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Nothing new yet this season. Visit
the announcements and
the recent announcements for brief observations and
the
archive for previous What's New entries. Or,
while you're waiting, treat yourself to frosted cocoa
cookies (time: 45 minutes, plus 2 hours for chilling the
dough; yield: about 7 dozen cookies).
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
(try Valrhona, Callebaut, or Droste)
- 4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated
nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups plump, moist raisins,
coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup apricot jam
- 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups lightly toasted walnuts,
coarsely chopped
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder,
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Whisk to combine, and set
aside. In a small bowl, combine raisins and orange juice;
reserve.
- Using a heavy-duty mixer with a paddle attachment, or by hand
with a sturdy spoon, beat butter and sugar together until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute
after each addition. Beat in vanilla, jam, and milk. Set mixer to
low, and gradually add flour mixture, beating only until it is
incorporated.
- Stir nuts and reserved raisins into dough. Cover dough
tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours and
for as long as 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a tablespoon of dough
for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms to form
walnut-sized balls. Place balls on a nonstick or parchment-lined
cookie sheet, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes,
until the tops look dry; the tops may crack, which is fine.
Transfer the cookies to a rack, and repeat with the rest of the
dough.
- While cookies are baking, make a glaze: In a small bowl,
combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of
warm water. Whisk until smooth. While cookies are still warm from
the oven, dip their tops into the glaze, and place them on a rack
to cool to room temperature. The cookies may also be painted with
the glaze using a feather pastry brush.
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