Almond Horns

In the absence of any delicious snack foods in our house, I know it's time to break out a new batch of cookies. This recipe is Almond Horns (p. 107), a delicious butter cookie so named for it's curved shape, and also sometimes referred to as "almond crescents".

These cookies were quite simple to make. The recipe did call for whole almonds to be toasted and processed, but you could easily use pre-sliced almonds (that's what I had on hand) and I did not toast them, to no ill effect.

The dough definitely needs to be chilled prior to handling; it is rather sticky. Once it is refrigerated, however, it is manageable. I only baked the cookies for 17 minutes as opposed to the recommend 20, and they came out crisp and golden.

The powdered sugar was a bit of a mess, and despite numerous cleanings and wipe-downs, left our floor feeling tacky, but hopefully that will dissipate with a good mopping.

These cookies were absolutely marvelous and only lasted two days. I couldn't keep my hands off them. I left a tell-tale powdered sugar trail wherever I took them though, so no denying who ate them!

(Not-So) Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies

My daughters are having a playdate tomorrow and I decided to make these Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies (p. 163) for their snack. When I made the last cookie recipe, my husband complained about how few cookies the recipe yielded, and this recipe promised only EIGHT. He was aghast.

So, instead of using a 2-1/2 inch ice cream scoop to drop the cookie batter onto the baking sheet, I used my standard 1 inch scoop. I baked them at 350 degrees instead of 375, and for 14 minutes instead of 18. The cookies were not-so-giant in size, but I got 24 of them instead of 8! They were chocolately and soft and delicious.

Pecan Linzer Cookies with Cherry Filling

I was really excited to make these cookies and use my new Linzer cookie cutters. These cookies are the Pecan Linzer Cookies with Cherry Filling (page 137) from the "crumbly and sandy" section of Martha's cookbook.

These cookies are named after the city of Linz, Austria and are a holiday tradition in that part of Europe. I just wanted a tasty treat and a chance to use my new baking toy!

Traditionally, linzer cookies use hazelnuts, but this recipe called for pecans. The recipe had several steps, including toasting the pecans, grinding the pecans with cinnamon and sugar, mixing and refrigerating the dough, rolling it out and cutting the pieces, baking the cookies and finally assembling them. Wow! When I write it all out, it seems like a lot of work! But, it honestly didn't take long and I was able to fit in the baking while making dinner and then before I put the kids to bed.


Here's a picture of the cookies after they have been baked. I was very impressed with how they turned out. They held their shape very well. The cookies themselves are not terribly sweet, but with the addition of the jam and powdered sugar they are just sweet enough. They are absolutely gorgeous, and I quite like the delicious combination of the pecans & cherry. Yum!

Coconut Macadamia Shortbread

So this is the first cookie from Martha that I do not love, even though it has all the components that would normally make it a favorite - coconut and macadamia nuts. I chose this recipe - Coconut Macadamia Shortbread (page 148) to use the macadamia nuts I had in the pantry. This recipe calls for a couple of ingredients that I consider somewhat obscure - cream of coconut (not to be confused with coconut milk) and coconut extract. While imitation coconut extract can be found in most neighborhood grocery stores, I of course sought out the pure extract which I had to order online, along with the cream of coconut (which might be able to be found in a Mexican grocery store). Strike one.

Following the recipe was not complicated, but involved several steps and was quite time-consuming. Toast the macadamias, grind them in the food processor, grind the coconut, mix the dough, various steps of refrigeration. When I got the dough out of the refrigerator to roll out, it was quick crumbly and difficult to work with (appropriately, this recipe can be found in the "crumbly & sandy" section of the cookbook). Strike two.

Finally, the suggested cooking time (20-25 minutes) is definitely on the long side. My first batch of cookies came out a little too brown (baked at 20 minutes), but the second batch looked better at 18 minutes. The crumbly nature of the dough made it hard to roll it out to an even 1/4" inch thickness, and therefore the cookies baked unevenly as well. Strike three.

The cookies tasted all right, a little caramel-y and sweet, but not sure they were worth the effort.

Addendum:
My husband loved the cookies and says they taste wonderful, and suggests that they be paired with ice cream.