Fluted Wreath Cookies Food

EMBELLISHED WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Sugar Cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, orange zest, and brandy until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using a 3 1/2-inch fluted round. Use a 1-inch round cutter to cut out centers of cookies. Reroll scraps once (you should have about 16 cookies). Transfer both wreaths and cookie centers to prepared sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Bake until set and golden around edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar, egg white, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice until smooth. If necessary, add remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice to reach desired consistency. Glaze should be opaque but not too thick as to run down the edges of the cookie once dipped. If not using immediately, glaze can be stored at room temperature, with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface, up to 2 days, or in refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before using.
• Working with one cookie at a time, dip cookie top-side down in glaze to coat surface, allowing excess glaze to drip back into bowl. If glaze runs down sides of cookie and is too transparent, add more confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If glaze is too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Transfer glazed cookies to a wire rack or baking sheet. Working quickly before glaze sets, decorate cookies with toppings, if desired. Let stand at room temperature until completely dry, at least 2 hours. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.

FLUTED WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tint dough with food color as desired. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Using a 3/4-inch fluted round, cut out rounds. Overlap cutouts to form wreaths. Using a star aspic cutter, cut out stars. Transfer wreaths and stars to parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush wreaths and stars with water, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. Affix stars to wreaths using a dot of vanilla or citrus glaze.

MEYER-LEMON SHORTBREAD WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with zest on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners' sugar until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute more. Reduce speed to low. Beat in lemon juice and salt, then flour, until combined. Divide dough in half, transfer each to plastic wrap, pat into disks, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out rounds with a 3-inch cutter, preferably fluted. Transfer to prepared sheets, 1 inch apart. Use a 1- to 1 1/4-inch plain round cutter to stamp out centers of 3-inch rounds. Gather scraps; roll out again, stamping out more wreaths. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until set and pale golden on bottoms, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week before decorating.
• Glaze and Decorations: Brush herbs with egg white; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Transfer to wire rack; let stand until stiff and dry, at least 1 hour or, loosely covered, up to 1 day. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. One at a time, dip cookie tops in glaze; lift and tilt slightly for a few seconds, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Transfer to wire rack; decorate with sugared herbs and candies. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, between sheets of parchment, up to 2 days.

PISTACHIO WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, process butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until smooth. Add flour and pulse until a dough forms. Stir in pistachios. Divide dough into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Using a 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out centers of wreaths. Reroll scraps. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes. Bake until cookies are set and barely golden at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies on sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

LINZER DOILY WREATHS

Steps:

• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest together in on medium-high speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until fully combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a day ahead.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out one half of the dough until it is roughly 1/4-inch thick. Place a clean woven cloth doily over top of the dough (or multiple doilies, if they are smaller) and gently press down with the rolling pin to adhere the doily to the dough. Roll out the dough with the doily until it is closer to 1/8-inch thick. Carefully peel off the doily, leaving behind an impression. If the dough sticks to the counter, use a bench scraper or large offset spatula to gently release it, keeping the impression of the doily intact.
• Cut out circles from the dough with a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter. Cut out the center of the circles with a 1-inch fluted round cutter to create wreath shapes. Use an offset spatula to transfer the wreaths to the prepared sheet pans, spacing them 2 inches apart. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown around the very edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Gather the scraps and roll them out again and repeat imprinting the dough with the doily, refrigerating the dough if it gets too soft.
• Roll out the second half of the dough but do not imprint with the doily (this will be the bottom half of the cookie); punch out wreaths with the fluted cutters and continue to freeze and bake, rolling out the scraps again.
• Cool the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• Transfer the raspberry jam to a small piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a ring of jam around each of the flat cookies, and then sandwich them with the textured cookies on top. Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of water and 1 drop green gel food coloring. Adjust the color as desired. Use a pastry brush to spread the glaze over the tops of the cookies, then immediately place a red candy bow on each cookie. Let dry, about 30 minutes.

SUGARED WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tint dough with food color as desired. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Roll out 1 disk on a lightly floured piece of parchment to a 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Using a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter, cut out rounds. Using a 3/4-inch fluted round cutter, cut out centers of cookies. Transfer wreaths and, if desired, fluted cutouts to parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush wreaths and fluted cutouts with water, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. If desired, affix fluted cutouts and candies to wreaths using a dot of glaze.