Jewels That Dance

A Sweet Season

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Believe it or not, jewelry isn’t all we think about here at Jewels That Dance this time of year.
Sweets and treats are also forefront on our minds – so – we thought we’d share a couple of our favorite cookie recipes with you.

Marlene’s Favorite:
Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
  3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

Patti’s Favorite:
Swedish Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1/4 cup molasses
    • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon clove
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses.
  4. Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and baking soda. Stir into batter. Stir in crystallized ginger. The batter will be thick. Roll into 1-inch (2.5cm) balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate. Dip balls into sugar. Place sugar-side up on cookie sheet about 3 inches (8cm) apart, as the cookies tend to spread when baking. Keep dough refrigerated between batches.
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cracked on top, slightly firm to the touch the color of gold. They will soften and crisp up as they cool.

Enjoy!