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Christmas: Hazelnut Marionettes

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"These marionettes and the variations given here evolved out of my many years of baking and my fondness for hazelnuts. The crust is tender and crisp, and they keep well in a tight tin or may be frozen. They look very French - which they are, of course - and are exquisite indeed when served on a silver platter, to be eaten as a last delectable bite of sweet with coffee. They can be baked in small tart tins or formed into small cookies."

List of Ingredients

◦  ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
◦  ¼ cup sugar
◦  ¼ cup ground hazelnuts
◦  1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
◦  1 tsp pure vanilla extract
◦  Red raspberry preserves (with seeds)
◦  Coarsely chopped hazelnuts, for topping
◦  Confectioners' sugar, for dusting


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease 25 to 30 tiny tart tins (1¾ or 2 inches across, ½ inch deep - the smaller, the better).

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together thoroughly. Add the ground hazelnuts, flour, and vanilla and blend well. Cream the dough with your hands until it is well mixed and smooth (mixing with your hands keeps the dough lighter).

Using your fingers, press the dough into the prepared tart tins. Make a shallow indentation in the center of each one. Place the tart tins on pastry sheets and bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven until the marionettes are light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the marionettes from their tins and fill the center of each one with a teaspoon of raspberry preserves. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the preserves. Allow the marionettes to cool. Just before serving, sift confectioners' sugar over the tops.

Makes 25 to 30 marionettes


VARIATIONS:

â—¦ Hazelnut and Chocolate Marionettes:
Instead of the preserves, fill the marionettes with melted sweet dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate. Decorate the top with a whole hazelnut and omit the confectioners' sugar.

â—¦ Walnut Marionettes:
Substitute ground walnuts for the hazelnuts. Use apricot preserves or apple or currant jelly for the filling and place a walnut half in the center. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

â—¦ Praline Marionettes:
Substitute light brown sugar for the granulated sugar and use pecans instead of hazelnuts. Season the dough with 1 teaspoon Praline, the New Orleans liqueur made from pecans. Instead of a filling, press a pecan half in the center of each marionette before baking. Omit the confectioners' sugar.


Note:
These marionettes can be made as cookies instead of tarts: prepare them the same way, baking the cookies on greased pastry sheets for about 10 minutes.