Tropical Holiday Crowns
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- A scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh tangerine or orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Parchment paper for lining baking sheets
- 3 tablespoons 1/4-inch-dice crystallized ginger
- 3 tablespoons 1/4-inch-dice candied pineapple
- 3 tablespoons 1/4-inch-dice dried apricots
- 3 tablespoons 1/4-inch-dice dried or candied papaya
- 2 tablespoons chopped banana chips
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lime zest
- In a bowl stir together flour and salt.
- In another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed beat butter until smooth.
- Gradually add confectioners' sugar to butter, beating on low speed (to prevent sugar from flying out of bowl), scraping down side of bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally.
- Beat in tangerine or orange zest and vanilla.
- Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined well.
- Divide dough into thirds.
- Roll out each third between sheets of wax paper into a 10-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and stack rounds in wax paper, on a baking sheet.
- Chill rounds until firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 300F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl toss together topping ingredients.
- Transfer 1 round, still between sheets of wax paper, to a work surface.
- Remove top sheet of wax paper from round (keep remaining 2 rounds chilled) and replace it loosely.
- Flip over wax-paper-enclosed dough round and remove and discard sheet of wax paper now on top (this process prevents cookies from sticking to wax paper).
- Working quickly, with a 2-inch fluted round cutter cut out rounds, arranging about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
- (If dough becomes too soft to work with, freeze or chill on wax paper until firm.)
- Reroll scraps and make more cookies with remaining rounds in same manner.
- Spoon 1/2 to 1 teaspoon topping onto center of each cookie.
- Bake cookies in batches in lower third of oven until edges are golden but centers still pale, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Cool cookies on baking sheets on racks 5 minutes and transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.
- Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in airtight containers at room temperature, 1 week.
flour, salt, unsalted butter, sugar, orange zest, vanilla, baking sheets, ginger, pineapple, apricots, banana chips, coconut, almonds, sugar, egg white, lime zest
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tropical-holiday-crowns-14537 (may not work)