The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book - Camilla V. Saulsbury [84]
Combine the chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. (Frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice, if necessary.)
Bake for 9–12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
MAKES 28 COOKIES.
HAZELNUT ORANGE COOKIES
Madame Kanyuk, my sister’s childhood piano teacher, was as talented in the kitchen as at the keyboard. When it came time for her annual piano recitals, her house was filled with the sweet harmony of both music and baked treats from her native Hungary. I will never forget her hazelnut-orange cookies, a crisp-chewy confection with a generous measure of orange zest and a hint of ground coriander. If you do not have coriander, substitute ground nutmeg or mace.
1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 cup chopped hazelnuts (or almonds)
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
½ teaspoon ground coriander (or nutmeg)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 recipe Orange Icing (see page 368), optional
Break up the cookie dough into large bowl; let stand for 10–15 minutes to soften. Add hazelnuts, orange zest, and coriander. Mix well with your fingers, the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, or a wooden spoon. Chill dough for 1 hour in refrigerator or 20–25 minutes in freezer.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
Place sugar in shallow dish. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten to ¼-inch thickness by pressing with the bottom of a plastic drinking glass, dipping the glass into granulated sugar for each round.
Bake for 10–12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.
If desired, drizzle with Orange Icing.
MAKES ABOUT 28 COOKIES.
ITALIAN MELTAWAYS
These are elegant, refined cookies with a slightly fruity essence thanks to the extra virgin olive oil.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1¼ cups quick-cooking oats
1 (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup finely chopped, lightly toasted walnuts
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine the olive oil and oats in a medium bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the cake mix, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Fold in the nuts.
Form dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8–10 minutes or until just set. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Remove cookies to cooling rack. Roll in powdered sugar while still slightly warm.
MAKES 32 COOKIES.
JAM THUMBPRINTS
It just doesn’t get much easier than this. Yet the results are heartwarming, delectable, and endlessly variable.
1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam or preserves
Preheat oven to 350°.
Break up the cookie dough into a large bowl. Sprinkle the flour and vanilla over dough. Mix well with fingers until blended. Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press thumb into tops to make deep depression. Fill each depression with about ¼ teaspoon jam.
Bake for 11–13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.
MAKES 28 COOKIES.
JUMBO CHOCOLATE-CHIP PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES
If you’re making these sandwich cookies ahead of time, store the filling and cookies separately until you’re ready to eat. Once assembled, the cookies should be eaten immediately (never a problem!),