Day: January 8, 2022

Cranberry-Hazelnut Bread

Cranberry-Hazelnut Bread
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Cranberry-Hazelnut Bread

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

12

servings

Buy extra cranberries when they are in season and freeze them so that you can make this delicious quick bread throughout the year.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • 1 cup sugar

  • ⅓ cup butter, melted

  • ⅓ cup orange juice plus 1 tablespoon

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tsp rum extract

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

  • 3/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Directions

  • Prepare loaf pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Mix next four ingredients and stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Add cranberries and hazelnuts and stir to combine. Pour into prepared loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes for large loaves. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan and cooling.

Cream Jewels

Cream Jewels
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Cream Jewels

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

48

servings

An elegant little cookie perfect to add color to a cookie tray or to serve with afternoon tea.

Ingredients

  • 2¼ cups flour

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold

  • 2 tbsp crepe fraiche or sour cream

  • 2 eggs yolks

  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • jam (preferably red)

Directions

  • In a food processor, whisk together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix in the sour cream, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar until dough forms.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment and knead lightly to bring it together. Roll out between sheets of waxed paper and chill.
  • Remove wax paper from chilled dough and cut with punch out cookie cutters. Fill indentations lightly with jam.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° and bake each tray for 12-13 minutes.

Chocolate Hazelnut Slices

Chocolate Hazelnut Slices
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Chocolate Hazelnut Slices

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

48

servings

Delicious! I prefer these without the chocolate drizzle. The naked cookies are wonderful as is.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1 egg

  • 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1-3/4 cups flour

  • 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

  • 6 oz dark chocolate, chopped

  • 1/2 tsp shortening

Directions

  • In a large bowl, beat butter on medium -high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt and beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and cocoa until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining flour and the hazelnuts.
  • Divide dough in half and shape each portion into a 11″ log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1-2 hours or until firm enough to slice.
  • Preheat the over to 375. Cut logs into 1/4″ slices. Place slices 1″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or just until tops are firm to the touch. Cool on wire rack.
  • In a small saucepan or in microwave, combine the chocolate and shortening until melted. Drizzle melted chocolate over cookies and let cool.

Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies
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Pecan Sandies

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

48

servings

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

  • In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the 1/3 cup of sugar and the salt at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then beat in the flour at low speed, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl, until the dough just comes together. Add the pecans and beat just until they are incorporated and lightly broken up. Divide the dough in half and form it into two 2-inch-thick logs. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 log at a time and keeping the other one chilled, cut the dough into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices, arrange them on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with sugar. Repeat with the second log of dough.
  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges and on the bottom, shifting the baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Snicks

Snicks
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Snicks

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

40

servings

A heartier version of the Snickerdoodle that is one of my favorites. I bake enough at Christmas to have some left in the freezer to pull out one by one to have with coffee or tea at least until the end of winter. In the photo, it is the upper left of the upper left.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 1 ½ cups turbinado or brown sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • ½ cup wheat germ

  • 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

  • 2 tsps baking powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ½ cup turbinado or white sugar

  • 2 tsps cinnamon

Directions

  • Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the vanilla and wheat germ. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt and stir into creamed mixture.
  • Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Using scoop, take ¼ cup of dough and roll into balls. Roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place 2″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 ° degrees. Cool on a wire rack.

Pinwheels

Pinwheels
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Pinwheels

Recipe by La Bellitude
Servings

36

servings

Easy to make family favorite that I’ve been baking for decades.

Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups flour

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ½ cup butter, room temp

  • ½ tsp vanilla

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1 ounce dark chocolate, melted

Directions

  • Mix together dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter. Beat in vanilla and sugar, then beat in egg. At low speed, mix in flour mixture just until well blended. Divide the dough in half. Stir melted chocolate into half the dough.
  • Between two sheets of waxed paper, roll out each dough to a rectangle. Roll dough lightly to remove wrinkles. Slide onto cookie sheets and chill about 15 minutes. Peel off the top sheets of waxed paper and carefully invert the white dough over the chocolate dough, lining up the edges. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper again. Starting at one long side and using the bottom sheet of paper to help, roll tightly and evenly as for a jelly roll. Wrap the roll in waxed paper and chill until very firm. May be frozen and sliced when frozen.
  • Slice 1/4″ thick and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool on wire rack.