Christmas Refrigerator Cookies
6
- Prep Time25 mins
- Total Time5 hrs 5 mins
- Makes48
Produced by Chantal Braganza and Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Eshun Mott, Prop Styling by Nicole Billark.
We’d say candied cherries are deliciously retro, but glacéed fruit happens to be newly cool again, as it was when this roll-and-slice recipe first appeared in Chatelaine in 1949—and we couldn’t be happier about it. Don’t skip toasting the almonds; their nuttiness makes the cherry flavour sing.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (55 g) sliced, blanched almonds
2 1⁄3 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (105 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (102 g) lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp lemon zest
3/4 cup glacé cherries, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarse coloured sugar
White or red royal icing, if desired
Instructions
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 350F. Toast sliced almonds on a baking sheet until lightly golden, about 8 min. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, stir flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat butter with sugars in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest until combined. Beat in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in glacé cherries and toasted almonds.
Divide dough evenly in half and place in centres of two sheets of parchment. Working with one portion of dough at a time, fold parchment over dough. Holding the edge of the folded parchment, press a ruler against dough to compress it into a smooth log about 2 in. wide and 9 in. long. Twist ends of paper to compress further and seal. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 4 hrs.
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Pour coloured sugar onto a sheet of parchment. Working with one log at a time, unwrap and roll in sugar until completely coated. Using a sharp knife and rolling the dough log a quarter turn after every cut, slice cookies no more than 1⁄4-in. thick, then arrange 2 in. apart on prepared sheets.
Bake until lightly golden, 9 to 10 min. Let cool on sheet for 5 min, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Drizzle cooled cookies with royal icing, if desired.
Kitchen tip
Dough logs can be refrigerated for 1 week, then baked as needed.
