sanding sugar

These cookies have the taste and texture of one of those Danish holiday cookies that come in the little blue tins. The coconut in these cookies adds fat for an even more buttery treat with faintly nutty notes and no noticeable tropical flavor. Dipping each cookie into a pile of sanding sugar before baking gives the finished product a sweet and salty balance.

Toasted Coconut Shortbread

granulated sugar

light brown sugar

vanilla extract

all-purpose flour

unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for rolling

cinnamon

egg,

Sanding sugar

Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by 1/2 cup coconut and beat just to blend.

Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle each piece of dough with half of the cinnamon, then fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Start to form into a log (this will give a subtle cinnamon swirl-like effect — if this idea stresses you out, you can also just add the cinnamon with the flour and coconut in step 2).

Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Chill until firm, at least 1 1/2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got ’em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in unsweetened coconut.

Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Dip each round on one side into sanding sugar (no need to egg wash, the sugar should just stick). Arrange on prepared baking sheet, sugar-side up, about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much). Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.

Deeply chocolaty like devil’s food cake, speckled with sugar on the outsides and filled with soft chocolate or jam in the centers, these cookies are a double pleasure: delightful to eat and fun to make. While “thumbprints” is an adorable name, it’s a misnomer: You use every part of your hands to form these. The cookies need to be pinched, patted, rolled around and poked before they’re sent into the oven. It’s a great project to do with kids — small thumbs are perfect for forming little dimples in the dough. What you fill the centers with is up to you. Chocolate with chocolate is great — naturally pink ruby chocolate is particularly pretty — and jam is delicious, too.

Double-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

fine sea salt

unsalted butter,

eggs

Sanding sugar,

chocolate (white, milk, dark

canola oil (optional)

Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Place a heatproof medium bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water; don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter and scatter over the chocolate. Heat, stirring now and then, until the butter and chocolate are melted, but not so hot that they separate, 5 to 7 minutes.  

Remove the bowl from the saucepan and whisk in the sugar. (Don’t be alarmed when the mixture turns grainy.) One by one, add the cold eggs, whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth, and the whisk leaves tracks. Beat in the vanilla, then switch to a spatula and add the flour in 3 additions, stirring gently between each addition, until the flour disappears into the dough. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.

When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Put the sanding or granulated sugar in a small bowl and, if you’ve got one, have a cork from a wine bottle at hand.

Using a small cookie scoop or measuring spoon, scoop mounds of dough, each a scant tablespoon. Roll the dough into balls and then roll the balls in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the baking sheets, giving them 1½ inches or so of space to spread. Press the cork into the center of each cookie or use your thumb to make an indentation.

Bake 1 sheet for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies feel firmish. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack. The indentations will have puffed in the oven, so you’ll want to press them down again. Repeat with the second sheet. Let cookies cool completely.

Fill the prints: Melt milk, dark or ruby chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using white chocolate, add oil before melting and stir until smooth. While the chocolate is still warm and fluid, use a small spoon to fill each indentation to the brim, letting the chocolate fall from the end of the spoon. Slide the cookies into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set the chocolate. The cookies will keep for about 5 days in a covered container at room temperature.

Bright, zesty, and very simple, our Meyer lemon and white chocolate truffles coated in lemon sanding sugar make the perfect dessert, sweet treat, or gift. 

Simple Lemon Truffles Recipe

(12 ounces) chopped white chocolate

unsalted butter

heavy cream

Meyer lemon juice

Meyer lemon zest

salt

Meyer lemon

sugar

(3-ounce) jar yellow sanding sugar

Place the white chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl.

Combine the butter and cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat.

Pour the mixture over the white chocolate.

Whisk in the lemon juice, zest, and salt until smooth. Keep whisking until the mixture is glossy.

Chill the white chocolate ganache mixture until firm (about 3 hours).

While the ganache is chilling, carefully remove the outer yellow zest from the lemon in thin layers, making sure to avoid having too much white pith attached.

Add the zest pieces to the food processor along with the granulated and sanding sugars.

Process the mixture until there are no large pieces of the zest left.

Transfer the lemon sugar to a shallow bowl and set aside.

Use a 1 ¼-inch cookie scoop or spoon to scoop balls of the chilled ganache onto a plate.

Use your hands to roll the balls smooth. If they become too soft, place the plate in a refrigerator until firm enough to handle.

Once the truffles are rolled, chill them for 30 minutes.

Roll the truffles in the lemon sugar to evenly coat. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Serve the truffles in papers, if desired.

Top 3 sanding sugar recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Toasted Coconut Shortbread

Double-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Simple Lemon Truffles Recipe

Top 3 sanding sugar recipes from across the web

The most viewed sanding sugar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Toasted Coconut Shortbread

Double-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Simple Lemon Truffles Recipe

The most viewed sanding sugar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine