Lemon And Almond Cookie Wreaths
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Every year the cookie monster rears its head a few weeks before Christmas. Blame it on commercialism, excessive cooking magazine features or pure peer pressure. The need to bake my own cookie and either eat it, hang it from the Christmas tree or package it for a friend is so great that I just can’t bring myself to buy a box of cookies from the cookie shop.
It doesn’t matter that for the past several months I have slacked off on my cookie baking and the massive old English cookie jar that I vow to keep filled as part of my new year’s resolution, is almost always empty. Christmas brings out the cookie monster in me and there it stays well into April when I start slacking off again. And the cycle continues.
I have hung gingerbread buttons on Christmas tree in the past. This year with the freshly painted white room and a tree with only white and red baubles on it, I decided to bake wreath cookies. I have baked these oh so lemony, sugar crusted and chewy wreath cookies from Donna Hay’s latest Celebrate Issue No 60. I have the print issue as well as the absolutely spectacular Free iPad version. Come to think of it, and I say this oh so casually, I have each and every issue of Donna Hay’s beautiful magazine from the past 10 years. Proud of it too. Regarding the cookies, I was a little extra generous with the lemon content and so these beautiful wreaths have a tang that tease your tastebuds to the limit.
Food Styling & Prop Alert – Vintage French Mangle Cloth ($40 Grosgrain Wahroonga). Golden Gossamer Ribbon ($6 for 3m on Ebay). Brown Paper Bag ($1 for a pack of 50 at Local supermarket). Vintage music sheet ($1 at Thrift Store). Vintage biscuit tin ($2 at Thrift Store). French garden scissors ($12 Grosgrain Wahroonga). Silver & Blue wire Christmas tree ($4 at Kmart). Cookie Cutter ($2 for set of 4 at The Dollar Shop). WREATH tags hand stamped on stitched bits of twill ribbon.
LEMON AND ALMOND COOKIE WREATHS
Preparation Time – 20 minutes + 20 minutes chilling time
Baking Time – 15 to 18 minutes
Makes 16
Ingredients
90g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) raw sugar
1 cups (120g) almond meal or ground almonds
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
grated rind of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pure icing sugar, for dusting
Method
Preheat oven to 160C(325F). Line a cookie tray with baking paper. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until pale.
Add almond meal, flour, baking powder. lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla extract. Beat for a further 2 minutes until combined. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 5mm thickness. Using an 8.5cm (approximately) fluted cookie cutter, cut 10 rounds from the dough. Place these on the prepared baking tray. Using a 3.5cm (approximately) round cookie cutter, cut a round from the centre of each cookie. Gather the cut out rounds and offcuts of the dough. Roll out again to a 5mm thickness and repeat the process till all dough is used up.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on trays. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Tie with festive ribbon and hang up on Christmas tree for instant edible decorations.
Beautiful. I feel like baking some of my own, inspite of nearly promising myself that I wouldn’t bake for sometime until the new years.
Anita Menon´s last [type] ..Muffin Monday : Chocolate Brownie Muffins
They look absolutely delicious. I’ve also been trying to keep a full cookie jar at home but they tend to get eaten faster than I can make them! Your styling is gorgeous too – love the hand made “wreath” signage
Where are your stamps from?
shez´s last [type] ..christmas: cheap & cheerful table settings
All these cookie posts online are making me bake constantly! Your cookies are so elegant and stylish.
The cookie wreath look so festive on the Christmas tree. I’m totally in love with all your clicks.Indeed a nice post.
Kavis@mycookingdom´s last [type] ..Tandoori Chicken
Those cookies look good and i absolutely adore those “wreath” letters! Lovely!
Gagan´s last [type] ..Happy middle-of-the-week-day……
Just gorgeous. I’m off to check out your gingerbread buttons too.
Tenille @ My Family Table´s last [type] ..Choc-Malt Truffles
I have to agree that the cookie monster rears it’s head before Christmas! It’s all about cookies – everywhere you go.
I love the cookies and your shots, which are so creative. Thanks for the prop alert, that’s such a helpful idea!
Divya @flavourfiesta´s last [type] ..New series- How to create your very OWN magazine!
I always enjoy baking a batch of cookies for decorating the tree and these are lovely! Also, your resolution to always have cookies in the cookie jar is fantastic and I think I need to implement it in my house for 2012.
la domestique´s last [type] ..Lebanese Flatbread with Lamb, Pomegranate Molasses & Winter Salad
Hi from an Aussie from Germany. Your styling looks so festive and the Christmas tree is lucky to have those cookies!
So pretty
I saw these in the mag and have been meaning to make them. Im always blown away by your photos Sneh 
Nic@diningwithastud´s last [type] ..Platform 7 – Sydenham
Oh these look yum! I might make these for our work team meeting w/ christmas theme. Need something that starts with “C” (cookies! how original.)
shaun@everybodylovesramen´s last [type] ..Jamie’s Italian, Sydney
The styling here is phenomenal! Love the cut out letters.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen´s last [type] ..Dark Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Pumpkin Seeds and Apricots | A Holiday Brunch Party
Oh these are stunning! I’ve never hung food from my tree, besides candycanes. And my tree isn’t even up yet!
omg fabulous!!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.´s last [type] ..Snowmen Cookies by Callye of Sweet Sugarbelle
What a lovely idea!
So cute Sneh. I love the wreath letters! And a bit of extra lemon sounds good to me!
Sukaina´s last [type] ..Apple Cardamom Cake
they look so delicious! I love the ribbon that you used
beti´s last [type] ..Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
Gorgeous photos as usually. I have been in the kitchen baking cookies over the last couple of days, wondering why I only bake complicated cookies and biscuits for Christmas and never during the year? Maybe I should change that for 2012??
I heart these cookies! I have been wanting to find a recipe for cookies I can hand around at work as presents this year. Thank you!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Cavolo Nero Frittata – Black Kale Frittata
They are truly gorgeous!
Sara (Belly Rumbles)´s last [type] ..Spiced Prawn Pappadams Recipe & Philadelphia Winners Announced
your sense of styling and colors is so beautiful !! great idea…happy december !
a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..Random Chocolate Mousse (Eggless)
What lovely cookies, they look beautiful on the tree. Your pictures are beautiful. GG
what a great idea – might get the kids to help me out with this, would make a good little xmas pressie for their teachers
Love your photos, they are fab! did you stamp the letters onto the muslin?
absolutely love your styling! gorgeous photos and im sure equally gorgeous cookies!
The styling is soo impressive in these photos!
anh´s last [type] ..My family’s cheeseburger recipe.
Absolutely gorgeous Sneh!!! I love the styling and those cookies look so amazingly melt in your mouth delicious.
Jennifer (Delicieux)´s last [type] ..Fresita Giveaway
Such perfect and beautiful holiday cookies!