This recipe has a long history with me – I first tasted these cookies at a party for my Mom in 1991. I was 20 years old and she had just died after a tough battle with cancer. All battles with cancer are tough, there is no escaping that fact. I had returned from my study-abroad program in Belgium a week before she died and was grateful that I had that time. Because my Mom was a joyful, hugging-everyone-in-the-office type of woman, we decided a Celebration of Life was more appropriate than a somber memorial service. All I really remember from that day was a trip to her church for a formal service, followed by a blow-out party at the house, potluck fashion. One of my Mom’s friends brought these cookies.
I have only ever made them as hearts, but I think they would be great during the Christmas holidays as stars, and maybe even as shamrocks in March. The dough is very easy to make in the food processor, and is egg-free, if that is a concern in your diet.
Ginger and Chocolate Chip Hearts
No original credit for this recipe, it is one of many I have typed up on a piece of paper and shoved into a protective sleeve
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 7 1/2 TBS cornstarch
- 3/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter
- 2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 ounces pecans
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 9 TBS crystallized ginger (I like The Ginger People’s Baker’s Cut Crystallized Ginger)
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Combine first 4 ingredients in food processor and blend. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until mixture resembles fine meal. Add pecans and process until finely chopped. Add chocolate chips and ginger and mix in. (You may have to do this in batches, my food processor bowl is not big enough to handle an entire batch at once.)
- Transfer mixture to bowl and gather together. Divide into thirds. Roll 1 chunk out between sheets of wax or parchment paper to thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out cookies, using 3 inch heart shaped cutter. Transfer to parchment-lined cookie sheet. Re-roll scraps and cut out additional cookies.
- Sprinkle cookies with additional sugar and bake until beginning to color, about 20 minutes. Cook on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.
- Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Preparation time: 25 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Copyright © 2011 Good Fud Media.
Recipe by Gudrun Enger.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
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