Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Filled Almond Lace Cookies

Almond Lace Cookies (recipe below)
Filling (any combination of the following):

• Vanilla Custard (recipe below)
• Fresh raspberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries
• Whipped cream, sweetened
• Chocolate (or other flavor) mousse
• Softened ice cream

Melted chocolate

Prepare Almond Lace Cookie batter. Bake cookies (**SEE NOTE). Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Wrap hot cookies around a cylindrical tube, about 1” in diameter. (I used an empty vanilla bean jar. A cannoli form would be perfect.) Let cookie harden before removing.

**NOTE: Only bake as many cookies at a time as you have forms to wrap them around.

Place chilled custard, whipped cream, mousse, or softened ice cream in a Ziploc bag or pastry bag. Cut off one corner and pipe filling into cooled cookie shells. (If you are filling cookies with softened ice cream, place filled cookies on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in freezer until solid.) Drizzle filled cookies with melted chocolate. Serve immediately.

Almond Lace Cookies
——–(recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)

⅔ cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup light or dark corn syrup
1 Tbs heavy cream
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbs flour
½ cup toasted, finely chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.

Bring the butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Reduce the heat so the butter slows to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the solids on the bottom of the pan turn light brown. Remove from heat.

Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, salt and vanilla to the butter and stir to blend well. Stir in the oats and flour, then fold in the almonds.

Drop teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown all over and slightly darker at the edges. Transfer the baking sheets to a cooling rack and let sit until the cookies firm up, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, gently transfer the cookies to wire racks until cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Vanilla Custard

¾ cup sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
1 vanilla bean, optional
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (if not using vanilla bean)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and vanilla bean (Split bean in half and scrape seeds into the saucepan. Place bean pod in the saucepan as well). Stir in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. While boiling, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan, stirring well. Return custard to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 2 additional minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla extract (if using) and remove vanilla bean pod. Pour into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard (to keep from developing a skin). Chill until cool. Do not stir while custard is cooling.

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