Pistachio Cherry Shortbread Cookie Tower Kransekake Recipes

CHERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and orange zest. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in cherries and pistachios., Divide dough in half ; shape each into an 11-in.-long roll. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm., Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cookies with melted white chocolate; let stand until set., To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap in plastic and place in a resealable bag. Store in the refrigerator., Freeze option: Place wrapped rolls in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze. To use, unwrap frozen logs and cut into slices. If necessary, let dough stand 15 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Bake as directed, increasing time by 1-2 minutes. Decorate as directed.

KRANSEKAKE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Add the almond flour and 1 pound of the confectioners' sugar to a food processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Run the processor for about 20 seconds until the dough forms into a ball; it will be slightly sticky. Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a disc. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Spray the kransekake molds with nonstick spray and sprinkle with semolina, tapping off any excess.
• Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll it out into a rope long enough to wrap into each mold. The width should be even and no thicker than 1/2 inch. (Keep the unused dough covered with plastic wrap.) Repeat the process until all the molds are filled. Transfer the molds to 2 baking sheets.
• Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the molds. Carefully remove each ring from the molds onto cooling racks for 10 minutes.
• To make the royal icing, add the remaining 1/2 pound confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 4 tablespoons water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. If desired, stir a few drops of food coloring into the icing with a rubber spatula. Put the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing onto each ring and stack them, largest to smallest. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, powdered sugar, and saslt in processor. Add butter, pistachios, egg yolk, and vanilla.
• Using on and off turns, mix until moist ball forms. Transfer dough to work surface. Divide dough in half. Form each half into 8 X 1 1/4" log (if dough is too soft, chill until firm, about 30 minutes). Wrap logs in plastic, refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. Can be made 5 days ahead, keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Slice logs into 1/4" rounds, rolling log every few slices to retain round shape. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheets, spacing 1" apart.
• Bake shortbreads until barely golden, about 18 minutes. Cool shortbread on baking sheets.
• Store in airthight container at room temperature.