Recipe: Fancy Cookies (9) for Judy/PA

Hi Judy :-) I found these recipes for you on the internet. I have not tried them. I hope you find some that you like. Good luck!!

Lace Cookies with Orange-Mascarpone Filling and Raspberries
Recipe courtesy Paula Lambert, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide, Simon & Schuster, 2000
Yield: 24 to 30 cookies about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter

For the Lace Cookies:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Orange-Mascarpone Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
4 ounces (1/2 cup) mascarpone, at room temperature
1 tablespoon orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (preferably mandarin orange)
2 half-pints raspberries, rinsed and dried (2 cups)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

For the Lace Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line an 18 by 12-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the pecans and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add the butter, flour, molasses, cream, and vanilla and process until well mixed and the nuts are finely chopped. Transfer the dough to a bowl.

Place heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough on the foil-lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies far apart and leaving lots of room to expand-makes only 6 cookies at a time.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until bubbly all over and golden brown. Watch the cookies carefully, as they turn from brown to burned very quickly; the baking time may need to be adjusted according to your oven. Remove from the oven and place, still on the foil, on a cake rack to cool completely. Continue to bake the cookies in batches until all the dough is used. (Make extra cookies, as they are very fragile and break easily.) Once they are cooled, very carefully peel the foil away from the back of the lace cookies; it is very easy to break the cookies. If holding the cookies for any length of time, place in an airtight container.

For the Orange Mascarpone Filling:
Place the cream in a small bowl and whip by hand or with an electric mixer until fairly stiff. Using a whisk, stir in the mascarpone, liqueur, sugar, and orange zest until the mixture is smooth. Be careful not to over mix, because the mascarpone might separate. Use immediately, or set aside and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

To assemble, place 1 lace cookie on a dessert plate. Spread 1 tablespoon of the filling gently over the cookie, or pipe, using a pastry bag. Place 4 raspberries, equally spaced, on the filling. Place a third cookie on top of the raspberries and top with 1 tablespoon of the filling. Repeat with the remaining cookies and filling.

Garnish each dessert with 3 or 4 raspberries and a mint sprig. Serve immediately.

Bugia, or Liar's Cookies
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello
Yield: about 6 dozen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled briefly
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground anise seeds
4 to 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
About 2 cups powdered sugar

Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugar and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together the eggs, butter, orange juice, brandy, vanilla, and anise seeds until well blended. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and adheres to the paddle.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured board. Knead by hand until smooth. Form the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and place in a bowl. Cover with a tea towel and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight to allow the dough to relax.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, cut the dough into 4 or 6 equal pieces. Keeping the dough and work surface well floured, pass the dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine 3 or 4 times. Then pass through successively narrower settings until the dough is almost thin enough to see through; depending on your pasta machine, this will probably be the next to thinnest setting.

Cut the dough into long strips 3 inches wide, then cut the strips on the diagonal into pieces about 3 inches long. If the dough tears, cut it off and work it back into the dough. The cookies curl when they fry, so fancier shapes are not important. As the cookies are cut, transfer them to baking sheets lined with flour-dusted tea towels, and cover with tea towels so they won't dry out before frying. Fry in batches, turning once, until puffed and golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

While the cookies are still hot, dust them well with powdered sugar. Wait for a few minutes while the oil and heat absorb and melt most of this first coating. Dust well a second time until the cookies are quite white. The cookies will keep for a week or so in an airtight container. You may need to re-dust them with sugar before serving.

Only a few cookies at a time will fit, even in a big pot, so frying takes time. It is best to have company in the kitchen, ready with lots of good talk to keep you amused. And there are always the warm cookies to eat along the way as a reward. You can also dredge the cookies in granulated sugar, crystal sugar, or even a mix of powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder.

Magnolia Lace Trumpets
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Yield: 30

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon Irish Cream Liqueur, optional
Filling, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Lightly grease the foil; set aside (if you don't grease the foil, the cookies will stick and be ruined).

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter, and syrup. Cook mixture over low heat until butter melts; remove from heat. Stir together flour and ginger; add dry mixture to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in Irish Cream, if desired.

Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 3 to 4 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake only 2 or 3 cookies at a time because you must work quickly to form the cones before they cool and become brittle.*

Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Quickly invert cookies onto another cookie sheet, and wrap each cookie around the greased handle of a wooden spoon or a metal cone. When cookie is set, slide cookie off spoon or cone; cool on a wire rack. Fill cookies with filling.

To store: Place unfilled cookies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days or freeze unfilled cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies and fill.

*If cookie gets too brittle to roll, run back in the oven for a minute to soften.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups solid shortening (recommended: Crisco)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot milk
Cream together shortening and butter. Add sugar and beat well. Add egg white and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Add hot milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until creamy. Put into pastry tube with star tip and fill cookies.

Yield: frosting for 30 cookies

Coffee Macaroons
Recipe adapted from The French Cookie Book, by Bruce Healy with Paul Bugat, published by William Morrow, 1994
Yield: about 3 * dozen filled macaroons

3/4 cup blanched almonds
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon freeze-dried coffee, dissolved in 1 teaspoon boiling water
1 cup chocolate Ganache, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, combine the almonds and brown sugar. Process until completely ground. Using an electric mixer, fitted with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until frothy. Add 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping until very stiff peaks and the whites just begin to slip and streak around the side of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixture and fold in the almond and sugar mixture. When almost completely incorporated, add the 2 teaspoons of coffee and continue folding until mixed. The batter must be smooth an shiny, and it should spread easily without being runny. If it is dull and firm, fold it a little longer to deflate it slightly and get the required consistency. But do not deflate it too much or the batter with spread too much and the tops of the cookies will crack when baked. Fill a large pastry bag, fitted with a 3/4 inch plain pastry tube, with the batter. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Pipe the domes in staggering rows 1 inch wide and 1 inch apart. Unless you have 2 ovens, pipe only 1 sheet of cookies at a time. Bake for 1 minute. Place an empty baking sheet underneath the sheet of cookies, and continue baking, using a wooden spatula to hold the oven door ajar, until the tops of the cookies are very lightly browned and dry to the touch white the insides are still soft and the bottoms still pale, about 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the baking sheet of cookies off the empty baking sheet and take it to the sink. Pour cold water, about 1/2 cup, between the paper and the baking sheet (tilting the baking sheet so that the water runs over the entire surface and drains thoroughly into the sink) to steam the cookies off the paper. Then place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool. Spread the bottoms of half the cookies with some of the Ganache. Place the remaining cookies, right side up, on top of the Ganache, pressing slightly to form a sandwich. Place the filled macaroons on a serving plate.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
2 1/4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream

Chop the chocolate and put it in a small stainless steel bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually stir the cream into the chocolate with the whisk and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Then, allow it to cool, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula, until it starts to thicken.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen

Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 drops mint extract, or more to taste
3 1/2 teaspoons water

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer beat together the butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla. On a low speed beat in the flour mixture a little at a time. Gently mix in chocolate chips.

On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop teaspoons of the batter about 2 inches apart. Bake until just cracked on top, about 8 to10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Cool completely.

For the glaze:
In a small bowl mix together the sugar; mint extract and water until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium resealable plastic bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let cookies stand until set, about 10 minutes.

Rainbow Sugar Cookie Arrangement
Courtesy Gale Gand, "Butter Sugar Flour Eggs" by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin, Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, 1999

Decorative container
Tissue paper
Dough disk, recipe follows
Flower pots of various sizes
Long and short lollipop sticks
Jar of jelly beans in varying shades of green
Flower foam
Flower-shaped cookie cutters
Floral tape
Store-bought icing in various colors
Silk leaves
Recipe card, see below for text
Dough Disk:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Dough Disk: In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the granulated sugar, butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and baking powder and mix. Add the flour and mix. Shape the dough into a large flat disk, kneading briefly if necessary to bring the dough together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours.
Line container with tissue paper and place all items inside. The recipe card should read as follows:

Get started on your cookie bouquet garden by preheating the oven to 350 degrees, then butter a sheet pan. After that, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using the cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to the prepared pan. Insert a lollipop stick inside each cookie and bake until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan.

To ice the cookies, you can either use the icing provided, or if you're feeling a bit adventurous, here's a quick and easy recipe:

4 cups confectioners' sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons whole, 2 percent fat or 1 percent fat, milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 colors food coloring

In a medium bowl, mix the confectioners' sugar, 4 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla until smooth. If still too thick to spread, add the remaining tablespoon of milk a little at a time until the icing is smooth and pourable, but thick enough to coat. Measure 1/4 cup of white icing into each of 4 small bowls. Color them 4 different colors. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.
When you're ready to ice the cookies, set a wire rack over a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Place the cooled cookies on the wire rack and pour the remaining white icing onto them. Using a metal icing spatula, cover the cookies completely with an even layer of icing. Before the icing sets, use forks or squeeze bottles to drizzle the other 4 colors of icing over the cookies to make spidery lines. Let harden 1 hour then store in an airtight container.

To assemble the cookie bouquet, start by cutting out cubes of flower foam that will fit into the flower pots, then wrap the foam in plastic. Place a silk leaf against the stick in one of the iced cookies, then wrap the entire stick with floral tape, so it looks like a flower stem. Stick the cookie "flower" into the foam in the flower pot then cover the foam with jelly beans. ALL DONE!

Stephanie's Apricot White Chocolate Cookies
Yield: 24

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
4 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined. With a wooden spoon, mix in the apricots and white chocolate. Drop the batter by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Mini Linzer Cookies
Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved
Yield: 36 cookies

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or spade shaped cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners' sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners' sugar on the top.

Meringue Cookies ("Emeril's Pink Pigs")
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003
Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon raspberry extract or raspberry flavored liqueur (recommended: Framboise)
1 tablespoon red food coloring, or more as desired
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not at all dry; be careful not to overbeat. Add the sugar gradually, about 3 tablespoons at a time. When 1/2 of the sugar has been added, add the cherry extract and food coloring. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar in batches, until all of the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very shiny and tight. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Working 1 teaspoon at a time, push a teaspoonful of meringue from the tip of 1 teaspoon with the back of another teaspoon onto the lined baking sheets, leaving 1-inch of space between cookies. Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies undisturbed in the oven for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, or until cookies are crisp and dry.