Cookies
If you love cookies as much as I do, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Peppermint Stripe Cookies, the 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, and the rest of today's yummy recipes. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES
This is from Alana Al-Hatlani at Southern Living. This recipe begins, "Kiss cookies are a Christmas staple, and this rendition skips the peanut butter and double downs on the chocolate. Cocoa powder lends the simple dough its rich flavor, while milk chocolate kiss candies add a sweeter chocolate note.
"For an extra festive look, roll the cookies in red, green, and white nonpareil sprinkles instead of sugar, or use holiday kiss candies in the center instead of regular. A touch of peppermint extract in the dough would also be a welcome addition."
Active Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Yield: 3 dozen
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (about 8-1/2 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (about 1 5/8 oz.) unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
36 milk chocolate kisses (such as Hershey’s Kisses)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet using parchment paper.
Beat butter, brown sugar, and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg, half-and-half, and vanilla to mixer; beat on medium-high speed until fully combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until combined; add to butter mixture in mixer, beating on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Roll dough into 36 (1-inch) balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl; roll balls in sugar to coat. Arrange 12 dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately press 1 chocolate kiss into center of each cookie.
Return to oven; bake at 375°F for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven; cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining 24 balls and kisses. Let cookies cool completely on wire rack, about 20 minutes.
STRAWBERRY MAPLE OAT COOKIES
This is from Crofter’s Organic, and was featured in the December 2018 issue of Taste For Life, which I’d picked up at one of my favorite places, Rollin’ Oats in St. Petersburg, Florida. If you’re ever in St. Pete (especially if you live nearby), check it out!
Anyway, the recipe begins, “This recipe is far from your grandma’s oatmeal cookie. These cookies are the epitome of summer - chewy oatmeal goodness bursting with juicy strawberry flavor all thanks to our strawberry premium fruit spread. Count us in. This flavor combination is one for the books and will take your cookie game to the next level. Not to mention, they’re healthier than your average cookie but shhh no one needs to know. That’s because they taste great. Give them a try and see for yourself! Yum!”
Serves 6 - 8; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes.
Check them out online at https://croftersorganic.com/recipe/strawberry-maple-oat-cookies/.
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup Crofter’s Organic Strawberry Premium Fruit Spread
Directions
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients - flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Add spices and walnuts. Mix all together until combined.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix well with a whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix. Finally, stir in the diced strawberries. Mix gently with a spoon. Let the mixture sit for few minutes.
Preheat oven to 356F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a scoop or spoon, scoop the dough, and place it on the baking sheet. Arrange the cookies 2-inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough with the spoon.
Bake 12-15 minutes until the edges of the cookies begin to brown.
Remove cookies from the oven, and let them cool for few minutes on a baking sheet. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Three ingredients? Who'da thunk?
The people at the Food Network, that's who. This recipe starts off, "It only takes three basic ingredients and 20 minutes to make these cookies from start to finish. They're also gluten-free—no alt flours required!—but you would never guess it by their rich taste and texture."
Active Time: 10 minutes; Total TIme: 50 minutes (includes cooling time); Yield: 24 cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup creamy, salted peanut butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the peanut butter, brown sugar and egg to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Roll pieces of dough into tablespoon-size balls and divide between two baking sheets. Flatten each ball with the tines of a fork to form a criss-cross pattern.
Bake until the cookies are set and just turning golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
SKILLET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
This is from Samantha Seneviratne at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Samantha wrote, "Skillet cookies are perfect for lazy nights when everyone wants something sweet, but no one wants to work that hard for it. The batter comes together in one bowl, and it’s baked in a big skillet so there is no portioning dough, no baking in batches and very little time spent overall. It is important to use an oven-safe skillet. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is perfect but a basic skillet or an enameled version works well, too. Just be sure to avoid anything with wooden or plastic handles. Serve big scoops of warm cookie in bowls topped with ice cream or whipped cream. Or, serve cooled slices like you would any cookie."
Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024224-skillet-chocolate-chip-cookie. While you're there, if you haven't signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, you really should. You won't regret it.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup whole walnut halves or walnut pieces
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on medium, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the chocolate and the walnut halves.
Spread the batter evenly in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. It will be thin. Bake until golden brown and set but still slightly gooey in the center, 20 to 22 minutes. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. The cookie is best the day it’s made, but leftovers will last, well-wrapped, up to 3 days at room temperature.
PEPPERMINT STRIPE COOKIES
This is from Susan Spungen in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this really yummy cookie recipe, Susan wrote, "Inspired by a series of brushstroke paintings by Ellsworth Kelly, these sugar cookies are meant to be lined up in a tight grid, painted with bold red stripes and arranged randomly. To paint on cookies, they must be first coated with royal icing and allowed to dry, preferably overnight. Luster dust and petal dust, colored powders used in cake decorating, are mixed with peppermint extract (or lemon extract, if you prefer) as a medium. (The dusts are available from cake-decorating stores, craft stores or online.) Make sure the peppermint extract you use is primarily alcohol, which evaporates immediately, leaving the pigment behind, and not primarily peppermint oil, which might stain the cookies. Flat, soft art brushes work best to apply the color, and a plastic paint tray with wells is best for mixing them."
Total Time: 1 hour, plus at least 4 hours' drying; Yield: About 2 dozen cookies
This was featured in "12 Stunning Cookies That Will Impress Everyone You Know," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020646-peppermint-stripe-cookies.
Ingredients
For the Royal Icing
2 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more if needed
2 egg whites (or 2 tablespoons meringue powder and 4 tablespoons water)
A few drops of glycerin, if desired to create more of a sheen (optional)
For the Cookies and Decorating
1 recipe Basic Sugar Cookies, dough flavored with 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (omit the vanilla extract), cut into 3-inch squares and cooled
Red and pink petal dust and luster dust
Preparation
Prepare the royal icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, egg whites and glycerin, if using. Combine on low speed, then raise speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, and test some of the royal icing on a cookie: If it doesn’t spread out to a smooth finish within 10 seconds, it’s too thick. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as needed to thin the mixture, whipping it by hand using the whip attachment. If the royal icing runs off the edge of the cookie, it’s too thin, so you’ll need to whisk in more sugar to thicken. You should have 1-1/2 cups royal icing.
Transfer to a small airtight container and refrigerate. It can be left out for 1 or 2 days, but you’ll need to refrigerate for longer storage. (The icing will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks.)
Decorate the cookies: Pour the royal icing into a wide bowl. (The icing can be used cold, but it may separate, so it needs to be whisked, and may need to be thinned out with water or thickened with confectioners’ sugar.) Holding a cookie by the edges, with the top-side down, dip into the icing, moving the cookie around a bit to make sure the icing coats the whole surface. Gently shake the cookie from side to side to let the excess icing drip off.
Use a small offset spatula to stop the flow of icing, gently scrape cookie against edge of bowl, and flip the cookie over. Use the spatula to spread the icing to pop any air bubbles, and make sure it goes all the way to the edges. It should quickly smooth out on its own. If not, thin it out a bit until it does. Use your fingers to wipe away any icing on the outside edges. Repeat with all the cookies. Place on a cooling rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet to dry completely, preferably overnight (or at least 4 hours).
When dry, set up the cookies on a baking sheet or other flat surface in four rows of five cookies (you may have a few extra cookies), so they are abutting one another with no spaces. Mix the petal dust and luster dust with enough peppermint extract to make a very loose “wash” and, using brushes of different widths, make continuous brushstrokes in a few different widths across the entire surface. If you run out of pigment as you’re brushing, dip the brush again, and continue the line, allowing the brush texture to show in places. When dry, rearrange the cookies on a platter so the lines no longer match up. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
PUMPKIN SWIRL COOKIES
This is from the Food Network, and begins, “Break open these oversized cookies, fragrant with pumpkin and spice, to reveal a soft interior with a beautiful swirl.”
Level: Easy; Total: 4 hr 20 min (includes chilling and cooling times); Active: 55 min; Yield: 12 large cookies
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cookie Dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting (see Cook's Note)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup milk
Directions
For the sugar cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat together the granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl and paddle once, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to fully combine. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Turn off the mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients and turn the mixer to low; beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and increase the mixer speed to medium low for 1 minute to make sure the dough is well combined.
Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rubber spatula to spread and press the dough into a flat rectangle. Add a second piece of plastic wrap on top, and flatten the rectangle using a rolling pin to approximately 8 by 10 inches. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
For the pumpkin cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat together the brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl and paddle once, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to fully combine. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat to combine. Turn off the mixer. Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium low for 1 minute to make sure the dough is well combined.
Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rubber spatula to spread and press the dough into a flat rectangle. Add a second piece of plastic wrap on top and flatten with a rolling pin to approximately 8 inches by 10 inches. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Unwrap the pumpkin cookie dough and place on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Lightly flour the top and a rolling pin and roll into a larger rectangle about 10-1/2 by 16 inches (see Cook's Note). Slide the parchment with the dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate while you repeat the process with the sugar cookie dough. Roll and refrigerate the sugar cookie dough in the same manner.
Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the top of the pumpkin cookie dough. Using the parchment to help you, flip the pumpkin cookie dough onto the sugar cookie dough, lining up the 2 rectangles as closely as possible. Cut the dough in half crosswise with a very sharp knife or pastry cutter so you now have 2 rectangles that are 10-1/2 by 7 inches. Stack the dough rectangles on top of one another so you now have 4 layers of alternating cookie dough. Cut this stack crosswise into 6 rows, then lengthwise into 4 rows so you end up with a total of 24 squares. Stack one layered square on top of a second one and, using lightly floured hands, gently press the edges together and round into a domed ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares, evenly spacing 6 dough balls on each lined baking sheet.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed in the center and golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet to cool completely.
For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners' sugar with the pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk until completely incorporated. Transfer to a quart-sized resealable plastic bag or piping bag. Snip the end and drizzle the cooled cookies with the icing. Let set, about 20 minutes.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) The pumpkin dough will be much softer than the sugar cookie dough so you will have to use more flour when rolling out to prevent sticking. Work quickly; if the dough gets too soft or warm, place the whole piece of parchment on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for a few minutes.
CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES
This is from Alana Al-Hatlani at Southern Living. This recipe begins, "Kiss cookies are a Christmas staple, and this rendition skips the peanut butter and double downs on the chocolate. Cocoa powder lends the simple dough its rich flavor, while milk chocolate kiss candies add a sweeter chocolate note.
"For an extra festive look, roll the cookies in red, green, and white nonpareil sprinkles instead of sugar, or use holiday kiss candies in the center instead of regular. A touch of peppermint extract in the dough would also be a welcome addition."
Active Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Yield: 3 dozen
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (about 8-1/2 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (about 1 5/8 oz.) unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
36 milk chocolate kisses (such as Hershey’s Kisses)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet using parchment paper.
Beat butter, brown sugar, and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg, half-and-half, and vanilla to mixer; beat on medium-high speed until fully combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until combined; add to butter mixture in mixer, beating on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Roll dough into 36 (1-inch) balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl; roll balls in sugar to coat. Arrange 12 dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately press 1 chocolate kiss into center of each cookie.
Return to oven; bake at 375°F for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven; cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining 24 balls and kisses. Let cookies cool completely on wire rack, about 20 minutes.
STRAWBERRY MAPLE OAT COOKIES
This is from Crofter’s Organic, and was featured in the December 2018 issue of Taste For Life, which I’d picked up at one of my favorite places, Rollin’ Oats in St. Petersburg, Florida. If you’re ever in St. Pete (especially if you live nearby), check it out!
Anyway, the recipe begins, “This recipe is far from your grandma’s oatmeal cookie. These cookies are the epitome of summer - chewy oatmeal goodness bursting with juicy strawberry flavor all thanks to our strawberry premium fruit spread. Count us in. This flavor combination is one for the books and will take your cookie game to the next level. Not to mention, they’re healthier than your average cookie but shhh no one needs to know. That’s because they taste great. Give them a try and see for yourself! Yum!”
Serves 6 - 8; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes.
Check them out online at https://croftersorganic.com/recipe/strawberry-maple-oat-cookies/.
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1 egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup Crofter’s Organic Strawberry Premium Fruit Spread
Directions
In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients - flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Add spices and walnuts. Mix all together until combined.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix well with a whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix. Finally, stir in the diced strawberries. Mix gently with a spoon. Let the mixture sit for few minutes.
Preheat oven to 356F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a scoop or spoon, scoop the dough, and place it on the baking sheet. Arrange the cookies 2-inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough with the spoon.
Bake 12-15 minutes until the edges of the cookies begin to brown.
Remove cookies from the oven, and let them cool for few minutes on a baking sheet. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Three ingredients? Who'da thunk?
The people at the Food Network, that's who. This recipe starts off, "It only takes three basic ingredients and 20 minutes to make these cookies from start to finish. They're also gluten-free—no alt flours required!—but you would never guess it by their rich taste and texture."
Active Time: 10 minutes; Total TIme: 50 minutes (includes cooling time); Yield: 24 cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup creamy, salted peanut butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the peanut butter, brown sugar and egg to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Roll pieces of dough into tablespoon-size balls and divide between two baking sheets. Flatten each ball with the tines of a fork to form a criss-cross pattern.
Bake until the cookies are set and just turning golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
SKILLET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
This is from Samantha Seneviratne at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Samantha wrote, "Skillet cookies are perfect for lazy nights when everyone wants something sweet, but no one wants to work that hard for it. The batter comes together in one bowl, and it’s baked in a big skillet so there is no portioning dough, no baking in batches and very little time spent overall. It is important to use an oven-safe skillet. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is perfect but a basic skillet or an enameled version works well, too. Just be sure to avoid anything with wooden or plastic handles. Serve big scoops of warm cookie in bowls topped with ice cream or whipped cream. Or, serve cooled slices like you would any cookie."
Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024224-skillet-chocolate-chip-cookie. While you're there, if you haven't signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, you really should. You won't regret it.
Ingredients
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup whole walnut halves or walnut pieces
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on medium, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the chocolate and the walnut halves.
Spread the batter evenly in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet. It will be thin. Bake until golden brown and set but still slightly gooey in the center, 20 to 22 minutes. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature. The cookie is best the day it’s made, but leftovers will last, well-wrapped, up to 3 days at room temperature.
PEPPERMINT STRIPE COOKIES
This is from Susan Spungen in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this really yummy cookie recipe, Susan wrote, "Inspired by a series of brushstroke paintings by Ellsworth Kelly, these sugar cookies are meant to be lined up in a tight grid, painted with bold red stripes and arranged randomly. To paint on cookies, they must be first coated with royal icing and allowed to dry, preferably overnight. Luster dust and petal dust, colored powders used in cake decorating, are mixed with peppermint extract (or lemon extract, if you prefer) as a medium. (The dusts are available from cake-decorating stores, craft stores or online.) Make sure the peppermint extract you use is primarily alcohol, which evaporates immediately, leaving the pigment behind, and not primarily peppermint oil, which might stain the cookies. Flat, soft art brushes work best to apply the color, and a plastic paint tray with wells is best for mixing them."
Total Time: 1 hour, plus at least 4 hours' drying; Yield: About 2 dozen cookies
This was featured in "12 Stunning Cookies That Will Impress Everyone You Know," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020646-peppermint-stripe-cookies.
Ingredients
For the Royal Icing
2 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more if needed
2 egg whites (or 2 tablespoons meringue powder and 4 tablespoons water)
A few drops of glycerin, if desired to create more of a sheen (optional)
For the Cookies and Decorating
1 recipe Basic Sugar Cookies, dough flavored with 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (omit the vanilla extract), cut into 3-inch squares and cooled
Red and pink petal dust and luster dust
Preparation
Prepare the royal icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, egg whites and glycerin, if using. Combine on low speed, then raise speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, and test some of the royal icing on a cookie: If it doesn’t spread out to a smooth finish within 10 seconds, it’s too thick. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as needed to thin the mixture, whipping it by hand using the whip attachment. If the royal icing runs off the edge of the cookie, it’s too thin, so you’ll need to whisk in more sugar to thicken. You should have 1-1/2 cups royal icing.
Transfer to a small airtight container and refrigerate. It can be left out for 1 or 2 days, but you’ll need to refrigerate for longer storage. (The icing will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks.)
Decorate the cookies: Pour the royal icing into a wide bowl. (The icing can be used cold, but it may separate, so it needs to be whisked, and may need to be thinned out with water or thickened with confectioners’ sugar.) Holding a cookie by the edges, with the top-side down, dip into the icing, moving the cookie around a bit to make sure the icing coats the whole surface. Gently shake the cookie from side to side to let the excess icing drip off.
Use a small offset spatula to stop the flow of icing, gently scrape cookie against edge of bowl, and flip the cookie over. Use the spatula to spread the icing to pop any air bubbles, and make sure it goes all the way to the edges. It should quickly smooth out on its own. If not, thin it out a bit until it does. Use your fingers to wipe away any icing on the outside edges. Repeat with all the cookies. Place on a cooling rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet to dry completely, preferably overnight (or at least 4 hours).
When dry, set up the cookies on a baking sheet or other flat surface in four rows of five cookies (you may have a few extra cookies), so they are abutting one another with no spaces. Mix the petal dust and luster dust with enough peppermint extract to make a very loose “wash” and, using brushes of different widths, make continuous brushstrokes in a few different widths across the entire surface. If you run out of pigment as you’re brushing, dip the brush again, and continue the line, allowing the brush texture to show in places. When dry, rearrange the cookies on a platter so the lines no longer match up. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
PUMPKIN SWIRL COOKIES
This is from the Food Network, and begins, “Break open these oversized cookies, fragrant with pumpkin and spice, to reveal a soft interior with a beautiful swirl.”
Level: Easy; Total: 4 hr 20 min (includes chilling and cooling times); Active: 55 min; Yield: 12 large cookies
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cookie Dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting (see Cook's Note)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup milk
Directions
For the sugar cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat together the granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl and paddle once, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to fully combine. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Turn off the mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients and turn the mixer to low; beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and increase the mixer speed to medium low for 1 minute to make sure the dough is well combined.
Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rubber spatula to spread and press the dough into a flat rectangle. Add a second piece of plastic wrap on top, and flatten the rectangle using a rolling pin to approximately 8 by 10 inches. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
For the pumpkin cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat together the brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl and paddle once, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to fully combine. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and beat to combine. Turn off the mixer. Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium low for 1 minute to make sure the dough is well combined.
Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rubber spatula to spread and press the dough into a flat rectangle. Add a second piece of plastic wrap on top and flatten with a rolling pin to approximately 8 inches by 10 inches. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Unwrap the pumpkin cookie dough and place on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Lightly flour the top and a rolling pin and roll into a larger rectangle about 10-1/2 by 16 inches (see Cook's Note). Slide the parchment with the dough onto a baking sheet and refrigerate while you repeat the process with the sugar cookie dough. Roll and refrigerate the sugar cookie dough in the same manner.
Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess flour from the top of the pumpkin cookie dough. Using the parchment to help you, flip the pumpkin cookie dough onto the sugar cookie dough, lining up the 2 rectangles as closely as possible. Cut the dough in half crosswise with a very sharp knife or pastry cutter so you now have 2 rectangles that are 10-1/2 by 7 inches. Stack the dough rectangles on top of one another so you now have 4 layers of alternating cookie dough. Cut this stack crosswise into 6 rows, then lengthwise into 4 rows so you end up with a total of 24 squares. Stack one layered square on top of a second one and, using lightly floured hands, gently press the edges together and round into a domed ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares, evenly spacing 6 dough balls on each lined baking sheet.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed in the center and golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack set inside a baking sheet to cool completely.
For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners' sugar with the pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk until completely incorporated. Transfer to a quart-sized resealable plastic bag or piping bag. Snip the end and drizzle the cooled cookies with the icing. Let set, about 20 minutes.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) The pumpkin dough will be much softer than the sugar cookie dough so you will have to use more flour when rolling out to prevent sticking. Work quickly; if the dough gets too soft or warm, place the whole piece of parchment on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for a few minutes.
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