Busters Recipes

White Chocolate Snow Caps

Yields 2 dozen 2 1/4-inch cookies

1 1/2 cups walnut pieces

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1-ounce pieces

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Equipment:

Measuring cup, measuring spoons, cook's knife, cutting board, 2 nonstick baking sheets, sifter, wax paper, double boiler, rubber spatula, 1-quart bowl, table-model electric mixer with paddle, plastic cookie storage container with lid

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the walnuts from the oven and cool to room temperature before chopping into 1/8-inch pieces with a cook's knife.

In a sifter combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Sift onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside until needed.

Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the white chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until completely melted and smooth ("real" white chocolate should glisten when melted), about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the melted chocolate to a small bowl and set aside until needed.

Place the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 3 minutes until soft.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high for 3 minutes until very smooth. Again, scrape down the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium for 1 minute and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat on high for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the melted white chocolate, then beat on medium for 30 seconds.

Operate the mixer on low speed while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients. Once all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, about 1 minute, add the chopped walnuts and mix on low speed for an additional 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the dough until thoroughly combined.

Using a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie (approximately 1

1/2 ounces), portion 12 cookies, evenly spaced, onto each of 4 nonstick baking sheets. Place the baking sheets on the top rack of the preheated oven and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees about halfway through the baking time, until very lightly browned around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool to room temperature on the baking sheets, about 30 minutes. Transfer the cookies onto a large piece of wax paper. Now for that magical touch that gives the cookie its name: Use a sifter to uniformly dust the tops of the cookies with the confectioners' sugar (I prefer a heavy snow to a light flurry). Store the cookies in a tightly sealed plastic container.