Holiday Bakery Tray Cookies
9
People talking
Basic recipe for the gourmet bakery tray cookies you see wrapped in colored cellophane in bakeries at holiday time
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Yields:
- Units:
Nutrition Information
9
People talking
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
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream softened butter.
- Mix in sugar thoroughly.
- Beat in egg yolk, and extracts until light and fluffy.
- Stir in flour by hand, 1 cup at a time, making a soft dough.
- Press cookies out following directions for your cookie press.
- Suggestions are "Fingers", "S-swirls", "Stars", and "Shells".
- Bake 8-10 minutes (depending on size) at 350°.
- Let cool completely on a rack.
- Optional: Melt 8 squares of semisweet chocolate over hot (not boiling) water.
- When melted, remove from flame but leave it over the hot water.
- Dip each cookie in hot chocolate, resting it on a long tined fork.
- It can be half dipped or bottom dipped or however you choose.
- Let set upside down on rack or waxed paper.
- It helps set the chocolate if you place the dipped cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- The chocolate should remain solid at room temperature, but a hot summer day could make it soft enough to give anyone sticky fingers.
- In that case store in the refrigerator.
- 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.
- This produces the fancy cookies seen on Bakery trays.
- Notes: The dough can also be chilled for several hours and then rolled out to make cut out cookies.
- For a different flavor leave out the almond extract and substitute 2 teaspoons of orange or lemon extract.
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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).
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These came out great. I used my cookie press and sandwiched with jam. Dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.
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I made this recipe exactly as written. I've been baking since I was 9 yrs old. This recipe looked interesting. It had a good taste, but I would adjust the recipe by reducing the flour in the directions.I would also explain to inexperienced bakers that the dough doesn't rise much. If this dough is rolled and cookie cutters are used, make sure you have the thickness you want. My dough was crumbling on me due to too much flour. I will try this again, reducing the flour to just under 2 cups and maybe using confectioners sugar instead of granulated.
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Excellent flavor, very accurate measurements,delicious and lovely looking cookies. These are so good that I am adding them to my permanent annual holiday baking list, something I rarely add to (it has to be a terrific recipe, and this one surely is.) I tinted my dough green, took the suggestion to roll out and cut them into leaves, then made cookie sandwiches with melted chocolate in the middle. I also tried adding mint extract in place of almond, and that worked out nicely. I will be making extra plain batches as well. Wonderful recipe.
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