Sugared Sage Recipes

Steps:

• Melt the butter with the cooking oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix the rosemary, thyme, and flour into the butter mixture; cook and stir until smooth, bubbling, and turns a light tan color, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir the heavy cream into the flour mixture a little at a time, allowing each addition to incorporate fully before adding more. Stir the nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and pepper into the cream mixture; cook and stir until smooth.

Steps:

• Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Put remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Lightly brush cranberries and both sides of sage leaves with sugar syrup, then immediately roll in sugar.
• Transfer to a lightly oiled rack and dry at room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

Steps:

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dark brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, minced sage and salt. Use your fingers and rub the sage into the sugar to release its flavor. Add the flour and mix to combine. Add the butter and blend on low until a smooth dough forms. Scrape the bowl and paddle and blend for another 15 seconds.
• Place the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and wrap. Allow the dough to chill for at least two hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two half sheet pans with parchment.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Working on a lightly floured surface (or between two pieces of parchment), roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out desired shapes with a 2 1/2-inch people-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer cutouts to the parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until the edges are a deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the sheet pans.

Steps:

• Beat egg white with 1/2 teaspoon water. Lightly brush sage sprigs with egg-white mixture just to moisten, tapping off excess. Sprinkle with superfine sugar to coat completely. Let dry on parchment that has been coated with a thin layer of superfine sugar.

Steps:

• Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Put remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Lightly brush cranberries and both sides of sage leaves with sugar syrup, then immediately roll in sugar.
• Transfer to a lightly oiled rack and dry at room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.
• Cooks' note: Sugared cranberries and sage leaves keep, chilled in 1 layer in a baking pan, uncovered, 3 days.