Meltaways Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
• Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
• Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
• Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.

Steps:

• Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
• Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate until chilled., Preheat oven to 350°. Roll into 1-in. balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Roll warm cookies in additional confectioners' sugar; cool completely on wire racks. Roll cooled cookies again in confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Add butter, 1 1/4 cups/154 grams confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened, then turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the lemon juice and egg yolk. Mix to combine.
• Reduce the speed to low, add the flour, cornstarch and salt, and mix until just combined.
• Divide the dough into 2 pieces and set each piece on a length of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Fold the paper over the sticky dough, and use your hands to form it into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inches wide. Roll the cylinder a few times to help shape it, but don't worry if it isn't perfect. Chill the dough until completely firm, at least 2 hours.
• When you are ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Slice the dough into rounds just under 1/4-inch thick and arrange them at least 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway though. The cookies should be golden around the edges, but not brown all of the way through.
• Set the pans on cooling racks and cool for a few minutes. Dust both sides of the warm cookies with the remaining 3/4 cup/92 grams confectioners' sugar. Let the cookies cool completely, then store at room temperature in an airtight container. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar just before serving, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream butter with an electric mixer until light. Gradually add the fructose and beat thoroughly. Beat in the almond extract, vanilla extract and water.
• Combine the flour, salt and pecans. Add to the creamed mixture, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Roll doll into date-sized balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 13 to 14 minutes. Roll in confectioners' sugar while warm and then again once cool.

Steps:

• FOR COOKIES, combine sugar, butter and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract in large mixer bowl.
• Beat at medium speed until creamy (1 to 2 minutes).
• Reduce speed to low; add flour and cornstarch.
• Beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes).
• Cover; refrigerate until firm (30 to 60 minutes).
• Heat oven to 350°F Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.
• Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
• Cool completely.
• FOR GLAZE, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl.
• Stir in food color, if desired.
• Drizzle over cooled cookies.
• Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy.
• (I have found it is easier to put the crushed candy in a bowl and"dip" the top of cookies in them right after I frost them).

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars; add egg and vanilla and mix.
• Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a separate bowl; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
• Chill for several hours or overnight (I've made these and have only chilled them for 2 hours and they turned out fine, however when I've chilled them for several hours they were perfection!).
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Flatten with a fork dipped in flour; sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and the butter and mix until light and fluffy. Add the peppermint extract and mix to combine. Next, slowly add the flour and salt, mixing until just combined.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the peppermint candies.
• Roll the dough into twenty-four 1 1/2-inch balls. Insert 1 chocolate morsel into each ball and re-roll to ensure that the cookie dough encases the chocolate. Next, transfer to the bowl with the powdered sugar and crushed candies rolling each to coat.
• Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until they start to turn golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to wire cooling rack. Cool until they are just cool enough to handle, 5 minutes. Return the cookies to the bowl with the powdered sugar and crushed candies and toss gently until each cookie is coated.
• Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a stiff spatula, mix butter, confectioners' sugar, salt, lemon juice and vanilla until creamy and combined. Add ground freeze-dried fruit and mix until distributed. Add flour, and mix until it all comes together into a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into two (250-gram) portions. On pieces of parchment paper, wax paper or plastic wrap, roll each portion of dough into a 10-inch-long log. Chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or up to 3 months tightly wrapped in the freezer.
• Set oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, trim about ⅛-inch off each side of the chilled dough logs, just so that you have flat ends. Slice the logs into scant ¼-inch-thick cookies. Roll the log a quarter turn after each slice to keep it round. (If the dough cracks while slicing, let it warm up at room temperature for 10 minutes.) Arrange on sheet trays ½-inch apart and bake, rotating the trays once during baking, until set and barely golden underneath, 10 to 12 minutes.
• While the cookies bake, make the sugar coating: Sift together the powdered sugar with the ground freeze-dried fruit. While still warm, gently toss the cookies in the powdered sugar mixture and return to the sheet tray to fully cool. The cookies will keep for 2 weeks stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Whisk flour, cornstarch, spices, and salt in a bowl. Put butter and 1/3 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in rum and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.
• Divide dough in half. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 1 1/4-inch log. Wrap in parchment. Chill in freezer 30 minutes (up to 1 month).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag.

Steps:

• Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 1 square unsweetened chocolate in saucepan. Blend granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, egg, crumbs, coconut and nuts into butter-chocolate mixture. Mix well.
• Press into ungreased baking dish, 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 inch or square 9 x 9 inch pan. Refrigerate.
• Mix 1/4 cup butter, milk, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over crumb mixture. Chill.
• Melt 1-1/2 squares sweetened chocolate and spread evenly over chilled filling. Chill again. Cut into small squares before completely firm.