Boozy Currant Cookies

I saw my photos of these cookies in my head before I baked them. Good sign? Bad sign? (that I'm thinking how to construct my shots even before baking...that's definitely on the whole counting your wheels before your sheep, or whatever that saying is) Anyway, don't they look terrific? I call the first picture, "Nooo! Not my crumbies!" Ah, but they're too delicious, Mr. Cookie. You'll have to let me nibble at them.

I also think it's almost time for the official blog launch. I've got a good amount of content up, but now it's to tweak the last bits of code I'm struggling with. I've widened the posting space a bit, but now I'm trying to get rid of that divider line up top and bottom.

So the cookie in question is c/o Martha Stewart (of course), the Cookie of the Month, July 2007. I was going through my back issues and archiving when this particular recipe caught my eye They're actually called Rum-Raisin Shortbread (who can resist??!!), it actually calls for currants instead. Results? Good! But they didn't soak up quite as much rum as expected, but I didn't want the taste of rum to be overwhelming, anyway.

Rum-Raisin Shortbread
(c/o Martha Stewart)
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen

1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup dried currants
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon coarse salt


Combine rum and currants, cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of rum.
Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest together with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Add vanilla, reserved rum, and beat until combined.
Reduce speed to low and add flour, coconut, salt and beat for 3 minutes or so.
Add currants in by hand.
Form dough into 2 logs, each about 1 1/2" in diameter, wrap in parchment and chill until firm.
*I took a 7-8" section of waxed paper, blopped half of the batter down one end and rolled/molded it into a log and rolled it up. Repeat with other half of batter.

Preheat oven to 325F, remove parchment and slice logs into 1/4"-thick rounds and space about 1" apart on a baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes (mine took about 30 min), let cool.


I could barely wait and I was snapping away while the cookies were still piping hot and barely holding together. I was trying to catch the last of the daylight!