12 Cookies of Christmas- Cookie# 3 Lemon Luscious Snow Cap Cookies

Ok, so I am up to week #3 of the 12 cookies of Christmas, and do I have a good one for you this week. This cookie has some of my favorite things in it, coconut, macadamia nuts and lemon flavor. This recipe comes from Recipezaar. The original can be found here. I follow it completely, no changes for me. I think most of us have heard of chocolate snowcap cookies, but this goes totally the other way, and it produces a chewy cookie loaded with flavor, and it is pretty to look at, as well. How bad can it be when these are the main ingredients?

Lemon Luscious Snowcap Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon extract

1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup coconut

1 cup macadamia nut pieces

2 large eggs

1/2 cup powdered sugar, to roll cookies in

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream sugar and butter together in mixer.

Add Lemon zest,eggs and lemon extract.

I always use my microplane to zest, it is one of my fave kitchen gadgets. Just thought I would share that random thought. Moving on.

Stir in flour and baking powder.

Add nuts and coconut. It should look like this:

Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar.

Place on parchmant lined cookie sheet.

Did you notice something missing? I ran out of parchmant paper. I hate not having it but life goes on and I sprayed the hell out of my sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes or until the edges are set. I always underbake my cookies, its just personal preference.

Cool a minute or two on the cookie sheets, and remove to wire racks and sprinkle with more powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies, as they continue to cool.

The smell this cookie gives off as it is baking is incredible. It is so simple and quick to put together. The only issue is that the dough is a bit sticky to roll, but it is definately worth the extra effort to have these babies on your holiday tray. They are so pretty to look at and I think they are something a little different. They have great chewy texture . I hope some of you will give them a try.

Please also check out what the other ladies will be offering up today:

http://abbysweets.blogspot.com/

http://www.barbarabakes.com/

http://meganscookin.blogspot.com/

http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/

http://mybakingadventures.com/ ( Megan just lost her dog, so excuse her if she doesn't have something to add this week. It is a hard thing to deal with, the loss of a family pet. Take your time and come back when you are ready, Megan)

These ladies know their cookies....

Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips and Red White Beans

This is another one of those" I just saw it and I have to make it" recipes. Both of them. I saw your friend and mine, Rachael Ray, make these dishes on her 30 minute meal show, this past Saturday and I knew immediately I would have to make them. It is definately a 30 minute meal. It was fast and easy and the flavor combos were great. I, myself , would never think to combine lemon and beef together, but it works. She also made a side dish using cannellini beans and I have to tell you, it was amazing. Simple ingredients lends itself to layers of flavor in these dishes. Let me share them with you. Up first, is the Red White Beans, original recipe here. I didn't stray from her recipe at all. This is it, this is all it takes to make a great side dish.

Red White Beans


2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
2(15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained



Directions:


Heat the olive oil in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, rosemary and salt and pepper.

Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8-10 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute. I looove the tomato paste in a tube. So much easier than scraping it out of that abnormally small can.

Add the stock, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve. I just kept it on low until the meat was done.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed these. The rosemary and the beans are such a great combination of flavors. I could have just ate these with a big loaf of crusty bread. These are a definate keeper for me. If you try either one of these recipes and I hope you try both, try this dish. You will love it.

Up next is the main dish, Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips, recipe can be found here. While Rachael was making this, I kept saying to my husband, I am making these tomorrow, it looked that good. Another plus was that it was cooked on top of the stove. It has been so humid here in New York, I was so happy to make something that didn't require me to turn the dam oven on. Here it is:

Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips

2 lbs sirloin tips ( I had to ask the butcher in the supermarket for these)

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

4-5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped ( I used 5)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls

Directions:

Bring meat to room temperature and pat dry. I left mine on the counter for 1/2 hour and I actually did pat them dry. It is an important step. Also, if you have some pieces that are larger than the others, cut them so they are uniform in size.

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the oil smokes, add the meat and DON'T MOVE IT for 5 minutes. Let it develop that nice crust or caramelization, before turning. Once browned, it should look like this:

Season meat liberally with salt and pepper, add the garlic and toss with the meat for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and the lemon zest and cook for another minute. Add the white wine, this is one of my favorites:



Deglaze the pan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.


It makes a nice little sauce.

I have to tell you the flavor of the lemon and the garlic, mixed with the beef was such a hit with me. I absolutely loved this. I only wished I had bread to sop up the juices from both dishes.




What a messy plating, but it tasted great. I'm sure Racheal won't mind. Whether you like her or not , you will love these two dishes.