by Kathy Douglas | Dec 16, 2019 | Desserts, Holiday
Who needs fruit cake when you can have this updated version of fruit jammy cookies? Our Holiday Fruit Cookies are filled with delicious apricot, cherry, and orange jammy bits along with candied ginger, pecans, and rum-soaked raisins. Rolled in sparkling sugar before baking, they have a super crispy, crunchy exterior and a soft jammy fruit filled interior.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup golden raisins
¼ cup dark rum
¾ cup cherry jammies*
½ cup apricot jammies*
⅓ cup diced orange jammies*
¾ cup pecan, broken into pieces
⅓ cup diced crystallized ginger
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, we prefer White Lily
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sparkling sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the raisins and rum in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, tossing often, until liquid is almost absorbed about 6 -7 minutes. Cool completely gently pressing down into any remaining liquid. Add the cherry, apricot, and orange jammies to a bowl along with the pecans, ginger, and cooled raisins.Toss to combine.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the extract. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add into creamed mixture. When completely combined, Stir in the fruit mixture.
Place the remaining sugar in a shallow bowl. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into balls; Roll in the sparkling sugar to coat. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator as needed, keeping the others cold, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until just golden brown and set, about 15-17 minutes. Cool on the pan for five minutes then move to wire racks and cool completely.
* Fruit Jammies can be found on-line at KingArthurFlour.com
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 9, 2019 | Desserts
It’s our new favorite for the Holidays -Fiori di Sicilia butter cookies. Butter dough with vanilla, citrus, and flower essences creates an addicting butter cookie we filled with a buttercream icing also flavored with Fiori di Sicilia.
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter-flavored Vegetable Shortening
1¼ cups confectioners sugar sifted
10 tablespoons butter
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract
½ teaspoon salt
2½ cups All-Purpose Flour
Preheated the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and cream until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix well to fluffy on high speed about 1 minute. Add the egg and the extract and mix well.
In another large bowl, combine the sifted flour and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix to combine well. Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe the dough into 36 round shapes onto the parchment-lined cooking sheet. Refrigerate the dough the sheet trays for 30 minutes.
Bake for approximately 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and fill with the Fiori di Sicilia Butter Cream.
Fiori di Sicilia Butter Cream
1 stick of butter, softened
4 cups sifted powder sugar
2 teaspoons Fiori di Sicilia extract
3 tablespoons milk
Beat the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the Fiori di Sicilia extract and milk until incorporated and smooth. Place in a piping page and pipe on a cookie bottom and then top with another cookie half. Makes 18 cookie sandwiches.
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 2, 2019 | News & Events
Fresh Chef Experience will be Williams Sonoma Louisville in Mall St. Matthews on Saturday, December 7 at 2:00 for a Holiday Celebrations Cooking Demo!
Watch our Cooking Demonstration and enjoy tasty samples of:
Camembert with Holiday Jam
Pimento Cheese with Ham and Pepper Jam Pinwheels
Cranberry and Brie in Puff Pastry
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 2, 2019 | Desserts
These pretty cookies will not only be the star on your cookie plate, but they are also deliciously lemony. The dough is filled with fresh lemon zest and the glaze is made with fresh lemon juice. Topped with mini stars, they will be a favorite at your cookie swap or holiday get-together.
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
18 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
Zest of one lemon, reserve the juice for the glaze recipe
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, we prefer White Lily Flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, lemon extract, and lemon zest beating until smooth. Add the flour and mixing until smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it’s soft enough to roll but still cold.
On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it ¼“ thick. Use a two-inch star cookie cutter to cut the star shapes out of the dough. Refrigerate the stars as you cut them. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps into stars shapes, refrigerating them as you go.
When the oven is ready, place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets about an inch or two apart.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until they’re set and lightly browned around the edges. Place on a rack and cool completely, then glaze with the lemon glaze. Makes 4 dozen cookies.
Lemon glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tablespoons egg white powder
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Whisk together the powdered sugar and egg white powder. Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. The glaze should be thick and pourable. Add a little more lemon juice if too thick. Drizzle over the star cookies and top with mini stars.
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