Volume 9, Issue 114 - December 8, 2005

Hello Recipe Club Member,

There are some things about Patricia Rain's Vanilla.com that I would like you all to know.

• We specialize in premium quality vanilla beans, extracts, powder, and value-added vanilla products.
• We are owned and operated by women.
• We are a socially-conscious business.
• Buying from us helps us to represent vanilla growers worldwide through an International Tropical Farmers' Network started by the Queen.  We also have gotten medical supplies and ambulance and vitamins for the children of vanilla growers in Mexico, and are establishing projects for women in Uganda and Mexico to help support their families.
• We have gifts and gift baskets for the holidays.

"Holiday cookies and cakes are on every baker's to-do list for after Thanksgiving. Here are some of my favorites."

Patricia Rain

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Vanilla Butter Cookies

Everyone who enjoys baking should have a few standard recipes that are so good that you become known for them. One of mine is this butter cookie recipe. Friends beg for me to make these cookies during the holidays. While it is not necessary to use Tahitian vanilla extract, its unique flavor is definitely showcased in this cookie. These cookies are great frosted or not. I usually take our Rain's Choice Vanilla Sugar and sprinkle the dough before baking and skip the frosting entirely. However, the frosting can be fun for making fancy cookies.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

8 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons pure Tahitian vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon finely ground vanilla bean
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten yolks and vanilla and beat thoroughly.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate overnight, or place in freezer for about 30 minutes.

Use non-stick pans or line pans with parchment paper. Spray lightly with baking oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place dough between 2 pieces of wax paper and roll to a thickness of slightly less than 1/4 inch. Using a cutter, stencil, or inverted glass, cut cookies and transfer to baking sheets.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Place pans on cooling racks for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove cookies. Allow cookies to cool thoroughly before serving. Frost with confectioner's glaze if desired. Place cookies in an airtight tin or jar until ready to serve. This recipe makes between three and four dozen cookies, depending on cookie cutter size.

Royal Icing

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 pound powdered sugar (I use Rain's Choice Very Vanilla Powdered Sugar)
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons meringue powder

Preparation:

In a large bowl mix ingredients. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat until evenly moistened, then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. If icing is too thick, add a few drops of water. If icing is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Tint icing with food colorings if desired.

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Lemon-Lime Butter Wafers

Makes about 8 dozen 2-1/4 inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (about 1 large lime)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon each lemon and lime juices
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Rain's Choice vanilla sugar

Preparation:

Sift the flour and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer or heavy spoon, beat butter and lemon and lime zests until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the sugar slowly and mix well. Blend in the lemon and lime juices and pure vanilla extract. Add flour mixture in two sections, mixing just until blended.

Put the vanilla sugar in a long, shallow pan. Shape half of the dough into a log about 10 inches long and roll gently in the vanilla sugar to thoroughly coat. Place the cookie log on a piece of plastic wrap and roll tightly, twisting the ends tightly to seal. Press the ends of the dough with your hands to compact the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate the cookie log for about 2 1/2 hours, or freeze until ready to use.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp thin-bladed knife, cut cookie log into 1/8 inch rounds. Set the rounds 1 inch apart on the baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven. Bake until lightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes, rotating cookies as needed. Let cool about 5 minutes before transferring cookies to racks with a spatula.

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Hussar's Kisses

Don't ask me why these cookies have such an exotic name, but years ago my mother took a fancy cookie making class and that is what they called them. They are also known by the more Proletariat name of "Thumbprint Cookies." However, these are a bit fancier, so maybe that's why they have a fancier name. Whatever they are called, they are one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cubes unsalted butter
1 cup vanilla sugar or 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean powder
4 egg yolks
3 cups flour

raspberry jam
apricot jam
1 egg white, whipped
toasted almond pieces

Preparation:

Blend butter and sugar (and vanilla bean powder if not using vanilla sugar) until completed absorbed. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well.

Fold in flour and knead until completely blended. Chill dough if soft.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Roll dough into balls about the size of walnuts. Make a thumbprint depression in each ball. Using a pastry brush, brush each cookie with egg white. Put a little raspberry or apricot jam into each depression. Then add 2 pieces of toasted almonds to each cookie.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cool on racks. Store in airtight container.

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Vanilla Banana Mac-Nut Cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (1/2 pound) softened unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (preferably Tahitian)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (don't use if using salted butter)
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted

3/4 cup vanilla sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or 3/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon Rain's Choice Cinnamon Spice Sugar

Preparation:

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in bananas. Add pure vanilla extract.

Combine flour, soda, salt and cream of tartar; stir to blend. Add to creamed mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Mix in nuts. Refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with bakers' parchment.

To keep dough chilled and more manageable to work with, sit the bowl of dough in a larger bowl of ice water. Form dough into tablespoon-size balls and drop into the vanilla sugar/nutmeg mixture, turning carefully to coat evenly. Place dough-balls about 3 inches apart on cookie sheets and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in the vanilla sugar mixture. Bake about 8 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheet before removing to a rack.

Courtesy of Gina Tassone, Vanilla Contessa