Margaret, how do you do it??? You never forget a thing! I'd completely
forgotten this recipe, but did still have it in my files. It was in
the Sacramento Bee several years ago and I'm sending the whole article.
The coments about the cookies are from the author..not me.
Have fun with Debbie and enjoy the recipe.
xoxoxo
jillie
Cookies! 1 dough, 1 dozen different types (From the Sac Bee)
Stop fussing over your holiday treats. Just slice and bake!
I used to love the idea of baking holiday cookies more than the
reality. Somewhere during the
mixing, refrigerating, rolling, cutting, decorating, cooling and
storing, I'd get cranky. The tedious
investment of countless hours conjured the Scrooge in me.
But I didn't want to feel that way about anything I baked -- especially
during the holidays. I
wanted smart-looking cookies with a winning flavor. I also wanted a
perfect dough from which
I could create many different cookies, from the familiar to the
intriguing and a little offbeat.
Most of all, I wanted to simplify the process.
So instead of making carefully decorated cookies that require cookie
cutters and a rolling pin,
I recently decided to switch tactics. I took the same dough, formed it
into a log and made
refrigerator cookies, also known as icebox, freezer or slice-and-bake
cookies. Because the
dough is so basic, I can halve it (or quarter it, for that matter) and
flavor each batch differently,
thus getting two or more cookie flavors for the effort of one.
It's easy to change the look of the cookie. For rounds and ovals, I
roll the dough into a round
log, cutting the ovals on a slight angle. For squares and diamonds, I
form the dough into a
square log, cutting diamond shapes on a slight angle. (This dough can
be used for traditional
rolled and decorated cookies, too. Simply halve the dough, form it into
two disks and freeze
briefly until firm. Working one half-disk at a time, roll the dough to
1/8-inch thickness, cut into
desired shapes and bake until golden, 6 to 8 minutes.)
I also can change the cookie's look by varying the coating. A cookie
rolled in pine nuts or
pistachios, for example, looks completely different from a cookie
rolled in coconut or sesame
seeds or peanuts. Coatings also double as decoration.
I especially like these slice-and-bake cookies because they're so
simple. The technique is
tried-and-true, but the flavors are raise-your-eyebrows new.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of "CookSmart" (Houghton
Mifflin, $28).
All-Purpose Butter Cookies
1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
Mix egg plus yolk, vanilla and salt in a small bowl. Mix butter and
sugar in the bowl of an electric
mixer on medium speed or process in a food processor until smooth. Add
egg mixture; mix on
low speed or pulse until well incorporated. Add flour; mix on low speed
or pulse until a smooth
dough forms. Divide dough in half. Stir flavoring of choice (see
options, next page) into each
half.
Scrape one of the flavored portions of dough onto a work surface lined
with plastic wrap. With
floured hands, form dough into an approximate 9-inch (round or square)
log. Spread coating
of choice (see options, next page) in a single layer next to the dough
log. Using the plastic
wrap as a guide, roll dough in coating all around.
Roll up dough in plastic wrap, lightly pressing on coating so it
adheres.
Choose another flavoring and coating, then repeat above directions with
the remaining portion
of dough.
Set logs in freezer and chill until solid, at least 30 minutes. (Or
double-wrap and freeze for up
to 2 months.)
Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven
to 375 degrees.
Unwrap dough, but leave it on plastic wrap. Slice dough 1/4-inch thick.
Place slices on a
cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper to keep the sheets clean and
the cookies from
sticking), about
1/2-inch apart. Bake cookies until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
Important: Halfway through
baking, rotate the cookie sheets from upper to lower racks and from
facing the back of the
oven to facing the front, to ensure even baking.
Cool cookies on a wire rack. (Can be stored in an airtight tin up to 1
week.)
Note: All of the cookie options taste better when rolled in toasted
coatings. Some nuts (for
instance, pistachios, peanuts and cashews) often are sold already
toasted. For those that
aren't -- as well as coconut and sesame seeds -- place them in a pan in
a 325-degree oven
until fragrant and slightly darker in color, 5 to 10 minutes. In
addition to the nuts you'll need for
coating, figure on an additional 1/2 cup for garnish, and toast them,
too.
Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
Per basic butter cookie: 51 calories, 6g carbohydrates, 0g protein, 2g
fat (1g saturated), 0g
fiber, 17mg sodium.
Divide each batch of dough in half, and make 2 flavors
Cherry Almond
Stir in: 1/4 tsp. almond extract, 1/2 cup dried cherries Roll in: 3/4
cup toasted slivered almonds Top each with: 3 toasted slivered
almonds
Cardamom Pistachio Stir in: 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom Roll in: 1/2 cup
toasted, chopped pistachios Top each with: half a pistachio nut
Lemon Pistachio Stir in: 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest Roll in: 1/2
cup toasted, chopped pistachios Top each with: half a pistachio nut
Banana Peanut Stir in: Nothing Roll in: 1/2 cup roasted unsalted
peanuts, chopped Top each with: 1 banana chip broken in half and
arranged partially
overlapping (you'll need a heaping 1/2 cup)
Chocolate Hazelnut Stir in: 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Roll in: 1/2
cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped Top each with: 3 toasted hazelnut
halves
Lime Coconut Stir in: 1 tsp. lime zest Roll in: 3/4 cup coconut,
toasted in a 300-degree oven
until golden, 15 to 20 minutes Top each with: a pinch of toasted
coconut
Ginger Sesame Stir in: 1/2 tsp. ground ginger and 3 Tbs. minced
crystallized ginger Roll in: 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds Top each
with: strips of crystallized ginger
Rosemary, Pine Nuts and Currants Stir in: 1/2 cup currants and 2 tsps.
minced fresh rosemary Roll in: 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Top each with: 3 toasted pine nuts
Cranberry Orange Walnut Stir in: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
and 1/2 cup dried cranberries Roll in: 1/2 cup toasted walnuts,
chopped Top
each with: Nothing
Orange Pecan Stir in: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest Roll in: 1/2
cup
toasted pecans, chopped Top each with: a toasted pecan piece
Cinnamon Cashew Stir in: 1
tsp. cinnamon (leave spice swirls) Roll in: 1/2 cup roasted cashews,
chopped Top each with: 3 cashew halves, in a pinwheel
Anise With Pine Nuts Stir in: 1 tsp. anise seeds that have been
heated in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until
fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes,
then crushed with a rolling pin into a coarse powder Roll in: 3/4 cup
toasted pine nuts Top
each with: 3 toasted pine nuts