Iced Almond Christmas Cookies
Makes 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 c. almond paste
4 egg yolks
2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. finely ground almonds
3 c. unbleached white flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
Decoration:
2 c. confectioner’s sugar
3 TB. milk
Food coloring
Silver dragees (balls), or other decorative confections
Holiday-themed cookie cutters
In a large bowl, combine the almond paste and egg yolks and beat with a mixer until crumbly. Add the butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and beat until it has a fluffy consistency.
In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds and flour. Slowly add the flour mixture to the almond-egg mixture, mixing until well combined.
Divide the dough into four equal balls; flatten and cover each portion with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pull one portion of the dough out of the fridge and roll onto a floured work surface until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Press cookie cutters into the dough and then place cut designs onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the edges start to brown slightly. Remove to a cooling rack and repeat procedure with the remaining portions of dough (making sure raw cookies are placed on a cool cookie sheet prior to going into the oven).
Prepare the icing by combining the confectioner’s sugar with the milk in a bowl. Divide icing into smaller bowls for coloring (making more as necessary) and add drops of food coloring until the desired color is achieved. Apply icing and silver dragees to cooled cookies as desired. (Hint: Use icing to anchor the silver balls)
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