Italian almond star cookies

One of the best things about the holidays has got to be the cookies!  I love thinking about, looking at, making, eating, and sharing all the colorful, festive, lovingly decorated cookies we conjure up. 

I think you'll agree that this is the time of year when we pull out all the stops - out come the cookie cutters, the star tips and piping bags, the sprinkles, frosting, candied cherries, nuts, and all sorts of other embellishments.  It's just a fun time to savor!

As much as I love French patisseries, when it comes to Christmas, I think of Italian-American bakeries and those festive cookie platters wrapped in cellophane and ribbon that are ready to be brought to someone's home.  Growing up in Brooklyn, I would pass by many of these bakeries and admire their cookies.  So when I was thinking about trying one or two new holiday cookie recipes (new to me, at least), I tend to think along the lines of those Italian-American offerings.  So now, here's another one I can recommend: almond star cookies.

These cookies are like a mix between classic butter cookies (like the ones from the blue tins) and almond paste cookies.  I'd say it's like 60% butter cookie and 40% almond. They are quite similar to the Italian-American butter cookies I posted last year except these have almond paste in them.  If you love almond paste as much as I do, I think you'd expect deep flavor as well as moisture and a little chewiness from it in your baked goods.  True to form, it does that for these cookies.  

I dare say my family and I prefer these cookies over the plain butter ones.  The little guy was practically shoving them into his mouth at an alarming rate so I'm glad even a half-recipe made a lot (about 40) since they were so popular.  I shared some of this batch with a friend of mine.  She told me she especially loved them because they were soft as opposed to hard, like she's used to when she buys them from a bakery.  These cookies are buttery and almond-y, softer than what you'd expect, and with a slight chew, thanks to the almond paste. 

The recipe for these cookies comes from Saveur though my version is somewhat different since I made a few changes to suit my needs.  I reluctantly omitted the kirsch since I don't have it, and added a splash of almond extract.  And instead of maraschino cherries, I used candied cherries (sliced in half) on mine.  I also opted to make thumbprint impressions on some and filled them with a swirl of chocolate ganache.  I love Ferrera bakery in NYC's Little Italy and they have cookies topped with a round of piped chocolate ganache that always looks so good, so here is my take on it.

I don't know if I'll have time to try any other 'new' cookie recipes since there are many family-favorites to make but I'm glad I finally tried these since I'd bookmarked the recipe for years now.  I have a feeling I'll be making them again.


This cookie dough - a combination of sweet butter cookie and almond paste - comes together into a soft mound.  For piping, I transferred the dough into a large 16-inch disposable piping bag and used Ateco's #864 star tip. 

If you decide to double the recipe and make a big batch, work with half the cookie dough at a time.  While the dough is soft, it does take some muscle and practice to pipe them out evenly. I find the best way is to hold the piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, with the tip positioned slightly above the sheet.  Squeeze firmly without moving the bag until you have about a 1 1/2 inch round, then push the pastry bag down slightly, lift up and away.  Sometimes it's easier said than done; and I just did the best I could!

Before baking...

I sliced candied cherries (my son likes the green ones) in half and pressed one-half onto the center of some of the cookies.  For others, I made a thumbprint impression (use a wet thumb or the back of a half-teaspoon), to be filled with ganache later. When I rotated the pans midway during baking, I gently pressed down on the thumbprints centers again to make sure they stayed in place.  (I did not chill the cookies, as recommended, before baking but if you have the time, that will help them hold their shape better.  My dough was firm and I popped them right into the oven.)

You could play around and pipe other shapes.  I piped some simple 2-inch long strips or finger shapes and dipped some of them in ganache after baking and cooling.  I left some plain, without any embellishment, and those were gobbled right up, too.  You could press a few mini chocolate chips on them or maybe just sprinkle some colorful sanding sugar over the star cookies before baking, if you like.

Lightly browned after baking...

Keep a close eye on your cookies near the end of baking.  They take about 14 minutes but watch for them to turn just lightly golden.  You don't want them to brown too much.

Now for the ganache filling.  I was very excited about this part because what's more fun than stirring glossy ganache together and swirling them onto cookies!

If you have some heavy cream in the fridge, it's handy for this recipe.  You use 2 tablespoons of it in the cookie dough itself and I used some for the ganache.  Since I was only looking to fill a handful of cookies, I made a small batch.  To make things easy, I literally took mini chocolate chips (2 ounces) and a slightly smaller amount of heavy cream.  I carefully warmed the cream up in the microwave, with a scant half teaspoon of corn syrup (for a little shine), then poured it over the chocolate chips.  Let sit for about a minute, then slowly stir it together.  If it is not completely melted, put it in the microwave on half-power, just 5 seconds at a time, stirring until just smooth. Let the ganache sit until it thickens enough that you can pipe it and it will maintain a swirl shape.  I used Ateco's #30 tip, which is an 8-point tip that gives you these distinct groves that I really like.

I had a wonderful helper in the kitchen for the piping.  I discovered my son is into piping; we were decorating our annual gingerbread house (store-bought parts) the day before and he was happily welding the pastry bag and wanted a stab at filling these cookies.  It was fun to watch.  And not only did he play baking elf when we made these, he was also delivery elf (he and my husband delivered some cookies to a friend) so it's fair to say he earned his share of cookies. 

The original recipe for these cookies are for cherry-almond stars.  I deviated from the cherry theme a bit.  As I mentioned, I omitted the kirsch, or cherry-flavored brandy.  I am very curious about it and no doubt, you would really have a true cherry-almond star cookie if you added the kirsch and then topped the cookies with either maraschino, or candied cherries like I did.    

My version might not be as heavy on the cherry flavor but we have chocolate so I think it's a fair trade!  

My son was very disappointed when we quickly ran out of this batch of cookies.  He asked if I plan to make them again...soon.  I'm so glad he liked them so much and I hate to disappoint him but I'm just not sure I'll be turning out another batch so quickly when there are other cookies and goodies to be made.  What to do!  Maybe I need to make a trip to the closest Italian bakery...

Have you started making holiday cookies and treats?  I hope there's lots of deliciousness and variety in your cookie platters this holiday season!

Recipe:
  
Italian Almond Star Cookies
Adapted from Saveur

- Makes approximately 40 cookies - 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (about 4 oz.) almond paste 
1 egg
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For decoration/filling: Candied cherries, each sliced in half; chocolate ganache*

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking matts.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl, and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat the almond paste on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add about one-quarter of the butter and sugar mixture and beat together until combined. Add remaining butter and sugar mixture and beat until smooth.  Add egg until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  Add cream, vanilla and almond extracts, and beat until combined.  On low-speed, gradually add the dry ingredient and mix until just incorporated.

Transfer the dough into a large piping bag (you can work with half the dough at a time to make piping a little easier), fitted with a star tip (I used Ateco #864 but you could use another star tip with about a 1/2 inch opening).  Holding the piping bag directly perpendicular above the baking sheet, raised a little off the sheet, pipe out 1 1/2 - 2 inch mounds.  Continue, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  Place a candied cherry half into the middle of each cookie.  [If you want to fill them with ganache after baking, make a thumbprint in the center of each.]

Chill cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Chilling the cookies will help them maintain their shape; if pressed for time, you can skip this step like I did.)

Bake cookies in the top and lower thirds of the oven, rotating midway, until just starting to turn golden - about 14 minutes.  [If making thumbprints, I gently pressed them down again when I rotated the pans.]  Keep a close eye on the cookies near the end to avoid over-browning.  Let cookies cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes, before removing onto a wire rack to cool completely.  

* If filling thumbprints with chocolate ganache, you can find a recipe here.  The amount you need depends on how many thumbprints you're filling.  To fill less than half of this batch, I used 2 ounces miniature chocolate chips and about a like amount of heavy cream.  Let ganache sit, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to hold its shape when piped.  I used Ateco tip #30 to pipe the swirl of ganache into the center of the cookies.  Let sit until completely set.