The Great Cookie Experiment – Brazil Nut Cookies

The Great Cookie Experiment – Brazil Nut Cookies

 

I’m not sure I’m a big fan of Brazil nuts.  I mean, I don’t HATE them, but when I get a can of mixed nuts, I kind of eat all the other nuts, and leave the Brazil nuts for someone else, or eat them last.  They taste kind of musty to me.  They’re also a pretty unique ingredient for a cookie, so I was interested to see how they turned out.

 

They turned out pretty good.   They’re not especially sweet cookies, and the Brazil nuts, which I found at Walmart, went well with the other flavors.  It was a nutty, buttery cookie…that still kind of tasted musty to me.  If Brazil nuts are the things you dig out of the mixed nuts jar so you can eat them first, then you definitely need to consider this cookie.  I may stick with almonds

 

Brazil Nut Cookies

 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 cups chopped Brazil nuts

½ cup flaked coconut

 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in nuts and coconut.

 

Drop by Tablespoonfuls 3inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 4 ½ dozen

The Great Cookie Experiment- Pinterest Edition- High Tea Lemon Cookies

The Great Cookie Experiment- Pinterest Edition- High Tea Lemon Cookies

 

I want it to be spring.  I really REALLY want it to be spring.  I am not a big fan of winter, and I miss short sleeves and pretty shoes and recipes made with light spring flavors like strawberries and lemon.  It’s why I picked these Lemon Cookies for my Pinterest cookie this month- it makes me think of spring and summer and being outside.  *dreamy sigh*

 

These are a cornstarch based cookie.  That means the texture is going to be dry and delicate and designed to melt in your mouth.  It’s a beautiful texture that makes it perfect for a High Tea, because it goes great with a hot beverage as it will dissolve easily with the hot liquid in a beautiful fashion.  The cookies are iced with a tart lemony glaze to really give a strong lemony boost to the cookie.

 

The author of the recipe gives a big caution about the recipe- it is very important that you start with room temperature butter.  Apparently, if you soften your butter incorrectly, then you don’t get that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture.  This means there is no cheating when it comes to softening your butter.  Do not pull the butter out of the refrigerator at the last minute, and stick it in the microwave ten seconds at a time until it starts to get mushy.  If you end up with a liquid center at the cube of your butter, it could ruin your cookies.  Pull your butter out in the morning, and make the cookies in the afternoon, and you should be fine.

 

The resulting cookie has a great texture, and a tart lemon taste in the frosting that tastes wonderful.  The cookie itself is a little bland tasting without the lemon frosting on top, and I did find myself wishing that the cookie itself had more flavor so it would pair better with the frosting.  Did I still like it?  Oh yes.  The next time I’m invited to a tea party, I am so bringing these!  Maybe with some cucumber sandwiches.

 

You can find the original recipe here:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/HighTeaCookies.htm

 

High Tea Lemon Cookies

2 cups butter (ROOM TEMPERATURE!)

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp grated lemon zest

½ tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 ½ cups cornstarch

 

Lemon Frosting

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/3-1/2 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed!)

4 cups powdered sugar

 

Beat butter until creamy.  Add powdered sugar; mix until light and fluffy.  Add lemon zest and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add flour and cornstarch into butter mixture and mix well until well combined.  Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls.  Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes at 350.  Remove from oven, carefully remove from baking sheet, and cool on wire cooling racks.  Cookies are very delicate when warm.  When cookies have cooled, spread with lemon frosting.  Makes about 6 dozen.