FIVE-SPICE CRANBERRY MOONCAKE COOKIES FROM THE COOKIE BOOK

Submitted by Food.com

"Reprinted with permission from The Cookie Book by Rebecca Firth, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo credit: Rebecca Firth. "I’m so obsessed with the way mooncakes look. Here I use my sturdy sugar cookie recipe, a favorite flavor combination (cranberries and five-spice powder) and add in some white chocolate, nuts and a citrus glaze." - Rebecca Firth"

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photo by Food.com

Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 18
Yields:: 23 cookies

ingredients

FIVE-SPICE FILLING
³⁄₄ cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
¹⁄₄ cup dried tart cherry
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon five-spice powder
¹⁄₂ 1/2 cup pecans or 1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
¹⁄₂ cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
MOONCAKE COOKIES
24 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 24 pieces, room temperature
1 ¹⁄₂ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

directions

To make the Five-Spice Filling, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the cranberries, cherries, brown sugar, water and five-spice powder and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently for about 6 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool completely.
In a food processor fitted with the blade, add the walnuts and run the machine until they are finely chopped. Add in the chocolate and pulse several times until the chocolate is finely chopped and the mixture is blended. Finally add in the cooled cranberry mixture and pulse the machine to combine. Place the mixture in the fridge to firm up some more while you make your cookie.
To make the cookies, in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, making sure to completely blend the first before adding the next. Add in the vanilla and blend for 1 minute more, again scraping down the sides and bottom.
In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all-purpose flour and sea salt. Add to the butter mixture and run the machine for 1 minute more or until just blended. Separate the dough into 23, roughly 3-tablespoon-sized (42-g) balls. It’s messy. Sorry.
To assemble, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press your thumb in the center of the cookie dough ball and make enough space for the filling. Put about 1 teaspoon of filling in there and then press the dough over to enclose it. It’s ok if the dough gets stained from the cranberries, it looks pretty once baked and I actually found myself purposely making it happen. Just make sure the actual filling is encapsulated by the dough.
Lightly flour a clean surface as well as the dough ball and the mooncake mold. Press a 5 3/4 x 2 1/2–inch (14.5 x 6.5–cm) mold, or cookie stamp, down on the dough ball until it meets some resistance. Gently tap the mold on the counter to release the mooncake cookie and place on the prepared baking sheet leaving 11/2 inches (3.7 cm) between cookies. Freeze the cookies for 1 hour or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 17 to 18 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
To make the glaze, once the cookies are cool, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and orange juice. Invert the mooncakes into the glaze, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Scrape the side of your finger over the surface of the mooncake to remove any excess glaze.
Buy the book! https://www.amazon.com/Cookie-Book-Decadent-Bites-Occasion/dp/1624146376/.
Buy the mooncake mold! https://amzn.to/2Kzfbx7.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

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