Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sand Dollar Cookies~


I fell in love with these sand dollar cookies when I saw them on the cover of the latest Food and Drink magazine..(Courtesy of the LCBO) I have mentioned this magazine so many times here and I know many of you enjoy it as much as I do.
I first made some for Jacques at the beginning of the week..they were so easy and turned out so well I made them again to take  to our friend's home.

La Recette~

SAND DOLLAR COOKIES
SUMMER 2012
By: Monda Rosenberg

It’s always fun to add a little unexpected whimsy to a dinner menu. In this case, we’ve created homemade cookies in the likeness of sand dollars (you have to have a little imagination here), those delicate shells you’ve no doubt seen on the beach on one of your southern trips. These are buttery cookies that are simply rolled and flattened, so there’s no need to fret over cutting out unbaked dough. Let a bowl of light brown sugar be your “shore sand” stand-in and randomly scatter the cookies over top. No matter what shape yours take, they’re sure to spark conversation and bring out the cookie monster in all of us.




1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
¼ tsp (1 mL) baking soda
½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract or 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract and 1 tsp (5 mL) almond or maple extract
1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar (optional)
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon (optional)
½ cup (125 mL) slivered or sliced almonds 

1 Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray or oil. Measure flour into a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and baking soda. Stir to evenly distribute. In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon or mixer to beat butter with sugar for 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until evenly mixed. Stir in flour mixture just until no white streaks remain.

3 Scoop up about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of dough. Using well-floured hands, roll into a ball about 1 inch ( 2.5 cm) wide. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat, placing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Dip the flat bottom of a wide glass in flour. Shake off the excess flour and press down on the cookies until they are no more than ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. To create a natural looking uneven edge, dip the end of a knife or chopstick into flour and make several indents, about ¼ inch (5 mm) deep, in the edge of each cookie. Using floured fingers gently tap down cookies to even out their thickness. Stir sugar with cinnamon (if desired) and lightly sprinkle over cookies. Press 5 slivered almonds in a spoke design around the centre of each cookie.

4 Bake in the centre of the preheated oven until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a spatula to remove cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Cooled cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature will keep well at least 4 days.

Makes 24 cookies



Hope you enjoy them~

They would be really fun to take to the beach also..and would pack well~




Enjoy~


46 comments:

  1. They are so beautiful. I bet they taste delicious too.
    xo

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  2. They are so beautiful. I bet they taste delicious too.
    xo

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  3. They're perfect, and I love the way you displayed them in "sand" :). I must put these on my list. Have a great weekend.

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  4. Indeed, Food & Drink is the best freebie around.

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  5. Those cookies are so pretty!

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  6. It doesn't get better than that! Just look how perfect they appear. I must make these, as I love to bake unique looking cookies. Thanks for sharing that recipe.
    Maureen

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  7. I'm the lucky friend and I can vouch that they are delicious, as all of her baking! I'm lucky I never have to make desserts...xxx

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  8. I love these! They're so perfect for a summer holiday, such a clever idea.

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  9. These look like my kind of cookie, especially with the almond added. Such a cute idea, and as you saw, would be perfect for a picnic on the beach. Your mosaic is full of wonder. Makes me long for a trip to the shore. ~ Sarah

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  10. Oh moi aussi I long to see the Sea~:)

    They are so easy.. you will keep this little recipe..Make the little slits a bit larger as they shrink in while baking~
    My anonymous friend served Jacques and I a most delicious meal that I will share bits of soon:)
    Thank you and have a lovely weekend~x

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  11. I love the detail and presentation of these cookies.

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  12. Those are so cute!! I do want to try these! I hate baking, but seriously, these are irresistible.

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  13. Those are adorable! Perfect for our trip to the coast...or just to eat and think about a trip to the coast!

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  14. Monique, What a fabulous cookie! Such a delight! I must make these just because they are so beautiful!

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  15. Monique, you have the knack for making the most precious things. These cookies are adorable and look exactly like a real sand dollar.

    We happened along a deserted beach once when the sand dollars had "come in" and it seemed like there were thousands of them for the taking that day. We thought it was our lucky day.

    Hope you're having a lovely weekend.
    Sam

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  16. Sam that is a lucky day..When the shift in tide brings in a million shells..it's a lucky day..even if they are no longer there the next day:) We had a day like that of sea urchins..

    Miracles for our eyes!
    These were so cute to me too when i spotted them..I am glad they pleased some of you also!

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  17. Your biscuits are beautiful....what joy you bring to us all. I just love the mosaic at the end...and ohh those sandals are to die for.
    Have a happy week.

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  18. I want to make these - especially when Mack is old enough to know what a sand dollar is. They look beautifully delicious! We've been in the pool a lot this summer with Mack. Cars and trucks go swimming too ;)

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  19. Superbes cookies et surement délicieux. Bisous

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  20. Love these, wouldn't they be perfect for a picnic at the beach.

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  21. Brilliant, Monique. My grandkids will love these beachy cookies. What fun.

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  22. Those took my breath away....as does everything you make!
    Oh so specialZ,
    L xo

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  23. Those took my breath away....as does everything you make!
    Oh so specialZ,
    L xo

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  24. Fantastic looking cookies, works of art :)

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  25. Thank you..But as I said they are so easy:)

    Have a great day..
    Linda we are trying your corn method tonight:)

    Susan:) Yes cars and trucks go swimming too..You would have laughed yesterday 2 of the boys went swimming w/ blue nail polish.. rock stars:)
    You're so fortunate to have a pool at home..The boys are taking lessons and enjoying them..

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  26. So adorable, Monique. Definitely making these for my diver daughter!

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  27. Just gorgeous! I love your header. Your cute starfish sandals are great too. All perfect for summer!

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  28. What beautiful cookies! I've never seen anything like them. You've captured summer so perfectly with your photos...

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  29. These are a real beauty! I adore the almond slivers on top. I love little stars on my morning snack treats! ;)

    Anyhoo, we have been keeping an eye out for unique and interesting bloggers with phenomenal photography skills, and yours caught our attention! We have just recently launched a food photo submission gallery http://www.yumgoggle.com/gallery/ that allows you to showcase all your great work and share it with all of our visitors. We’d be proud to have your work as part of our growing collection to continue to have a larger reach and further inspire all fellow food lovers out there!

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  30. These cookies are so cleverly crafted and perfect for the beach! Thanks for the idea!

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  31. Perfect summer recette!
    I had them at a beach wedding once. Yummy!

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  32. what a cute idea! i love them.

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  33. Glad you like them..Enjoy:)

    Have a great rest of week~

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  34. I had a double take - they look exactly like sand dollars. Beautiful! And clever!

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  35. These sand dollar cookies are so beautiful. I will have to try this recipe!

    Jody

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  36. Love the sand dollar cookies. They will be a perfect hostess gift to take to our friends on Nantucket Island when we visit.

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  37. Oh Karen..I love Nantucket:) You lucky lucky duck:)

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  38. As usual a great post, I can't wait to return to Florida and serve these, thanks for sharing!

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  39. Monique, they are just breathtakingly beautiful cookies! But then your pictures make them even more so! I am bookmarking this! Yes, I am playing catch up this morning. I'm so late in my blog reading, but you have been always on my mind! xxoo

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  40. These are so cute!!! You did a great job with the photos! Very creative! Thanks for sharing!

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  41. Do these sand dollar cookies freeze well?

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