Spumoni Icebox Cookies
Ingredients
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* 2 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
* 1 cup(s) sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon(s) almond extract
* 1/3 cup(s)shelled pistachios, finely chopped
(about 3/4 cup pistachios in shell)
* Green paste food coloring
* 1/3 cup(s) red candied cherries, finely chopped
* Red paste food coloring
Directions
1. Line 9-inch by 5-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting wrap extend on all sides. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar 4 minutes or until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and almond extract and beat until well blended. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.
3. Transfer 1 rounded cup plain dough to medium bowl; with spoon, stir in pistachios and enough green food coloring to tint dough bright green. In another bowl, place 1 rounded cup plain dough; stir in cherries and enough red food coloring to tint dough bright red.
4. Evenly pat pistachio dough into bottom of prepared pan; freeze 10 minutes. Pat plain dough on top of pistachio layer; freeze 10 minutes. Pat cherry dough on top. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to slice.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from pan; discard plastic wrap. With serrated knife, cut dough crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice crosswise into 3 cookies. Place cookies, 2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.
6. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and golden brown at edges. Cool cookies on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. With wide spatula, carefully transfer cookies to rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or in freezer up to 3 months.
