Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet or cookie tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
In a large bowl, whisk together ground almond, sugar and salt until well combined
In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks
Add beaten egg whites and almond extract to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary
Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Arrange on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies
Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Remove from oven; let cool a few minutes on the baking trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days
In a bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside until needed
In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts, until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment, or silicone baking mats. Place the granulated and powdered sugars in two separate bowls close by
Remove chilled dough and roll into balls about one tablespoon size each. Toss first in the granulated and then second in the powdered sugar, coating fully
Bake for 12-13 minutes (cookies should be slightly underbaked). If you would prefer a more crinkled look to your cookies, you can gently bang the baking try on a counter-top at this point. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely
Once cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with barking parchment or a silicone baking mat
Add your butter with sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until combines and fluffy. (If you’re using vanilla extract add at this point)
Add in your flour and beat again until combined. The dough will be crumblier that typical cookie dough
Break off/ scoop walnut sizes pieces and roll in your hands*
Place the cookies balls onto the prepared tray and using a flat-bottomed glass press down to flatten to ¼ to ½ inch thickness. You can press some sprinkle into the tops at this point
Bake in your preheated oven for between 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden-brown
Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cook completely
*You can roll them in some additional granulated sugar at this point if you like
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until well combined and smooth
Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and beat just until fully combined
Add flour, ground coffee, salt, and beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated but before dough forms a ball
Turn out dough onto a floured surface and use your hands to bring dough together. Divide dough in half and roll into 1½-inch-wide logs. Wrap logs in cling wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone making mats
Unwrap logs and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds 1 inch apart on prepared pans
Bake until just lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks
Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute; stir until a smooth, silky ganache forms. Let stand until thickened, 30 minutes to 1 hour
Using a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip, pipe a round of ganache onto flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat side down, on top of ganache. Let stand until ganache is set, 1 to 2 hours
Unfilled cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days. Once they are filled with ganache, the cookies are best served within a day
What’s Halloween without a little treat from the Other World, huh? These delightfully dreadful cookies are a wonderful treat to have lying around at any festively freakish gathering. A spin on traditional sugar cookies, they really do look more than the sum of their parts. They’re also easy enough that you can rope in some ghoulish little helpers for the fun.
A point to note that like all sugar cookies, you want to avoid baking them to the usual cookie state of “golden brown”- this will result in them being a tad too hard for enjoyment. Bake them for the time required below, or until hte edges are just starting to turn a light golden brown. The cookies may look under-baked but trust me here- they will taste so much better!
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
28 large, flaked almonds
½ cup smooth, raspberry jam
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
Method
Graveyard Dirt
Melt butter in the microwave in a small glass or ceramic bowl (microwave safe) and allow to cool to room temperature
In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and cocoa powder until thoroughly mixed
While whisking, slowly add the melted butter and continue mixing gently until blended, but dry
Using a fork, continue mixing until it looks like dark soil
At this stage mix in the chopped nuts to give the soil texture
Spoon the “dirt” on to your serving plate or tray, ready for your finger cookies
Fingers Cookies
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet with baking spray or line with a silicone mat, or baking parchment. Set aside until needed
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside until needed
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed, about 10 minutes
Add in the egg, vanilla and mix until well combined and smooth.
Gradually beat in the dry flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time until a dough forms
Remove the bowl and using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms into 5-inch-long fingers about 1/2-inch thick. Firmly press a sliced almond into the end of each finger to make fingernails
Make several horizontal cuts, about 1/4 inch deep, in the center of each finger to make mimic skin folds at the knuckles. Gently press the dough on either side of the cuts to shape the knuckles
Arrange the fingers on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden, 16 to 18 minutes
Transfer the fingers to a wire rack and cool completely
While the cookies cool, in a small saucepan, combine the jam, corn syrup and heat over low heat until warm, about 2 minutes, stirring gently
Dip the blunt ends of the fingers in the warm jam and arrange on a plate of the graveyard dirt for serving
Crumbs In My Beard 