Christmas Cookies - Ingredients:

• 8 ounces butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons ice water
• Turbinado sugar for dusting
• 6 ounces hazelnuts
• 6 ounces toasted almonds
• 2 ounces melted chocolate for drizzle
• 4 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• 12 teaspoons Raspberry jam

A topping of coarse turbinado sugar gives the cookies a wonderful crystalline texture. For easy cleanup, use a food processor to mix the dough and then roll it out on floured plastic wrap.

Put 8 ounces butter, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups flour in a food processor. Pulse 3 times and add 4 1/2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until a ball forms. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425° F. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap dusted with flour, until dough is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and cut dough into 1-inch disks, with a round cookie-cutter. Brush the top of each cookie with water and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Makes 20 to 24 cookies.

Variations

Hazelnut cookies: Reduce butter to 4 1/2 ounces, add 6 ounces of finely ground, toasted and peeled hazelnuts to the dough. Lightly push a whole toasted and peeled hazelnut into each cookie before baking. Drizzle baked cookies with 2 ounces of melted chocolate.

Lemon pepper cookies: Add 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest and 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper to the dough.

Linzer cookies: Replace hazelnuts in the dough with blanched and toasted almonds and substitute 2 tablespoons of the ice water with 2 tablespoons brandy. Also add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each allspice and nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest. Bake half the cookies. Before baking, cut a 1/4-inch hole (the small tip of a pastry bag is helpful) in the middle of each cookie from the second half of the batch. Put a small amount of raspberry jam (1/2 teaspoon or less) on the cookie halves without holes. Top with the other halves. If desired, dust with powdered sugar.