[isa]

While looking at recipes, trying to decide which cookies to make for Christmas, a thought occur to me. Why not have a cookie recipe exchange on Chef Talk? With people of many different ethnic background we could all discover new cookies.

I wish I had old family recipes for cookies. No such luck. So I'll share with one of my favourite Christmas cookie, a recipe found in Gourmet a few years ago. This is the recipe as it appears in Gourmet, bellow you'll find my notes

Pistachio Coins
80 Cookies

For dough

1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios (about 1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

For topping

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces fine-quality white chocolate such as Lindt
6 tablespoons shelled natural pistachios (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make dough:
In a small bowl whisk together egg and extracts. In a food processor pulse together flour, pistachios, sugar, and salt until combined well (do not finely grind nuts). Add butter in pieces and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg mixture with motor running and pulse just until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a work surface and with heel of hand press dough together just until smooth and cohesive.

Form level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With your thumb gently make an indentation in centre of each ball, pressing down almost to bottom.

Bake cookies in batches in lower third of oven until bottoms are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets on racks 5 minutes and transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.

Make topping:
In a small heavy saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth, and remove pan from heat. Coarsely chop (keeping separate) pistachios and cranberries.

Working with 10 cookies at a time, spoon 1/4 teaspoon chocolate mixture into each indentation and sprinkle pistachios and cranberries over chocolate centres. Let chocolate centres set 30 minutes. Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 10 days.

My notes:
I omit the lemon extract, adding instead a few drops of vanilla extract.

Preferring my cookies to be all the same size, I roll the dough, quite thick, and use a small round cutter to cut the cookies.

To make the thumbprint, I prefer to use a small ball tool, to ensure the indentation are all the same size.

For the topping, I simply temper white chocolate and drop a bit in the indentation quickly adding a pistachio and chopped dried cranberry. I am sure white compound chocolate would also work.

These cookies freeze well.

 

[shimmer]

I swear I had a similar idea this morning on the way to work, although I was thinking more broadly, as far as holiday recipes, but in my head they are always sweets anyway.

I think we should find some way of publishing this into a cute little recipe booklet for the interested (and contributing) members of Chef Talk... whaddya say?!?

Here is the one recipe Christmas would not be Christmas without. It's not all that original, but a great memory.

Wagon Wheel Cookies (I've also heard them called Chocolate Krinkles, and other names)

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup margarine

Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix sifted flour, baking powder, and salt together, then add to above mixture. Melt schooclate and margarine together; cool slightly; add to dough. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Dough will be quite soft. Refrigerate overnight. Form small balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350. Do not overbake!

I, of course, have fond memories of brown sticky hands from rolling them into 'perfect' balls as a child. I have never had Christmas without these cookies.

Enjoy!

~~Shimmer~~

 

[isa]

I have a simmilar recipe, it's called chocolate crackled cookies. You are right, it would not be Chirstmas without them. I recently realised it's the only chocolate cookie I make at Chrsitmas time. Oviously this oversight will have to be corrected.


Shimmer, I'm always open to more sweet recipes. :lips:

 

[isa]

Don't tell me no ones has great cookie recipes to share? Come on!

Athenaeus, Melina or Constantine, where is he by the way, don't you have a Kourambiedes recipe to share?

 

[nancya]

Chocolate Rum Balls

3 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs [12 ounces]
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

add
1/2 cup rum of your choice
1/3 cup karo corn syrup

Mix until well blended [I love a food processor for this, chop and mix in the same bowl]. Shape into one inch balls. Stick the balls in a large ziploc with additional confectioner's sugar and shake to coat. Store in a tightly covered container.

and for the slightly weird....

Strawberries

2 packages strawberry jello
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup Eagle brand milk
2 tsp red food coloring
1/2 tsp vanilla.

red sugar

Mix all ingredients except for the red sugar. Let stand in fridge overnight. Shape into strawberries and roll in red sugar. Make hole for stem and insert green lead. Slivered almonds can be dipped in green food coloring and rolled in green sugar and used as stems.

 

[isa]

Nancy I love your rum ball recipe! I am a bit curious about the strawberries, have you ever made some?


It reminds me of a recipe for Christmas wreath made with cornflakes, green food colouring and marshmallow.

 

[nancya]

Of course, Isabelle. Strawberries are an old tradition in my family. Most people like them if you don't tell them about the jello. They are somewhere between a cookie and a candy.

Count on having red fingers if you make them.

 

[athenaeus]

Isa!!!

I just saw that!!! Of course I have and I was wondering if I was to share my recipe here.
I thought that none really knew kourampiedes...

I will be back because without my archive I am lost .
My memory doesn't help me so much!



Nancy I will check in the super market about the ingredients for your strawberry jellos. I doubt if we have the coconut flakes here.
I will make them for some children I know. They will love them!

 

[isa]

Nancy How long can you keep the strwberries for?


Athenaeus I am looking forward to your recipe.

 

[nancya]

Isabelle - I'd guess about a week. Keep in a tight tupperware type container. In the fridge would probably last longer.

I really can't remember...I usually make to take them somewhere and they get eaten. When stale, they are pretty hard and nasty.


And Athenaeus....I'm looking forward to your recipe too...need something new for my collection!

 

[karlat]

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups, plus 1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda

Cream together butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugars, add oil beat until light. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, cream of tartar and soda. Add to creamed mixture a little at a time mixing well between additions. Turn mixer to high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Using two teaspoons, spoon out quarter size-sized dabs of dough and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press each lightly with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until the sides turn golden brown.

This is from my copy of Just a Matter of Thyme cookbook. Over the years I've made these with almond extract and almond oil (fantastic) I've used peppermint and red food paste, lemon extract and finely minced lemon zest, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and dipped the glass in cinnamon sugar. I prefer to use a pastry bag with no tip instead of the teaspoons. Prep to finish I can make a cool 5 dozen little cookies in under and hour!

These crunchy melt in your mouth cookies are so yummy I get requests for this recipe all the time!

 

[isa]

What a versatile recipe, thanks Karla. I looked up the cookbook online, seems like a good one. Have you made many of the recipes?


Afra: I make those every year, kids, of all age, love them.


What kind of recipe are you looking for Nancy? Chocolate, nut, fruit or spice cookie? A shortbread, a rolled cookie, a biscotti or an icebox cookie? A crunchy, chewy, soft or crisp cookie?



Ok I'l stop now.

 

[karlat]

The Banana Nut cake with the buttermilk, and the white chili are also some of our favorites. Pretty simple fare but great tasting. I've printed your pistacio recipe, I've got Ghiradelli white baking bars? Comparable to Lindt? My husband is a great fan of pistacios, and I'll try anything with butter in the recipe! Karla:lips:

 

[isa]

Karla,


I am sure Ghiradelli is fine. Not sure what baking bar are though. If you use white chocolate on it's own, you'll have to temper it first.


P.S. I love pistachio too, would eat anything with pistachios. It's hard work to skinned but worth the effort.

 

[athenaeus]

Kourampiedes are cookies for Christmas.

They have very few ingredients but al of them must be of high quality.

1 kl of fresh butter(I use sheep butter because it smells great)
1/2 k of almonds blanched, roasted and chopped
1 1/2 cup of sugar.
2 k of flour

Whisk the butter in the mixer for half an hour. Add the almonds and afterwards add slowly the flour.

Give them a round shape , like pressed meat balls and bake them in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
When they are ready you cover them with caster sugar!
But you need a lot of caster sugar.
Some people after baking them they spray them with rose water and they use the caster sugar afterwards!
They smell great but they become very sweet.

Some people use eggs in their recipe but I do not find this necessary.
Some other use oil , instead of butter. They are ok but we usually make them with oil during Lent that we cannot have butter.

IMPORTANT NOTICE :

If you make them 12 days before Christmas you should be very aware of the elfs (kalikantzaroi) that they are appearing on Earth and they love destroying kourampiedes.
The legent says that during that period, when you make cookies you should not talk! You should make them in silence!

I think that this was a typical method of grandmothers to keep their grandchildren in order while they were preparing the cookies!

 

[lynne]

Being in Texas -- the land of Pecans, pecans are definitely prevalent in Christmas baked goodies.

One of my favourites is Pecan Chewies from a book, the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders by Joanne Fluke (and yes...trying telling your guests that those cookies they are enjoying so much are from a murder mystery book.....

Pecan Chews

1 cup butter
3 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
3 t. vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups flour

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well and let cool. Add beaten eggs and mix. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla and nuts. Mix well. Add flour and mix until flour is thoroughly distributed.

Form dough into balls with your fingers. * (walnut sized). Place them on a greased cookie sheet. Press them down with a spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on sheet for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack.

* I just scoop and don't flatten. Cookies turn out the same.

They are crisp the first day then are chewy -- very good. Also bake well from frozen.

Happy baking!

Lynne

 

[isa]

Such a nice story Athenaeus. I love recipes with history.


I realised this week that most of the cookies I make for Christmas are nuts cookies. I am happy to have two more to add to my collection. :lips:


I also realised this week that I only make one chocolate cookie recipes for Christmas. I couln't believe it myself.

 

[nancya]

Those sound great Athenaeus and I like that they have only a few ingredients! Oh, yum....I just love cookies, especially ones that are made with love at holidays...

And those Pecan Chewies sound great, Lynne. Do they come out kind of like Pralines or maybe Pecan Pie? Oh, they must go on my list.

I normally make treats for friends at Christmas. I didn't last year because I was still pouting about being diagnosed diabetic. If I give most of them away, should be safe for me.

I'm not looking for anything in particular Isa...but I really like tried and true recipes. Maybe I should post my gramma's soft molasses cookies here...wow, haven't made them in a while.

can anyone name the source of that quote?

 

[isa]

You can never have too many ginger & spices cookies. Looking forward to your recipe Nancy! :lips:

 

[nancya]

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp hot water
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg
6 Tbsp cold water

Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve soda in hot water.

Mix shortening, sugar, molasses and egg until creamy. Mix into flour mixture alternately with cold water, then mix in soda.

Drop in rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 F for approximately 12 minutes.

Notes:

I've always used shortening in the recipe but plan on trying it with butter, to see what happens.

Timing is everything! Ovens vary and timing is really important with these cookies. I always bake one cookie at a time until I get the timing down right. I use a timer with the capacity of timing seconds -- I remember one oven that the correct timing was 10 minutes, 9 seconds. Seriously.