Believe it or not, jewelry isn’t all we think about here at Jewels That Dance this time of year.
Sweets and treats are also forefront on our minds – so – we thought we’d share a couple of our favorite cookie recipes with you.
Marlene’s Favorite:
Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.
Patti’s Favorite:
Swedish Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
-
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses.
- Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and baking soda. Stir into batter. Stir in crystallized ginger. The batter will be thick. Roll into 1-inch (2.5cm) balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate. Dip balls into sugar. Place sugar-side up on cookie sheet about 3 inches (8cm) apart, as the cookies tend to spread when baking. Keep dough refrigerated between batches.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cracked on top, slightly firm to the touch the color of gold. They will soften and crisp up as they cool.
Enjoy!