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Home/Christmas Cookies/Rosalyn’s Midwinter Night’s Dream Cookies

Rosalyn’s Midwinter Night’s Dream Cookies

Rosalyn's Midwinter's Night Dream Cookies

On the first day of  Christmas … my true love gave to me … Rosalyn’s Midwinter Night’s Dream Cookies.

My dearest friend, Rosalyn, and I have danced with a good many wondrous topics over the years, but almost every conversation of ours gets to food at some point. Don’t ask me how the subject of the Lindt Excellence White Coconut bar came up.

Cutting Out Rosalyn's Midwinter's Night Dream Cookies

I think it started with me saying something about trying to create the world’s best Coconut Cream Pie. As I recall, Rosalyn said I had to get white chocolate into that somehow. Then she told me about the Lindt White Coconut bar and insisted that I get some. And finally there were those 3-4 e-mails asking me if I had tried it yet. I didn’t have a chance.

Rosalyn's Midwinter Night's Dream Cookies Ready to Decorate

Now, thanks to Rosalyn, my chocolate stash always includes a couple of these creamy, dreamy bars. Coconut and white chocolate are indeed a magical combination.

Stamping the Cookies

Thus, it is only fitting to name this divine, toasted coconut shortbread with its elegant drizzle of white chocolate for the muse who inspired it. I think Shakespeare would approve.

Lindt White ChocolateRosalyn’s Midwinter Night’s Dream Cookies

This elegant cookie is befitting the moonlit fairy dreamland of one of Shakespeare’s most endearing plays. It’s a delicate, crisp, all butter, rolled shortbread aromatic with lightly toasted dried coconut. The white chocolate drizzle is not absolutely essential, but it adds a touch of drama that’s perfect for the holiday season.

2½ cups King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour  
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup fine shredded, unsweetened, dried coconut, lightly toasted

1½ cups fresh unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (3 cubes)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Finishing
6 ounces Lindt white chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
pearl luster powder

  1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Whisk to thoroughly distribute the salt Stir in the coconut and distribute evenly. Reserve.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale but not curdled.
  3. Add the vanilla and coconut extract, and incorporate.
  4. Add the flour-coconut mixture and mix very briefly on very slow speed, just until a dough forms.
  5. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions and flatten each portion to a ½-inch thick disk on a sheet of plastic wrap. Seal the plastic wrap around each portion of the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (The sealed dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days if necessary.)
  6. On a lightly floured pastry cloth, using a covered rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick rectangle. Use a little flour to keep the dough from sticking if necessary, but try not to work too much additional flour into the dough.
  7. Using a fluted edged 2¼-inch square cookie cutter (or cutter of your choice), cut out the cookies.
  8. Arrange slightly apart on cookie sheets that have been lightly coated with vegetable spray.
  9. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets at the halfway point to ensure even browning.
  10. Remove from the oven, loosen each cookie with a thin spatula and let cool for 3-4 minutes on the sheet.
  11. Remove cookies from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack and cool completely.
  12. Store airtight, in layers separated by wax paper rounds, in a cookie tin in a cool, dry place. These cookies improve with age. They keep for 3-4 weeks. Cookies may also be frozen.
  13. Shortly before serving, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over but not touching a saucepan of simmering water, making sure not to overheat it. Using a demitasse spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, drizzle or pipe the white chocolate over each cookie.
  14. Immediately sprinkle with a tiny pinch of luster powder.
  15. Put the cookies on a wire rack and let the white chocolate harden for about an hour before arranging on a serving tray.

Makes about 3½ dozen, 2¼-inch square cookies.

COPYSCAPE

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
December 1, 2009

Categories: Christmas Cookies, CookiesTags: Christmas, coconut, cookies, holiday, Starry Night, twelve days of Christmas cookies, white chocolate

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Phaedra

    January 5, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    Hello!

    It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and I just made up these cookies from the dough that has been smelling awesome in my fridge for the past couple of days – they are sooooooo good! I love them. My mama loves them (she’s here helping for tomorrow’s festivities), and my baba (Ukrainian for grandmother) got up and tried some too (it’s nearly midnight here) and declared them verrry good. Had to shorten the baking time after the first batch (the darker ones still tasted sooo good, anyway ;)), but that’s what I get for not paying attention to thinks like “watch, watch” (referencing Pepparkakor recipe) ;).

    Thank you again :D!

    • Phaedra

      January 5, 2011 at 10:33 pm

      I meant ‘paying attention to *things* like that’ – maybe I should sleep ;).

      And I just realized I used parchment paper instead of veggie oil spray stuff – would that have made a difference to the baking time, oh font of cookie-baking wisdom? 🙂 (I think I’m still a newbie, I am)

      • Susan S. Bradley

        January 11, 2011 at 8:32 pm

        Phaedra, it may seem a little strange, but nearly EVERYTHING makes a difference to the baking time. 🙂 The same cookie recipe will take 8 minutes one time and 10-12 minutes the next. Perhaps the oven temperature is not consistent. But the pans and what you coat or cover them with also matters. I find the best practice is to bake only a few cookies first to get the timing and the temperature right. If the cookies bake too fast, lower the heat or try a lighter colored pan, even an air-sandwiched pan. In general, I find that pachment-lined light-colored, heavy weight baking sheets produce the most consistently good results.

    • Susan S. Bradley

      January 11, 2011 at 8:34 pm

      Phaedra, so glad they turned out well for you. 🙂 See my note on the baking time.

  2. Stacey

    December 7, 2009 at 3:18 pm

    Can you clarify the dimensions of the rectangle? There’s a ? in the recipe. Thanks!

    • sms bradley

      December 7, 2009 at 5:18 pm

      Stacey, that should say 1/8-inch thick. Very thin in other words. Thanks for the catch!

  3. deana

    December 5, 2009 at 11:11 am

    Really great art direction… loved the magic cookie box! The texture was inspired!
    .-= deana@lostpastremembered´s last blog ..Melon en Nougat via Tiffanys =-.

    • sms bradley

      December 5, 2009 at 2:11 pm

      Thanks so much, Deana! 🙂

  4. Danielle

    December 2, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    mmmm…those look good and so fun to make!
    .-= Danielle´s last blog ..Turkey Crepes…or Chicken…which ever floats your boat =-.

  5. Mrs Ergül

    December 2, 2009 at 6:58 pm

    Very smart to be using a meat tenderizer for the cracker-like design!
    .-= Mrs Ergül´s last blog ..Potato Wedge Fries =-.

    • sms bradley

      December 4, 2009 at 3:45 pm

      Thank you Mrs Ergul! I only wish there were more implements like this with different patterns. Good business idea, eh? 🙂

  6. lisaiscooking

    December 2, 2009 at 5:56 am

    These sound delicious! I love the indentations on top, and the white chocolate drizzle is lovely.
    .-= lisaiscooking´s last blog ..Pomegranate Manhattan =-.

    • sms bradley

      December 5, 2009 at 1:47 pm

      Thanks so much, Lisa! 🙂

  7. DebinHawaii

    December 2, 2009 at 2:12 am

    What an amazing cookie–getting a box of these at Christmas would be a treat. I love the coconut and white chocolate combination.
    .-= DebinHawaii´s last blog ..Things I Am Loving This Week =-.

    • sms bradley

      December 5, 2009 at 1:47 pm

      Thanks so much, Deb! 🙂

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Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy. Read More…

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