Brashboy,
Here is the recipe for Snappy Turtle Cookies
Original Source: Pillsbury Best of the BakeOff Cookbook
Bake: 350F 10-13 mins.
Pans: Greased Baking Sheets - we use Heavy, Good Quality Aluminum, not dark, steel sheets.
(Single Recipe follows. We quadruple)
Sift Together:
1-1/2 Cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
Cream:
1/2 Cup Softened Butter, gradually adding
1/2 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
Cream Well.
Add:
1 unbeaten Lg or XL Egg and 1 Egg Yolk (reserve the 2nd Egg White)
Beat Well.
Blend In:
1/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract and
1/8 tsp. Maple Flavouring, if desired (Desired, lol.)
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix thoroughly.
Chill, if desired (easier to handle to form balls)
Arrange: Split Pecan slivers in groups of 5 on Greased Baking Sheets to resemble head and legs of a Turtle.
Shape: By rounded teaspoons into balls, dip bottoms into unbeaten Egg White that you reserved, above, and press lightly onto nuts so tips of nuts show/extend beyond the ball.
Bake: 350F for 10-13 minutes.
Cool.
Frost tops with chocolate frosting (or use Chocolate Icing and dip. We like the frosting better.)
Icing Recipe:
Melt:
2 squares (2 Oz.) Unsweetened Chocolate or
1/3 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Pieces
in 1/4 Cup Milk and
1 Tbl Butter in top of Double Boiler
over Boiling Water, Blend until smooth.
Remove from heat. Add 1 Cup Sifted Confectioner's (10X) Sugar.
Beat until smooth and glossy.
If too thin, add additional Confectioner's Sugar until of desired consistency.
Frosting Recipe (alternate - this is the "fun" part):
2 Sticks Margarine (can use butter, but we prefer margarine)
1-1/2 Lbs of Confectioner's Sugar (approx.)
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
2-4 HEAPING Tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa.
Maybe 1/4 Cup little milk total, over time.
Consistency is the critical thing.
Technique:
Add small amount of Confectioner's Sugar to mixer bowl. Helps keep margarine from sticking to bowl.
Add the 2 sticks of margarine.
Start mixing on lower setting - don't want a sugar dust cloud.
Add Vanilla
Start adding more Confectioner's sugar, slowly, adding
a heaping Tbl of Cocoa alternately as you go.
Add a little milk as you add sugar/cocoa as you go.
After you have introduced all of the ingredients, sugar, cocoa, and it's basically mixed, turn mixer on high to infuse with air, make fluffy.
Run on high for a minute or two.
Don't stack the cookies for awhile - let their "shells" harden.
Use waxed Paper sheets between layers.
1 recipe makes about 2.5 dozen cookies. After you make them once, IF you decide to share, you will know why we quadruple the recipe.
Note: I'm not sure how many pecans you will need - 5 slivers * 30 cookies / 4 slivers per pecan - if you don't break any!
We work in teams - one person slivering pecans while another gets stuff miving.
Keep two storage containers handy as you sliver the pecans - put the good pieces in one, the broken in another - you can use for chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal, snacking.
You will likely have frosting leftover from the above recipe.
Use it wisely, lol.
