http://www.rgj.com/article/20101208/FOOD01/12080394/1090/FOOD/Cookie-craft
FIRST PLACE: DANA GINSBURG OF RENO
Cook's note: This recipe yields basic cookies only. Cut cookies using desired cutter and, after baking, decorate as desired.
SHORTBREAD COOKIES
1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In large bowl of electric mixer set at medium speed, cream butter until smooth. Slowly blend in confectioners' sugar, scraping down sides of bowl. Add vanilla and combine thoroughly. Add flour and mix at low speed until well blended and dough forms.
Divide dough into 2 roughly equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 1/2 hours.
On floured work surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out disks to thickness of 1/8 inch. Turn dough often to prevent sticking. Cut cookies using flour-dipped cutter of choice.
Arrange cookies sufficiently apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 16 to 18 minutes, being careful not to let cookies brown. Remove from oven; using spatula, transfer cookies immediately to cool, flat surface.
SECOND PLACE: AGNES MANNOS OF RENO
Cook's note: This recipe takes several days to complete. Read thoroughly before beginning.
LADY LOCKS
For cookies:
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup Crisco Shortening OR Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups water
32 (about 4-inch) round clothespins wrapped in foil
In large bowl, mix together flour and sugar. Using pastry cutter, cut 2/3 cup Crisco into mixture so that it resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. Add egg yolks, then water, to combine, just until dough forms.
Divide dough into 4 portions, then wrap portions tightly in foil. Refrigerate 1 day.
The next day, flour a pastry board or work surface. Roll out 1 dough packet into a very thin square. Next, using a small spatula, spread with thin layer of Crisco. Cut dough in half.
Take 1 half, fold it in half, then in half again; repeat with second dough half. Wrap folded dough halves tightly in foil. Repeat Crisco spreading, slicing, folding and wrapping process with remaining 3 packets of dough, until you have 8 halves wrapped in foil. Refrigerate 1 day.
Repeat entire process the next day to create 16 halves wrapped in foil. Refrigerate 1 day. Repeat entire process again to create 32 halves wrapped in foil. Refrigerate 1 day.
The next day, preheat oven to 400 F.
Roll out 1 foil-wrapped half and cut it into strips about 6 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Wrap 1 strip around foil-wrapped clothespin, as if wrapping it in ribbon, overlapping the edges of the strip as you proceed so that you form a tube. The top and bottom of the clothespin should not be covered in dough.
Repeat process with remaining dough strips, until all 32 clothespins have been wrapped to form 32 pastry tubes.
Place tubes apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 6 to 7 minutes, until just lightly golden. Be careful not to overcook. Remove tubes from cookie sheets and allow to cool a bit. Once cooled but still warm, carefully remove tubes from clothespins.
Repeat tube-forming and baking until all dough has been used. This section of the recipe yields roughly 150 pastry tubes.
For filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco Shortening OR Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
Confectioners' sugar
To fill tubes, in electric mixer bowl, combine all ingredients except confectioners' sugar, mixing 15 minutes and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl to ensure ingredients thoroughly combine.
Fill pastry bag with filling and carefully fill lady locks; work from both ends, if easier, to fill completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
This section of the recipe yields enough filling for about 40 to 50 cookies. Make multiple filling batches to complete filling of cookies.
THIRD PLACE: ALLISON A. NELSON OF SPARKS
CHEWY MOLASSES-SPICE COOKIES
2 cups flour, spooned into measuring cup, then leveled
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. In shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside
With electric mixer, beat butter and remaining 1 cup sugar until combined. Beat in egg, then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until dough forms.
Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved 1/2 cup sugar to coat.
Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, 3 to 4 days. Yields about 3 dozen cookies.
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