I made these cookie cups from David Lebovitz‘s blog when my cousin Anne visited a few weeks ago, and served them with Clotilde’s (of Chocolate & Zucchini) Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream. You can find the recipe for the cookies here; scroll down to find it, as it’s toward the bottom of the post. I’ve always thought tuile cookies like this were so pretty, but figured it’d probably be kind of difficult to get that lacy look right. In fact, it couldn’t be simpler — you just put a dollop of the batter on a piece of parchment and flatten it a little, and it spreads out and becomes lacy while it bakes! Getting them off the pan was slightly more challenging, mostly because I don’t have a metal spatula, so I found it easiest to tear the parchment in pieces so I could pick it up and transfer it directly to the bowls I was using for a mold.

I highly recommend these as they come together in a jiffy, but they make for a very elegant and impressive way to serve dessert. Now, I just have to get my hands on a copy of The Perfect Scoop, David’s ice cream book, for some more ideas on what to fill them with. Check it out, everything looks delicious!

This is another recipe that we always make at Christmas and that I don’t remember having any other time of year. They are a pecan shortbread cookie rolled in powdered sugar (the ones on the left in the picture). I’ve also seen similar cookies by other names, such as Mexican wedding cookies. We make ours in a skinny finger shape though, so we call them nutty fingers or lady fingers.

The recipe makes a bunch, but they are small and tend to go fast. They are slightly more labor intensive than some cookies, but they are absolutely delicious. The recipe comes from my grandmother, who always made them when my mom was growing up.

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This recipe comes from my grandmother Pat, who I think got it from her mother as well. I’m not putting in a picture, as the only one I have is also in the Nutty Finger post. Mom and I often make them for Christmas, although this year we had some that Pat made instead. They are one of Matt’s favorites, and another that we only have at Christmastime. It makes a bunch of cookies, but you can keep the dough in the fridge if you don’t have time to make them all at once. They are a dense chewy cookie with lots of dates, nuts and raisins — delicious!

You might also like:

• Nutty Fingers
• Pecan Toffee
• Mocha Peppermint Bark Cookies
• Peppermint Bark
• Christmas Cookies

Date Rock Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
3 eggs
3 c flour
1 t baking soda in 3 T boiling water
1 t cinnamon
1 lb chopped dates
1 lb chopped pecans
1 lb raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients together. This will give you mixer a real workout! Drop by teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for about 9 minutes.