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Ingredients
Makes about 1-2 Dozens 2-by-3 Cookies
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, ground to paste in food processor
1/4 cup fine
brandy
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large
egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or premium orange liqueur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
Pinch salt
About 1/4 teaspoon red liquid food coloring, or
less
Decoration (optional)
About 1/4 cup Royal Icing
About 1/4 cup
small (2 mm) red or white sugar beads, or large-grained sanding sugar
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Brandied-Cherry Icebox Cookies
(a) This is one festive cookie. A basic butter dough is flavored and tinted two
ways. The doughs are then rolled and shaped to form an array of colorful
patterns. We’ve described a few of our favorites here—pinwheels, checkerboards,
and candy stripes—but feel free to get creative.
1. Place the ground cherry paste in a small bowl. Pour the brandy over the
top and allow the paste to macerate in the liquid for at least 30 minutes.
2.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle
attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg, Grand
Marnier, and vanilla extract and continue to beat another 2-3 minutes, scraping
down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and
salt, blending just until incorporated. Remove half of the dough from the bowl.
Drain any excess liquid off the macerated cherry paste and add the paste along
with the red food coloring to the dough remaining in the bowl. Mix thoroughly
until the coloring and fruit are uniformly distributed, breaking apart any big
cherry masses as you go. Discard the excess cherry liquid. Wrap both doughs in
plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour before proceeding to shape the
cookies.
3. Shape the dough in one of three ways:
For pinwheels: On a
well-floured surface, roll the white dough into a 7- x 14-inch rectangle about
1/8 inch thick. Repeat with the red dough. Carefully lift the white dough and
lay it directly on top of the red dough. Gently roll the two layers together so
that the combined thickness is about 1/4 inch. Trim the dough into a perfect 7-
x 14-inch rectangle. Starting at one of the smaller sides, roll the dough into a
round log about 2 inches in diameter and 7 inches long. Brush off any excess
flour on the back side of the dough as you go. Wrap tightly in plastic and
refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or freeze for 1-2 hours) until quite firm. Roll again
so the log is perfectly round before slicing.
For checkerboards: On a
well-floured surface, roll the white dough into a 5- x 3-inch rectangle about
3/4 inch thick. Cut into 4 strips, each about 3/4 inch wide, trying to keep each
strip as rectangular as possible. Repeat with the red dough. Place one red and
one white strip alongside one another and gently press together. Place another
white strip directly on top of the red one, and another red strip on top of the
white one. You should now have a square log about 5 inches long with a 1 1/2- x
1 1/2- inch cross-section. Press the tops and sides together using a bench
scraper or broad, flat spatula to square off the log. Repeat with the remaining
strips to create 2 total logs. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 3-4
hours (or freeze for 1-2 hours) until quite firm.
For candy stripes: Break
the red dough into two equal portions and do the same with the white dough. On a
well-floured surface, roll each portion into a 7- x 8-inch rectangle about 1/8
inch thick. Place the layers directly on top of one another so that the red and
white colors alternate. Cut the stack in half to create two 7- x 4-inch
rectangles. Cut in half again for a total of four 7- x 2-inch rectangles. Stack
one rectangle on top of the other, and gently press the entire stack to adhere
the layers to one another. You should have a stack about 7 x 2 x 2 inches. Wrap
tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or freeze for 1-2 hours)
until quite firm.
4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat
the oven to 375°. Line two or more 15- x 10-inch cookie sheets with parchment
paper and set aside.
5. Take a chilled log from the refrigerator, remove the
plastic, and place the log on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the log
crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Neaten the cookie edges, as desired, by
trimming with a cookie cutter. (We used a round and square cutter for our
pinwheels and candy stripes, respectively.) Place the slices 2 inches apart on a
prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until the bottoms are lightly
browned. Cool for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to racks to
cool completely. Repeat for any remaining logs.
6. Decorate: For added
holiday flair, paint the edges of each cookie with Royal Icing. Immediately dip
them in red or white sugar beads, or large-grained sanding sugar, taking care to
cover the Royal Icing completely. Let the icing dry for 1 hour before packaging
the cookies. Store in airtight containers at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
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