Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Spumoni Slice Cookies

I found this Spumoni Cookie recipe and immediately knew I was going to make them for Christmas Eve. Spumoni is an Italian ice cream flavor with pistachio, chocolate, and cherry. The recipe was fun to make all the different flavors. I would recommend more flavor in the chocolate and cherry layers though. But they were really pretty! And my Italian side of the family loved them!
Taste: The pistachio tasted delicious with the nuts and the almond extract.
Texture: It was a pretty good cookie base.
Would I make them again?: Probably not. They were too much work, for very little flavor. I would add cherry extract (if that exists), and another chunk of semi-sweet chocolate.
Spumoni Slices
Adapted from: The Recipe Hoarder

2 1/4 c flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 square semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I would use 2 squares)
Green food coloring
1/3 c finely chopped pistachios
Red food coloring (I would add cherry extract)
50 maraschino cherries
1/4 t almond extract

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and egg with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Beat until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Stir the melted chocolate into one portion of the dough (I removed the other two portions from the mixer bowl and added the chocolate to this portion using the electric mixer). Set aside.

Add enough green food coloring to the second portion of dough to create a pastel green dough. Knead the dough in your hands to help evenly distribute the coloring. Stir the the pistachios into this portion of the dough as well, then set aside.

Add enough red food coloring to the third portion of dough to create a pink dough. Again, knead the dough in your hands to evenly distribute the coloring. Stir the almond extract and candied cherries into this portion of the dough.

Line an empty wax paper box (12 x 2 x 2) with wax paper. Press the pink dough evenly into the box. Press the chocolate dough into an even layer on top of the pink dough. Create a final layer on top with the green dough. Wrap the box with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 3 hours.

Heat the oven to 375°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the chilled dough. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake 7-11 minutes or until just set. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

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