Holiday Cookies
It's December, time to really ramp up the holiday desserts. What better way to start than with Holiday Cookies? Check out the Gingersnap Cookies, the Eggnog Meltaway Cookies, and the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!
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.
BEST SUGAR COOKIES
This is from Susan Spungen in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Susan wrote, "This easy sugar cookie dough is perfect for rolling and cutting and bakes into cookies ideal for frosting. It holds its shape well during baking, tastes great, and the flavor can be changed according to whim: Swap out the vanilla and try adding orange zest, lemon zest, finely chopped rosemary or almond extract. You can also give these cookies a radical makeover by decorating them with icing. A few drops of gel food coloring turn them into Color-Field Cookies; red stripes transform them into Peppermint Stripe Cookies; or a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and pistachios create Abstract Art Cookies. Rubber spacers on your rolling pin are especially helpful here: They’ll help you roll the dough to an even thickness, resulting in beautiful, uniform cookies."
Total Time: 1 hour; Yield: 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/1020651-best-sugar-cookies.
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick. Use 3-inch floured cutters to cut out cookies, and transfer to two parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1-1/2 inches apart. Reroll scraps as needed, chilling as needed until firm before rolling and cutting again. Freeze until very firm, about 10 minutes.
Bake until golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 months.
LOW-FAT HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES
This is from Fiona Haynes, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. For this yummy recipe, Fiona wrote, "With almost half the butter of most sugar cookies, and all of the flavor, these cookies are a crowd pleaser and offer a blank canvas for decorating. They come together much the same way as typical sugar cookies, with a dough that needs to chill for a bit before rolling it out.
"Top with festive holiday sprinkles before baking or add a glaze afterward using confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and some food coloring."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Chill Time: 2 hours; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 15; Yield: 30 cookies
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/low-fat-holiday-sugar-cookies-2245912.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Alternatively, use a hand-held electric mixer.
Add egg and vanilla, mixing well to combine.
In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture until a dough forms. Don't worry if dough seems a little crumbly at first; it will come together as you mix it.
Shape the dough into a disk, rap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Position a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch thickness.
Use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make cutouts. Gather scraps and reroll until all the dough is used.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake in batches, if necessary, until edges are lightly browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips
Feel free to customize the recipe a bit to your liking. For example, you can use a little more vanilla extract than what we've called for if you'd like to accentuate that flavor, or combine it with almond extract, or use almond extract all by itself.
Cut the ball of dough in half and keep one half in the refrigerator while you roll, cut out, and decorate the other half with frosting or sanding sugar.
How to Store and Freeze Low-Fat Christmas Sugar Cookies
Store in a tightly covered container for a week to 10 days. You can also freeze butter cookies, albeit very carefully. Lay them out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a zip-close bag that you then put in a tightly covered container. They should be safe from freezer odors and protected from accidental breakage for up to three months.
CANDY CANE SANDWICH COOKIES
This is from Better Homes & Gardens, and begins, "Turn a favorite holiday flavor into pretty peppermint sandwich cookies and serve them up at a cookie exchange, holiday party, or potluck."
Prep Time: 45 minutes; Chill Time: 1 hour; Bake Time: 8 minutes; Servings: 20; Yield: 20 sandwich cookies
To view this online, go to https://www.bhg.com/recipe/candy-cane-sandwich-cookies/.
Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Red paste food coloring
1 recipe Peppermint Filling
Peppermint Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon milk
Directions
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
Divide dough in half. Leave one half plain. Tint the remaining half with desired amount of food coloring. Cover each portion and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape each portion of dough into 1/2-inch balls. Roll together one plain ball and one red ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press with the bottom of a sugared glass until about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough, placing balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Transfer to wire racks; cool.
Spread Peppermint Filling on bottoms of half of the cookies, using 2 teaspoons for each cookie. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom sides down.
Peppermint Filling
In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in peppermint extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in enough milk to make a filling of piping consistency.
To Store:
Layer sandwich cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES
This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “
Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
GINGERSNAP COOKIES
This is from Kristina Vanni in The Spruce Eats. Kristina wrote, "Gingersnaps have been enjoyed for centuries. In fact, the early versions of these spiced cookies were likely invented by medieval monks in Germany as early as the 13th century. The recipes were passed down through the generations and found their way to America with the early colonists. They are still enjoyed to this day, especially around the holidays.
"The moment you smell the aroma of molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg wafting from the oven, you know the holidays are near. These classic cookies make the perfect edible holiday gift. They're easy to roll and bake and they keep well in an airtight container. Bake up a few batches to give away to friends and family and take a batch along to your next holiday cookie exchange. The spiciness of the ginger and the richness of molasses pairs well with a warm cup of tea or coffee..."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes; Total Time: 22 minutes; Makes 18 servings; Yield: 36 cookies
View this online at https://www.thespruceeats.com/gingersnap-cookies-4768986.
Ingredients
3/4 cup shortening, or softened butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
4 tablespoons molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
Combine the butter or shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in another bowl.
Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls using a 1 tablespoon scoop, and roll in additional granulated sugar.
Place each ball 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes for a softer cookie and longer for a crisper cookie.
Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container.
Softened Butter vs. Shortening
This recipe works well with either softened butter or shortening.
Shortening tends to yield a higher, lighter-textured baked goods, while butter tends to result in cookies that are flatter and crisper.
Butter imparts more of its own rich flavor in a recipe while shortening remains a neutral flavor, allowing spices to really shine.
Shortening is soft at room temperature, so if time is of the essence and you don't have any butter softened, it is a good option.
You may be pleased to know that many major shortening brands now make all of their shortening products without trans fats.
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.
BEST SUGAR COOKIES
This is from Susan Spungen in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Susan wrote, "This easy sugar cookie dough is perfect for rolling and cutting and bakes into cookies ideal for frosting. It holds its shape well during baking, tastes great, and the flavor can be changed according to whim: Swap out the vanilla and try adding orange zest, lemon zest, finely chopped rosemary or almond extract. You can also give these cookies a radical makeover by decorating them with icing. A few drops of gel food coloring turn them into Color-Field Cookies; red stripes transform them into Peppermint Stripe Cookies; or a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and pistachios create Abstract Art Cookies. Rubber spacers on your rolling pin are especially helpful here: They’ll help you roll the dough to an even thickness, resulting in beautiful, uniform cookies."
Total Time: 1 hour; Yield: 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/1020651-best-sugar-cookies.
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick. Use 3-inch floured cutters to cut out cookies, and transfer to two parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1-1/2 inches apart. Reroll scraps as needed, chilling as needed until firm before rolling and cutting again. Freeze until very firm, about 10 minutes.
Bake until golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or frozen up to 3 months.
LOW-FAT HOLIDAY SUGAR COOKIES
This is from Fiona Haynes, who wrote for The Spruce Eats. For this yummy recipe, Fiona wrote, "With almost half the butter of most sugar cookies, and all of the flavor, these cookies are a crowd pleaser and offer a blank canvas for decorating. They come together much the same way as typical sugar cookies, with a dough that needs to chill for a bit before rolling it out.
"Top with festive holiday sprinkles before baking or add a glaze afterward using confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and some food coloring."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Chill Time: 2 hours; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 15; Yield: 30 cookies
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/low-fat-holiday-sugar-cookies-2245912.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Alternatively, use a hand-held electric mixer.
Add egg and vanilla, mixing well to combine.
In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture until a dough forms. Don't worry if dough seems a little crumbly at first; it will come together as you mix it.
Shape the dough into a disk, rap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Position a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch thickness.
Use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make cutouts. Gather scraps and reroll until all the dough is used.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake in batches, if necessary, until edges are lightly browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips
Feel free to customize the recipe a bit to your liking. For example, you can use a little more vanilla extract than what we've called for if you'd like to accentuate that flavor, or combine it with almond extract, or use almond extract all by itself.
Cut the ball of dough in half and keep one half in the refrigerator while you roll, cut out, and decorate the other half with frosting or sanding sugar.
How to Store and Freeze Low-Fat Christmas Sugar Cookies
Store in a tightly covered container for a week to 10 days. You can also freeze butter cookies, albeit very carefully. Lay them out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a zip-close bag that you then put in a tightly covered container. They should be safe from freezer odors and protected from accidental breakage for up to three months.
CANDY CANE SANDWICH COOKIES
This is from Better Homes & Gardens, and begins, "Turn a favorite holiday flavor into pretty peppermint sandwich cookies and serve them up at a cookie exchange, holiday party, or potluck."
Prep Time: 45 minutes; Chill Time: 1 hour; Bake Time: 8 minutes; Servings: 20; Yield: 20 sandwich cookies
To view this online, go to https://www.bhg.com/recipe/candy-cane-sandwich-cookies/.
Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Red paste food coloring
1 recipe Peppermint Filling
Peppermint Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon milk
Directions
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
Divide dough in half. Leave one half plain. Tint the remaining half with desired amount of food coloring. Cover each portion and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape each portion of dough into 1/2-inch balls. Roll together one plain ball and one red ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press with the bottom of a sugared glass until about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough, placing balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Transfer to wire racks; cool.
Spread Peppermint Filling on bottoms of half of the cookies, using 2 teaspoons for each cookie. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom sides down.
Peppermint Filling
In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in peppermint extract. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in enough milk to make a filling of piping consistency.
To Store:
Layer sandwich cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES
This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “
Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
GINGERSNAP COOKIES
This is from Kristina Vanni in The Spruce Eats. Kristina wrote, "Gingersnaps have been enjoyed for centuries. In fact, the early versions of these spiced cookies were likely invented by medieval monks in Germany as early as the 13th century. The recipes were passed down through the generations and found their way to America with the early colonists. They are still enjoyed to this day, especially around the holidays.
"The moment you smell the aroma of molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg wafting from the oven, you know the holidays are near. These classic cookies make the perfect edible holiday gift. They're easy to roll and bake and they keep well in an airtight container. Bake up a few batches to give away to friends and family and take a batch along to your next holiday cookie exchange. The spiciness of the ginger and the richness of molasses pairs well with a warm cup of tea or coffee..."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes; Total Time: 22 minutes; Makes 18 servings; Yield: 36 cookies
View this online at https://www.thespruceeats.com/gingersnap-cookies-4768986.
Ingredients
3/4 cup shortening, or softened butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
4 tablespoons molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
Combine the butter or shortening, sugar, molasses, and egg in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in another bowl.
Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls using a 1 tablespoon scoop, and roll in additional granulated sugar.
Place each ball 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes for a softer cookie and longer for a crisper cookie.
Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container.
Softened Butter vs. Shortening
This recipe works well with either softened butter or shortening.
Shortening tends to yield a higher, lighter-textured baked goods, while butter tends to result in cookies that are flatter and crisper.
Butter imparts more of its own rich flavor in a recipe while shortening remains a neutral flavor, allowing spices to really shine.
Shortening is soft at room temperature, so if time is of the essence and you don't have any butter softened, it is a good option.
You may be pleased to know that many major shortening brands now make all of their shortening products without trans fats.
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