Jam Walnut Shortbread Thumbprints

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In a previous post, I mentioned that my favourite holiday cookie is the raspberry jam thumbprint. I had intended on posting the recipe prior to Christmas. However, as I have been in the midst of packing to move, I lost my copy of the recipe I normally use (the best one I’ve found). It was worrisome! Thankfully, today I located said recipe and am finally able to post it for you. Christmas may have passed (and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family & friends), but this cookie could be made at any time of the year with different jams, lemon curd or even peanut butter or hazelnut spread. Although, I have to say, from personal experience, they are incredibly delicious with raspberry jam.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup of unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks (save the whites for the coating)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder 

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon of water
  • 1 and 1/4 cups of finely chopped toasted walnuts
  • fresh raspberry jam (I used about one teaspoon per cookie, as the jam was extremely delicious)


Method

1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir butter mixture into the flour mixture.

3. Roll by scant 1 tablespoons into balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet on parchment paper.

4. For the coating, whisk the egg whites with water until frothy. Place the walnuts in a dish. Using a fork, dip each ball into the egg white mixture and then in the nut mixture until well coated. Place ball back on the cookie sheet. Note: place the cookies 1 inch apart.

5. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation on the top of each ball.

6. Bake at 350’F for 12 to 14 minutes; or until the edges are golden. Once you remove the cookies from the oven, use the end of a wooden spoon to re-define the indentations on each cookie.

7. Once the cookies have cooled slightly, put 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of jam into the centre of each cookie.

Source: Canadian Living Holiday Magazine 2010

Happy New Year!!! Wishing you all the very best in 2011 :)


Do you have any ideas of what type of recipes you’d like to see on The Fig Tree in 2011? Suggestions welcome! Please comment. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks for reading :)

Eggnog Shortbread

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I’ve never been a huge fan of eggnog, but I am a huge fan of these eggnog flavoured shortbread! I think they may have become one of my favourite Christmas cookies. It’s a toss up between these darlings and walnut shortbread thumbprints with raspberry jam (recipe to come!) They have just the right amount of spice. And a hint of eggnog in both the cookie dough and the icing/drizzle. 

Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of eggnog
  • 3 and 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups of icing sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons of eggnog (enough to make a spreading consistency)

Method
  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on high for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until combined.
  2. Beat in vanilla, egg and eggnog into the dough.
  3. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. If it becomes too tough, mix in the remaining dough by hand.
  4. Divide dough in half, cover and chill for 1 hour.
  5. Pre-heat oven to 375’F.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to 1/4 inch thick. Using a fluted 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Place dough rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper). 
  7. Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes (or until the edges look lightly golden).
  8. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool. Repeat with second portion of dough.
  9. Once cooled, drizzle or ice the cookies with the eggnog drizzle/icing.

Cookies freeze extremely well. Once the cookies are drizzled with the icing, freeze cookies separately in the freezer, so they don’t stick together. Cookies last about 3 months in the freezer. This recipe made about 40 cookies. 

Eggnog Drizzle/Icing

Stir 3 cups of icing sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Slowly add in 3-4 tablespoons of eggnog or until you get the right consistency to either drizzle the icing or spread it. (note: I found 3 cups of icing sugar to be too much. I used 1.5 cups and it made plenty icing to ice all the cookies)

Source: BHG Christmas Cookies (Special Edition) 2009

Cranberry & Green Apple Cheddar Dip

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My mom has a knack for finding extremely tasty yet easy recipes. And this is one of her most recent finds. She served this dip during a football watching party last weekend. It went over extremely well. I don’t think there was any dip left by the end of the first quarter! I like this dip because it incorporates apples and cheese; which seem to have been made for one another. The green apple combined with the sharp cheese, sweet cranberries and creamy base made for an extremely delicious appetizer for our football party. And come to think of it…with the green apple, white coloured base and red cranberries…this would make for a perfect Christmas appetizer.

Ingredients
  • 1 and a half cups of sharp cheddar cheese; shredded
  • 1/3 cup of cream cheese at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons of sour cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1/4 cup of green Granny Smith apple; chopped with peel on
  • 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh parsley; chopped
  • 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries

Method
  1. With a mixer, whip the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
  2. Add salt and pepper and mix well.
  3. Toss the apples in the lemon juice (to prevent from browning).
  4. Add the apples, cheddar cheese, parsley and cranberries to the mixture.
  5. Cover and chill before serving.

Serve with raw veggies, pita chips, tortillas chips or fancy crackers.

Source: Our Compliments Holiday Edition 2010