Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies and a Candy Cane Cookie Reprise


It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here in two weeks.  Let's get baking! With all the hustle/bustle and Things-to-Do Lists a mile long, baking is a great stress reliever...not to mention the happiness that biting into a delicious, fresh cookie brings.  


I just started a few days ago and so far have made one new-to-me recipe and one old favorite recipe.  The newbies are these Hazelnut Thumbprint cookies that I found in Scandinavian Baking by Pat Sinclair.  They are buttery, flaky, coated in toasted hazelnuts and filled with your favorite jam or preserves.  For my filling, I chose seedless raspberry jam.


I also made my favorite candy cane cookies this last weekend, knowing one of our daughters and her boyfriend were coming over for dinner.  They are my family's favorite Christmas cookie and they freeze beautifully!  I first shared them in this post in 2008.


They have always been Santa's favorite also and when our daughters were little we would always leave some out for him on Christmas Eve along with carrots for his reindeer :)  As you can see, Santa has a new holiday camper!


They are especially delicious with a cup of Candy Cane tea in a Candy Cane teacup/brewer.  The candy canes on the tea cup turn to red from black when hot water is poured in! By David's Teas...So cute!  Both Santa's camper and the tea cup/brewer were gifts from a very special friend.  A friendship that has been ongoing for 16-17 years, although we've never met.  A friendship that began with gardening in garden forums, continued with cooking and baking, painting and crafts.  Fueled by many similarities in that we both have husband's who were both golfers and names start with the letter J, two daughters - one with light hair and one with dark, and years later, we were both blessed with adorable grandsons.




Delightful Christmas offerings from my friend, Monique ♥  May your holiday season be filled with friendship.....and baking!

Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 Dozen Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons water
1 cup toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (you may substitute any jam or preserves you prefer, but red is pretty for Christmas)

Notes: Look for Eileen's brand of hazelnuts if you can find them. I found an 8-oz bag for just over $3.00. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

Toast whole hazelnuts on a small baking pan for about 6 minutes. Remove to a large plate and allow to cool. Rub nuts between your hands to remove as much of the skins as possible, then place in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Be careful not to over process or you will make hazelnut butter ;) Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Combine flour and salt in a bowl and stir until blended.

Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar and egg yolks and mix well. Scrape down the bowl, once or twice with a spatula. Add the flour mixture with the mixer running at slow speed and beat until a soft dough is formed. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and water with a whisk or fork until frothy.

Take rounded teaspoons on dough and shape into balls. Dip the bottom half into the egg whites and then into the chopped nuts rolling slightly to cover the bottom and sides. Place on cookie sheet and press down slightly. Make an indentation in each one with your thumb or back of a small spoon. (I used a rounded cork that I saved from a bottle of wine).

Bake cookies for 10 minutes or, until the edges are light brown. Remove from oven and reshape indentation. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam or preserves.

Continue baking for another 6-8 minutes or until the edges are browned. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to completely cool.

Adapted from Scandinavian Baking by Pat Sinclair.

Candy Cane Cookies

Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 dozen

Note: I usually double this recipe because I like the canes a little larger. If making separate ropes is too time-consuming just take a about a teaspoon or so of each color dough and roll each into a short log. Then place the two colors together and roll them into a longer rope. While holding onto one end of the rope to keep it stationary, twist the other end to swirl the colors.

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 F. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; blend in flour and salt. Divide the dough in half and blend food color into one half.

For each candy cane, shape 1 tsp of dough from each half into a 4-inch rope (for smooth, even ropes, roll the dough back and forth on a lightly floured surface.) Place the ropes side by side and press together lightly; twist. Place on a Silipat or parchment-lined baking sheet and curve the top of each twist to form the handle of the cane.
Bake about 9 minutes or until set and very light brown. Mix candy and granulated sugar (food processor works best); sprinkle on the hot cookies when they come out of the oven. Allow to cool on sheet at least 5 minutes before trying to remove.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's All-Time Favorites

37 comments:

  1. Hohoho guess what I am rolling out right now..your gingerbread recipe to make small gingerbread and I hope a window hanging like yours..
    Jacques said something so funny today..remember how very French he is..he said that you and I were like two peas in a pot:):)
    Our lives certainly have paralleled with our similar tastes and hobbies..and aughters and grandsons.
    These cookies look fab..love everything:)
    And thank you for all these years.

    PS not sure if you saw..I know you love MC...
    There is a stackable nutgracker mugs set;)
    And ppss..I liked the candy cane crush too..so cute!

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    1. I just put up my gingerbread hearts from last year on my kitchen window :) I stored them in a large plastic container in a drawer and they are still in perfect condition. Two peas in a pot - LOL. Well, with the cooking we are :) I will have to look at that mug set! Thanks for the heads up and for all of the years of friendship ♥

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  2. oh Susan all look wonderful, I love yours cookies but I love all the pictures!!Just beautiful!
    send you hugs and love!! Still I dont garnish our tree! Hope the twins make !!

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    1. Thank you, Gloria Dear! I have a good friend who still waits until almost Christmas to decorate her tree. Good job for the twins :) Warm hugs! XOXO

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  3. Your cookies are beautiful Susan! I don't know which one I'd choose to snack on first! Happy Holiday Season-enjoy:@)

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    1. Thank you, Lynn! How about both? Happy Holidays to you, Lynn ;)

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  4. Oh Susan, these cookies look so cute, and yes, perfect for the season...I love your Christmas decorations...thanks for sharing the recipe! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

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    1. Thank you, Juliana! I love making Christmas cookies :) Best of the season to you!

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  5. Oh those cookies are fantastic! You make me want to bake some more Susan. Love those candy cane cookies. They are perfect :) Hope you have a blessed holiday season and enjoy plenty of time with family and grandsons.

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    1. Thank you, Tricia! I've only made these two cookies so far so I have more baking I want to do also :) Thank you so much for the holiday wishes and am sending the same to you ♥

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  6. Your thumbprint cookies are almost exactly the same recipe I baked recently. Mine are called Austrian Thumbprint Cookies, They are especially delicious, even if we did put the nuts inside instead of rolling the cookie in th nuts. Sometimes, reading a recipe is challenging. 😄

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    1. Austria, Scandinavia, they're not too far apart! I know exactly what you mean about reading recipes! Sometimes, I hurry and just skim the recipe. I think putting the nuts inside would be a lot easier :) Thanks, Vee!

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  7. So very festive and yummy :-)) I love esp. those thumbprint cookies, Susan. Have a wonderful cookie season!

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    1. They are delicious, Angie. Thanks so much! I hope to get more baking in soon :)

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  8. They both look absolutely adorable! I especially loved the candy canes!

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  9. You are way ahead of me Susan! I would love to bake some cookies this weekend, and I did put the candy cane cookies on my list four years ago and still haven't made them :-)

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    1. I think Xavier might like some, although I think for some little kiddos the peppermint can be a strong flavor. My hubby sure loves them though :) Thanks, Debbie ♥

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  10. Where did you get the tea cozy??? It is wonderful!

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    1. Isn't it wonderful! The same dear friend I mentioned in this post had it made for me last year, I believe by someone in Canada.

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  11. you are really a special woman my dear Susan, everything in your house transmit love and serenity, I would like to be there and taste your cookies with you, a warm hug from my B&B Villa Fanny

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    1. And I would love to have your here, Chiara ♥ I would also love to stay at your B&B! Thank you so much and warm hugs to you also. xoxo

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  12. Susan - I'm having trouble leaving a comment, but hope this goes through. I love the idea of using hazelnuts here. In the past, I've only ever used almonds in thumbprint cookies. All your photos are just beautiful.

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    1. You're not the first person to tell me that today, Linda! I don't know what is going on or if it's an issue with Google. Thanks so much for your sweet comment! Hugs.

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  13. Your cookies look delicious, and, like everything you do, are so beautifully photographed. Christmas cookies are my absolute favorite kind of cookies, I just don’t like making them. I wish someone would make these cookies for me, because now I want one, or a half dozen, if you must know. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Pattie! I wish you lived closer, I'd bring some to you :)

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  14. Susan, you certainly look to be well on your way to a very Merry Christmas. Swedish thumb cookies are a favorite in these parts. My MIL is the Queen of cookies and she's famous for her nut-free lemon curd thumbprint cookies. At least it is with my wife who can't have nuts od any kind. I'll pass this one on to my MIL and see if she'll make a batch for the Christmas dessert Julbord.

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    1. Thank you, Ron! I'd be very sad indeed if I weren't able to have nuts anymore but those lemon curd thumbprint cookies sound wonderful!

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  15. The hazelnut thumbprint cookies are beautiful, Susan, and much like a recipe that my dear mom made, called Swedish thumbprints. I do believe I've made the candy cane cookies years ago, from my Betty Crocker Cookbook. Your pictures are so pretty, and I'd like to sample each of them. I'll bet Cissy would love making those candy cane ones...maybe next year. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  16. I love both cookies, but I also love that fantastic black-and-white china!

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  17. They both look super beautiful and delicious. Thanks for sharing.

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  18. Perfect, beautiful Christmas cookies, Susan ! I'm so sad Christmas is over, but I may have to make your thumbprint cookies very soon. They look delicious! Thank you for sharing about your really cool, long-distance friendship! She sounds like a very special friend indeed. :)

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    1. I am always excited for Christmas but am always a bit relieved when it's over. January is a great time to relax and reorganize :) She is a very special long-time friend ♥

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