Acorn Cookies Recipes

ACORN COOKIES

Steps:

• Put the butter in a large bowl and add the sugars. Use a fork or spoon to mix them together until well combined. Add the vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, mix the salt and the flours with a whisk until combined. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter and sugar and mix well with the fork or spoon. The dough will come together quickly, but will be sticky. Don't overwork it, but be sure you don't have hidden blobs of butter in your dough.
• Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and set in the freezer about 2 hours, and up to overnight in the fridge. The dough must be very cold for this to work, or the cookies will collapse.
• When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Flatten the disk of dough to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into cookies. I used a 2-inch cutter, but any sort of cutter would do. An acorn-shaped one would be cute. Keep soing this, reshaping the dough, until you've used it all.
• Arrange the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just begin to brown.

ACORN CANDY COOKIES

Steps:

• Smear a small amount of frosting onto the flat bottom of a candy kiss. Press onto the flat bottom of the vanilla wafer. Smear a little more frosting onto the flat bottom of a butterscotch chip, and press onto the rounded top of the cookie. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Set aside to dry, about 30 minutes.

ACORN COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until easy to handle., Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with 2-1/2-in. acorn cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Spread chocolate over the stem and cap of each acorn, leaving about a 1/4-in. border. Sprinkle pecans over chocolate. Pipe remaining chocolate in a criss-cross pattern over each acorn. Let stand until firm.

CHOCO-CROWNED ACORNS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour cookie sheets. In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Stir in egg yolks and almond extract. Add flour, blend well. Divide dough in half and add green coloring to one half and red coloring to the other half. Be careful not to add too much colorings. These should be a pretty light green and a pretty pink. Pinch off small balls of dough, roll between palms of hands into acorn shape, pointed at the bottom. Bake until shininess has disappeared and cookie is solid, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. Dip wide end of cookie in melted chocolate some in white and some dark chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate has hardened.
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.

ACORN COOKIE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Make cookies as directed on pouch. Cool completely, at least 20 minutes.
• In food processor, process half of the cookies to fine crumbs. Remove and set aside; process remaining cookies to fine crumbs. Mix all cookie crumbs in food processor. Add cream cheese and hazelnut spread. Process 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined and mixture forms a ball.
• Shape cookie mixture into 46 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Flatten each ball into palm of hand to about a 2-inch circle. Place 1 pretzel in center. Form cookie mixture around pretzel into an oblong acorn shape, leaving about 1 inch of pretzel showing for stem. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining balls and pretzels. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 seconds. Stir; continue to microwave in 30-second increments until mixture can be stirred smooth. In small bowl, place chopped almonds.
• Remove one-third of cookie acorns at a time from refrigerator. Place on second waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Carefully holding chilled cookie acorn by pretzel stem, hold over bowl of melted chocolate. Using spoon, spoon melted chocolate over cookie acorn to cover. Gently shake off excess chocolate.
• Continue to hold cookie acorn; hold over almond bowl. Using another clean spoon, sprinkle almonds over top third of acorn. Place on lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie acorns. If chocolate has cooled too much, reheat. Refrigerate truffles about 30 minutes or until coating is set. Store covered in refrigerator.

WALNUT ACORN COOKIES

Steps:

• Make cookies:
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture at low speed, then stir in walnuts.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Form 2 teaspoons dough into an egglike shape resembling an acorn. Make more "acorns," arranging them 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until undersides are light brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
• Decorate cookies:
• Dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate and then in chopped nuts. Place as coated on a baking sheet lined with wax paper to set, about 15 minutes.

ACORN SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in 1/3 cup pecans., Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into acorn shapes, pinching bottoms to form a point. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Immediately sprinkle remaining pecans over chocolate. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.