Walnut Sandies Food

SANDIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the water and vanilla. Stir in the flour and pecans until well blended. Cover dough and chill for at least four hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Shape dough into walnut sized balls or crescents. Place 2 inches apart onto unprepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden. Roll in confectioners' sugar while still warm.

THYME-WALNUT SANDIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 7-10 minutes. Let cool.
• Pulse walnuts and whole wheat flour in a food processor until finely ground. Add all-purpose flour and salt and pulse to combine.
• Using your fingers, work thyme into granulated sugar in a small bowl until mixture starts to look moist and clump together. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat thyme sugar, butter, and powdered sugar in a large bowl until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to mix in any remaining dry spots or flour at the bottom of the bowl.
• Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and form into a 12" log. Firmly roll up log in parchment paper, then wrap tightly in plastic. Chill on a flat surface until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Slice off both ends of log to make neat edges, then remove plastic and parchment. Slice dough into 1/4"-thick rounds and place on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing about 1" apart. Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies are light golden but centers are still pale, 10-15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Make the icing and assemble:
• Whisk powdered sugar, orange zest, orange juice, cream, coconut oil, thyme, and salt in a medium bowl until no lumps remain.
• Using a spoon or small offset spatula, spread about 1 tsp. icing over each cooled cookie (you will have some icing left over). Let cookies sit until icing is set, at least 45 minutes.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be frosted 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

PECAN SANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Sift 3/4 cup flour, the salt and baking powder into a medium bowl.
• Pulse the toasted nuts with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a food processor until finely ground.
• Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined, then stir in the nut mixture. Pat the dough into a rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap; wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment into a 9-by-6-inch rectangle, slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the dough with turbinado sugar, then gently press the sugar into the dough using a rolling pin. Slice into sixths crosswise and lengthwise to make 36 rectangles. Arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Pierce each rectangle a few times with a fork, then press a pecan onto each. Bake, switching the position of the pans halfway through, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

WALNUT TEA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine first 4 ingredients (cream cheese - bell pepper) and stir in the onion, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hours.
• Spread one side of each piece of bread with butter and then top the buttered side of 12 slices of bread with the cream cheese mixture topping with another slice of bread, buttered side down. Cut off crusts with a sharp knife.
• Cut sandwiches diagonally into quarters.

WALNUT-MAPLE SANDIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
• Whisk the ground walnuts, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, maple syrup and maple extract until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; add the flour mixture and beat until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and brush the cookies with maple syrup; let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets. Put the remaining 2 cups confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl; add the cookies in batches and toss to coat, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

WALNUT SANDIES

Steps:

• 1. Cream together first four ingredients.
• 2. Mix together dry ingredients including 1 cup of the finely chopped walnuts, making sure to set aside 1/2 cup of them for the glaze.
• 3. Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended.
• 4. Place dough on sheet of waxed paper and roll into a long cylinder approximately 2" to 3" in diameter. Chill dough for 1 hour or until firm enough to slice with sharp knife.
• 5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 6. Unwrap dough, slice 1/2" thick pieces and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
• 7. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.

ITALIAN WALNUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Beat your butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. Add your vanilla and blend in well.
• 2. In seperate bowl sift your flour and baking soda together. Add this to the butter mix and mix in just until incorporated.
• 3. Stir in ground walnuts by hand.
• 4. Roll dough into a ball and place in bowl covered with saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours
• 5. Once dough has been refrigerated. Roll it out onto a floured surface to about 1/4 inch in thickness. Using your favorite cookie cutters cut dough into shapes.
• 6. Place shaped dough onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. and bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cookies should not be allowed to brown up.
• 7. Remove from oven and cool. Once cool you can drizzle with chocolate, dip half in chocolate or dip entire cookie. Or simply eat them as is!

WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in yolk and walnut liqueur, then add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Using a dry pastry brush, generously dust a walnut springerle mold with confectioners' sugar. Cut a piece of dough about the size of the mold. Press dough into mold with fingers, working from center. Gently coax dough out of mold with fingertips and onto a baking sheet, and trim edges with a knife. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 inch apart on sheets and cleaning mold often. Freeze for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cookies until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Pipe or spread 1 teaspoon chocolate-walnut filling on flat side of 1 cookie. Press flat side of another cookie onto filling to sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.