Snack: Almond Wreath Cookies

Ground almonds provide texture and enhance the flavor of these buttery holiday cookie "wreaths.

Ingredients

1/2 c. slivered or sliced blanched almonds
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
17 candied green cherries
8 1/2 candied red cherries

Instructions

In food processor fitted with chopping blade, process almonds and 1/4 cup sugar until almonds are finely ground; set aside. Lightly grease 5 baking sheets or 2 baking sheets plus 3 sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper, if desired. (Because the cookie dough has to be chilled after it's piped into wreaths, the more baking sheets you have, the faster the cookies can be made. If you do not wish to use foil, just leave dough in pastry bag and pipe onto the sheets once they have cooled after the first baking.)
In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla and almond extracts until well mixed. Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups flour, the ground almond mixture, baking powder, and salt until mixed. Beat in enough of remaining flour until soft dough forms.
Spoon about one-third of dough into large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch open star tip. Pipe 1/2-inch-thick strip of dough onto baking sheets to form 2-inch-diameter wreaths, about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate wreaths on baking sheets 15 minutes to firm dough. (If using 2 sheets, pipe the rest of the dough onto foil and refrigerate on trays, if possible. If you are unable to chill the second batch while the first batch is baking, remember to cool the baking sheets thoroughly before placing the foil with the second set of wreaths onto the sheets for chilling.)
Meanwhile, cut each green cherry into 8 wedge-shaped slices. Cut each whole red cherry into halves and cut all the cherry halves into quarters to form square like cherry pieces.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Press a red-cherry piece onto each wreath where the beginning and end of piped dough meet. Place 2 green-cherry slices on each side of red cherry on each wreath.
Bake wreaths 8 to 10 minutes or until golden on top and lightly browned on bottom. Cool cookies completely on wire rack. Store in airtight containers.

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