Rose's Christmas Cookies

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Stained Glass

Makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

This is a cookie and a candy all in one. The cookie itself is a crisp sugar-butter cookie, and the candy panes add a sweet fruity flavor and crunch. It was these cookies, hanging on a Christmas tree, with light shining through their transparent candy panes, that inspired me to create a gingerbread cathedral with a stained-glass rose window. For greater ease of preparation, the cookies can be made with one larger cutout in the center, but with their many cutouts (admittedly painstaking) they are so breathtaking to behold that they are worth the effort.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (13.75 ounces / 390 grams)bleached all-purpose flour (dip and sweep method)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (4.75 ounces / 132 grams) sugar
1 cup (8 ounces / 227 grams) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons egg, lightly beaten (about half of a large egg)
1 1 2 teaspoons (6 grams) pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
1 package (1 cup / 6.5 ounces / 184 grams) sour balls

Equipment: cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil, then sprayed with nonstick vegetable cooking spray or greased; rolling pin; 3-inch round cookie cutters and small canape cutters.

Food Processor Method

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugar until it is very fine. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and extracts and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and pulse in,just until the dough begins to clump together.

Electric Mixer Method

Soften the butter. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg and extracts and beat until blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. On low speed, gradually add them to the butter mixture and mix just until the dough can be gathered into a ball.

For Both Methods

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap, not your fingers, to press the dough together to form a thick flat disc. Wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably no longer than 3 hours.

Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Separate the sour balls into individual colors and pulverize them separately in a blender or food processor. Place each color in a small container and set aside.

Using about a quarter of the dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or on a lightly floured counter. Cut out cookies with a 3-inch cookie cutter, spraying or greasing the cutter as needed to prevent sticking. With a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner, transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets. If you are planning to hang the cookies, make small holes with the blunt end of a wooden skewer.

Cut out shapes for the stained glass in each cookie with small cutters or with a small sharp knife. Use the tip of a small sharp knife to fill the holes with candy pieces, filling just to the top of the dough.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned and the candy has melted completely. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period. Watch carefully toward the end of baking to see that the candy does not start to caramelize and turn brown.

Allow the cookies to cool completely on the sheets. Carefully peel off the aluminum foil.

Store: In an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature.

Keeps: Several weeks.

Smart Cookie

• Saran Wrap is the ideal plastic wrap for rolling the dough because it lies very flat. Wax paper is the second choice.
  
  
• For precise cutouts, chill the dough after the impressions are made and remove the cutout with the tip of a sharp knife after the dough has firmed enough for each cutout to come out in a clean piece.
  
  
• If you are using a blender to pulverize the sour balls, drop the balls with the motor running in order to keep them from getting stuck under the blades.
  
  
• Allow the cookie sheet(s) to cool completely before using for the next batch.
  
  
• Distribute the cookies evenly around the cookie sheet. Avoid crowding the cookies into one section of the cookie sheet, leaving a large area bare.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Jewels

Makes about 5 dozen 1 3/4-Inch cookies

If you love peanut butter, these cookies will be it. I created what I believe to be quintessential peanut butter cookies to honor the one hundredth anniversary of peanut butter. They are very peanut buttery yet exceptionally light, with a lovely "sandy" bite. At my husband's urging, I doubled up on the peanut butter and decreased the flour, making the chocolate cookie centers seem like biting into a Reese's peanut butter cup.

Chocolate centers blend wonderfully with the peanut flavor, but the bright, tart, sticky cherry centers are my first choice.

Equipment: ungreasedcookie sheets, 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop or a measuring teaspoon.

Place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Ingredients

1 cup (dip and sweep method) (5 ounces/142 grams) bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (firmly packed) (3.75 ounces /108 grams) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces / 50 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (9.25 ounces / 266 grams) smooth peanut butter
1 large egg (3 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon / 1.75 ounces / 50 grams weighed without shell)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (2 grams)

Food Processor Method

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk to mix evenly. In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugars for several minutes until very fine. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Add the peanutbutterandprocessuntil smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and process until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and pulse in just until incorporated.

Electric Mixer Method

Soften the butter. Into a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine well. Set aside. In a mixing bowl , beat the sugars until well mixed. Add the butter and peanut butter and beat for several minutes ,untilverysmoothand creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. At low speed, gradually beat in theflour mixture just until incorporated.

For Both Methods

Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (This keeps the dough from cracking when shaped.)Measure the dough into a 1-1/4 inch cookie scoop or 2 level teaspoons and roll it between the palms of your hands to shape 1-inch balls. Place the balls 1-1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. As soon as you roll each ball, use your index finger or the handle of a wooden spoon to make a depression going down almost to the cookie sheet in the center of each ball.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and set. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for a few minutes or until firm enough to lift. Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. If necessary, while the cookies are still hot, use the greased handle of a wooden spoon to deepen the depressions.

Fill the centers with the cherry preserves or milk chocolate toppings.

Cherry Preserves Topping

Ingredients

1 1/2 (12-ounce) jars (1 pound 2 ounces / 510 grams) cherry preserves

In a microwave oven or a saucepan, heat the preserves until boiling. Strain the jelly into a small heavy saucepan. Place the cherries remaining in the strainer in the centers of the cookies. If some are crushed, piece them together.

On medium heat, boil the jelly for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until, when it is dropped from the stirring spoon, the last drops gather to form one large sticky drop that hangs from the spoon. The jelly will be reduced to about 3/4 cup. Allow the jelly to cool about 1 minute or until the bubbling stops. Spoon heaping 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons over each cherry.

Milk Chocolate Topping

Ingredients

2 (3-ounce) bars (6 ounces / 170 grams) milk chocolate
2 (3-ounce) bars (6 ounces / 170 grams) bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons (3 ounces / 85 grams) unsalted butter (room temperature)

Break the chocolate into squares and place them in the top of a double boiler. Set it over hot but not simmering water. The water must not touch the bottom of the double-boiler insert. Stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Return the pan to low heat if the water cools, but be careful that the water does not get too hot. Stir the chocolate until smooth, and cool it until it is no longer warm to the touch. (The chocolate may be melted in a microwave oven if stirred every 15 seconds. Remove it before it is fully melted and stir, using residual heat to complete melting). Whisk in the softened butter. The mixture will immediately thicken. Do not overwhisk. Use a reclosable quart-size freezer bag with one corner cut off to pipe the chocolate into the centers of the cookies or use a small metal spatula to spread on a dollop. You can also use a coupler with a number 22 star decorating tube to pipe the chocolate decoratively into the centers. Allow the chocolate to set until firm.

Store: Cookies filled with chocolate can be stacked in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies with cherry centers need to be placed in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature. Do not cover the surface of the cookie with plastic wrap as the cherry center remains slightly sticky.

Keeps: 1 month if filled, several months unfilled.

Smart Cookie

• For the best texture and flavor, be sure to use commercially prepared peanut butter such as Skippy and not homemade or health food varieties, which are less smooth.
  
  
• The dry ingredients are sifted together because baking soda has a tendency to lump.
  
  
• Using superfine sugar will result in fewer cracks in the cookie's surface. It can be prepared easily in a food processor by processing granulated sugar for a few minutes or until it is as fine as sand.
  
  
• These cookies are much lighter than the usual peanut butter cookie, despite the high amount of peanut butter, because there is less flour, which offsets the bulk of the peanuts.
  
  
• For a more delicate flavor and a finer, less "sandy" texture that does not crack, try a batch using half the amount of peanut butter. The cookies will also be flatter and crisper.
  
  
• Cherry preserves, straight from the jar, can be placed in the center of the unbaked cookie and baked in it, but the cookie is far less attractive.
  
  
• Allow the cookie sheet(s) to cool completely before using for the next batch.
  
  
• Distribute the cookies evenly around the cookie sheet. Avoid crowding the cookies into one section of the cookie sheet, leaving a large area bare.
  
  
• For a delicious variation that will enable you to pack the cherry variety without their sticking together, top the cherry centers with melted chocolate. Use 3 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and 2 ounces of finely chopped milk chocolate. Melt the bittersweet chocolate as indicated for the Milk Chocolate Topping. Scrape it into a small container, immediately add the finely chopped milk chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Use a small spoon to cover the cherry center with the chocolate or pipe it from a reclosable quart-size freezer bag with a small piece cut from one of the corners of the bag. Place the cookies in a cool place or the refrigerator for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate is set and no longer shiny.