FYI: cookies from Gourmet

[sherri]

This was featured on Epicurious, top reader cookie recipes (from Gourmet). Just thought I would share.
http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/cookies04?mbid=RF

[claire797]

Thanks for the link! Those bittersweet chocolate cookies sound especially good.

[Catew]

I can also recommend all of these
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/13504/

It's a basic butter cookie dough, and there are 8 very different ways to use it. The Orange Cranberry cookies are particularly nice. I use this recipe every year.

[knunes]

Catew and Sherrie,
Thanks for the links. So many yummy ones to inspire me!

[jabelt]

Originally posted by Catew
I can also recommend all of these
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/13504/

It's a basic butter cookie dough, and there are 8 very different ways to use it. The Orange Cranberry cookies are particularly nice. I use this recipe every year.

I guess 8 cookies from 1 dough wasn't enough because this post got me searching amazon for books on the subject. I found two and have already bought them.

Cookie Dough Delights - 150 recipes made from store-bought refrigerated cookie dough (I'm skeptical about this one, but it got great reviews.)

One Dough | Fifty Cookies

Does anyone have either of these? Any favorite recipes?

[catbatty]

Originally posted by Catew
I can also recommend all of these
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/13504/

It's a basic butter cookie dough, and there are 8 very different ways to use it. The Orange Cranberry cookies are particularly nice. I use this recipe every year.

Thanks for telling us, Catew!!
Want them in MC format? I've included all the variations. It's rather huge.

Brenda


* Exported from MasterCook *

Basic Butter Cookie Dough (and Variations)

Recipe By :Gourmet, December 1995
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cookies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 sticks unsalted butter -- softened (1 pound)
1 1/3 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

This recipe is used to make (see recipes below):
Spritz Wreaths
Raspberry Hazelnut Triangles
Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Mocha Butter Balls
Jewel Bowl Cookies
Spiced Icebox Butter Cookies
Apricot Stars
Almond Butter Crisps

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Basic Butter Cookie Dough:

In large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in yolks, 1 at a time, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in flour gradually, beating dough until just combined well.

Makes about 3 pounds dough.

SPRITZ WREATHS
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
1 egg white, beaten lightly with 2 teaspoons water
green decorating sugar
glacéed cherries, cut into slivers

Cylindrical cookie presses are a fast and convenient way to make uniform intricate shapes. If you prefer something other than a wreath-shaped cookie, change the disk of your press and decorate as desired with colored sugars, nuts, or dragées to create Christmas trees, snowflakes, or poinsettias. The possibilities are endless.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pack dough into a cookie press fitted with wreath disk and press about 1 inch apart onto cool ungreased baking sheets. Brush cookies lightly with egg-white wash and sprinkle with decorating sugar. Arrange cherry slivers to form bow shapes.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. (Cookies will stick to sheets if cooled too long on them.) Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

RASPBERRY HAZELNUT TRIANGLES
These cookies are like bite-size Linzertortes. Instead of being cut into triangles as suggested below, the dough can be cut into whatever other shape is preferred.
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough between sheets of wax paper into an approximately 14-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick, and remove top sheet of paper. Spread dough with jam and sprinkle with nuts. With a long-bladed knife cut dough into 2-inch squares and halve each square diagonally to form triangles. If dough becomes too soft to work with, transfer it on wax paper to a baking sheet and freeze or chill until firm.

Arrange triangles 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

APRICOT STARS
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough
2/3 cup apricot jam

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Halve dough and reserve one half, covered and chilled. Roll out remaining dough between sheets of wax paper into an approximately 10-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick, and freeze or chill on a baking sheet until firm about 15 minutes.

With a 1 1/2- to 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter cut out stars, arranging them about 1 inch apart on baking sheets and gathering scraps to reroll and cut for a total of 60 stars. If dough becomes too soft to work with, refreeze or chill uncut dough until firm.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 8 minutes, and transfer carefully to racks to cool.

Roll out, chill or freeze if necessary, and cut out reserved dough in same manner into about 60 more stars. With a smaller star or round cutter cut and lift out centers of second batch of stars. Bake second batch of cookies in middle of oven until pale golden, about 8 minutes, and transfer carefully to racks and cool.

In a small saucepan simmer jam, stirring, 2 minutes, and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids.

On a tray or work surface, arrange whole stars, bottom sides up. Drop 1/4 teaspoon jam on each cookie, spreading almost to edges, and top with a cut-out star. Any remaining jam can be spooned into centers. Let cookies stand until set. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

MOCHA BUTTER BALLS
These cookies are rolled in confectioners' sugar while warm, which gives them a thin buttery frosting.
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired
about 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together all ingredients except confectioners' sugar until just combined well. Form dough into 1-inch balls and arrange about 3/4 inch apart on baking sheets.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until just firm and beginning to brown, about 18 minutes, and cool on baking sheets 5 minutes.

Sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl. After the 5 minutes cooling, toss balls, a few at a time, in confectioners' sugar, coating them well and transferring them as coated to trays to cool completely. (Before balls are stored or frozen, they can be coated lightly again in confectioners' sugar to keep them from sticking to each other.) Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

JELLY BOWL COOKIES
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
3/4 cup strawberry, apricot, or raspberry jam, strained fine

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Form level teaspoons of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With your thumb make an indentation in center of each ball of dough and fill with about 1/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 2 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

ORANGE CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
about 1/2 cup sugar

In a bowl soak cranberries in warm water to cover 15 minutes. Drain cranberries well and chop fine. Preheat oven to 350°F.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat cranberries, oats, and zest into basic dough until just combined well. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll balls in sugar to coat. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets and flatten to 2-inch rounds with bottom of a glass wrapped in wax paper to prevent sticking.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes, and cool on racks. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

SPICED ICEBOX BUTTER COOKIES
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey or molasses
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds, crushed lightly
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together dough, honey or molasses, and spices until just combined well. Halve dough and on sheets of wax paper form each half into a 12-inch log. Chill logs, wrapped in wax paper, at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350°F.

With a sharp knife cut logs into generous 1/8-inch slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes, and cool on racks.

Make icing:
In a small bowl whisk together icing ingredients and transfer to a sealable plastic bag. With scissors cut an 1/8-inch opening in one corner of bag.

Arrange cookies as close together as possible on sheets of wax paper and drizzle with icing. Let icing dry completely. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 10 dozen cookies.

ALMOND BUTTER CRISPS
This dough can also be formed into crescent shapes and coated with confectioners' sugar while still warm, as is done in many eastern European countries.

2 2/3 cups blanched almonds (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 prepared Basic Butter Cookie Dough at room temperature
2 egg whites, beaten lightly

Halve 1 cup almonds and reserve.
In a food processor grind almonds with sugar and salt until fine. In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat almond mixture and almond extract into basic dough until just combined well. Pat dough into a rectangle. Chill dough, wrapped in wax paper, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Working with one third of dough at a time, roll out each piece of dough between two sheet of wax paper into a 12- by 9-inch rectangle, slightly more than 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into 1 1/2- to 2-inch almond shapes (or any other shape preferred), arranging cookies about 1/2 inch apart of baking sheets. If dough becomes too soft to work with, freeze or chill uncut dough on baking sheet until firm.

Brush cookies lightly with egg whites and gently press a reserved almond half in center of each cookie.

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 10 minutes, and cool on racks. Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.

Makes about 11 dozen cookies.

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NOTES : Posted to Cooking Light forum by Catew in Delaware: " I can also recommend all of these http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/r...ws/views/13504/
It's a basic butter cookie dough, and there are 8 very different ways to use it. The Orange Cranberry cookies are particularly nice. I use this recipe every year."