Chocolate Snowdrops Food

SNOW-CAPPED CHOCOLATE DROPS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F.
• COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in bowl of electric mixer. Add egg, brown sugar, shortening, cherry liquid and chocolate. Blend well at low speed. Stir in walnuts and cherries. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• BAKE 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on racks.
• FROST each cooled cookie with 1 teaspoon marshmallow creme.

CHOCOLATE-ESPRESSO SNOWCAPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
• Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

CHOCOLATE COVERED SNOW PEAKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn up the speed to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, while whisking, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Place the meringue into a piping bag with a medium-size round tip attached. Pipe 48 bite-size tear-drop-shaped meringues onto the sheets and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed, and then turn off the heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
• Melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Holding each meringue by the peak, dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drip off before placing on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature; do not put in the fridge. Once set, store in an airtight container.

LEMON SNOWDROPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Gradually beat in flour. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into balls (if necessary, refrigerate dough, covered, until firm enough to shape). Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Bake until light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, whisk together egg, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until blended. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and a thermometer reads at least 170°, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat immediately (do not allow to boil). Transfer to a small bowl; cool. Press plastic wrap onto surface of filling. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour., To serve, spread lemon filling on half of cookies; cover with remaining cookies. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freeze option: Freeze unfilled, undecorated cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw cookies in covered containers. Fill and decorate as directed.

CHRISTMAS SNOW DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix in order given.
• Roll into small balls, about 48, and place on lightly greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
• Bake at 300 for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven to cool.
• Cookies should not be brown but a very light tan.
• Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
• Roll in powdered sugar again when cool.
• Store in an air tight container.

SNOWDROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift flour and salt together.
• With a mixer beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
• Work in dry ingredients gradually.
• Once thoroughly mixed, roll into 1 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes.
• Let cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.