Panettone is the type of bread that I love to eat but don't ever attempt to make myself. In addition to being labor-intensive, panettone at home would never come out as good as what I'd find at a panetteria. So instead of baking one, I used panettone as a muse to add a little holiday razzmatazz to this year's cookie boxes. During the holiday season, shortbread cookies are always on the nice list. In addition to being incredibly simple to make, they’re highly customizable. Once you’ve assembled the buttery dough (which takes only a few minutes), you can add pretty much anything your holly-jolly heart desires, making them the perfect vehicle for this cookie version of panettone. Traditionally, the pillowy, enriched panettone dough is studded with lots of dried fruits and nuts. The add-ins can vary, but for me, a great panettone has plenty of orange. So in addition to golden raisins and dried cherries, I add both fresh orange zest and candied orange peel. You can add any other dried fruit you’d like: dried pineapple, cranberries, etc. Just be sure to give everything a good chop before adding to the dough. Before baking, the dough is rolled into a log and chilled in the fridge before being sliced. But if you don't want to bake them all at once, you could pop the log into the freezer and slice off cookies as you need them. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, they’re dipped in white chocolate and garnished with toasted almonds and additional candied orange. They’re wonderful eaten on their own, but in true holiday spirit, I like to serve them with a nip of amaretto.
