Icebox Cookies

Here is an addition to your cookie/biscuit collection. The convenience of these alone are worth the little effort it takes to prepare them. You can prepare your dough and bake it after a couple hours in the freezer or simply freeze it and slice and bake them when guests come round.

I have made this recipe from "Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking". I highly recommend the Cook's Illustrated books or America's Test Kitchen series if you want to become a better cook. They are all about acumen and troubleshooting and their recipes are generally foolproof. I made my cookies with a cinnamon sugar variation but you can bake them plain or if you would like to do chocolate biscuits then simply reduce the flour to 2 cups and add to it 1/4 cup of sifted Dutch processed cocoa. Add 2 ounces of melted and cooled semisweet chocolate to the batter along with the yolks and vanilla. Enjoy!

Vanilla Icebox Cookies (recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
16 tbsp (8oz) unsalted butter, softened but cool
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk together flour and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla and beat until incorporated, 15 to 20 seconds. Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed until dough forms and is thoroughly mixed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Dough will be soft but not sticky. If dough is sticky, chill for 10 to 15 minutes).
3. Divide dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll dough on clean work surface into log measuring about 6 inches long and 2 inches thick. Wrap each log in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month. Wrap logs in plastic wrap then foil before freezing.)
4. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Unwrap dough logs one at a time and with sharp knife cut each dough in half, then into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 to 1 inch apart.
6. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack with wide metal spatula.

Variation : Cinnamon Sugar Icebox Cookies
Save the egg whites when separating eggs for the dough. Follow the recipe brushing the chilled logs with the beaten egg whites. Roll logs in mixture of 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.