Slice And Bake Dreidel Cookies Food

SLICE AND BAKE BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl and set aside. In large bowl beat butter and sugar until lightened in color and fluffy, using an electric mixer on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until flour is incorporated and soft, smooth dough forms. Divide dough into 2 pieces; form each into a log about 7 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 1 hour until cold and firm, or overnight. Or freeze, wrapped securely, for up to 1 month. (Defrost in the refrigerator before slicing and baking.)
• Position rack in middle of oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In small bowl, use fork to beat egg white until foamy, about 30 seconds. Use pastry brush to brush each log with egg white. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup sugar on strip of wax paper then roll each log back and forth in sugar to coat lightly. Use large sharp knife to cut each log into 1/4 -inch-thick rounds. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Press nut half into each cookie before baking, if desired. Bake one sheet at a time until cookie edges and bottoms are light brown, about 18 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 3 days.

PANDA SLICE-AND-BAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
• Remove 3/4 cup dough and set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon white food coloring to the remaining dough in the bowl and mix on low until evenly colored white. Reserve 1 tablespoon white dough and turn the rest out into a ball and set aside. Clean out the bowl and the beaters and place the reserved 3/4 cup dough back into the bowl. Add 5 drops black food coloring and beat on low until evenly colored a deep black. Turn out into a ball.
• Make the face: Cut one-third off the white ball of dough (about 1/2 cup). Form into a 1/2-inch-thick 10-by-2-inch rectangle. Set aside. Roll the remaining white dough into a 10-inch log. Use a ruler or your fingers to slightly flatten the top, then roll the log back and forth so that the bottom rounds out a bit. Put on a baking sheet. Roll the reserved 1 tablespoon of white dough into a thin 10-inch rope and set aside.
• Make the eyes and ears: Cut the black dough into three even pieces (about 1/4 cup each), then cut one piece in half. To make the ears, roll the half pieces into 10-inch ropes. Put on the baking sheet. Set aside and keep at room temperature. To make the eyes, roll the remaining two pieces of black dough into 10-inch ropes. Flatten the sides with your fingers, so that the top and bottom are still round. The ropes should be about 1/2-inch tall.
• Assemble the cookie: Brush the flat side of the white log with egg wash. Place the skinny white rope in the middle of the flat log. Pinch the sides so that it has a pointed top, almost like a triangle. Place the two eye ropes, flat side down, lengthwise across the flat side of the white log, on either side of the white strip, with the top of the white between them. Press the eyes down into the log (this will keep the eyes in place while assembling the rest of the cookie and give them a downturned shape).
• Place the room temperature rectangular piece of dough on top of the two black eye ropes and press the dough down over the sides so that the entire surface is covered. Use your finger to smooth out the sides. Cut a slit down the length of an empty paper towel roll and pull it open so you can place the dough inside. Wrap the roll around the dough and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. This will help the cookies keep their round shape. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Brush the top of the dough log with more egg wash and adhere the ear ropes lengthwise on the outer edges of the log. Press them into the dough so that they are oval shaped. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the log with a very sharp knife to reveal the panda face. Slice the log into cookies about 1/4-inch-thick. Arrange the slices 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until crisp and just starting to turn brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the icing forms thick and glossy peaks, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water if needed, about 2 minutes. Take a third of the icing and transfer to a small resealable plastic bag. Add 1/4 teaspoon black gel food coloring to the remaining icing and whisk to combine. Transfer the black icing to another small resealable plastic bag. Snip a very small piece off one corner of each bag.
• Pipe a nose and smile on the center of each cookie with the black icing. Use the white icing to pipe small circles in the center of each eye. Let the icing harden completely, about 20 minutes. Mix 1 drop red water-based food coloring with 2 tablespoons water. Dip your finger into the red liquid and brush a small pink circle each cheek of the pandas.

CHICK SLICE-AND-BAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
• Transfer 1 tablespoon dough to a small bowl and add 1 drop orange food coloring. Use a small spoon to mix until an even vibrant orange; set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring to the dough left in the bowl and mix on low until an even vibrant yellow. Refrigerate both doughs on a baking sheet, uncovered, until just firm, about 20 minutes.
• Roll the yellow dough into an 8-inch cylinder, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Flatten the top of the log slightly to form an oval or egg-shaped log. Roll the orange dough into an 8-inch rope. Press into a triangular shape by flattening the sides (a ruler is helpful for this). Freeze both doughs on a baking sheet, uncovered, until hard, about 20 minutes.
• Slice lengthwise through the yellow log, cutting off the top third and making 2 half-moon logs, one larger and one smaller. Make a small slit, about 1/8 inch deep, down the length of the larger log on the center flat side. Gently insert one of the pointed sides of the orange dough into the slit, being careful not to flatten out the triangle. Place the smaller log on top and press together to seal and re-form into an egg-shaped log, making sure the edges are smooth. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
• Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Cut 1/4 inch off each end of the log with a very sharp knife. Slice the cylinder into 24 cookies, each about 1/3 inch thick. Arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until crisp and just starting to turn brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 1 more tablespoon water if necessary. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap until ready to use to prevent the icing from drying out. (Makes about 2 1/4 cups.)
• When ready to ice the cookies, transfer about 1/2 cup of the icing to a resealable plastic bag and snip a small opening in one corner. Use this icing to pipe a thin border around the bottom half of each cookie and make an outline of a cracked eggshell about halfway up. Let set for a few minutes.
• Thin the remaining icing with a few drops of water until it's the consistency of syrup. Transfer about 1 cup of the thinned icing to a resealable plastic bag. Divide the remaining thinned icing among 3 small bowls and tint each with a different color of pastel food coloring; transfer each color to a separate resealable plastic bag.
• Snip a corner of the white icing bag and pipe a generous amount inside the icing border of each cookie. Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the icing to cover the cookie inside the border. Use the white icing to attach 2 mini chips for the eyes. Snip a corner of each pastel-tinted icing bag and use them to decorate the eggshells. Decorate with sprinkles or decorating sugar as desired. Let the icing dry completely before serving, about 30 minutes.

TIGER SLICE-AND-BAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookie dough: Put 1 3/4 cups of the flour in a medium bowl and whisk in the baking powder and salt; set aside.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed, scraping down the bowl at least once during mixing, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and 1 egg and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and continue to beat for 1 minute.
• Remove half of the dough and set aside. Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the dough in the mixer with 5 drops orange food coloring. Mix, scraping down the bowl once halfway, until well combined, about 2 minutes. Remove the orange dough to a piece of plastic wrap and pat into a 1/2-inch-thick disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Add the reserved plain cookie dough back to the bowl. Add the cocoa powder and beat to combine. Remove the cocoa dough to a piece of plastic wrap and pat into a 1/2-inch-thick disc. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Unwrap both dough discs and place on a lightly floured work surface. Cut a 2 1/2-ounce piece of dough (approximately 1 inch by 4 1/2 inches) from the orange dough disc. Cut this piece in half lengthwise to form 2 long pieces (1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inches). Roll each piece into a 11-inch-long snake, dusting with additional flour as needed, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl for an egg wash.
• Dust the work surface and your hands lightly with flour, then press out the orange dough with your hands (see Cook's note) into a rectangle approximately 5 1/2 inches by 7 1/2 inches. Repeat with the cocoa dough. Brush the top surface of the orange dough very lightly with the egg wash (don't use too much or it might ooze out) and place the cocoa dough on top, pressing down gently to adhere. Cut the stacked rectangles in half lengthwise. Lightly brush the top of one of the cocoa dough layers with egg wash and place the second stacked layer on top. Press down gently to adhere. Repeat once more, cutting down the center, brushing, stacking and pressing. Use a piece of parchment to roll the stack into a log, gently squeezing the center to elongate it to 11 inches. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet with the orange dough snakes and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Using lightly floured hands, gently pinch the top edge of each snake to form a triangular rope. Keeping the stripes of the dough log oriented horizontally within the log and with the orange side up, brush the top edge lightly with the egg wash. Adhere the 2 snakes along the top edge with about 1/2 inch of space between each to form the tigers' ears. Use your fingers to gently press and seal the edges of the ears to the orange side of the log. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Trim about 1/8 inch from each end of the log to reveal an even and flat tiger face. Cut the remaining log into 24 pieces, each slightly thinner than 1/2 inch. Arrange 12 cookies evenly on each parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through, until the cookies are firm to the touch and the bottoms and tips of the ears are just beginning to brown, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
• For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl with a hand mixer). Slowly add 1 tablespoon of water while beating; continue to beat on high for 1 full minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl. You're looking for an icing with a pipeable consistency. If the icing is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Transfer half of the icing to a resealable ziptop bag or disposable pastry bag fitted with a number 3 round tip. Add about 6 drops of black food coloring to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until uniform in color. Add more food coloring as needed to get the desired black. Transfer the black icing to a resealable ziptop bag or disposable pastry bag fitted with a number 2 round tip.
• Pipe a long white triangle on each cookie to form a muzzle for the tiger; let set. Using the black icing on each cookie, pipe 2 eyes with eyebrows and a triangle on both ears. Pipe an upside down triangle for each nose with 2 curved lines for a mouth. Let sit for 30 minutes for the icing to set up and harden before packaging or serving.

CHOCOLATE-STUFFED DREIDEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. dreidel cutter. Place half the cutouts 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; top with candy bar pieces. Top with remaining cutouts, pinching edges to seal., Bake until bottoms are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely., Tint 2/3 cup frosting light blue. Spread remaining white frosting over cookies. Pipe 1 Hebrew letter on each cookie.