Ugly Cookies Recipes

UGLY BUT GOOD COOKIES

Steps:

• Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 356 degrees F (180 degrees C). Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until the skins are mostly split and the nuts are light golden brown and fragrant (about 15 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and rub the hazelnuts until the loose skins come off.
• Let them cool completely and pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg white and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold in the sugar and nuts.
• Spoon the batter on the baking sheet with a teaspoon or a tablespoon (it depends on how big you want your cookies) about 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
• Store the ugly but good cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

NOT-SO-UGLY SWEATER COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low and beat in the flour mixture in 2 batches until just combined. Divide the dough between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten into disks and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut out sweaters using a 3- to 3 1/2-inch cutter. Gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies. (If the dough becomes too soft, refrigerate 15 minutes.) Arrange the cutouts 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350˚. Bake the cookies, switching the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then remove the cookies to racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Beat in 5 tablespoons water with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft, glossy peaks form, adding the remaining tablespoon water if needed. You'll need 2 consistencies of icing: a thicker icing for outlining and a thinner, runnier icing for filling (flooding). Adjust the consistency with water as needed. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Transfer to resealable plastic bags, snip the corners and decorate the cookies. Sprinkle with coconut, if desired. Let set, at least 1 hour.

UGLY SWEATER COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and molasses. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, 4 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-1/2-in. sweater-shaped cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake cookies until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely., Place first 5 icing ingredients in a small bowl; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. Thin with cream to desired consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring., Pipe icing onto cookies and decorate as desired. (Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.) Let cookies stand at room temperature several hours or until frosting is dry and firm.

UGLY-BUT-GOOD HAZELNUT COOKIES (BRUTTI MA BUONI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until fragrant and lightly toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool briefly, then rub off skins with a clean kitchen towel. Coarsely chop hazelnuts.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 4 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar. Beat until meringue is stiff and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt.
• Scrape meringue into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add chopped hazelnuts. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pan to make sure meringue does not burn, until mixture is light brown and pulls away from sides of pan, about 15 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled after first 5 minutes of cooking.)
• Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature. Fold in chocolate.
• Scoop mounds, about 2 tablespoons each, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.
• Bake until cookies are crisp on outside but soft and chewy inside, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

"UGLY" COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla together in the bowl of your electric mixer until creamy.
• Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Gradually beat in flour mixture (still using electric mixer).
• By hand stir in the chopped candies.
• Place rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
• These will spread a bit and gnarl up where the caramel bits are.
• Be sure to let a cookie sheet cool completely before loading it up with another batch of cookie dough; a hot pan will make the cookies spread too much.
• Cool cookies on the baking sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

"UGLY BUT GOOD" HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• 2. Whip the egg whites and salt in an electric mixer with the whisk on medium speed until they are white and opaque and beginning to hold their shape. Increase the speed to medium high and whip in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to whip the whites until they hold a firm peak. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the ground hazelnuts.
• 3. Scrape the batter into a medium saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is heated through, about 8 minutes.
• 4. Use 2 spoons to form 3/4-inch cookies. Use one spoon to scoop up some batter and the other to scrape it off the first spoon, rounding it somewhat as you do, and drop the cookies onto the prepared pan, spacing them about 1 inch apart from each other in all directions.
• 5. Bake the cookies until they are well colored and slightly firm, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• 6. Cool the cookies on the pan on a rack.
• Storage: Store the cookies in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.