Friday, May 20, 2011

Sand Dollar Cookies.

 


I've been home from North Carolina for almost a week now.  I've baked a few things but quite frankly haven't had the motivation or inspiration to write anything or take pictures until now.  It's pretty rough to come back from warm, beautiful sunny weather to day after day of clouds, rain and cold, not to mention being away from my sweetheart!


But life must go on and until I'm able to move more permanently, it doesn't make any sense to sulk around in the mean time.  In comes baking - my ultimate comfort in its routine of measuring out ingredients, whisking, creaming, smelling and most importantly, tasting.  I've had this recipe on my YumTab for a few months now and when I was browsing for things to bake, this seemed like the perfect time to try it out.  Sand dollars are adorable reminders of sun, sand, seashells and water.  I can't tell you how much I love the beach.  I realize being a full time beachcomber is not an original dream but I could absolutely spend the rest of my life walking up and down the North Carolina coastline and never get sick of it.



These cookies are absolutely delicious and I hope you try them!  They're buttery, tender, slightly sandy like the environment they evoke and bring some much-needed sunshine to this rainy spell so many of us are going through.  I halved the recipe and got exactly 24 cookies, and added a pinch of salt and vanilla extract to enhance the flavor of the dough.  This is a great project for a rainy afternoon when all you can think about is being at the beach with your favorite person :)



Sand Dollar Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs - 1 whole, 1 yolk with the whole egg and the white in a separate bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Cinnamon sugar
Sliced almonds

In a large bowl, cream together the soft butter and powdered sugar until very creamy.  Add in the whole egg and yolk, then beat until well combined, then the vanilla and salt.  Stir in the flour and baking powder until you have a very soft dough.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick on a floured surface and cut out 3" circles.  Brush the circles with the reserved egg white, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar and press 5 almond slices into the center of each circle.  Bake for 3-4 minutes, then take the sheet out and press the almonds in again, making slight indentations in the circle.  Place the sheet back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 7-10 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the circles.  Stored airtight, these cookies will keep up to 5 days.



45 comments:

  1. I love these cookies! What a clever idea. It's raining here too. I wish I could have spent a day on such a gorgeous beach.

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  2. These are adorable and it's been way too long since I've been at the beach. Your vacation looks like it was beautiful. I'll have to make these and then hope for better weather here in unpredictable Chicago.

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  3. Those cookies are absolutely gorgeous! I love how beautifully you've arranged those almonds. Adorable! I love the beach too! Your pictures are gorgeous... Glad you had a great time!

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  4. Such beautiful cookies! I love how delicate and pretty they look. Gorgeous photos!

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  5. I'm glad your trip went well. The pictures are beautiful. Your cookies are gorgeous, too. They really look like sand dollars!

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  6. These are gorgeous cookies - and sound totally delicious besides. I'll definitely be making these since I live in Florida. Perfect beachy dessert! I'm a new follower :-)

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  7. I came across your photo on foodgawker and am so pleased that I did. These cookies are super pretty. I'm bookmarking the recipe and hope to try them soon. They will definitely make me feel like I'm right on the beach! :)

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  8. Sand dollars (the mollusk) are my favourite, and I know I'm going to love these too. I moved to the east coast of Canada almost two years ago and it is a constant source of joy. Good luck in getting to your beach. You won't regret it.

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  9. These are adorable and look delicious! Great idea

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  10. what a great way to bring the sun and beach to you. They look amazing and i bet they taste even better!

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  11. Such a beautiful cookies Beth. I am sure it's delicious as well.

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  12. хочу приготовить!!!!!!

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  13. I can't wait to make these! I'm crazy about all things "beach-y" and am planning such a table setting for Father's Day. I think these cookies and ice cream will make the perfect dessert.

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  14. Que linda receta se ven exquisitos y muy lindos ,la haré me he maravillado con tu blog,me gustan tus recetas,la haré hoy mismo,te invito a mi cocina,cariños y abrazos.

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  15. Brilliant! These are so pretty - and sound yummy! I inluded them in a roundup today of Beach Party Ideas

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  16. Saw this recipe ages ago and just made it this week as a celebration of endless summer (or my desire for it). Thanks

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  17. Found you on Pinterest. Love the cookies. Thanks for sharing them with us!

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  18. Thank YOU, SnoopyGirl for stopping by!

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  19. How many cookies does this recipe make? I am going to make them for my future sister-in-law's beach themed bridal shower! :)

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    Replies
    1. I'm curious what all you did for this shower. We are doing one this weekend. I'm making these cookies!

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  20. I honestly don't remember, but at least 2 dozen! I halved this recipe http://www.sugarpiesfood.com/2010/04/sand-dollar-cookies.html and I know it made quite a few. I love beach-themed anything :)

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  21. Thank you! Can't wait to make them!

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  22. I made these today, and thank you! They are wonderfully flavourful and really adorable. I will definitely be making them again.

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  23. These are very cute but taste very plain and dry. :(

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  24. Just made these for my daughters birthday party. They taste like the cookies you buy in a tin can at Christmas. I love them. Super cute!

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  25. Just made these for my daughters birthday party. They taste like the cookies you buy in a tin can at Christmas. I love them. Super cute!

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  26. i will try to do this cookies tommorrow they look delicious :D

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  39. Can you freeze these ,I want to make them for a wedding that is two months this away?

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  40. These cookies look beautiful! I just made them and although the recipe is easy, I found it difficult to get the dough the correct width. This is probably completely my fault as I usually make drop cookies and only use my rolling pin about once a year lol! However if your a novice like me at rolling dough definitely refrigerate the dough overnight and spilt it in half as this will make it easier to roll, also you may want to refrigerate the half you are not working with and rotate leftover dough in between rollings in the fridge to make it easier to work with (its very soft dough). I followed the recipe as written and I was able to get about 26 cookies, as far as taste they taste like yummy shortbread cookies. I think you could probably use a little more vanilla and next time I will definitely add a little nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar as I think that will give it a really good flavor(I love nutmeg in cinnamon sugar!). I also had a little trouble with the almond slices, the brand I bought was kinda thinly sliced, thicker slices would be better (I used Winco brand). Cooking time in recipe is right on, all in all I'll definitely make these again and possibly improve my rolling pin skills lol! I wanted to post a picture but can't figure out how to do it, but they look great!

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  41. These cookies look beautiful! I just made them and although the recipe is easy, I found it difficult to get the dough the correct width. This is probably completely my fault as I usually make drop cookies and only use my rolling pin about once a year lol! However if your a novice like me at rolling dough definitely refrigerate the dough overnight and spilt it in half as this will make it easier to roll, also you may want to refrigerate the half you are not working with and rotate leftover dough in between rollings in the fridge to make it easier to work with (its very soft dough). I followed the recipe as written and I was able to get about 26 cookies, as far as taste they taste like yummy shortbread cookies. I think you could probably use a little more vanilla and next time I will definitely add a little nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar as I think that will give it a really good flavor(I love nutmeg in cinnamon sugar!). I also had a little trouble with the almond slices, the brand I bought was kinda thinly sliced, thicker slices would be better (I used Winco brand). Cooking time in recipe is right on, all in all I'll definitely make these again and possibly improve my rolling pin skills lol! I wanted to post a picture but can't figure out how to do it, but they look great!

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  42. These cookies turned out absolutely beautiful, just like the picture. However when I took a bite, they were not good. No flavor,very dry, we followed the recipe exactly and my sister and I both could not even finish one cookie. wouldn'tserve them again. But very pretty.

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