Holiday Cookies

from left to right

Rose Water Meringue Kisses with Chocolate
Vanilla Button Cookies
Vanilla Almond Half-Moons or Vanillekipferl, Austrian Cookies
Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon and Cranberry Glaze

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers, Walnuts and Anchovies

Adapted from Food & Wine

The key to Michael Symon's deeply savory side dish is a dressing that includes anchovies, capers, mustard, and a little honey.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise or quartered
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• One 2-ounce tin of anchovies, drained and minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the brussels sprouts on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and charred in spots. (Note: Mine were done after 20-25 minutes)



Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.



In the large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard and honey. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of oil until emulsified. Add the capers, garlic, shallots and anchovies; season with salt and pepper. Add the brussels sprouts and walnuts and toss well. Serve.

Vanilla Almond Half-Moons or Vanillekipferl, Austrian Cookies

Vanilla Almond Half-Moons or Vanillekipferl, Austrian Cookies

You must make them! They are magical.
These melt-in-your mouth buttery cookies are simple to make and delicious for any occasion. Great for a mid-afternoon get-together or a light, after-dinner dessert.
It’s basically a crescent-shaped vanilla almond biscuit, dusted with lots and lots of vanilla icing sugar.
They are in fact made the same way you’d make a shortbread or shortcrust pastry. All the ingredients are mixed together, the dough formed into logs, wrapped in clingfilm and chilled in the fridge for an hour or so. Once the dough has firmed up, you cut slices off, and mould them into crescents. Once they’re baked, dust them with a generous helping of vanilla icing sugar so that they get their snow-dusted look.



Servings: About 30
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling
Cook Time: 10-15 Min

Ingredients:

• 300g flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 175g butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar for rolling and dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix all the ingredients to a short-crust dough, wrap and refrigerate until firm for one hour. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pinch off tablespoons of dough and roll into short ropes. Bend into crescent moon shapes on baking sheets, leaving about two inches between cookies.



Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar together, then toss the hot cookies in the mix. Carefully roll warm cookies in the vanilla sugar.
You can store the cookies in a sealed tin for several days.

Happy New Year, my dear readers!