ORANGE AND NUT BISCOTTI

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
• 3 large whole eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and yolk with olive oil.
4. With an electric mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, and mix well.
5. Stir in toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Using your palms, shape each piece into about 10″x2″ wide log. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Flatten logs slightly.
7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool for 15 minutes on sheet on a wire rack.
8. Reduce oven to 325ºF.
9. Transfer logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices on the diagonal.
10. Place slices, cut side down, on a baking sheet.
11. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until firm when pressed in center and golden brown at edges.

Nutritional Information

Calories 122, Carbohydrates 19g, Cholesterol 25mg, Fat 4g, Fat Calories 40, Fiber 0.69g, Protein 2g, Saturated Fat 0.66g, Sodium 79mg. Daily Values: Calcium 27.25mg 3%, Phos 42.7mg 4%, Copper 0.07mg 4%, Zinc 0.26mg 2%, Panto 0.17mg 2%, Biotin 1.97mcg 657%, Iodine 3.79mcg 3%, Magnesium 8.27mg 2%, Iron 0.83mg 5%, Vitamin B6 2%, Vitamin C 1%, Vitamin B12 1%, Vitamin D 1%, Vit E-a-Toco 1%, Vitamin A 1%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minute Serves: 30

This holiday cookie is versatile and crunchy.
This crunchy, twice-baked cookie is perfect for dunking into coffee, hot tea, cocoa or wine!  When shaping the dough, wet your hands; this helps to handle the dough. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Posted: Nov. 21, 2010
by Chef Tagline

LEMON SNOWBALL COOKIES

• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 
• 2 cups confectioner sugar  
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time:15-20 minutes  Serves: 24

Everyone loves these Lemon Snowball cookies - a classic the world over. Make them and you're assured of a White Christmas. Rolling the Lemon Snowballs at least 3 times in powdered sugar gives them the look of a real snowball. The more you roll them, the bigger the snowball.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually adding 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, mixing well.
3. Add flour, lemon zest, and salt, beating until combined.
4. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden on the bottom but pale on top.
7. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
8. Place 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar in a bowl, and roll warm cookies in it, coating well. Let cookies cool completely and roll in the confectioners’ sugar two more times.

Nutritional Information

Calories 131, Carbohydrates 14g, Cholesterol 20mg, Fat 8g, Fat Calories 69, Fiber 0.36g, Protein 1g, Saturated Fat 5g, Sodium 50mg. Daily Values: Calcium 4.63mg 0%, Phos 14.98mg 2%, Copper 0.02mg 1%, Zinc 0.09mg 1%, Panto 0.06mg 1%, Biotin 0.12mcg 40%, Magnesium 2.85mg 1%, Iron 0.55mg 3%, Vitamin B6 1%, Vitamin C 1%, Vitamin B12 0%, Vitamin D 1%, Vit E-a-Toco 1%, Vitamin A 5%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

ALMOND-APRICOT SNOWBALLS

We can’t take the credit for this Almond-Apricot Snowballs recipe. It comes compliments of CanolaInfo. They know how to swap out solid fats like butter and replace them with oil, and on their website, they even have atip sheet for making the switch.

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 560 mL
• 1 cup granulated sugar 250 mL
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 45 mL
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
• 3/4 cup canola oil 175 mL
• 2 tablespoons water 30 mL
• 1 teaspoon almond extract 5 mL
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 mL
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, chopped 125 mL
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots 125 mL
• 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, for rolling 425 mL
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt until completely combined. Add canola oil and beat until well combined Add water, almond and vanilla extract. Mix. Stir in almonds and dried apricots.

3. Scoop batter with small ice cream scooper, melon baller or spoon, making all same size. Place them on un-greased baking sheet about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.

4. Bake cookies about 12 to 15 minutes or until just set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to wire rack until just warm.

5. Pour confectioners’ sugar into bowl. While cookies are still warm, but not hot, roll in confectioners’ sugar. It will adhere slightly to cookies, making them look like snowballs. Return cookies to wire rack and when totally cooled, roll in confectioners’ sugar again. Store in air-tight container for up to five days. Tip: Roll the cookies in the second coating of confectioner’s sugar right before serving.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 snowball): 120 calories, 5g fat (0g saturated), 20mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate, 13g sugar, 0g fiber, 1g protein

THREE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Chocolate, semisweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate add up to a spectacular cookie.

Servings: 3 dozen Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 12 min Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Add to grocery list

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3   large eggs
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1   (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
3   (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup almond brickle chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.