Place dough rounds, 1 at a time, on sugar on plate, then transfer, sugar side up, to 2 heavy large ungreased baking sheets. Bake cookies until bottom and edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Decorating Cookies: Before Baking
One of the easiest ways to dress up a cookie is to press decorations gently into the dough before the cookies are baked. Use decorations that won’t melt, such as M&M’s, nonpareils, nuts, or currants or chopped dried fruit.
Sprinkle unbaked cookies with sparkling colored sugars and sprinkles. First, lightly brush the cookie with beaten egg white; you can paint the whole cookie or create a design—the sugar or sprinkles will adhere only to the design formed by the egg white.
Supermarket staples—puff pastry and fruit jams—are transformed into delicate treats that require very little effort to make. Use any flavor of jam you like. These cookies freeze well, so they make excellent holiday gifts—the recipients can just take a few out of the freezer and let them come to room temperature whenever they have a cookie craving. Makes 40
1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 egg, beaten to blend
½ cup (about) sugar
½ cup (about) assorted jams or fruit preserves (such as raspberry, apricot, and plum)Powdered sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets. Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 16×13-inch rectangle. Trim edges neatly, forming 15×12-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into twenty 3-inch squares. Using small sharp knife, make 1-inch-long diagonal cut in all 4 corners of 1 square, cutting toward center (do not cut through center). To form pinwheels, fold every other point of puff pastry toward center of square [1, 2], pressing to adhere. Repeat with remaining puff pastry squares.
Brush pinwheels lightly with egg. Sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon sugar. Place scant ½ teaspoon jam in center of each. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until pinwheels are golden and puffed, about 13 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet, glaze, sugar, and jam.
DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead. Place cookies between waxed paper sheets in airtight containers and store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.
Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar, if desired.
It was a madeleine—a small, shell-shaped cake-cookie—that launched a surge of memories for the narrator of Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way. Perhaps this simple recipe will help you create memories of your own. Madeleines must be baked in a special pan: a metal or silicone mold with scallop-shaped indentations. The pans are sold at cookware stores and online. Makes about 1½ dozen
2 large eggs
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peelPinch of salt
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightlyPowdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter and flour pan for large madeleines (about 3×1¾ inches). Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl just to blend. Beat in vanilla, lemon peel, and salt. Add flour; beat just until blended. Gradually add cooled melted butter in steady stream, beating just until blended.
Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each indentation in pan. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 16 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Gently remove madeleines from pan. Repeat process, buttering and flouring pan before each batch.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Dust cookies with powdered sugar.
The French name translates as “cats’ tongues,” which refers to the long thin shape of these crisp, light cookies. They are traditionally served with sorbet or ice cream. For a fancy presentation, dip one end of each cookie into melted white, milk, or dark chocolate and chill on waxed paper until the chocolate is set. Makes about 2½ dozen
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup egg whites (about 2 large)
6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flourPinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Add egg whites and beat 30 seconds. Add flour and salt; beat just until blended.
Spoon batter into pastry bag fitted with ⅓-inch plain round tip. Pipe batter onto prepared baking sheets in 2½-inch-long strips, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to racks and cool completely (cookies will crisp as they cool).
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
A bit of fresh rosemary adds an herbal, slightly savory flavor to these pretty cookies. Gold sparkling sugar is available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. A cookie press with assorted disks can be found at cookware stores and at williams-sonoma.com and amazon.com. Makes about 7 dozen
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 large egg
½ teaspoon (scant) salt
2⅓ cups unbleached all purpose flourFreshly ground black pepper (optional)Raw sugar or gold sparkling sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and orange peel in large bowl until sugar becomes pale orange. Add butter and rosemary and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and salt. Add flour and stir until well blended.
Pack dough into barrel of cookie press fitted with 5-point star/flower disk. Press cookies out onto heavy ungreased rimmed baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle centers very lightly with freshly ground pepper and raw or sparkling sugar, if desired.
Bake cookies until just golden brown at edges, about 12 minutes. Using metal spatula, immediately transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. Repeat with any remaining dough, pepper, and raw or sparkling sugar.
DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze up to 1 week.
Cookie Basics: Keeping Cookies FreshCookies are generally best the same day they’re baked, but most will also keep well for about three days when stored in an airtight container, such as a cookie tin or plastic storage container. (Cookie jars are often not airtight, so crisp cookies can become soft and soft cookies can dry out.) It’s usually not a good idea to store cookies in the refrigerator, as they can become stale quickly and also pick up flavors from other foods. A few exceptions are noted in the recipes here—just be sure to wrap the cookies tightly with foil or plastic wrap.