Here is an excerpt from our recent performance of Brahms exquisitely lovely Cradle Song from our KU-Edwards “Glad Tidings” concert. In the midst of the frantic cooking, shopping, wrapping, and all-around scurrying, it was good to play a concert of beautiful music and share it with families. Please enjoy this selection and share it with your friends, with our compliments. Brahms composed this in honor of the birth of his good friend Josesph Joachim’s first child. Mary implores the angels overhead to quiet the branches of the palm trees so her infant can sleep. Peace and joy to one and all this season.
And as you might have come to expect….another cookie recipe!
(from Cook’s Country magazine)
Nutty Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. Dutch processed cocoa
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped fine
- 6 Tbl. seedless raspberry jam
- 1/2 c. white chocolate chips, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 bakings sheets with parchment or liners. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. On low speed, add flour mixture and mix only until combined.
Place pecans in shallow dish. Roll 1 Tbl. of dough into 1-inch ball, and roll in pecans, pressing to adhere (my pecans did not want to “adhere”). Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Using a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon, make indentations in center of each ball. Fill each dimple with 1/2 tsp. of jam. Bake until set, 10 minutes, and cool on sheets about 5 minutes, then moving to cool completely on racks.
Drizzle cooled cookies with white chocolate (you cn spoon chocolate into a small Ziploc bag, snip the corner and then drizzle). Let sit until chocolate hardens, about 5 minutes. Yield: about 3 dozen.