Holiday Bakery Tray Cookies

Submitted by Steve P.

"Basic recipe for the gourmet bakery tray cookies you see wrapped in colored cellophane in bakeries at holiday time"

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 3-4 dozen cookies

ingredients

• 3⁄4 cup sweet butter
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 - 2 1⁄4 cups sifted flour
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (optional)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream softened butter.
3. Mix in sugar thoroughly.
4. Beat in egg yolk, and extracts until light and fluffy.
5. Stir in flour by hand, 1 cup at a time, making a soft dough.
6. Press cookies out following directions for your cookie press.
7. Suggestions are "Fingers", "S-swirls", "Stars", and "Shells".
8. Bake 8-10 minutes (depending on size) at 350°.
9. Let cool completely on a rack.
10. Optional: Melt 8 squares of semisweet chocolate over hot (not boiling) water.
11. When melted, remove from flame but leave it over the hot water.
12. Dip each cookie in hot chocolate, resting it on a long tined fork.
13. It can be half dipped or bottom dipped or however you choose.
14. Let set upside down on rack or waxed paper.
15. It helps set the chocolate if you place the dipped cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
16. The chocolate should remain solid at room temperature, but a hot summer day could make it soft enough to give anyone sticky fingers.
17. In that case store in the refrigerator.
18. While chocolate is still warm you can dip the edge in coconut or ice cream sprinkles (jimmies) The finger shapes can also be spread with raspberry or apricot Jam and sandwiched together.
19. This produces the fancy cookies seen on Bakery trays.
20. Notes: The dough can also be chilled for several hours and then rolled out to make cut out cookies.
21. For a different flavor leave out the almond extract and substitute 2 teaspoons of orange or lemon extract.

Reviews

[Cindy Lynn]

Oh my...what a delinquent I've been. I promised a review after we worked out the bugs in this recipe and am just now finally getting to it. I ended up happiest with the version using 2 cups of flour and a cookie press. My family really enjoyed them. The almond extract lends a delightful flavor. I don't think I'll be waiting for the holidays to make them again though. Thanks for sharing this recipe Steve!!!

 

[spatchcock]

I, too, made these in several ways! I cut them into christmas trees, made some half dipped in chocolate, and some into raspberry-jam sandwiches. They were SO popular with my family-I think my sister ate about half of the whole batch while I was visiting!! The cookie itself has a fantastic taste--thanks for posting 1Steve!

 

[SilentCricket]

Could this be a new holiday cookie tradition in our house?! You bet! I made this recipe using two cups of flour and I used plain chocolate chips melted for the glaze. I also shaped the cookies into simple rounds, flattening them slightly and sprinkling about half with colored sugar. The others I half-dipped in the glaze and still others I made into "sandwiches" with raspberry jam, dipping one end in the glaze! They are delicious and got rave reviews from my family! I'd be anxious to try them with the other extracts too! Thanks, Steve for expanding our holiday cookie repetoire! YUM! ---Martha :)

 

[SiriZ]

I wasn't wowed by this. The taste was good, but simple, just not that exciting. Be sure to use dipping chocolate as otherwise it's hard to get the chocolate to set (yes, fridge works but then chocolate can easily become too 'melty' again unless you serve cookies right out of the fridge).

 

[Cinnamon1025]

These came out great. I used my cookie press and sandwiched with jam. Dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.