Welcome 2022 With New Year's Eve Cookies

So I researched traditions of foods eaten on New Year's eve that bring luck for the new year. Most cultures have food served on New Year's Day, but I was looking for New Year's eve. I wanted inspiration for my cookies this week and thought this was a great starting point.

I came across the Spanish tradition of 12 Grapes, where you eat one grape at each stroke at midnight on December 31st. This tradition that started in Spain has spread to other cultures as well. For example, Portugal has adapted raisins instead of grapes, mainly because they are easier to eat.

The Philippines has a tradition of eating round fruit on New Year's Eve. Oranges are one fruit in the round fruit group. I am seeing a cookie beginning to develop.

Ingredients for Raisin Filling and Cookie Dough

Rum Raisin Filling

• Raisins
• Orange
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Corn starch
• Water
• Rum Extract

Cookie Dough

• Butter unsalted 
• Cream cheese 
• All-purpose flour

Instructions for Rum Raisin with Orange Cookies

I make the rum raisin filling and the cookie dough the day before; the flavors seem to infuse into the raisins, and the cookie dough seems easier to work with as far as rolling out the dough.

Making the Raisin Filling

The first thing is to zest and juice an orange. When zesting, you only want to go over the same spot no more than two times. The next layer down is called the white pith. While you can get a slight bitterness from the top layer of the orange or any citrus, the white part of the fruit contains most of the bitterness.

Juice the orange and add it to a measuring cup; you want to add water to the juice to have one cup combined of juice and water. You will not lose flavor if your orange does not produce much juice. I got ¼ cup of orange juice and added ¾ cup water to get the 1 cup total.

Add the water/orange juice combo, orange zest, sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch, and stir in a saucepan. Once combined, add the raisins and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a full boil and reduce the liquid to a syrup consistency. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rum extract.

The flavor seems to enhance if you make it the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight. I do take out the raisin filling and stir it once in a while. It will thicken and help keep it from running out of the cookie when assembling.

Making the Cookie Dough

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until blended. Gradually add the flour and mix for a minute. Take the mixture out of the mixer bowl and onto a pastry mat or counter. Don't worry if some of the flour has not come together; knead it and form a ball. Once the dough has come together, flatten the ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Assembling the Cookies

I cut the flattened disk of cookie dough that came out of the refrigerator into quarters to make it more manageable. Roll out one of the quarters to 1/16-inch and cut as many circles as possible using a 4" round cookie or biscuit cutter. If you use a smaller cookie cutter, you will have to adjust the amount of filling you add.

Putting the cut-out dough circle on a parchment-lined sheet pan, add about a teaspoon of the raisin mixture onto half of the dough circle. Sealing the edges is where the fork-stirred egg white comes into play. Brush the egg white around the edge and fold the dough over the raisin filling.

Finger press the edges to seal the cookie. I take a fork and go around the edges to ensure the cookie will not open during baking. Make a small hole in the top for steam to escape. I only assembled six cookies on a cookie sheet to give myself room to work.

Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 13-15 minutes. You want them to brown slightly on the edges and the bottom. Move them to a cooling rack once out of the oven. I added a little powdered sugar to the tops after they had cooled.