Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturday Recipe for 12-4-10

For the next 3 weekends, I will be giving you some of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes; ones that I make year after year.  This first one has some fussy ingredients, and you can't even eat them right away, but they are worth it!  They are a trumped up version of a simple sugar cookie, but with an incredible flavor like you've never tasted!

SWISS BUTTER CRISP COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (no substitutions!)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons cherry liqueur (Kirsch)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Various colors of sugar crystals

1.  In a mixer bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg yolks, lemon peel, lemon juice, cherry liqueur, and salt.  Stir in flour.  Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured work surface.  Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle each with colored sugar.
3.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cookies should not brown.  Cool on wire racks.  Store cookies in airtight covered containers for 2 days to develop the flavors.  This is very important or they will just taste like any other sugar cookie.  After 2 days, the flavor is amazing.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters.

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