A&M: Merrill grew up eating these cookies every year at Christmas, but she swears she had nothing to do with the voting! As Veronica explained, “This recipe has truly been kept a secret for thirty years, but now is the time to release it. It was given to me by an elderly lady who had been given it by an even more elderly Swedish lady. The proviso: ‘After I’m gone, you may give out the recipe.’ The same proviso was given to me … so, here it is.”
¾ pound salted butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
Red, green, or multicolored sugar
- Heat the oven to 350°F. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. Add the yolks and vanilla, mixing well. Add the flour and combine thoroughly.
- Use mounded teaspoonfuls and make balls of dough with your hands. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, then flatten the dough with the bottom of a patterned glass or jar dipped in colored sugar (don’t mix the red and green!).
- Bake for about 10 minutes (watch carefully, as they burn easily) until the cookies are lightly golden just around the edges. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for a minute or two and then gently transfer to baking racks to cool—they’re fragile.
Photography by Sarah Shatz
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
It helps to lightly butter the bottom of the glass before dipping it in the sugar for the first time—this will help the sugar adhere.
Agamom: “Ran out of time to bake, so I rolled half the dough into a log in parchment and kept it overnight in the fridge. The next day: brushed the roll in beaten egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of water, then sprinkled the colored sugar around the roll, then sliced (like sables) instead of rolling into balls. Not as pretty, but still delicious and very quickly made—and consumed!”
ABOUT THE COOK
For details on Veronica, see her winning Pink Bolognese recipe.
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
Agamom: “The real ‘secret’ to this recipe is how incredibly delicious the cookie tastes after the flavor has developed over a few days! Perfect for Christmas gift giving, if you can restrain yourself from consuming immediately. The vanilla scent is wonderful and the colors add to the beauty. Thank you for sharing!”
Savory Plum Tart
Photography by Sarah Shatz