Advent 2011
23/12/11 22:46 Filed in: Blog Hop
I missed out participating in last year's tour. I ended up so busy at work that I forgot to sign up, but this year I remembered.
The last time I participated in the tour, I posted pictures of the Dickens Festival which is held in the next town over from mine. This year, I thought I'd tell you about the cookie exchange that I recently did.
If you've never done a cookie swap, here is how it works. You make a dozen of cookies for each participant. You write out the recipe for each person. You bring all the cookies to work, then you walk around and pass them out.
This year, one of the male attorneys participated. (In case you were wondering, in real life I am a lawyer). He brought egg rolls. They were delicious!!!! As this was my first time participating, I thought I'd "go big or go home." I decided to make Lemon Wreath cookies. I saw them in the Martha Stewart holiday cookies magazine last year. Here is the recipe (I made some changes that I feel make it a little bit user friendly).
The Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon peel (Williams-Sonoma)
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground Tahitian vanilla beans (Williams-Sonoma)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
For The Glaze
3 cups confectioners' sugar
7 to 8 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white nonpareils, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cookies: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pulse sugar and zest in a food processor until combined, about 2 minutes.
Beat sugar-zest mixture and butter in a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs,
1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until combined.
Scoop 1 tablespoon dough (or use a 11/8-inch ice cream scoop), and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 4-inch rope. Bring ends together, overlapping slightly, and press together to form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer rings to parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, as you work. Bake until pale golden on the bottoms and around the edges, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.
Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Dip the top side of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Return cookies to wire racks, glaze side up, and sprinkle with nonpareils. Let dry completely.
The cookie swap was on the 19th. I started making the dough the Wednesday and Thursday before. I baked the cookies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I glazed them Sunday evening, wrote out the r
ecipes, and boxed everything. Making the dough into ropes wasn't nearly as time consuming as I thought it would be. I had a few dozen extra cookies that I took to the office for "general consumption." Everyone loved the cookies. One of the attorneys told me that she doesn't like lemon desserts, but she loved my cookies. That made me happy!!!
It was really fun once everyone started walking around handing out the cookies. I ended up with quite a stash.
Did you participate in a cookie swap this year? If so, what did you make? In case you were wondering, the book that is in the third picture from the bottom is Death Comes to Pemberly by P. D. James.
This year, one of the male attorneys participated. (In case you were wondering, in real life I am a lawyer). He brought egg rolls. They were delicious!!!! As this was my first time participating, I thought I'd "go big or go home." I decided to make Lemon Wreath cookies. I saw them in the Martha Stewart holiday cookies magazine last year. Here is the recipe (I made some changes that I feel make it a little bit user friendly).
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon peel (Williams-Sonoma)
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground Tahitian vanilla beans (Williams-Sonoma)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
For The Glaze
3 cups confectioners' sugar
7 to 8 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white nonpareils, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cookies: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pulse sugar and zest in a food processor until combined, about 2 minutes.
Beat sugar-zest mixture and butter in a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs,
Scoop 1 tablespoon dough (or use a 11/8-inch ice cream scoop), and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 4-inch rope. Bring ends together, overlapping slightly, and press together to form a ring. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer rings to parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, as you work. Bake until pale golden on the bottoms and around the edges, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.
Make the glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Dip the top side of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Return cookies to wire racks, glaze side up, and sprinkle with nonpareils. Let dry completely.
The cookie swap was on the 19th. I started making the dough the Wednesday and Thursday before. I baked the cookies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I glazed them Sunday evening, wrote out the r
It was really fun once everyone started walking around handing out the cookies. I ended up with quite a stash.
Did you participate in a cookie swap this year? If so, what did you make? In case you were wondering, the book that is in the third picture from the bottom is Death Comes to Pemberly by P. D. James.
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