This recipe seems complicated, but it makes delicious cookies. My family looks forward to them every year.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- Orange Sable Dough (recipe follows), room temperature
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- Chocolate-Espresso Dough (recipe follows), room temperature
- Orange Sable Dough
- 1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest (2 - 3 oranges)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Chocolate-Espresso Dough
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Neapolitan cookies
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap. In a large bowl, stir cranberries into orange-sable dough. In another large bowl, stir walnuts into chocolate-espresso dough.
2. Press orange dough into bottom of prepared pan. Using an offset spatual, smooth top evenly. If mexture feels soft, refrigerate 30 mintues or until firm. Spread chocolate dough over orange dough, and smooth evenly with offset spatula. Cover pan with platic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 5 days in refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line town baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove pan from refrigerator, and turn out dough onto a cutting board; discard plastic. Cut dough into 2-by-8 inch bricks, an cut each brick crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. place slices on prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
4. Place in oven, and bake until cookies are firm to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rac to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough (or freeze up to 1 month). Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
Orange Sable Dough
1. Combine the almonds and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and process until mixture resembles course meal; set aside.
2. Place butter an dzest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 mintues. With mixer on low speed, add almond mixture; beat until combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Add egg and lemon juice; beat until combined. Add flour; beat until combined. Wrap in plastic and store, refigerated, until ready to use.
Chocolate-Espresso Dough
1. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and espresso; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Working in batches, gradually beat in flour mixture, scraping down sides of bowl twice. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until ready to use.
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Submitted 12/17/08.
Source: Martha Stewart "Holiday Baking" 1996
Submitted By: Dana Fatic
ddfatic@yahoo.com
Neapolitan Cookies