December 23, 2010

A bit of Austin funky to get us started today. No one knows why the cedar trees on 360 get decorated at this time of year. The only guideline that seems to be followed is the tackier the decorations, the better. The display this year has definitely been stepped up - in this section it's hard to find a tree that's NOT decorated! Everything from plastic bottles painted to look like bees to pink flamingos - you'll see it here. Magically at the end of the season, all the decorating elves make it back out to take down their decorations until next year....

Today's cookie is the Apricot and Nut with Amaretto Icing. I made the dough in advance and had it in the fridge. I found the dough to be soft and a bit sticky, even after 36 hours in the refrigerator. So I simply put the dough log in the freezer for twenty minutes and the cookie sliced up nicely. I do think I will add another half a cup of flour the next time I make these.

The icing s strong and looks a little wavy because I made them late at night and covered them with plastic wrap overnight. I think the icing could be thinned a bit with water and be more of a glaze as it's pretty strong. The almond liquor does add a really wonderful aroma so I wouldn't cut it out completely.