Spumoni Bars

Every year I look forward to the Cook's Country December issue because it has the winners of their holiday cookie contest - one grand prize winner and four runners up. In my opinion those are not enough - I'd like the top 10 or even 20 to be published, but I'll take what I can get.

So these Spumoni Bars were #1 - THE GRAND PRIZE winner. So of course I had to try them. Very cool looking. Fabulous-sounding recipe - maraschino cherries, walnuts, chocolate, what's not to like? Granted, there's a lot of steps and chilling. And a lot of things can go wrong (like you can use too much flour rolling them out and then the different colors won't stick together like in some of mine.) But if you are a patient person, these will reward you with yumminess and good looks on the plate.Spumoni Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

12 maraschino cherries, drained, stemmed, and chopped fine

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds and transfer each third to separate bowl.

2. Add cherries to first bowl and mix until incorporated. Add walnuts to second bowl and mix until incorporated. Add melted chocolate to third bowl and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate until doughs are slightly firm, about 10 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpat. Divide each dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch rope. Place 1 rope of each color side-by-side on floured surface and gently press together. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 10 minutes, then roll dough into 24-by-3-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise into 1-inch cookies and place 3/4 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill for another 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Bake until just set but not browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container for 1 week.)
Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2009