Bake these spice cookies tonight!
Christmas Spice Cookies with Cranberry-Orange Filling
2014-12-17 22:20:57
Makes approximately 2 dozen sandwich cookies
Ingredients
- 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups prepared cranberry-orange preserves
- Confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, zest, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Divide dough in half; shape into 2 disks. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk 1⁄4 inch thick. Using a 2-inch fluted square cutter, cut out cookies, rerolling dough once. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Using a 3⁄4-inch fluted round cutter, cut a circle in center of half of cookies. (Reserve round cutouts for another use.)
- Place cookies with cutouts on 1 prepared pan, spacing 1 inch apart. Place remaining cookies on remaining prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with sugar.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
- Dust cookies with cutouts with confectioners’ sugar. Spread approximately 1 teaspoon preserves on flat side of whole cookies; top with cookies with cutouts. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.
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