Sliced Cookies: Spiced Walnut Cookies

These are sliced after they've been chilled. Use a sharp knife and cut straight down to avoid crushing the cookies as you cut. If you do accidentally flatten the cookies, just fix them up a little by hand. They don't have to be perfect. You're just going to eat them.


The unbaked dough can be frozen in its log form for up to 6 weeks, so you can easily make the dough ahead of time, baking just a few cookies as necessary.


Ingredients


½ cup sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1½ cups all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves


Preparation


In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Add vanilla and egg and blend until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients, making sure they are well incorporated. Blend with your hands if necessary until you have a soft, if slightly sticky, dough.


Turn the dough out onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log that is about 12 inches long. Roll it gently and pat the ends flat. Wrap the log in the wax paper and place in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.


Heat oven to 425°F. Take the log out of the fridge and unwrap it. Cut the dough into ½-inch slices. You will end up with 24 slices. Place the slices on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then cool completely on wire racks.


These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen.