Saint Nicholas Cookies Recipes

SAINT NICHOLAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour with spices in bowl. Add baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter with sugar and egg until mixture is very light and fluffy.
• With wooden spoon, stir in half of flour mixture, then beat in rest of flour mixture and almonds, mixing with hands, if necessary.
• Refrigerate dough, covered, several hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly grease several cookie sheets.
• Remove 1/4 of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. With hand, flatten dough or roll out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter.
• Repeat with rest of dough, 1/4 at a time. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around edges.
• Remove cookies to wire rack; cool completely.
• Dust lightly with icing sugar. Store cookies in covered container.

SPECULAAS

Steps:

• Using a food processor, finely grind the almonds with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Whisk together ground almonds with the rest of the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined.
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour mixture and mix until just moistened and combined.
• Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least three hours, but preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies and place on sheets about 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm and lightly golden around the edges. Cool sheets on wire racks for a couple minutes before transferring cookies directly onto wire racks with a spatula to finish cooling.