Tannenbaum Cookies
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- About 5 ounces (half of a 10-ounce bag) sour ball candies
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
Instructions:
The dough must chill for 3 hours. The cookies can be baked up to 5 days ahead.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set on high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the flour mixture. Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.
- Unwrap the candies and separate them by color. Place each color in a small plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or flat meat pounder. Set aside.
- Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with foil.
- Working with one disk at a time, on a lightly floured work surface, dust the top of the dough with flour, and roll out to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the foil. Using a plain pastry tip with a ½-inch opening, cut out 3 or 4 holes from each cookie. Using a small spoon (an espresso spoon works well), fill the holes with the crushed candies. You will have leftover candies.
- Bake, switching the position of the cookie sheets from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the cookies are lightly browned and the candies have melted, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on the cookie sheets. If you wish, let stand 5 minutes, then slide the foil with the cookies off the sheets to cool.