Start the new year with a new cookie recipe. Photo courtesy GoBoldWithButter.com.

Whether for dessert on New Year’s Eve or a special snack on New Year’s Day, we like to start the new year with a new cookie recipe—something different and exciting that we never get around to during the year, something perhaps a bit more laborious.

This French shortbread cookie, topped with a beautiful candied lemon slice, is something special. The base is a vanilla sablé (classic French shortbread): butter, sugar and vanilla.

The candied lemon slice takes some time. The key to maintaining a lovely slice, says the blogger Stresscake, who created the recipe, is to candy slowly and gently. “It’s not a quick process by any means,” she says, “but it is pretty easy, mostly hands off and well worth the effort for these beautiful and unique cookies.”

The recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies depending on size.

Ingredients For The Candied Lemon Slices

Ingredients For The Cookie Dough

 
Preparation: Candied Lemon Slices

1. SLICE lemons into thin, even rounds about 1/8-inch thick, using a sharp knife. Try to slice evenly and take care to keep as much of the flesh intact as possible. Discard ends, carefully remove and discard any seeds.

2. BRING 1¾ cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced lemons and bring back to a gentle boil. Reduce heat as low as possible to maintain a gentle simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit at room temperature at least 4 hours or overnight. Gently drain the lemons and discard the liquid (it is rather bitter).

3. BRING remaining 2 cups sugar, 1½ cups water and 2 tablespoons corn syrup to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon slices and bring back to a gentle boil. Reduce heat as low as possible to maintain a gentle simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit at room temperature at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. BRING same mixture back to boil and repeat this process 2-3 more times until lemon rind is tender and translucent, adding ¼ cup to ¾ cup water as needed to keep syrup liquid. If syrup becomes too thick, it may begin to caramelize, which should be avoided.

5. REMOVE lemon slices from syrup and spread out evenly on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Let dry for at least 1 hour or overnight. Note: If you care to save the leftover syrup, it makes a rather nice drink mixed with sparkling water, or mixed with gin, tequila or vodka.

Preparation: Cookie Dough

1. MIX butter on low speed until smooth and creamy, in a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, about 1 minute (you don’t want it to get light and fluffy).

2. ADD sugar, salt and powdered sugar and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl as needed. Add egg yolk (save white for later), vanilla extract and lemon zest; mix for 1 minute. On low speed, mix in the flour just until blended, scraping bowl once or twice (dough will be very soft.)

3. DIVIDE dough in 2 or 3 pieces and shape each piece into log slightly smaller in diameter than your lemon slices (the dough will spread slightly during baking). Wrap logs in plastic wrap and roll on counter to round out the edges.

4. REFRIGERATE for at least 3 hours until firm. At this point the dough can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Good butter is expensive, but it makes all the difference in the flavor of cookies. Photo courtesy Beurremont.

To Bake

1. POSITION oven racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. WHISK remaining egg white with a ½ teaspoon water to combine. Unwrap one dough log and brush lightly and evenly with the egg wash. Sprinkle about ¼ cup coarse sanding sugar around log and gently roll dough to coat, patting sugar where necessary until evenly coated. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into ½-inch thick rounds, turning the roll as your slice to keep the cookies round, and place on the prepared sheet pans, leaving about 1 inch between rounds.

3. BAKE cookies for 9 minutes until they just begin to set but haven’t yet browned.

4. TOP each cookie with a candied lemon slice then return to oven, rotating pans, and continue to bake until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch and golden brown on the bottom, about 8-10 additional minutes.

5. COOL cookies completely on sheet pans.

6. PACK in airtight container with wax or parchment paper between layers and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
 
Find many more scrumptious recipes at GoBoldWithButter.com.

 
Find more of our favorite cookie recipes on TheNibble.com.

No-fat, no-gluten meringues are a light
dessert with coffee or tea. Photo courtesy
BellaBaker.com.

Meringues are a light dessert that go well with coffee, tea or a scoop of ice cream. They’re dairy-free, fat-free and gluten-free. They’re a treat for your guests or a a delightful gift for your holiday hosts.

Lauryn Cohen of BellaBaker.com shows how to turn the pallid white meringue into a holiday meringue bursting with red and green accents.

CHRISTMAS MERINGUES: RED, GREEN & WHITE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 200°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. ADD the egg whites, sugar and vanilla in the metal bowl of a stand mixer add. Place over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the sugar melts and the mixture is almost clear.

3. PLACE the bowl into the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip for 8 minutes on medium-high. The meringue should be glossy and stiff.

4. BRUSH a line of red food coloring onto the inside of the piping bag, using either a small paint brush or a lollipop stick. Repeat with the green on the opposite side of the bag. Fill with the meringue and pipe into roses or star dollops onto your baking sheets.

5. PLACE in the oven and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Candy cane fudge brownies? How can you resist this delicious recipe from Lauryn Cohen of BellaBaker.com.

The recipe becomes “Peppermint Brownies” any time of the year: Just crush hard peppermint candies instead of candy canes.

CANDY CANE FUDGE BROWNIES RECIPE

Ingredients

For The Ganache

A minty, chocolaty Christmas treat: Candy Cane Fudge Brownies. Photo courtesy BellaBaker.com.

Preparation

1. CENTER a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter a 9×13 glass baking pan.

2. PLACE butter in a microwave safe bowl; top with the chopped chocolate. Microwave for 45 seconds, then remove and stir vigorously with a whisk until the ingredients are just melted (you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates). Microwave for another 30 seconds if needed to melt the chocolate completely.

3. WHISK in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs one by one. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and whisk vigorously to bring the batter together and give it a shine before gently stirring in the salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in 2 cups of the candy cane pieces. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

4. BAKE the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (The tip of the knife may be a touch streaky.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

5. MAKE the ganache while the cookies are cooling. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring heavy cream to a boil. Once heavy cream has reached boiling, pour half the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then gently stir chocolate and cream together with a rubber spatula in a figure eight motion. Pour remaining heavy cream over chocolate and continue to gently stir. Add butter, one piece at a time, until ingredients are fully incorporated and ganache is smooth and glossy.

6. POUR ganache over brownies and smooth with rubber spatula to completely cover top of brownies. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes on top of ganache.

7. REFRIGERATE brownies for one hour until ganache has set before cutting into squares.

No baking required! Photo courtesy
BellaBaker.com.

For someone whose favorite ice cream flavor is Mint Cookie, these peppermint Oreo truffles were calling our name.

This no-bake recipe produces a ball similar to a cake pop. No sticks are needed, but you can add them if you like (if you want to make pops, make the balls a bit larger).

The “chocolate cake” center is made from crushed Oreos and cream cheese icing (we made ours—here’s the recipe—but you can purchase it). Finely crushed peppermint is mixed in, the mixture is rolled into balls; the balls are coated in white chocolate and sprinkled with more crushed peppermint.

The recipe is courtesy Lauryn Cohen, a.k.a. Bella Baker.

OREO WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT TRUFFLES

Ingredients

Preparation

1, CRUSH Oreo cookies and 3 tablespoons of the peppermint candies together in a food processor (a mini food processor works nicely here!)

2. ADD cream cheese icing, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture becomes moist and can easily be rolled.

3. ROLL into balls a little bit bigger than the size of cherries. Once the entire mixture has been rolled into balls, place balls in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. MELT the white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring vigorously in between interval. It should take 2-3 intervals to melt entirely.

5. DROP a ball, one at a time, into the melted chocolate to coat; using two forks, lift the ball out. Gently tap any excess chocolate through the tines of the fork. Use the second fork to help slide the truffle ball off of the first fork and onto a piece of parchment paper.

6. IMMEDIATELY SPRINKLE the truffle ball with some of the reserved crushed peppermint candies. Repeat with remaining truffle balls. Let white chocolate set in the fridge before serving.

Deck the cupcakes! Photo of Perfect Endings
cupcakes courtesy Williams-Sonoma.

Today’s tip is inspired by these delicious cupcakes from Perfect Endings, a Napa Valley bakery that sells them online via WilliamsSonoma.com.

You can buy or bake and frost your own cupcakes, then decorate them with festive elements. It’s a fun family activity. Consider:

 
Make a double batch: They’ll disappear quickly!

Dorrie Greenspan, baker extraordinaire and cookbook author, is one of our baking heroes. We’re excited about her newly opened cookie boutiques, Beurre & Sel, in New York City.

For the holidays, Dorrie has created a more sophisticated version of her popular Classic Jammers: Port Jammers, pairing Fonsecta Bin 27 ruby port with classic French sablés,* shortbread cookies.

Sablés are made with the finest butter and vanilla, crispy around the edges, cakey in the center. Sable (SAH-bluh) means sand in French; plain sablés glisten with sparkling sugar.

Port Jammers are an elaborate variation: vanilla sablés have a center of cherry jam and a topping of Valrhona-cocoa-spiked streusel.

Dried cranberries are cooked in the port with honey and spices, then folded into a tender sugar and spice cookie. Each cookie is topped with port-spiked French cherry jam and Valrhona-cocoa streusel.

Port Jammers cooling on a rack (but that won’t stop us from downing a few). Photo by Kyle Orosz | Beurre et Sel.

You can serve the rest of the bottle of port with the cookies, with cheese, with chocolate; or use it as an ingredient in barbecue sauce or anything needing a bit of intense fruit flavor.

*Sablé is a round shortbread cookie. According to writings of the Marquise de Sévigné, the cookie was created for the first time in 1670 in the town Sablé-sur-Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region of western France. The French word for sand, the name may relate to the crumbly texture and golden color of the cookies. Classic sablés can be plain or flavored with almonds, lemon or orange zest.

A gourmet gift for any occasion. Photo
courtesy Beurre et Sel.

PORT JAMMERS RECIPE FROM BEURRE ET SEL

Ingredients for the cranberries and cookie base:

 
For The Streusel & Jam:

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE CRANBERRIES. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bundle and put in a small saucepan. Add honey, water and port. Simmer for 1 minute. Add cranberries; cook and stir until liquid evaporates. Discard spices. Cool cranberries.

2. MAKE COOKIE BASE. Mix flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger and black pepper together. Beat butter until creamy. Beat in both sugars. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Blend in flour mixture, then stir in the cranberries.

3. DIVIDE DOUGH into 2 disks. Wrap and chill 1 hour. Roll each disk between wax paper until dough is 1/4 inch thick. Freeze for 3 hrs.

4. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F with a rack centered in the oven.

5. MAKE THE STREUSEL. Mix all the flour, brown sugar, cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter together in a large bowl. Rub everything together with your fingers until the streusel forms moist crumbs. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

6. STIR the cherry jam and port together. Place a 12-cup muffin tin on the work surface.

7. CUT out 2-inch rounds of dough. Drop a round of dough into each muffin cup. Put 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie and spread into a small circle. Top with streusel.

8. BAKE 14 to 15 minutes, until streusel sets and jam bubbles. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 30 cookies.

NO TIME TO BAKE? BUY ONLINE!

You can order Port Jammers on line, as well as Dorie’s other glorious cookie flavors: Chocolate Mint, Cranberry 5 Spice, Espresso Chip, Classic Sablés and World Peace Cookies, a recipe from famed French pastry chef Pierre Herme made with cocoa and chopped extra-bitter chocolate and fleur de sel.

The “Cocktail Collection,” savory cookies, includes Cocoa Cayenne, Rosemary Parmesan and Sesame Sea Salt.

Eight delicious cookies in a gift tube are $14.00 from BeurreEtSel.com.

If you only bake one type of cookie this season, bake shortbread. Buttery cookies beloved by both children and adults, shortbread is accessible yet sophisticated.

Dipped into chocolate, the cookie becomes even more beloved.

Serve them to guests, keep the stash for yourself, give it as gifts.

This particular recipe, from GoBoldWithButter.com, a website of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, is a great way to start. If you don’t have hazelnuts, use almonds, macadamias, pecans, pistachios or walnuts.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD RECIPE

Ingredients

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Yummy hazelnut chocolate cookies are also things of beauty. Photo courtesy GoBoldWithButter.com.

Preparation

1. BEAT butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt, and mix just until combined. Stir in hazelnuts.

2. FORM dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

3. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

4. ROLL out dough into a disc about 1/4-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out cookies into 1×2-inch bars. Carefully transfer cut cookies onto prepared pans.

5. BAKE, one pan at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

6. PLACE chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave at half power in 30-second increments until chocolate melts when stirred. Dip cookies partially into chocolate or drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow chocolate to set completely, refrigerating cookies if necessary.

The history of shortbread cookies and how they got the name “shortbread.”

Find more of our favorite cookie recipes.

What we want for Christmas: Yummy Cupcake’s Cupcake Of The Month Club. Photo by GG Merkel | THE NIBBLE.

At the top of our favorite cupcakes list are Yummy Cupcakes, a Los Angeles bakery that we‘re lucky hasn’t opened up down the block from us. Otherwise, we’d be creating a new 12-step program: Cupcake Addicts Anonymous.

If you can’t pop in to the L.A. stores, they’ll mail Cupcakes in a Jar—a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week—that are even better than cupcakes in a paper wrapper.

Cupcakes in a Jar are hand-crafted cupcakes in a glass Mason jar, sliced and layered with fresh fillings, whipped frostings, ganache and a selection of scrumptious toppings.

The reusable jars keep the moisture in, and the jar cupcakes, which have much more frosting than convention cupcakes, stay fresh for a week. You can have just a nibble a day, or more.

YUMMY CUPCAKES’ “JAR OF THE MONTH” CLUB

Six- or 12-month memberships are available for $21 to $24 monthly, plus shipping. The lucky giftee will receive a four-flavor assortment, a rotating mix of classic and seasonal specialty flavors.

Order yours at YummyCupcakes.com.

Gluten-free glory. Photo courtesy Cake |
Chicago.

While it may not be easy being green, it’s even worse to be gluten-free. When everyone else is enjoying cake and cookies, you’ve got to show restraint.

Unless you’ve received a box of “defloured” cookies from Cake, an artisan bakery in Chicago.

A gift box of three delicious cookies will make your gluten-free friend or family member very happy:

Glutophobes will grinning from ear to ear.
 
The deluxe gift box includes:

 
Order at Cake-Chicago.com.

The company also makes delicious cookies with conventional flour.

See more of our favorite gluten free gourmet foods.

This delicious cheesecake is part goat
cheese, part cream cheese. Photo by Elvira
Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

When you review food for a living, you never have to worry about scrambling for gift ideas: The products present themselves all year long.

So we’re coasting into the holiday season, giving luscious goat cheese cheesecakes to our favorite cheesecake lovers.

Cheesecake is one of those foods that either excites people or doesn’t interest them in the least. We’re part of the excited group, and are especially excited to have discovered Belle Chevre Goat Cheese Cheesecake.

A mixture of goat cheese and cream cheese, there’s nothing “goaty” about it: just smooth, creamy cheesecake splendor.

A six-inch diameter cake is $29.95.

Cheesecake trivia: Cheesecake isn’t cake: It’s a cheese-flavored custard-like pie.

Read the full review.

Find more of our favorite cheesecakes and cheesecake recipes in our Gourmet Cakes Section.