Biscuits Viennois, Biscuits Sables Rounds (Sables Diamantes), Sables Hollander

Chef's Cookie Collection

Cookies galore today as we made 3 simple yet so scrumptious varieties: Piped Viennese cookies with a hint of rum, sugar crusted sables with a light touch of orange, and yet more prep work on our Hollander, or checkerboard cookies. I haven't baked too many cookies in my lifetime,  so simple as they may seem in the making, and esp given yesterday's follies, I was taking nothing for granted.

Cookie Art

Gotta admit I was very pleased with how mine all turned out, and always happy with a creative outlet, I went all out decorating the various shapes with chocolate buttons, sliced almonds and to a lesser extent (for color and brownie points with the Chef), macerated cherries. Yeeeww... 

The secret to Viennese success? Lots of rum! In fact, go crazy with it, not so far as to alter the ideal texture of cookie dough, but push the envelope on this one. I sure did, and I tell ya, I've never had such a rummy-ly perfumed cookie in my life: in fact, this might be the first time I've even tasted rum cookies, so I'm telling you now: they are the future. Not the children, not Gaia, but Rum Cookies. 

Orange Mosaic

As for the sables, go with twice the amount of orange (or your preferred citrus) zests called for,  and you will be duly rewarded with a whiff of citrus heaven every time.

For The Cookie Jars

More than enough, but I've come prepared. I cannot wait to share these gems for I'm sure they'll go down a treat. When has rum ever failed to? ;)

Update: Kept in an airtight contained, the cookies will stay crunchy for at least a week. I gave most away to some friends I made that very weekend when I in Fiji to attend a wedding; they kept their crunch and rummy/orangy flavors and made for a great gift. :)