Best of Sunset cookies - Special Recipe Collection

Sunset, Dec, 2003

One of the best parts of the holiday season is the smell of cookies warm from the oven. Even those of us who are too busy to bake during the rest of the year find the time to make a batch of cookies in December. These festive treats will make delicious additions to your holiday cookie platter.

Candy Cane Cookies

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours, plus 5 hours to chill

NOTES: Freeze the two-toned dough at the end of step 5 for up to two weeks or store baked cookies airtight for up to 2 days.

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MAKES: About 80 cookies

  1  cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature

  1  cup sugar

  2  large egg yolks

  3  cups all-purpose flour

  1  tablespoon baking powder

1/4  teaspoons salt

  5  tablespoons milk

  1  teaspoon vanilla

1/4  teaspoon peppermint extract
     Red food coloring

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth; beat in egg yolks.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, blending thoroughly after each addition.

3. Divide dough in half. Leave one half in the mixing bowl and stir in a few drops of red food coloring.

4. Divide each half of dough in half again (four portions total); wrap dough portions in waxed paper or cooking parchment and chill until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.

5. Unwrap dough and roll each one of the four pieces into a smooth rope about 15 inches long. Twist each white rope with a red rope into a 13-inch-long combined rope (for a total of two ropes). Wrap twisted rolls in waxed paper; chill until firm, at least 4 hours, or up to 1 week (see notes).

6. Unwrap dough. Using a sharp knife, cut rolls into 1/8-inch-thick slices; place slices about 1 inch apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

7. Bake cookies in a 350[degrees] oven until light golden, about 10 minutes; transfer to racks to cool completely.

Per cookie: 45 cal., 47% (21 cal.) from fat; 0.5 g protein; 2.3 g fat (1.3 g sat.); 5.5 g carbo (0.1 g fiber); 44 mg sodium; 10 mg chol.

Mint Chippers

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 40 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes to chill

NOTES: Store these crisp mint-chocolate chip cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

MAKES: About 30 cookies

    1  cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature

1 1/4  cups powdered sugar

  1/2  teaspoon peppermint extract

  1/2  teaspoon vanilla

    2  large egg whites

    2  cups all-purpose flour

  1/4  teaspoon salt

  2/3  cup miniature chocolate chips or 4 ounces
       bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg whites until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir or beat in flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm but still pliable, about 30 minutes.

2. With powdered sugar-dusted hands, shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, flattening each slightly between your palms to about 2 1/4 inches wide. Place 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment--lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

3. Bake in a 300[degrees] oven until cookies feel firm to touch and are barely beginning to turn golden on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Per cookie: 128 cal., 53% (68 cal.) from fat; 1.3 g protein; 7.6 g fat (4.7 g sat.); 14 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 88 mg sodium; 17 mg chol.

Chocolate Thumbprints

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour, plus at least 1 hour to chill

NOTES: Turbinado sugar is a golden-brown, large-crystal sugar, sometimes labeled raw sugar or Demerara sugar. It is available at natural-food stores and some well-stocked supermarkets. If you can't find it, substitute additional granulated sugar. These cookies are best the day they are filled, but you can make both the cookies and the filling up to 3 days ahead. Store cookies airtight at room temperature; chill ganache airtight. Melt ganache over hot water and cool before using.

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MAKES: About 50 cookies

  1  cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature

1/2  cup granulated sugar

1/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar

  2  large egg yolks

  1  teaspoon vanilla

  2  cups all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1/4  teaspoon salt
     About 1/3 cup turbinado sugar (see notes)
     Chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until well blended, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm but pliable, about 30 minutes.