Christmas Cookies #1: Russian Mushroom Cookies – “Gribochky”

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the cookies, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, corn starch and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla, egg and sour cream and continue beating until blended, 1 to 2 minutes more, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until blended.

With floured hands, shape the 1/2 dough into 24 mushroom caps/balls (about 0.7oz each) and place them on the prepared sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Shape the rest of the dough into 24 mushroom stems, (about 0.5oz each). You can put the 'caps' on one sheet and 'stems' on another. I used 4 baking sheets.

Bake two sheets at the time, until the cookies are just beginning to brown, about 10-12 minutes, switching the pans and rotating a half turn halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes.  Repeat with two more baking sheets.

Place the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl. Place over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.

While the cookies are warm, poke a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Spread chocolate over the bottom of the cap. Dip the tip of a stem in chocolate, and press lightly into the hole. When the chocolate sets, they will hold together. Repeat with remaining pieces.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and orange/lemon juice until smooth. Stir in one drop of food coloring at a time until the desired shade is reached. Glaze the mushroom caps with sugar glaze and let it dry.

Dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar shaken through a sieve.