Holiday Bakery Tray Cookies

Holiday Bakery Tray Cookies

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies

    • About This Recipe

    “Basic recipe for the gourmet bakery tray cookies you see wrapped in colored cellophane in bakeries at holiday time”

    Ingredients

  • 3/4 cupsweet butter
  • 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
  • 1largeegg yolk
  • 1teaspoonvanilla extract
  • 1teaspoonalmond extract
  • 2 -2 1/4 cupssifted flour
  • 8ouncessemisweet chocolate(optional)

    • Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Cream softened butter.
  • Mix in sugar thoroughly.
  • Beat in egg yolk, and extracts until light and fluffy.
  • Stir in flour by hand, 1 cup at a time, making a soft dough.
  • Press cookies out following directions for your cookie press.
  • Suggestions are “Fingers”, “S-swirls”, “Stars”, and “Shells”.
  • Bake 8-10 minutes (depending on size) at 350°.
  • Let cool completely on a rack.
  • Optional: Melt 8 squares of semisweet chocolate over hot (not boiling) water.
  • When melted, remove from flame but leave it over the hot water.
  • Dip each cookie in hot chocolate, resting it on a long tined fork.
  • It can be half dipped or bottom dipped or however you choose.
  • Let set upside down on rack or waxed paper.
  • It helps set the chocolate if you place the dipped cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  • The chocolate should remain solid at room temperature, but a hot summer day could make it soft enough to give anyone sticky fingers.
  • In that case store in the refrigerator.
  • While chocolate is still warm you can dip the edge in coconut or ice cream sprinkles (jimmies) The finger shapes can also be spread with raspberry or apricot Jam and sandwiched together.
  • This produces the fancy cookies seen on Bakery trays.
  • Notes: The dough can also be chilled for several hours and then rolled out to make cut out cookies.
  • For a different flavor leave out the almond extract and substitute 2 teaspoons of orange or lemon extract.

    • Reviews

  • “Oh my…what a delinquent I’ve been.I promised a review after we worked out the bugs in this recipe and am just now finally getting to it.I ended up happiest with the version using 2 cups of flour and a cookie press.My family really enjoyed them.The almond extract lends a delightful flavor.I don’t think I’ll be waiting for the holidays to make them again though.Thanks for sharing this recipe Steve!!!”

  • “I, too, made these in several ways! I cut them into christmas trees, made some half dipped in chocolate, and some into raspberry-jam sandwiches. They were SO popular with my family-I think my sister ate about half of the whole batch while I was visiting!! The cookie itself has a fantastic taste–thanks for posting 1Steve!”

  • “Could this be a new holiday cookie tradition in our house?!You bet!I made this recipe using two cups of flour and I used plain chocolate chips melted for the glaze.I also shaped the cookies into simple rounds, flattening them slightly and sprinkling about half with colored sugar.The others I half-dipped in the glaze and still others I made into “sandwiches” with raspberry jam, dipping one end in the glaze!They are delicious and got rave reviews from my family!I’d be anxious to try them with the other extracts too!Thanks, Steve for expanding our holiday cookie repetoire!YUM!—Martha:)”

  • “These came out great.I used my cookie press and sandwiched with jam.Dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.”

  • “I made this recipe exactly as written. I’ve been baking since I was 9 yrs old. This recipe looked interesting. It had a good taste, but I would adjust the recipe by reducing the flour in the directions.I would also explain to inexperienced bakers that the dough doesn’t rise much. If this dough is rolled and cookie cutters are used, make sure you have the thickness you want.My dough was crumbling on me due to too much flour. I will try this again, reducing the flour to just under 2 cups and maybe using confectioners sugar instead of granulated.”

  • “Excellent flavor, very accurate measurements,delicious and lovely looking cookies.These are so good that I am adding them to my permanent annual holiday baking list, something I rarely add to (it has to be a terrific recipe, and this one surely is.) I tinted my dough green, took the suggestion to roll out and cut them into leaves, then made cookie sandwiches with melted chocolate in the middle. I also tried adding mint extract in place of almond, and that worked out nicely. I will be making extra plain batches as well.Wonderful recipe.”

  • “I made these in different shapes, and sprinkled coconut over some of them, melted mint choc on others and also honey. My family loved it and have made me promise to do tham again. Thank you for sharing this with us Steve.”

  • “I was thrilled with how these turned out. The last time I made spritz cookies they were tricky to get out of the cookie gun, and I needed my husband to complete them. These on the other hand, came out with so much ease that my daughter and I were able to do it ourselves! Thanks so much for the recipe, Steve.Roxygirl in Colorado”

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