLA ICEBOX COOKIES:
- salt
- large egg yolks
- vanilla extract
- CHOCOLATE ICEBOX COOKIES: Substitute 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the flour. Add 2 ounces melted and cooled semisweet chocolate to the dough with the egg yolks and vanilla.
- BUTTERSCOTCH ICEBOX COOKIES: Substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
If you can’t find superfine sugar in the supermarket, simply process 1 cup granulated sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds, then measure out ¾ cup for the recipe. The dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and rerolled one time only. For best results, be sure to bake the cookies one sheet at a time.
- COOKIES:
- salt
- vanilla extract
- EASY ALL-PURPOSE GLAZE:
- whole milk
- CITRUS GLAZE:
- NUTTY GLAZE:
- whole milk
- almond or coconut extract
- COFFEE GLAZE:
- whole milk
- instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
- corn syrup
- vanilla extract
MAKES 2 DOZEN COOKIES
The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and gently as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground cardamom
- ground cloves
- ground black pepper
- vegetable oil
- large egg
- milk
- vanilla extract
Makes 2 Dozen Cookies
The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- table salt
- large egg
- large egg yolk
- vanilla extract
THIRTY 3-INCH COOKIES
If you plan to decorate your gingerbread cookies and make ornaments out of them, follow the related recipe for Thin, Crisp Gingerbread Cookies. Because flour is not added during rolling, dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as necessary Don’t overbake the cookies or they will be dry. Store soft gingerbread in a wide, shallow airtight container or tin with a sheet of parchment or waxed paper between each cookie layer. These cookies are best eaten within one week. If you make gingerbread people, this recipe will make about twenty 3-inch people.
- COOKIES:
- all-purpose flour
- firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- salt
- baking soda
- unsulphured molasses
- milk
- ICING:
- egg white beaten until peaks form
- cream of tartar
- powdered sugar
Makes 5 dozen cookies
Use cookie or baking sheets that measure at least 15 by 12 inches. Don’t be disconcerted by the scant amount of batter: You really are going to spread it very thin. Use the edges of the parchment paper as your guide, covering the entire surface thinly and evenly. For easier grating, freeze a 2-inch piece of peeled ginger for 30 minutes, then use a rasp-style grater.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
The original recipes for Fairy Gingerbread Cookies melted in our mouths but were also severely lacking in flavor. A bit of vanilla extract and salt helped boost the otherwise bland confections. Doubling the ginger added a much-needed kick, but without any competing flavors it was overwhelming. We cut back a little and toasted the ground ginger to bring out its natural flavor. Grating fresh ginger straight into the batter added even more intense ginger flavor.
Switching from bread flour to all-purpose flour made the batter slightly easier to spread onto an overturned baking sheet or cookie sheet. A little baking soda helped retain the cookies’ airy crispness.
- ground ginger
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- Salt
- packed light brown sugar
- grated fresh ginger
- vanilla extract