Blueberry Cookies: A Blueberry Lover's Delight

I had some extra time during the holiday season and a great deal of it was spent in the laboratory.

A number of experiments were conducted. There were successes and failures. A couple of the failures were caused by humidity levels. These were successfully resuscitated and subsequently consumed. One notable failure looked like an alien from "The X-Files." For that reason alone it wasn't a total failure, because it made me laugh. It also taught me what to avoid the next time around. (Silver linings, gotta love 'em!)

These blueberry cookies were one of the successes. And what a smashing success they were! Try this recipe for yourself and see.

Get thee some blueberry juice! Fresh or frozen blueberries may be used for this recipe. Canned? Fugheddaboudit!

I used organic blueberries (purchased from Costco) in this recipe. Just get a small saucepan, toss in 1/4-1/2 cup of blueberries and heat on low to medium heat until blueberries soften and release their juices. Use a hand held potato masher or ricer to break up the blueberries while in the pan. Don't let the juice evaporate.

Remove from heat and allow the blueberries to cool before using. Strain the blueberry juice into a small bowl or container. (Press as much juice out of the pulp as you can.) Reserve the pulp. Both of these are added separately for scientific reasons.

Originally, I wasn't going to use the pulp in this recipe at all, but then I decided to do so, just for some visual interest. I am very glad I did and you will be, too.

For the cookie dough:

• 3/4 cup, unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup, powdered sugar (a.k.a.-confectioner's sugar)
• 1 heaping tsp.,blueberry pulp
• 1 Tbsp., blueberry juice
• 1 1/4 cups, flour
• 1/2 cup, cornstarch

For the icing:

• 1/4 cup, unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp., blueberry pulp
• 1 tsp., blueberry juice
• 3/4 cup, powdered sugar

Optional Garnish:

• organic dried blueberries, chopped or whole

1. Cream butter and sugar in a medium to large mixing bowl until light & fluffy.
2. Add pulp and juice, mix well.
3. Sift together flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch.
4. Add sifted ingredients to butter mixture in 3-4 increments, mixing well after each addition.
5. Shape dough into logs, approximately 8" long and 1" in diameter.
6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
7. Place dough in freezer until firm (10-20 minutes.) Alternatively, dough may be refrigerated overnight, (or until firm).
8. While dough is in the freezer or fridge, cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Remove dough from freezer and remove protective covering. Slice dough into rounds about 1/4" thick.
10. Place on cookie sheets with 1" to 1 1/2" of space between the rounds.
11. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Check them at 8 minutes. The cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom only.
12. Let cookies sit on the sheets for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to plates or onto a cooling rack until completely cooled. The cookies are very delicate after you remove them from the oven but they will harden as they cool. *Special Note: Try not to eat all of them before you get them frosted. That will be a challenge.

1. Place butter in mixing bowl. Mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Sift powdered sugar into bowl.
3. Mix on slow setting until mixed, then on high until mixture is light and creamy.
4. Add 1 tsp. blueberry juice & 1 teaspoon blueberry pulp.
5. Mix until well-incorporated.
6. Using an offset spatula, frost each cookie and garnish with dried blueberries. Alternatively, you can put the icing in a pastry back and use that instead. It will be thick enough to do so.
7. The icing will harden so you may store them between layers of parchment in a tightly sealed container. *Special Note: They won't be in storage for long.
8. Enjoy the blueberry goodness!