There are all sorts of delicious decisions when it comes to holiday desserts and for food blogger and recipe developer Dan "Grossy" Pelosi, these are the perfect Christmas cookies.
Pelosi joined "GMA" for our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies to share his sugar cookie recipe inspired by the 2005 Sarah Jessica Parker rom-com, "The Family Stone."
"It has lust, it has tears and Diane Keaton in chunky knits -- I don't need anything else from a movie, I love it so much," he said with a laugh. "My cookie is a diamond cookie which really is inspired by the crux of the movie which is an engagement ring -- an heirloom, thus the family stone -- so these cookies have these lovely sugar crystals on the side which makes them shine bright like a diamond."
Based on a classic "Diamond Cookie," Pelosi said these buttery and delicious cookies that get their name from the shimmery sugar rim resembling the sparkle of a diamond, could not be easier to make. "The diamond here, of course, is 'The Family Stone,' which is at the heart of my favorite holiday movie," he said.
Makes: 24 cookies
Ingredients
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut in tablespoons
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 cup silver or gold sugar sprinkles or sugar crystals
Note: For Chocolate Diamond cookies, use 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. All other directions remain the same.
Directions
In a food processor, add the butter pieces, powdered sugar, and salt and process for about 30 seconds. The mixture will become pale yellow, then turn into small crumbles, and finally bang around in one soft mound. Stop at the mound! Add the vanilla extract and flour and process again until a crumbly dough forms, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and press it all together. The dough should be slightly soft and easy to handle, but feel free to lightly flour the work surface if the dough is too sticky. Roll into a log about 12 inches in length and 1 ½ inches thick, making sure the dough is evenly distributed. Wrap the dough tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours, overnight, or even up to 1 week.
Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Unwrap the dough and spread out the parchment. Brush the dough on all sides with a thin layer of egg white. Coat the dough in sugar sprinkles, rotating the dough while you sprinkle and using the parchment to lightly press onto the surface.
Use a serrated knife to slice the dough into 1/2-inch rounds (24 pieces). Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie. Transfer one baking sheet to the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Bake the remaining sheet of cookies. Serve the cooled cookies with a fresh pot of coffee because it’s the rules.