Raspberry Ribbon Cookies



If you’re looking for a cookie recipe that will look gorgeous on a tray and will WOW! your friends (for both beauty and taste), this is your cookie. I don’t believe I have ever taken these cookies to a party and brought any home. I particularly love these because they all bake up on one tray in the oven.

And if you don’t like raspberry preserves, I am sure these would also be wonderful with apricot preserves.

Some tips: The dough does not spread out much on the tray. If you use a large cookie sheet you can get all eight of the rolls onto one sheet and be done with it.

I use a wooden spoon handle to make the indentation. Keep in mind that the indentation will rise a bit in baking. Don’t be shy.

This does not use much jam at all – maybe 4 oz. at the most.

1 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
Raspberry jam, jelly or preserves

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 to 4 Tbsp. milk
 

In a mixing bowl beat the butter on medium/high for 30 seconds. Add about 1/2 the flour, along with the sugar, vanilla, egg and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined. Beat in the remaining flour, mixing until dough forms a ball. Gather dough into a ball and knead slightly on counter (mine is sometimes crumbly at first – work it with your hands until it forms a nice ball of dough).

Divide the dough into eight equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 9″ rope, being careful to keep an even thickness throughout (so they’ll bake evenly). Place the ropes on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2″ apart.

With the side of your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon, press a long groove down the center of your ropes.

Bake at 375degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove tray from oven and spoon raspberry preserves/jam into the groove. Bake about 5 minutes more, or until the edges just start to brown.

Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. While they’re cooling, prepare glaze by stirring all ingredients in a bowl. You want the glaze to run off the spoon.

Using a large spatula, move the cookie logs onto a large cutting board (I use the back of a wooden one). Drizzle glaze over the HOT cookies. Cut logs into 1″ pieces. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.

Recipe Source: http://spectaculareats.com/recipes/cookies/raspberry-ribbon-cookies/