These are fantastic cookies! It is worth the extra time it takes to make them.
The smell as you bake them, will drive you crazy with desire! A great holiday
cookie. Recipe is from chef de cuisine, Craig Strong, of the Ritz-Carlton in
Pasadena, CA. Recipe appeared in The Los Angeles Times newspaper in 2006.
More favorite
Cookie Recipes
and
Secrets
To Making Perfect Cookies. Also learn
How
To Have A Successful Holiday Cookie Exchange or Cookie Swap.
Shop
What's Cooking America's Kitchen Store for all
your cooking wants and needs. The store includes a large assortment
for all your cookie baking
needs such as
cookie sheets,
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cutters,
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more.
Raisin-Filled Sugar and Spice Cookies Recipe
Recipe Type:
Cookies,
Christmas Cookie,
Raisins, Rolled & Cutout Cookies
Yields: makes many
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, scraped of seeds
1 1/3 cups granulated
sugar, divided
1 tablespoon milk
2
eggs
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 tablespoon
baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup golden raisins
Zest and
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon heavy
cream
Coarse sugar (such as sanding sugar)
Preparation:
In
the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter, vanilla bean seeds, and 1 cup sugar
about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Beat in the
milk and then add the eggs, one at a time; until well mixed.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. Add
to the butter mixture, beating only until just incorporated. Cover the bowl with
plastic film and refrigerate at least 2 to 3 hours until dough is firm.
In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, mix together the raisins, remaining
1/3 cup sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ginger.
In a small bowl, stir
together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water until smooth; add to the raisin
mixture. Heat, stirring occasionally, until it just comes to a boil. Reduce the
heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with silpats or lightly greased
parchment paper.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and cut the dough in half; roll
out two rectangles 1/8-inch thick.
In
a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks and cream with a fork; set aside.
Spoon 12 mounds, about a tablespoon each, of the raisin mixture spread 3 1/2
inches apart on one rectangle of dough. Cover with the other sheet of dough and
cut around the mound of filling with a fluted round 3-inch cookie cutter. (you
may need to flour the cookie cutter) Rework the excess dough, re-roll, fill with
raising mixture, and cut for the remainder of the cookies.
Lift filled cookies onto prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the cookies
with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until golden
brown, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
Each cookie: 300 calories; 4 grams protein; 49 grams
carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 10 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 108 mg.
cholesterol; 188 mg. sodium.
