Description
An easy back-to-school or Rosh Hashanah dessert idea. Adapted from Live Well Bake Often.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 25–30 mini pretzel sticks
- 10–15 pieces of green gummy “Spearmint Leaves” or any green gummy candy
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but not melty
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature (see note about warming eggs below)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Prep your toppings by breaking the pretzel sticks into small pieces (these will be your “stems”) and using a paring knife to cut out small “leaf” shapes from your green gummy candy (this is sort of what you’re going for). It’s okay if they’re not perfect! Once you’ve prepped the pretzels and candy, set them both aside; you’ll need them again just after the baking process has finished.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes or until creamy and light in color. Mix in the egg yolks, salt, and vanilla, then add the flour. It’ll appear overly crumbly at first, but will soon come together into a workable dough.
- Use a 1-tablespoon measure to portion out balls of cookie dough before placing each one onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving at least an inch of room between each. Gently press your thumb into each round to create a shallow indentation (it’s ok if they crack a little—that’s practically a given here—but try not to press too hard or quickly; you can at least avoid major cracks), then add 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the pockets you’ve created. Don’t add too much or the pockets will continue to overflow in the oven, and don’t add too little or, well, it’ll look like you added too little. Just fill the jam up until it’s level with the top of each pocket.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the cookies have set—you don’t want to over-bake here! After removing them from the oven, add the toppings, one by one, while the hot cookies are still sitting on the baking sheet (just be careful; both the pan and the cookies themselves will be hot). The idea is to slip the bottom of each pretzel stick piece and gummy leaf into the hot jam at the center of each cookie while it’s still warm. Each cookie should receive one pretzel “stem” and one gummy “leaf,” as pictured.
- After adding the toppings, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for another 5 or so minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- If you’re in a hurry and forgot to let your eggs come to room temperature, place them into a bowl or tall glass full of warm water to expedite the process.
Keywords: rosh hashanah cookies, back to school cookies