Best Cookies of 2007

By Michael Hastings

Journal Food EditorR

This tempting tray displays German Lebkuchen, Christmas Casserole Cookies and Rugelach.

from the Winston-Salem Journal Holiday Guide

The Winston-Salem Journal’s 2008 cookie contest is under way. Last year’s contest was a great success, drawing 91 entries. Here are the winning cookie recipes from 2007.
Sarah Sadler’s winning lebkuchen were more cakelike than traditional versions, but offers wonderful spice cake in cookie form.
Jean Busse of Lexington took second place with her Christmas Casserole Cookies, which are like a fruitcake mixture rolled in powdered sugar. It has an attractive gooeyness and flavors of vanilla, almond, coconut, pecans and dates.
Gail Citron took third with her rugelach, a classic European crescent-shaped cookie with a walnut filling.
Look for the results of the s 2008 contest in the Dec. 3 Journal.
Many of my favorite holiday recipes are posted on our Web site, http://www.journalnow.com

German Lebkuchen

First place, submitted by Sarah Sadler.

1 pound chopped, pitted dates
1 orange
1 lemon
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely ground (dry,unbrewed) coffee
4 eggs, well beaten
1 pound light (or dark) brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
Water (5 to 6 tablespoons)
Red and green colored sugar

1. The day before baking, combine the dates with the juice and grated rind of the orange and lemon. Mix and let stand overnight.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Add walnuts and coffee to the dates. Add the well-beaten eggs and brown sugar. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then stir mixture into rest of ingredients. Spread batter thinly and evenly among one 9-by-13-inch and one 8-by-8-inch baking pan. (No need to grease or flour pans.) Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Let cake cool about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the icing by beating the confectioners’ sugar and butter. Add just enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make the icing spreadable. Spread the icing on the cakes and sprinkle with the colored sugar. Cut into small squares, 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
Makes about 45 cookies.

Christmas Casserole Cookies

Second place, by Jean Busse of Lexington. Busse said that each cookie can be topped with a small piece of candied cherry if desired.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped, pitted dates
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Beat eggs in the dish. Gradually add sugar and mix well. Add dates, coconut, pecans, vanilla and almond extracts.
Mix well.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, stirring mixture 4 or 5 times during the baking, until thick but not too hard to stir.
4. Let mixture cool, stirring occasionally. When room temperature, form into small balls.
5. Roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar and flatten slightly.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Rugelach

Third place, submitted by Gail Citron. If desired, Citron said, 3 refrigerated store-bought pie crusts can used in place of the cream-cheese dough.

Cream-cheese pastry:

½ pound (2 sticks) butter
½ pound cream cheese
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Filling:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided use
¾ cup currants
5 ounces (11/4 cups) walnuts, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until completely blended and smooth. Beat in the salt. On low speed, gradually add the flour. While beating in the flour, toward the end, the dough might start to run up the beaters. If so, the last of it may be stirred in by hand. Beat until dough is smooth.
2. Lightly flour your hands and form dough into a short, fat roll. Cut the roll into three equal pieces. Form each piece into a round ball, flatten slightly, and wrap each individually in plastic wrap or wax paper. Refrigerate the balls of dough overnight.
3. When you are ready to bake, adjust two oven racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut aluminum foil to fit cookie sheets.
4. For the filling, stir the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. (Do not mix the remaining filling ingredients). Place one ball of dough on a floured board. (Keep other two pieces refrigerated.) With a floured rolling pin, pound the dough firmly to soften it slightly. On the floured surface with the floured rolling pin, roll out the dough (turning it over occasionally) into a 12-inch circle. Don’t worry about slightly uneven edges.
5. With a pastry brush, brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and, quickly, before the cold dough hardens the butter, sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Then sprinkle with one-third of the currants and the nuts. With the rolling pin, roll over the filling to press the topping slightly into the dough.
6. With a long, sharp knife, cut into 16 pie-shaped wedges. Roll each wedge jelly-roll fashion, rolling from the outside toward the point, to make a crescent shape. Then place each roll, with the point down, 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Repeat with other two pieces of dough.
7. In a small cup, with a fork, stir an egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water just to mix. With a pastry brush, brush the egg mixture over the tops of the pastries. Bake two sheets at a time for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Reverse the sheets top to bottom and front to back once, about halfway through the baking, to ensure even browning. With a wide metal spatula immediately transfer pastries to racks to cool.
Makes 48 cookies.