Christmas cookie recipes Archives - Page 2 of 2

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 16, 2011

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… Eight White Chocolate Ginger Drops. (I hope you sang that in the right tune.) I think the song version of the Twelve Days of Christmas has eight maids of milking today, which is extremely convenient because these cookies are fabulous with a glass of milk. I know this because I have had a few each night with a glass of milk…mmmmm. I love this recipe because I don’t have to pipe the gingerbread cookies. I plan on decorating sugar cookies this weekend, so the thought of having to pipe gingerbread men was exhausting (yes, piping gingerbread would have been my breaking point after making 12 types of cookies.) So the reason why I love this recipe is because it gives you the same gingerbread cookie, but it is topped with white chocolate instead of royal icing. Which in this case makes them even more amazing. Don’t believe me? Well, make them and try to prove me differently.

White Chocolate Ginger Drops

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup of unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup of white sugar for dipping cookies in before cooking
1 cup of white chocolate chips

Directions
In a separate bowl whisk together the first 6 ingredients listed, up until the nutmeg. Next in bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy about 5 minutes. Add in molasses, egg, and vanilla until all ingredients are combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for four hours of more. When dough is ready take out of fridge and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop cookies into one inch balls, roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart from one another on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 -10 minutes. When the cookies come out of the open place 4-5 white chocolate chips in the center. Move cookies to wire cooling racks.

Enjoy!

-K

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 14, 2011

Ten Lords-a-leaping, that just makes me laugh. For some reason I am imagining football player like men jumping around in ballet costume. Haha. Well now after I got that image in your head, now don’t ten glazed lemon cookies sound amazing!

When I bake for the holidays I like to reach all types of cookie flavors- the classic sugar cookie, a peanut butter cookie, a peppermint cookie, a chocolate cookie, and a lemon cookie. This particular recipe is my boyfriend’s favorite. The cookie itself isn’t lemon flavor but the glaze is made with lemon zest, lemon juice and powdered sugar and it gives the cookie a great lemony sweetness. I bet you can’t eat just one!

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:
3/4 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup of sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups flour

Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from one lemon

Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt, mix to combine. Gradually mix in flour until all of it is incorporated. Form a large ball with all the dough. Divide in two balls. Roll each ball out to 1 ¼ inch diameter logs and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment papers. Cut dough into ¼ inch slices. Re-round the edges if they lose shape, and space 1 1/2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until firm. Try not to let them brown that much. Let them cool on cooling racks

To make Icing- Take 1 cups of confectioners’ sugar and mix with lemon zest and half of lemon juice. If too thick, gradually add more lemon juice until the glaze is pourable. Once cookies are cooled, dip them in the icing. Shake off excess glaze and let dry on wax paper.

Source: adapted from Real Simple Magazine, December 2008

-K

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 12, 2011

Why twelve you say? Well, because this is the Twelve Cookies of Christmas, and today we are officially 12 days from Christmas!

That’s right 12 types of cookies…I have officially gone Christmas cookie overboard. What’s worse is that I made 8 types over the weekend on top of hosting a dinner on Saturday. Let’s just say when Christmas music is playing, I can crank those Christmas cookies out!

So here we are 12 days before Christmas and I thought what would be a better present to all our readers than sharing 12 different recipes for the cookies I have made for the holiday season. Just don’t tell weight watchers that I went this cookie crazy!

What are better than 12 drummers drumming? Well, after going to my boyfriend’s shows for his band Emergency Now, I can tell you that 1 drummer drumming is powerful enough, so 12 of them would probably hurt your ears. Ear plugs would be a must! Anyways back on topic, 12 Salted Chocolate Carmel Shortbread Bars are what are better! This recipe was probably those most labor intensive of the cookies, but holy crap they are amazing. It definitely helped that I made these first. Make them!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Yield: about 5 dozen small bars
Ingredients:
For shortbread layer-
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

For caramel layer:
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cans sweetened condensed milk

For chocolate layer:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (chopped if you can’t chips)
1 tsp. light corn syrup
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Fleur de sel or sea salt or Kosher salt

Directions:
For Shortbread layer:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper comes up on the sides. In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Next in mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 1-2 minutes or until blended. Slowing the mixer to a lower setting, mix in the dry ingredients. Transfer the dough to the parchment paper lined baking pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Make sure the crust doesn’t have any bubbles in it, if so push them down with a spatula. Move pan to a wire rack and let cool.

To make caramel layer-

In a medium sauce pan combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted. Increase heat to medium-high and bring caramel mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, reduce to a simmer. Continue, until the mixture thickens and becomes darker (Keep stirring and make sure the heat isn’t too high or it will burn). Pour the caramel over the shortbread layer and smooth out. Chill to harden slightly before pouring chocolate on it.

To make chocolate layer:

In a double boiler combine chocolate, corn syrup, and butter and melt completely until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture on to the caramel layer and spread so that it is even. Allow to cool for a minute then sprinkle with salt. Cover an chill until ready to cut and serve.

Sources: Annie’s Eats and Lisa is Cooking, components originally from Baked and The Golden Book of Baking

-K