Nutmeg sugar tops

3 dozen

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1¾ cup Unsifted all-purpose flour
1¼ cup Unsifted cake flour
¼ teaspoon Baking powder
⅛ teaspoon Cream of tartar
⅛ teaspoon Salt
Ice-cold water, for brushing the cookies
1¾ teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
¾ pounds (3 sticks) unsalted butter; softened
⅔ cup Unsifted confectioners' sugar
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling on the cookies

Directions

TO FINISH THE COOKIES

Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt and nutmeg.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on low speed for 5 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat for 1 to 2 minutes on moderate speed. Blend in the sifted mixture on low speed.

The dough will be quite sticky. Place the dough on a large sheet of wax paper, place another sheet on top and roll out the dough to a thickness of about ⅓ inch.

Carefully transfer the sheet of dough onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until very firm, about 4 hours, or overnight, if you wish. (The sheet of dough can be stored in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to 2 days.)

Peel off the wax paper just before cutting the dough. Stamp out 1½ to 1 ¾ inch rounds or squares and place them, 2 inches apart, on the lined cookie sheets. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with cold water and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Reroll the scraps, refrigerate until firm and cut the remaining cookies.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 350-degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until set. After 1 minute, transfer the cookies to cooling racks using a wide metal spatula. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks. The author says these are "heavenly" served with a baked or poached fruit compote.

from Baking for Gift-Giving by Lisa Yockelson typed by Tiffany Hall-Graham Submitted By TIFFANY HALL-GRAHAM On 03-25-95

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