Gram's Pecan Cookies

I owe so much to my maternal grandmother - and most of my most significant memories of her revolve around food.  Gram was my first teacher in the kitchen, and the first recipes we made together were cookies.

This is her Pecan Cookie recipe - the oranges were grated on an old fashioned hand grater, and we had many skinned knuckles to prove that we actually grated fresh oranges for the zest.  Nowadays, I sometimes cut corners and use packaged orange zest - when I do, I re-hydrate it with freshly squeezed orange juice, not water, to give it a true fresh orange taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons grated orange rind (about 2 oranges)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar

Add eggs, orange rind, and vanilla, and mix well

Combine flour, salt, and soda, and add to batter

When all the flour is incorporated, stir in the nuts

Divide dough into two parts and wrap each in waxed paper

Freeze for 30 minutes, then shape into rolls.

Wrap each roll in waxed paper, and chill overnight.  (You can freeze the rolls at this point - I have kept them for several months)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400ºF. degrees.

Slice the rolls into thin rounds and place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.

When I buy the figs for the fruit cake and Plum Pudding we talked about last week, I always make sure I buy enough to make these, too.  If you or someone you love enjoys Fig Newtons, they will love these!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

10 ounces moist pack figs, chopped

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup water

4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 large egg white

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl

Cream butter and sugar with cream cheese

Add egg, peel, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until smooth

Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until smooth

Divide the dough into two parts, wrap, and refrigerate overnight

For the filling: Combine figs, syrup, water, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and the peel in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook until soft, about 20 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes, then blend in a food processor with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of juice and the egg white. Chill until ready to assemble the rolls.

On a floured surface, roll half the dough into a 12X 8 inch rectangle.   Spread half of fig mixture over dough (layer will be thin), leaving 1 inch along one long edge uncovered. Starting at filled long edge,  roll dough into a log. Wrap roll in plastic. Repeat with other half of dough and filling. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour, or up to 2 months well-wrapped.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut roll into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place on foil lined and well greased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool on pan 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Striped Almond Boards

These red and white cookies have a Christmas-y look, and the almond paste layer elevates them above the ordinary.  They are deceptively easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

3/8 cup confectioner's sugar

1 Tablespoon egg (about half an egg)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 box almond paste

Red food coloring

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar

Add egg and vanilla and mix until blended

Add baking powder to flour, and add to batter

Mix until smooth

Wrap dough and refrigerate one hour or overnight

When ready to assemble the cookies, use an electric mixer to blend the almond paste with a few drops of red food coloring.

Roll the dough out into an 8 inch square.

Roll the almond paste into an 8 inch square and place on top of the dough, trimming the edges.

Place the dough and paste into the freezer for 5 minutes, until firm.

Remove from the freezer and cut the dough into 2 inch wide strips. (The Cestari Bench Knife comes in really handy here - I hope you used your coupon from last week's newsletter!)

Place the strips on top of one another, making sure the dough and almond paste alternate to make stripes.

Press gently to hold together, and trim the edges.

Place in the freezer for at least 5 minutes to firm up.  You can also wrap and freeze the dough at this point.  If frozen, let thaw about 30 minutes before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Cut into 1/4 inch slices, and place about 1 inch apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Chill cookies on sheets about 10 minutes in the freezer until firm.

Bake 8-9 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

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