Vanilla Bean Spritz Wreaths Recipes

CORNFLAKE CHRISTMAS WREATHS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large bowl and microwave on 50-percent power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
• Stir in the vanilla and enough food coloring to make the mixture a deep green, 10 to 15 drops. Stir in the cornflakes until they are completely coated.
• Working with wet hands, form the mixture into twenty-four 2-inch balls. Flatten on the prepared baking sheets and poke a hole in the middle of each with your finger, molding the sides as needed to form a wreath shape. Decorate with the cinnamon candies to create holly berries. Form the red candy strips into a simple bow on each wreath. Sprinkle lightly with the white nonpareils for snow. Let set at room temperature to firm up, about 2 hours, or refrigerate 30 minutes.

VANILLA-BEAN SPRITZ WREATHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Beat vanilla seeds and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until incorporated, about 3 minutes (sugar will clump together slightly). Add butter, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat just until smooth.
• Divide dough into 3 portions. Pack 1 portion into a cookie press fitted with wreath disk (cover remaining portions with an inverted bowl or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using), and press shapes about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake until edges are just golden, 9 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Sprinkle over hot cookies. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers up to 4 days.

VANILLA BEAN SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and the zest, spices or almond extract (if using), and mix until well combined and smooth.
• Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour and salt until just incorporated.
• Load dough into a cookie press. Following the directions that came with your cookie press (models can vary), push the dough onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Sprinkle cookies with decorative sugar.
• Bake until firm to touch and golden brown at edges, about 12 to 17 minutes. Transfer cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.

LINZER DOILY WREATHS

Steps:

• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest together in on medium-high speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until fully combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a day ahead.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out one half of the dough until it is roughly 1/4-inch thick. Place a clean woven cloth doily over top of the dough (or multiple doilies, if they are smaller) and gently press down with the rolling pin to adhere the doily to the dough. Roll out the dough with the doily until it is closer to 1/8-inch thick. Carefully peel off the doily, leaving behind an impression. If the dough sticks to the counter, use a bench scraper or large offset spatula to gently release it, keeping the impression of the doily intact.
• Cut out circles from the dough with a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter. Cut out the center of the circles with a 1-inch fluted round cutter to create wreath shapes. Use an offset spatula to transfer the wreaths to the prepared sheet pans, spacing them 2 inches apart. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown around the very edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Gather the scraps and roll them out again and repeat imprinting the dough with the doily, refrigerating the dough if it gets too soft.
• Roll out the second half of the dough but do not imprint with the doily (this will be the bottom half of the cookie); punch out wreaths with the fluted cutters and continue to freeze and bake, rolling out the scraps again.
• Cool the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• Transfer the raspberry jam to a small piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a ring of jam around each of the flat cookies, and then sandwich them with the textured cookies on top. Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of water and 1 drop green gel food coloring. Adjust the color as desired. Use a pastry brush to spread the glaze over the tops of the cookies, then immediately place a red candy bow on each cookie. Let dry, about 30 minutes.

VANILLA-BEAN SPRITZ WREATHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Beat vanilla seeds and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until incorporated, about 3 minutes (sugar will clump together slightly). Add butter, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat just until smooth.
• Divide dough into 3 portions. Pack 1 portion into a cookie press fitted with wreath disk (cover remaining portions with an inverted bowl or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using), and press shapes about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake until edges are just golden, 9 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Sprinkle over hot cookies. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 4 days.

SPRITZ WREATHS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pack dough into a cookie press fitted with wreath disk and press about 1 inch apart onto cool ungreased baking sheets. Brush cookies lightly with egg-white wash and sprinkle with decorating sugar. Arrange cherry slivers to form bow shapes.
• Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. (Cookies will stick to sheets if cooled too long on them.) Cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks frozen.