Walnut Football Cookies
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: about 16 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 16 servings
- Calories
- 254
- Total Fat
- 15
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Carbohydrates
- 26
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 12
- Protein
- 3
- Cholesterol
- 42
- Sodium
- 37
- Total: 3 hr 45 min (includes chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup ground walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (from 1/2 orange)
Directions
Special equipment:
a football-shaped cookie cutter and a piping bag fitted with a narrow, round tip- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, walnuts, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl on medium- high speed, scrapping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat an additional minute.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in 3 batches, beating until the flour is just combined. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a round disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dust the counter and dough with flour and roll the chilled dough to 1/4 inch thick. Using a football-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough into footballs and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie. Bake until firm to the touch and starting to get a whisper of golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, orange liqueur and orange zest. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a narrow, round tip. When the cookies are completely cool, pipe lacing on the footballs. Allow them to set up completely before serving. Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.