Butter Wreaths & Coconut Wreaths

Butter wreaths, finished.

Butter Wreaths: It's not often a recipe I've made for the first time (whether from the Recipe Box or elsewhere) completely blows me away, but this recipe did. Here are all the pros of this recipe, listed in the chronological order in which I discovered them:

• It's easy.

• It's a start-and-stop recipe, which means if, halfway through making it you need to walk the dog, it's easy to pause and pick it back up in 10 minutes or an hour or even the next day.

• THE DOUGH HOLDS ITS SHAPE AFTER BEING BAKED!

• The cookies, whether rolled out thin into almost wafer-like proportions or kept thick for a softer, cake-like finished product, are delicious.

• One more time for the people in the back: THE DOUGH FLAWLESSLY HOLDS ITS SHAPE EVEN AFTER BAKING.

Butter wreaths, post-baking, pre-frosting.

While the recipe is for butter wreaths and thus demands that you cut the rolled-out dough into doughnut shapes before baking, having seen how perfectly the dough held its shape, this is my new go-to sugar cookie recipe for any time I want pristine finished shapes. I tested a small amount of the dough by cutting it with my insanely detailed snowflake cookie cutters, and they came out so pretty and accurate I wanted to hang them in the window. Seriously, the dough doesn't budge in the oven, which is super important if you're trying to create wreath-shaped cookies.

Now let's talk flavour: these butter wreath cookies come from a tiny recipe card labelled 'A Christmas Recipe for Butter Wreaths from Bill'. The card comes from a set of several, including the Dusen Stars from last week and a Lemon Snowflake recipe I haven't had a chance to post yet, and I think it must be from a holiday party recipe swap since I recognise most of the names on the cards (though not Bill, which is a shame because I'd like to shake his hand). These cookies are so good that even I, with my frosting obsession, would (read: did) eat these straight out of the oven, without frosting or decorations. This is my new go-to for sugar cookies, and I really hope you'll give them a try.

butter wreaths, post-frosting, pre-garnish.

A final note on the decoration: I had to special-order angelica for the butter wreaths. Do you know what angelica is? I didn't. Turns out it's a plant that's a member of the parsley family, also known as wild celery, and was super common as a decoration on desserts in the 1940s-60s, both in the US and the UK. It's no longer sold in any supermarket I've ever been to, so I ordered it from a baking supply store online. It looks like long, bright green pieces of, well, flattened celery, but I was disappointed to find that since it's candied, it just tastes like sugar. It's a bit of a faff to cut it into tiny pieces to adhere to the finished, frosted biscuits, and honestly if I was doing it again for myself and not for this blog, I'd probably just use green frosting instead. If you don't want to order yourself a packet of angelica, you can either use green frosting to frost your cookies, or frost them white and use green frosting to make a few holly leaves on each cookie. Either way, just make them soon!

coconut wreaths, ready to be poked.

coconut wreaths, ready to be baked.

coconut wreaths, finished.

Coconut Wreaths: I should first say that I sent the coconut wreaths to work with Judson on the day the new Star Wars film was released, so he put them in the break room at his job and labelled them 'Sarlacc Sandpits,' after the creature from the original films. Although Judson has made sure that I've seen those original films no less than twice each, I still have no idea what this is in reference to, but... I'd have to agree that the coconut wreaths did in fact taste a bit like sandpits. I blame the coconut, which, instead of coming from a can as the recipe requested (because canned coconut is not a thing that exists, in any country), was the desiccated kind sold here in the UK. I hate this kind of coconut. It has the exact texture of pencil shavings and almost as much flavour as them, but I had no choice, so I used it. The overall 'wreaths' looked more like the tiny clay thumb pots we used to make in primary school, and even the addition of jam filling in the middle didn't help to really give them much flavour or nuance.

The verdict:
The butter wreaths:

5 spoons out of five. These are, without a doubt, the best sugar cookies I've ever made.

the coconut wreaths:

2 spoons out of five. They still got eaten when they were put out in the breakroom at Judson's office, but... they just weren't that exciting.

butter wreaths, finished.

One year ago: crazy crust apple pie
two years ago: boston cream pie

the recipe:

Butter Wreaths

the directions:

Cream butter until very light and fluffy.
Beat in sugar, mixing well.
Add yolks, one at a time, mixing well and scraping sides after each addition.
Add flour and vanilla and mix on low speed until dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto parchment paper, lay another piece of parchment paper on top, and roll out thin (I preferred the cookies rolled to ¼-inch, but if you want a thinner, more wafer-like cookie, roll to 1/8-inch).
Pop in the fridge for half an hour or the freezer for 15 minutes.
Once dough is well-chilled, preheat oven to 175C/350F and remove top layer of parchment from rolled dough.
Working quickly, use a 2 ½-inch doughnut cutter or two other round things of various sizes to cut wreaths from the dough and place on a cookie sheet (I used a small Pyrex measuring cup and a pineapple corer, but I also freehanded it on a few and it worked nearly as well).
Bake 10-12 minutes until just golden around the edges.
Cool, then frost and decorate with red and green frosting or candies and angelica to resemble holly leaves and berries.

the ingredients:

1 c butter
1 c sugar
3 egg yolks
2 ½ c flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting: I used this recipe for vanilla buttercream
Cinnamon candies and angelica (or additional red and green frosting)

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The recipe:

Coconut Wreaths

the directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Blend in almond extract, vanilla and flour, and mix until well-blended.
Stir in coconut and nuts, form into a loose ball and chill for at least one hour or up to overnight.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon or the tip of a measuring spoon, make a 3/4-inch depression in the centre of each ball.
Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from cookie sheet immediately and place on cooling rack.
When cool, fill each cookie with red jam.

the ingredients:

1 c butter
½ c sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
Scant ½ c coconut (flaked, shredded or desiccated)
½ c pecans or pistachios, chopped fine
Red jam (I used raspberry)

Battle of the Snowballs

I know I talk a lot around here about being an expat, but it's pretty central to the whole, you know, Recipe Box Project, and it's also pretty central to my life these days. When you first move to a new country, everything is new, so you end up making a lot of major assumptions that inevitably turn out to be wrong. It's been four years and 4 months since we made that fateful move, and at least once a month I still find myself flummoxed by something Scottish. Luckily I've gotten a lot better at thinking on my feet and covering up my confusion. The three most recent times this has happened are as follows:

I went to the doctor to see if I could get medicine to kick a wicked cold before taking a long-haul flight to the US back in October. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and then entreated me to make sure I was 'using my old bus oil.'

'My what?'
'Old bus oil.'
'Uh... I think I'm fresh out of that. Do you think they have any in the pharmacy? And also, how do you prefer to use it? Just, you know... always looking for new ways to utilise my... old... bus oil.'
'O L D B U S O I L.'

As much as I thought I was doing a kickass job pretending to have a masterful hold on the conversation, she clearly didn't believe me, because she finally wrote down 'Olbas Oil' on the corner of my scrip. Turns out it's basically just Vicks VapoRub in oil form so it's easier to dispense. Who knew?

Yesterday I got called for a customer satisfaction survey by my bank. But the whole survey was about Pride of Britain and how much my feelings about my bank had improved based on my knowledge that the bank was sponsoring Pride of Britain. The only problem? I have no idea what Pride of Britain is. The surveyor was pretty devastated at my super non-committal answers and I couldn't really find a way to say 'I have NO IDEA what you're talking about' without sounding like a jerk, so I just kept answering the questions and hoping that my completely blasé responses don't mess up their data too much.

Last month I was walking Holtzmann when an older man and his 4-ish year old grandson stopped me with an adorable request: 'may I touch your dog?' While the 4-year-old petted Holtzmann, the grandfather asked me how much she cost.

'Excuse me?' I asked, hoping I had misheard.
'How much does a dog like that cost?' he repeated, making the international sign for money with his thumb and first two fingers.
'Oh, well, I mean, we got her from a friend-of-a-friend, and we've had her so long I don't really remember what we paid for her, it was the cost of her shots and food, you know...' I prattled on because I didn't want to be having the 'how much is your dog worth?' conversation, and eventually he cut me off, laughing heartily.

'No, no, not cost- how much does she cost?'
I looked at him blankly, when his grandson finally looked up.
'Cast, miss! Like how much fur does she leave around?'

Finally I figured out this was a Scoticism (I guess?) for shedding. Luckily it wasn't the first time I've caused a Scotsman to burst into hysterical laughter at my misunderstandings, so I wasn't nearly as embarrassed as I would have been a few years back. (Although by now I guess I really have no excuse).

So on the brink of our fifth Christmas in Scotland (how did that happen?), here are two more biscuit recipes for you, perfect for this wintry weather we've been having lately. While both recipes are called snowballs, they come from different sources in the Recipe Box, and, since my supermarket has stopped selling pecans less than two weeks before Christmas, the one that calls for them is made with pistachios, giving them a festive green colour. Also, the recipe for the pistachio version doesn't include instructions to roll them in powdered sugar, but, like, why else would they be called Snow Balls? So I rolled them and I regret nothing- without it, they were pretty much just shortbread balls anyway.

The verdict:
Snow Balls 1: pistachio shortbread balls

2 spoons out of five. The dough for these was so beyond dry I had to add extra moisture to it and mix it like crazy to get it to stick together, and all that extra handling made them tougher than I wanted them to be. But the flavour of the pistachios really came through and they were pretty similar in texture to Italian Wedding Cookies, so if you love those, these are gonna be a treat for you.

snowballs 2: soft walnut cookies

4 spoons out of five. They're the perfect balance of chewy and cakey, and the toasty nut flavour really makes it perfect for this time of year.  

One year ago: crazy crust apple pie
two years ago: Christmas tree cakes

the recipe:

Pistachio Shortbread Balls

the directions:

Preheat oven to 165C/325F.
Beat butter until fluffy.
Add all other ingredients except water, beating until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Taking a spoonful of the dough, form a walnut-sized ball.
If mixture does not stick together, add water a few drops at a time, stirring frequently JUST until dough comes together enough to barely hold together as a ball.
Place balls ½-inch apart on cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until light golden.
Once balls have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar and serve.

the ingredients:

1 c butter
2 tbsp vanilla
8 tbsp sugar
4 c pecans or pistachios, chopped fine
4 c flour
1-2 tbsp warm water as needed
Approx ½ c powdered sugar for rolling

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The recipe:

Soft Walnut Cookies

the directions:

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, then set aside.
Cream butter until very light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar gradually and cream until fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla, scraping sides and mixing until incorporated.
Add sifted dry ingredients and mix just until it comes together.
Add walnuts and mix until uniform texture.
Chill 30 minutes.
Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts.
Bake 7-9 minutes until golden at edges.
While cookies are baking, prepare a small bowl of powdered sugar.
As soon as cookies come out of oven, dip the tops in powdered sugar. 
Tap off any excess and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Once cool, dredge in powdered sugar again.

the ingredients:

2 ½ c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
1 c butter
1 ½ c powdered sugar, sifted, plus more for rolling
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ c walnuts, ground or chopped fine

Jam Biscuits, Two Ways: Walnut Ribbon Sticks & Dusen Stars

In the UK, there's a biscuit (cookie) called a Jammy Dodger. I don't know why it's called that, but it's the quaintest, cutest name for a biscuit that I know, so I've always liked them. When we got Holtzmann, her dogwalker gave her a squeaky Jammy Dodger toy which has remarkably remained unscathed over the past six months, and watching her chew on this oversized biscuit is possibly the cutest thing ever. Neither of these recipes are for Jammy Dodgers (which, in case you're curious, are made of a soft-ish shortbread sandwiching a cream and jam centre, with a wee heart cut in the top biscuit for a window onto the sparkling red jam below. Pretty much the most British of all foods).

These biscuits (cookies) are both made with jam (jelly, in American parlance), and though both recipes recommend 'red' jam for festive flair, I think the Dusen Stars in particular would be stellar sandwiched with apricot jam (or whatever other flavour tickles your fancy). When I started making the Walnut Ribbon Sticks, I thought I was in for a treat as the recipe was so easy I could hardly believe it: one recipe of pastry, rolled thin, spread with filling, folded and sliced? Nice. But then about halfway through making them, I realised with a sinking feeling that I had a) never had ribbon candy, b) wasn't so sure what it was and c) neglected to look it up to make sure it was shaped in the way I had assumed. It wasn't. So about half of my walnut ribbon sticks were made as twists, and the rest were (mostly) 'ribbon-candy-shaped,' until I got bored and did the last few as swirls.

Here's one insanely simple recipe for you and one slightly more complicated though still totally worth it recipe. Make these decorative beauties for your next holiday party and you'll be the talk of the party.

The verdict:
The Walnut Ribbon Sticks:

3 spoons out of five. If you like palmiers, pastry or pie crust, you'll love these. Unfortunately palmiers are probably my least favourite dessert of all times, so I found these too dry and crumbly for my taste. They got rave reviews from the people I served them to, though, so it's probably more that they're not my taste than that these are an inherently bad recipe.

The Dusen Stars:

5 spoons out of five. These cookies are amazing- not too distant from a linzer cookie but minus the faff of tiny cut-outs in every top layer, and with exactly enough jam to keep the fairly short biscuit from being too dry and bland. They're adorably festive, a cinch to assemble and since each finished one is actually made from two biscuits, they're also heartier than a normal biscuit- so perfect for bringing to your next booze-soaked holiday fête.

one year ago: Crazy Crust apple pie
two years ago: Pumpkin Gingerbread cupcakes

The recipe:

Walnut Ribbon Sticks

the directions:

Preheat oven to 225C/450F and grease a cookie sheet.
Roll crust into approximate thickness of pie dough (about ¼ inch).
Spread half of dough with jam and sprinkle with walnuts.
Fold crust over filling and roll lightly again- the layers of dough should adhere to each other thanks to the jam, but you don't want the walnuts to break through the dough.
Using a very sharp knife and wiping it clean between cuts, slice into 1/4” wide strips.
Coil the strips like ribbon candy by folding them back and forth on themselves (as seen above), wind into spirals or twist into long ribbons (if you twist into ribbons, make sure you twist them quite tight or they'll unravel in the oven).
Bake 7-9 minutes until light golden brown.
Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before handling.

the ingredients:

1 recipe double-crust pie crust or 1 package puff pastry (use your favourite recipe- I used Julia Child's pie crust recipe)
¼ c raspberry jam
½ c walnuts, finely chopped (you'll want them finer than shown here so they stay in the dough better)

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the recipe:

Dusen Stars

the directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F.
Cream butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add sugar, beating well until incorporated.
Add flour, vanilla and almonds, continuing to beat well.
Chill at least two hours or overnight.
Roll ¼-inch thick on a floured work surface.
Cut with 2-inch cookie cutter (ideally a star, as the name suggests, but as long as you're doing two of each shape you make, they could be whatever shape you want).
Place on cookie sheet 1-inch apart and bake for 10 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden.
Allow to cool slightly, but while still just warm, slather the bottom of one cookie with jam and adhere the bottom of another cookie to it.
Once all cookies are finished, sprinkle with powdered sugar to complete the festive look.

the ingredients:

1 c butter
½ c sugar
2 c flour, sifted
½ tsp vanilla
4 oz ground almonds
Approximately 1 cup Raspberry, currant, or apricot jam
Powdered sugar for dusting