Ingredients:

177 g hazelnuts, whole, toasted
142 g almonds, whole, toasted
149 g sugar
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, ground
½ tsp. cardamom, ground
½ tsp. nutmeg
3 tbsp. orange zest, grated, (2 oranges)
2 tbsp. lemon zest, grated, (2 lemons)
175 g all-purpose flour
38 g whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
10 g Dutch cocoa, (2 tbsp.)
¼ tsp. salt, (2 g)
6 tbsp. butter, (85 g)
149 g light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
283 g/10 oz semisweet chocolate, for glazing, optional (I don't think it's necessary)

How to make:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Process nuts, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together in food processor to fine meal. Add orange and lemon zest and combine.

Whisk flour, cocoa and salt together in small bowl. In stand mixer with paddle, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, and add vanilla until combined.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, ca. 30 sec. Mix in ground nut mixture until just incorporated.

Working with a small truffle scoop or tablespoon, drop dough on baking sheets, ca. 4 cm/1.5 inch apart. Bake cookies for 7 min., rotate sheets, and continue baking for another 6 - 7 min., until edges are set and beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, with tiny cracks. Cookies will look raw between cracks, and seem underdone!

Let cool on the sheets for 10 min., then transfer to rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, using fresh baking sheet.

Glaze with melted chocolate (optional)

(Adapted with slight alterations from Cooks Illustrated)

It just wouldn't be Christmas at my house, without Ribbon Cookies. I grew up with these, as did my mother and grandmother. When I asked my grandmother if she knew where the recipe originated, she didn't, but we know she is mainly of Dutch descent, and she remembered both her mother and grandmother making them before her. That makes five generations that we can account for, including my sisters and me---six, if my niece carries on the tradition. My grandmother had two sisters, and so my cousins all make them.... and friends and neighbors.... and now coworkers too. It isn't a closely guarded family secret, by any means; it has always been given freely. And it has always been much requested.

See how pretty they are on a Christmas cookie tray. And they taste both as good, and as unique as they look. It's fun to bring them to holiday get-togethers, because people are generally stumped by the stripes. They always want to know, how did I do that? But it's not a feat of magic. It's so easy, a child can do it. I know, because I did growing up.

My grandmother passed away a few years ago, at the ripe old age of 95. While cleaning out her apartment, I found her hand-written recipe card, yellowed by time, that had become one with the plastic sleave she put it in long ago for protection. That was just like her.

In case you can't read my grandmother's handwriting, here's my version:

Ribbon Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped candied cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 ounce milk chocolate, melted
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Mix the chocolate and nuts into one part and press evenly into the bottom of a waxed paper lined 9x5" loaf pan. Set pan in freezer for a few minutes or until firm. Stir the cherries into the second dough portion and press evenly into pan over the chocolate layer. Put back in freezer until second layer is firm. Add poppy seeds to the remaining dough and press evenly over the cherry layer. Cover pan and chill in the refrigerator until firm.

Remove dough from loaf pan and cut into thin slices (about 1/8 inch). Bake on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets about 10 minutes at 375ºF. Watch closely because they can burn fast, but they should be starting to color a little around the edges.

Notes:

These cookies should be crispy when completely cool. If they're not, they may be sliced too thick, not baked long enough or oven is too hot (or not hot enough). Leave some space between them on the cookie sheets, because they grow quite a bit. I make my slices across the short side of the loaf (side to side) and then cut that in half for two medium-size cookies. One year I used unbleached flour and the cookies were not as light or crispy, so it's bleached for my Christmas cookie baking. I add a drop or two of red food coloring to the cherry dough now, because candied cherries aren't as deeply colored as they used to be. They just don't impart as much color to the dough. If you use unsalted butter, you might want to double the salt.

A Christmas double chocolate biscotti takes center stage on our Christmas biscotti tray. It is an old family recipe that is made only for holidays and special events. I could not imagine Christmas with out pizzette, it would be a very sad family gathering. The only problem is stopping everyone from eating them before our family dinner of speghetti with anchovy sauce and mixed fried fish.

Pizzetts are a double chocolate biscotti, scented with spices, roasted almonds, orange zest, coffee and chocolate chips. They are one of the biscotti attractions on our cookie trays for Christmas and every special event. You can make these cookies in advance and freeze them for up to 2 months unfrosted.

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Hi,

I'm starting to plan for my frenzy of holiday baking and gift-giving and need some recipe advice.

Last year, I made my father-in-laws favorite very traditional (i.e., pre-war english bookbook) English Christmas Cake for everyone.  This is highly sought-after in South Africa, where we spent the previous 11 Christmases, and extremely delicious (being filled with real dried and candied fruit as opposed to glaceed cherries in unnatural hues) so I gave nary a thought to it being confused with what is called fruit cake here.  

Unfortunately, there were two major hurdles for most recipients before they could even test if they liked it or not.  If they managed to get through the hard Royal Icing shell (and without being pricked by the holly) and past the stereotypical aversion to anything called "fruitcake", they probably tasted it and loved it.  Certainly the generous lashings of brandy applied over the month before shipping would have had a mellowing effect.  However, overall we seemed to have a 50-70% hit rate and in some circles I became known as the weird old auntie who sends fruitcakes in the mail.  

This year, I'm looking to do something more universally acceptable, and will save my Christmas cakes for those "in the know" and those with English backgrounds.   DH suggested stollen would be a better alternative for the fruitcake-resistant.  

Which FINALLY brings me to the point of writing to this forum.....

Do any of you have a stollen recipe you recommend highly?  The more traditional the better IMO.    Or another Christmas-related treat that would ship well across the USA?  If all else fails, I may turn to my second option - candies.

Thanks!

MommaT