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Christmas: Sugarplum Cookies

Source of Recipe


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



List of Ingredients



• Zest of 1 navel orange
  
• Zest of ½ lemon
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
• 1½ tsp baking powder
  
• ½ tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp ground allspice
  
• â…› tsp ground cloves
  
• â…› tsp ground coriander
  
• 1½ cups dried apricots, cut into thirds and slightly softened in enough boiling orange juice almost to cover
  
• 1½ cups chopped almonds
  
• 1½ tsp Cointreau or cognac
  
• Cookie Glaze (optional; recipe follows)
  






Instructions



1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   Grate the orange and lemon zest by hand, or combine the zest with the sugar in a food processor and twirl until the zest is finely grated. Add the sugar (if not already combined with the zest) and butter until creamy. Add the eggs and beat thoroughly.
   
   
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, and spices and add to the egg mixture. Fold in the apricots (with the orange juice), almonds, and Cointreau by hand. Bake a test cookie (see step 3); if the test cookie doesn't crisp up, you may need to add a little more flour to the batter.
   
   
3. Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto a nonstick or lightly greased pastry sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 16 to 18 minutes or until the cookies are slightly brown on top. Leave plain or brush with the glaze while the cookies are hot.
   
   Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
   
   
   
   Cookie Glaze:
   This is nice on any cookie or cake that needs a shiny glaze but not an actual frosting.
   
   • 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
   • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
   • â…› tsp salt
   • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
   • About 2½ Tbsp milk, cream, apple juice, apple cider, or Calvados
   
   Using an electric mixer, cream the confectioners' sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla together until the mixture is soft and smooth. Add enough milk or other liquid to make a good spreading consistency.
   
   Using a brush, spread the glaze over the cookies while they are still hot so they will shine.
   
   Makes 1 cup.
   
   






Final Comments


Calvados (French apple brandy) is especially delicious in this glaze.