Bon Appetit Desserts (153 page)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup old-fashioned (natural) salted crunchy peanut butter (preferably organic)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add peanut butter and mix just until combined (do not overmix). Stir in flour mixture.

Form dough into golf-ball-size balls and arrange on baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Using fork, flatten and make crosshatch pattern in each dough ball. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

DO AHEAD
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Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Lime Snowball Cookies

This delicious cookie offers deep lime flavor, thanks to lime juice, lime peel, and lime oil, an intense essence derived from lime peels. Lime oil can be found at specialty foods stores and online at
chefshop.com
.
Makes about 2½ dozen

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel

½ teaspoon lime oil

Additional powdered sugar

Whisk flour and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in lime juice, lime peel, and lime oil. Beat in flour mixture until smooth. Chill dough until just firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using scant 1 tablespoon for each, form dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until pale golden on top and browned on bottom, about 23 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; immediately sift generous amount of additional powdered sugar over cookies. Cool cookies completely on baking sheets.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 weeks. Dust with more powdered sugar before serving.

Almond Thumbprints

Use your favorite fruit preserves in these delicious, crumbly almond cookies. For a pretty presentation, choose a variety of different-colored preserves, such as blueberry, raspberry, and peach.
Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted

½ cup sugar

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup (about) fruit preserves

Combine almonds and sugar in processor and blend until almonds are finely chopped.

Mix flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, egg yolk, and almond mixture in large bowl until blended. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions. Cover dough and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using hands, roll 1 generous tablespoonful of dough for each cookie into 1¼ -inch-diameter ball. Place cookies on 2 heavy large ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Make depression in center of each cookie with fingertip or handle of wooden spoon. Bake cookies 10 minutes.

Press back of teaspoon into cookies to re-form depressions. Fill each depression with ½ teaspoon preserves. Continue baking cookies until light golden brown around edges and on bottom, about 8 minutes longer. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

Made without butter or flour, these dense, chewy cookies will satisfy even the most intense chocolate craving.
Makes about 2 dozen

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided

3 large egg whites, room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar, divided

½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and remaining ½ cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place remaining ½ cup powdered sugar in small bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in powdered sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.

Mexican Chocolate-Cherry Rounds

Rich chocolate cookies take on Mexican flair when spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Whole blanched almonds, shelled pistachios, and walnut halves can be used to decorate the cookies instead of the candied cherries. This recipe makes a generous amount, but the cookies store well—up to a week in an airtight cookie jar or a month in the freezer.
Makes about 5 dozen

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1¾ cups sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅔ cup powdered sugar

60 (about) candied cherry halves

Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and cloves in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla and melted chocolate. Gradually add flour mixture and beat just until blended. Chill dough until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets. Place powdered sugar in shallow bowl. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat; shake off excess sugar. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1½ inches apart. Press 1 cherry half into center of each cookie. Bake until cookies puff and crack but are still soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.

Pistachio and Cranberry Mexican Wedding Cakes

Classic Mexican wedding cakes are actually cookies—nut-studded, crumbly confections coated in powdered sugar. They get a delicious and colorful twist here with the addition of dried cranberries and chopped pistachios. The dough doesn’t use eggs, baking powder, or baking soda for leavening, so the cookies are similar in texture to shortbread cookies. They also don’t incorporate much sugar, but instead get most of their sweetness after baking: The cookies are rolled in powdered sugar twice—first when they are still warm and again after they are cooled, giving them a nice generous coating of snowy sugar.
Makes about 6 ½ dozen