Holiday Pastries…for New Year’s Eve!

Cookies for New Year’s Eve!

In my family there were always small pastries, cookies, on the buffet table on New Year’s Eve…together with all kinds of savory and sweet dishes that were meaningful traditions for either good luck, health, financial success and all around happiness. As a child I always loved the small cookies that had been baked several weeks before Christmas and New Years.

I have two kinds of  doughs that I use and make several kinds of cookies with and which I will share with you today.  There is still time to make these scrumptious morsels before your New Year’s Eve celebration! One dough is a butter/Vanilla dough and the other is a spritz-cooky dough and both are made in the food processor.

Here is the ~ Butter/Vanilla Cookie Dough~

 2 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

lemon zest

1 whole egg + 1 Tbsp brandy

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Process all the ingredients in a Food Processor to make a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes…no longer…then work the dough on a flour dusted surface….cut out cookies of your choice or make circles, sticks, or other shapes that you prefer…and that you can decorate later.

 Some of my cookies as samples!

Here is the ~ Spritz Cookie Dough~

            3 cups  flour

            1 tsp baking powder

            1 cup sugar

            1/2 tsp salt

            1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

            1 egg yolk

            1 tsp Vanilla Extract

            1 tsp Almond Extract

            Heat oven to 375 F.

 Use a food processor  and mix all ingredients together.

Place dry ingredients into the bowl first – then add the butter, the egg yolk and the flavors.

Use a cookie press to shape your pastries.

Here are some of my Spritz Cookies as a sample!

Wishing all of you a wonderful 2013….may all your dreams come through and may this next year be a most fulfilling one in every respect….may you have good health and only happy moments!

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Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, I can be contacted via email at: maria@majaskitchen.com   Feel free to quote me, just give credit where credit is due, link to the recipe, and please send people to my website, http://www.majaskitchen.com

Thank you!