Chocolate Pecan Thumbprints

15th cookie in my Christmas Cookie series

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg yolk (save the white, see below)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 egg white, beaten, for dipping

3/4 cup finely chopping pecan for coating

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for filling thumbprints

1 Tablespoon butter

************************************************

Directions:

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add in egg yolk and vanilla. When well blended, add flour.

Chill for at least two hours, or until firm.

Heat oven to 325*F.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Dip balls into beaten egg white, then into pecans pieces, to coat. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. With the end of a wooden spoon, make a 1/2 inch indentation into each cookie ball.

Bake 10 minutes. Press again into the indentations with the spoon handle. Bake 10-15 minutes more, or until the pecans are golden brown. Allow to cool before filling.

Melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 Tablespoon butter. Stir until smooth. Spoon a little into each cookie indentation, let cool and harden. 

After scooping the cookies, I dip them into egg whites then into pecans. Then onto the cookie sheet.

I don't know if you can see them, but there are indentations in the cookies. They are baked and cooling now.

Melting butter and chocolate chips for filling.

The chocolate is not pourable, but it is spoon-able. I've picked up a spoonful and then push it off the spoon with the knife. Allow to cool and firm up before boxing them up.

Doesn't chocolate always look scrumptious? Is your mouth watering yet? Enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti

12th recipe in my series of Christmas Cookies

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped (see below)

6 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange rind

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup flour

toasted and chopped almonds (from above)

8oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate for dipping

*********************************************

Directions: 

Heat oven to 375*F. Toast almonds before starting. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 375*F for 4 or 5 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool, coarsely chop.

Set chocolate into double boiler to melt.

Cream butter and sugar. Add each additional ingredient (except chocolate), in order, mixing well between each new addition.

Shape dough into an 11 X 4 inch loaf, on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove log to cutting board. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, or until it's cool enough to handle.

Reduce oven temperature to 325*F.

Using a serrated knife, slice crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Carefully transfer each slice back to another parchment lined sheet, cut side down. You can place them close, not touching, they won't spread.

Bake slices for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Too cool quickly, slide parchment off the cookie sheet and onto counter. Once cookies are cool, they can be dipped in melted chocolate. Once they are dipped, lay them back onto a clean sheet of parchment. You can reuse the parchment, just shake off the crumbs.

Allow to cool before storing. 

***************************************************************************

Step By Step: 

I roll it out to the 11 inches.

Then flatten to 4 inches wide. As you flatten, check to make sure it's still the 11 inches.

OK, 4 inches. Into the oven for 16 minutes.

Don't be tempted to put more than one log per tray, if you double the recipe. The log does spread as it cooks. I quadruple the recipe and use 4 separate trays to bake. Here, after baking, it's at least an inch wider.

Slice into 1/2 inch slices. I really try to keep it thin, but I still only get 18-20 slices per loaf. The loaf has grown to about 12 inches or so long. You'd think I'd get 24 slices, but I never do. If you try to cut too thin, they crumble.

Using the edge of your knife, you can slide each slice off the cutting board and onto a clean sheet of parchment for the second baking. They will not spread any more, you can lay them close. But not touching, or they won't brown nicely.

Each slice was about 5 1/2 inches long. WAY big for a cookie. It would be pretty if you were making up a special coffee mug gift, but as part of a larger assortment of cookies, I cut them in half. This way I get about 3 dozen cookies from one loaf.

After second baking.

Ready to dip. I'm dipping the cut end. I dip them at an angle. I think it just looks more interesting.

There... done.

Lay them back out on shaken clean parchment. I pop the tray into the fridge for 5 minutes to chill. That way I can box them up and maybe get to bed tonight! LOL!

Almost too pretty to eat. Almost... :)

Chocolate Filled Poppy Seed Cookies

9th in the series of Christmas Cookies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons poppy seeds

2 cups flour

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Makes 4+ dozen

****************************

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add salt and poppy seeds, mix well.

Add flour.

Chill overnight or until firm.

Heat oven to 375*F.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Last year, I melted the chocolate chips and piped a drop into an indentation in the baked cookie that I'd made before baking. THIS year, I pushed a chocolate chip into the top of each cookie BEFORE baking. It looks the same. I'm all for simplifying.... put a cold chocolate chip into the top of the cookie before baking. :)

Bake for 9-11 minutes. They should only be just slightly browned on the bottom as they are done. Don't over bake them. 

Chocolate Snowflake Crackles

7th Cookie in the series.

6 Tablespoons butter

3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

Extra powder sugar for rolling

Makes 4 1/2 dozen

********************************

Directions: 

Cream butter until light and fluffy.

Add melted chocolate and sugar, blend well.

Add eggs, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix well.

Add flour.

This dough NEEDS to be chilled. It's the consistency of thick frosting at first. You'll never be able to work with it. Chill overnight.

Heat oven to 350*F

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Don't worry if they look a bit underdone when you take them out. These delicious cookies are tender like bites of warm brownie. Don't over bake them. They will firm up as they cool.

Maybe I'm a little OCD, but when I say that I measure my cookie dough with my scoop to keep consistent results, I'm not kidding. I fill the scoop and push any excess off the scoop. The scoop is filled, but not over filled. The cookies will then not only be the same size, but they will cook evenly. You will not have some under cooked and some on the verge of burning.

Roll in powdered sugar before placing on baking tray.

Beautiful AND tasty! :)

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Vanilla Twists

4th cookie in the series. Jonathan's favorite!

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Makes 4 dozen

*****************************

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Whip well.

Add egg and vanilla, blend well.

Mix in salt and baking powder. Then mix in flour, scraping down the sides as needed.

When everything is nicely mixed, remove 1/2 of the dough to plastic wrap. This will be the vanilla half of the cookies. Pop it into the fridge.

Add the cocoa powder to the remaining dough. Mixing slowly at first, or you'll be cleaning cocoa powder off yourself and the floor and the counter tops. :) When the chocolate part is mixed well. Wrap in plastic and put that in the fridge too.

This dough is sticky if it's warm. So, chill well. At least 3 hours. I prefer overnight.

Heat oven to 325*F

After chilling well, remove dough from the fridge. Working quickly... Cut off a piece of each dough, rolling out a rope smaller than the diameter of a pencil. One rope of vanilla, one of chocolate. Cut them about 1 1/2 inches long and twist together. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. They do flatten a bit, leave space between. If the dough gets warm and sticky, return to fridge to chill.

Bake for 13 minutes. They should be SLIGHTLY browned on the vanilla side. Don't over bake! 

Cute, huh?

They are crunchy and sweet. Not overwhelmingly chocolate. Just a prefect balance of chocolate and vanilla. The vanilla is quite strong in this, so it does come through, even wrapped with the chocolate. Enjoy!