Tag Archives: butter cookies

Hazelnut Crescent Cookies

This delicious cookie is one of those special family recipes shared and enjoyed from generation to generation. I remember my grandmother making this cookie and keeping it in her special tin, bought out whenever someone would visit for coffee. I couldn’t find the recipe and then not too long ago I was able to spend some time with my Tante Hetty, who was kind enough to send me the recipe. So happy to share with you to enjoy this holiday season!

From by the bay, wishing you soft and buttery cookie food memories!

Maryann

blog hazelnut cookie

Hazelnut Crescent Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra 1 cup to coat hot cookies
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cup ground hazelnuts
  • 1 egg , plus 1 yolk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Use an electric mixer to beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat well until combined , add eggs one at a time , then vanilla. Gradually add flour and nuts and combine well. Put dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Set aside to silpat lined baking sheets. Remove dough from fridge and  shape into small half moon crescent shapes. Place back in the refrigerator another 10 minutes. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden on bottom. While hot toss gently with granulated sugar and cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Will last for about 5 days.

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Butter Cookie Recipe

It’s Christmas time and who doesn’t love to have  a platter of cookies at the ready? Whether you are preparing for guests or just trimming the tree alone – it’s nice to have cookies around the house. This is really the only time of year that I would have containers of different types of cookies around the house. It’s one of my favorite excesses at Christmas. A great cookie to try is this french butter cookie. It’s easy to make and I like having a recipe that doesn’t require a lot of work to add to my cookie assortment. This is my version of a cookie I ate in Paris that was topped with a little pillow of chocolate ganache. It was bliss. I also, make some of these topped with jam, since my sister Nancy is not a big chocolate lover. I suggest doing half of the recipe with jam and the other half with the ganache. Even if you don’t consider yourself a baker, this is an easy recipe to try. Enjoy!
From by the bay wishing you the sweetest memories of cookies and Christmas!
Maryann
blog butter cookie
Butter Cookie Recipe
Makes 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
2 cups all – purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
extra granulated sugar to roll dough
jam to fill cookies
Directions:
In a large bowl add the butter, sugar and vanilla. Use an electric mixer and beat ingredients until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat in well. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture slowly and mix at a low speed. Once blended turn out into a sheet of plastic wrap , flatten and wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Place extra granulated sugar onto a plate. Roll dough into acorn size balls and then roll in the sugar. Place each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger to flatten each ball. Take your thumb and make a small well in the center of the flatten dough. If you are making jam filled cookies, take a small spoon and fill well with about 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam. I like to use apricot, raspberry or red currant jam. If you plan to fill with chocolate ganache ( recipe below) bake as is. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Store in air tight containers.
Chocolate Ganache
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and place on medium heat, stirring until the chocolate melts and everything is well combined. Pour into a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until you can spoon and shape into small pillow of chocolate to place on top of plain french butter cookies and serve. Don’t stack this cookie on your tray.

Spritz Cookies

 

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Definition: Spritz Cookies are make with a cookie press. A cookie press allows the baker to shape dough into uniform shapes quickly. Cookie presses come in a variety of shapes but this is especially wonderful for Christmas entertaining. Cookies can be made into wreaths, trees, stars etc. These butter cookies are really a holiday staple.

 

My fondest Christmas cooking memory is making cookies with my mother. When I was a little girl, our Christmas tradition was making these wonderful little spritz butter cookies and decorating them. We made them only  at Christmas and we would enjoy them through out the holidays. An equally wonderful memory was when my mother handed over to me the official role of baking these cookies for the holidays along with her cookie press. She came over to my house and taught me exactly what to do. I was not so great at making the shapes when we first started so don’t get discouraged when you first attempt these little cookies. If you don’t like how they look just grab up that dough and throw it back into the cookie press and try again. I had to do that a few times before I finally got the hang of it. I was under close supervision by my mother when she taught me how to make these cookies. The way I knew that I had succeeded in my baking was at the end of the afternoon, mom said to me, why don’t I leave the cookie press here with you now.  You’ll love these cookies and will want to make it part of your Christmas traditions!

 

Come back for more Christmas food ideas!

 
From by the bay wishing you the warmest Christmas food memories!

Maryann

 

 

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Spritz Sugar Cookies

5 dozen cookies

1 lb unsalted butter

1 ½ cup fine sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

5 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Optional: sprinkles, colored sugar, candied cherries, chocolate to decorate

Requires : cookie press or spritz

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. In a bowl add dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix and keep to the side. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter until fluffy. Add sugar gradually and beat well. Add eggs one at a time until well combined. Add vanilla until blended. Add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Using a spoon put dough into cookie press. Press shaped cookies onto an non stick baking sheet. You can decorate the cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles or candied cherries depending on the shape. Bake in oven for 7 minutes. If using two trays, after 3 minutes rotate baking sheets on oven rack and then bake another 4 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies start to brown. Store cookies in an air tight container.

Holiday decorating

Wreaths: decorate before baking with candied cherry pieces and green sugar.

Trees : with multicolor chocolate sprinkles.

Stars: pressed into a long log and cut into 2 inch pieces. Dip the ends in melted chocolate and then dip into sprinkles