December 13, 2007

Ye-ess! It's that time of year again. Holiday (or in my house, Christmas) baking. 

We have several stand-by favorites that I make sure to bake every year, including cut-out cookies for decorating, chocolate dipped pretzel rods (there's something about chocolate and salty…yum), coconut macaroons, and hazelnut lace cookies.

Sometimes I mix it up and add something new, but those are the staples. One year I made sugar cookies with orange and lemon zest in them and they were fantastic–I'm hoping to find the recipe again this year.

So what's your favorite holiday sweet? (Share the recipe if you care to.)

One of my other guilty delights is toffee, especially with almonds and/or cashews. A friend of ours makes it and usually gifts us with a little box that I then fight with my Music Man over. (Heh heh.)

Okay, so Coconut Macaroons are the easiest, and they're pretty common. But have you tried hazelnut lace cookies? Oh. My. God. Yummmmy.

Just 'cause I'm feeling generous with all the Pay it Forward stuff going on, I'm going to share the recipe with you here so you don't have to waste the time (and precious finger strokes) Googling

Steffi Berne's Hazelnut Lace Cookies

(*from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, one of my favorite, dog-eared-to-death cookbooks. Has a killer meatloaf recipe too.)

1/3 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, skins removed (bake nuts on a pan, shaking occasionally, for 10-15 mins, then pour them into a dish towel and rub to remove skins)
1/2 cup flour
Pinch of salt

1. Adjust the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Combine the syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the butter has melted.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Stir in the nuts, flour, and salt. the mixture should not be too hot.

4. Using a measuring spoon and a small rubber spatula, drop the batter by level 1/2 teaspoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, on the lined baking sheets. Bake two sheets at a time one on the upper and one on the lower rack, until the cookies have spread out very thin and appear lacy and light brown, 7 to 8 minutes total. After 4 minutes, switch the baking sheets to ensure even baking.

5. Remove the sheets from the oven and immediately slide the parchment onto a flat surface. Let the cookeis cool until firm, about 3 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

6 dozen very thin cookies

So…bake'em up and enjoy!