The New York Times - USA (2020-12-02)

D4 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS OVERNIGHT RESTING
YIELD: 4 DOZEN BALLS

2½ cups/280 grams chocolate cookie

crumbs (such as Nabisco Famous

Chocolate Wafers or chocolate graham

crackers)

1¼ cups/125 grams pecans, whole, halved

or pieces

½ cup/120 milliliters good bourbon

1 cup/120 grams confectioners’ sugar,

plus more for rolling

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

powder

1 tablespoon honey

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse
   together the cookie crumbs and pecans until
   the nuts are finely ground. (The crumbs keep
   the nuts from turning into nut butter.)


2. In a separate bowl, stir together the
   bourbon, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, cocoa
   powder and honey. Add the mixture to food
   processor and pulse until just combined. Let
   the dough rest overnight, uncovered and at
   room temperature. This allows the mixture to
   dry out a little.


3. Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in
   diameter, then toss the balls in confectioners’
   sugar. Store them in an airtight container if you
   want them moist, or uncovered if you like them
   to develop a crunchy sugar crust on the
   outside. Sprinkle with more confectioners’
   sugar just before serving.

FUDGY BOURBON BALLS

TIME: 1 HOUR

YIELD: 4 DOZEN COOKIES

1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2

sticks), preferably cultured, softened

½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar

¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or use 1

tablespoon vanilla extract)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or orange

zest, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or

cardamom, or ½ teaspoon almond

extract (optional)

2¼ cups/290 grams all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Decorative sugar, for sprinkling

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric
   mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a
   handheld electric mixer, beat butter and sugars
   on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3
   minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and the zest,
   spices or almond extract (if using), and mix
   until well combined and smooth.


2. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour
   and salt until just incorporated.


3. Load dough into a cookie press. Following
   the directions that came with your cookie press
   (models can vary), push the dough onto
   ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch
   between cookies. Sprinkle cookies with
   decorative sugar.


4. Bake until firm to touch and golden brown at
   edges, about 12 to 17 minutes. Transfer
   cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.

VANILLA BEAN SPRITZ COOKIES

ADAPTED FROM ROSE LEVY BERANBAUM
TIME: 1½ HOURS, PLUS CHILLING
YIELD: 4 DOZEN RUGELACH

For the Dough:
1 (8-ounce/225-gram) package cream
cheese, softened
1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2
sticks), softened
¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, plus
more for rolling
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)

For the Filling:
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
¼ cup/55 grams light brown sugar, firmly
packed
1¾ teaspoons ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup/75 grams walnuts, coarsely
chopped (optional)
½ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
½ cup/120 milliliters cherry preserves or
jam
Milk, for brushing

1. Make the dough: Using an electric mixer
   fitted with the paddle attachment or a
   hand-held electric mixer, beat cream cheese
   and butter on medium speed until smooth and
   well blended. Beat in sugar and vanilla extract.
   Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour
   and salt until just incorporated.
   2. Scrape dough onto plastic wrap and form a
   ball. Divide dough into 4 portions and wrap
   each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or
   up to 3 days.
   3. Make the filling: Combine ¼ cup plus 2
   tablespoons granulated sugar, the brown sugar,
   ¾ teaspoon cardamom, the cinnamon, walnuts

(if using) and dried cherries in a medium bowl.

Stir until well mixed. Set aside.

4. Roll out and form the rugelach: Line 4
   baking sheets with parchment paper or
   nonstick liners, or slightly grease the pans with
   nonstick cooking spray. Remove dough from
   refrigerator and allow it to sit at room

temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, or until

malleable enough to roll out.

5. On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll
   out each dough portion, one at a time, into a
   9-inch circle, about ⅛-inch thick. Rotate dough
   while rolling to ensure it does not stick to work
   surface.


6. Using the back of a spoon, evenly spread 2
   tablespoons cherry jam onto the rolled-out
   dough. Sprinkle about ½ cup the dried
   cherry-walnut filling over the jam, and, using
   your hands, press the filling firmly and evenly
   over the dough.


7. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough circle, like
   pieces of a pie, into 12 triangles. With an offset
   spatula or thin knife, loosen the triangles from
   the work surface. Starting at the wide end of
   the triangle and working to the narrow tip, roll
   up each piece and bend the ends around to
   form a slight crescent shape.


8. Place rugelach, narrow tip tucked beneath,
   on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1½
   inches between each. Refrigerate, lightly
   covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30
   minutes (and up to 24 hours) to help them
   keep their shape on the oven. Clean work
   surface before rolling out the next batch of
   dough.


9. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350
   degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the
   remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and
   1 teaspoon cardamom. Brush rugelach with
   milk and sprinkle cardamom sugar on top.


10. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20
    minutes. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through
    for even baking. Transfer sheets to wire rack to
    cool completely.

CHERRY RUGELACH
WITH CARDAMOM SUGAR

TIME: 45 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING
YIELD: 1 DOZEN COOKIES

2 limes

1½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

⅔ cup/60 grams fine cornmeal

⅔ cup/130 grams granulated sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup/225 grams cold, unsalted butter (2

sticks), cut into 1-inch chunks

½ cup/60 grams confectioners’ sugar

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grate 1 teaspoon
   zest from the limes. (You can usually get 1

teaspoon from 1 lime, but you may need to

grate some zest off the other.) Add to a food

processor.

2. Add flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt and pulse
   once or twice to combine. Add butter and pulse
   until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pulse
   a few more times until some of the crumbs
   start to come together, but don’t overprocess
   the dough. It should be somewhat crumbly and
   not form a ball. (Alternatively, you can mix this
   in a bowl using two knives, or use a pastry
   cutter to mix the butter into the flour.)


3. Press the dough into an even layer in an
   ungreased, fluted 9-inch tart pan with a
   removable bottom or in a 9-inch pie pan. Prick

the dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden

brown, about 40 to 50 minutes.

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Using a butter
   knife, cut the shortbread into 12 wedges while
   still warm.


5. Make the glaze: Halve the zested lime and
   squeeze 1 tablespoon juice into a small bowl.
   Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and, if you like,
   more lime juice to taste. (More lime juice will
   make the glaze thinner and more tart, while
   less lime juice yields a thicker, sweeter glaze.)
   Drizzle glaze over the cooled shortbread, then
   zest the second lime over the icing before it
   sets. (Use a citrus zester, if you have one, or a
   regular zester, if you don’t.)

CORNMEAL LIME SHORTBREAD FANS

ELEVEN MONTHS OUTof the year, I make
what would be considered an above aver-
age, but not excessive, number of cookies.
But come December, when I can pretend
my baking obsession is just an expression of
seasonal glee, I give myself free rein.
Around the holidays, I can legitimize a bak-
ing frenzy that in June would seem like
the flour-dusted ravings of a gingerbread
maniac.
While eating the cookies is part of the ap-
peal, so is giving them away, packed by the
dozen into tissue-paper-lined boxes. Off
they go, to friends, neighbors, teachers,
mail carriers — the list is as long as the
shortbreads are buttery.
And, pandemic be darned, I plan to con-
tinue the tradition this holiday season. Even
though I won’t throw a big latke party or
Christmas Eve dinner, I can still deliver
cookie boxes at a safe distance to my loved
ones, a tangible way to spread joy when we
need it more than ever.
To keep my yearly baking blowouts at
least somewhat organized, I’ve kept a cook-

ie log for two decades, noting substitutions,

successes and the occasional cookie box

failure. (Cardamom in the rugelach is a

good idea; adding savory Cheddar cayenne

crackers to the box is not.)

The log is also helpful for remembering

which cookies I’ve made so I don’t repeat

myself too often, and to preserve the recipes

for future baking. My goal is always to cre-

ate a visually stunning cookie box with a

balance of flavors and textures that tastes

even better than it looks.

And over the years, I’ve figured out a way

to do it that soothes, rather than adds to, my

holiday stress — no piping, no arranging

dragées with tweezers, no unearthing

rulers or candy thermometers (though I do

love a spritzing gun). Bakers should have as

much fun making these cookies as their

friends will have eating them.

If you’re feeling the urge to make cookie

boxes for family and friends, here are my

tips for putting them together.

When it comes to varieties, more is more.

I believe in offering a wide assortment of

cookies in every box. There’s nothing better

than discovering a hidden almond snowball

beneath a gingerbread frog. Being enthusi-

astic, I strive for eight kinds, but three or

four is enough to create the thrill.

Something sparkly and colorful is a must.

Put these on the top to dazzle when the lid

comes off. Think vivid-hued gingerbread

painted with royal icing and festooned with

sprinkles, or sugar-topped vanilla bean

spritz cookies with delicate browned edges

that melt in your mouth. Flat, plain cookies

like shortbread can rest on the bottom.

Every box needs a fruity, jammy note.

Jam-filled cookies like rugelach and honey-

roasted peanut thumbprints are study and

pretty, and the moisture in the jam keeps

them soft for a few weeks. Besides, their

chewy fruitiness adds another dimension of

flavor and texture.

Plan to include something with crunch.

Either a buttery, nubby crunch like a corn-

meal lime shortbread, or a nutty crunch,

like toasted almond snowballs dusted with

lots of powdered sugar, will round out the

textures of the mix, making it even more fun

to eat. And crunchy cookies are perfect for

dunking, which is a necessary cookie box

pastime.

A chocolate moment is nonnegotiable.

Whether sprinkled with sea salt, strewn

with chopped candy canes, or — as I’m do-

ing this year — crowned with nuggets of

white chocolate that caramelize as they

bake, brownies are some of the easiest

cookies to make, and possibly the most be-

loved chocolate option. But truffles, choco-

late sugar cookies or double chocolate cook-

ies will also get you there. And if you can’t

make up your mind, no one will be sad to

find two different chocolate cookies cozied

up in one box.

Pack something for the grown-ups.

Bourbon balls, rum balls, brandy snaps,

even mini fruitcakes are perfect for the holi-

days, and the alcohol helps preserve them,

so they keep for weeks. Just warn your

friends that some of the cookies in the box

may not be kid-appropriate — which will

also guarantee there will be something left-

over for the adults.

Boozy cookies are my particular favor-

ites to have on hand when all the flour has

been wiped off the counters and the sparkly

sugar has been mopped from the floor.

That’s when I can relax with a bourbon

and a bourbon ball, savoring the fruits of

another excellent holiday cookie extrava-

ganza — while already planning for the

next one.

MELISSA CLARK

How to Fill a Holiday Cookie Box

More is more, and other tips to

make your season sweeter.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHNNY MILLER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES. FOOD STYLIST: REBECCA JURKEVICH. PROP STYLIST: RANDI BROOKMAN HARRIS.

Tips for assembling gift boxes

of holiday cookies and getting

them to loved ones:

nytimes.com/food

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