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Gingerbread Biscotti

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Gingerbread Biscotti

Happy holidays!  I hope everyone is having a relaxing holiday and getting some quality cooking and baking time in.  K and I had a strategic blog meeting earlier this month and we opted not to do our annual 12 Days of Christmas Cookies this year.  December is always such a busy month and we decided we would be able to enjoy our Christmas prep without all the self-imposed deadlines.  If you are still looking for some holiday baking inspiration, we have our archive of cookie recipes saved under the Christmas Cookies tag.

Gingerbread Latte

While we were together this year for Christmas at my parent’s home, K and I decided to make some Gingerbread Biscotti.  We knew it would be perfect holiday treat to go with our morning coffee.  We even used International Delight Gingerbread Latte creamer with our coffee to help meet our official holiday gingerbread quota! (Be sure to check out the the International Delight Member Delights’ program for coupons and giveaways.)

Our mom had found us this recipe for Gingerbread Biscotti and we had a lot of fun one afternoon baking together during T & N’s nap time one day.  We don’t often get an opportunity to make stuff together since we live on opposite sides of the country.  It’s also always a fun time writing up a blog post together- I do most of the writing and K focuses on the food styling and photography.

gingerbread biscotti 1

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Gingerbread Biscotti
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Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20-30 pieces
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring hands
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • A few grates of nutmeg (or a pinch of ground nutmeg)
  • A pinch of black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg white
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, pepper and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, the granulated sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add the sugar and butter ingredients to the flour and spice mixture and stir to combine.
  2. Separate dough into two balls. Transfer first ball to the prepared baking sheet and form it into a slightly flattened log (approximately 11 inches by 2½ inches.) Repeat with second half of dough on the other side of the baking sheet. Meanwhile, whisk egg white in a small bowl until foamy. Brush the egg white over each log.
  3. Bake biscotti for 25 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet. Once the biscotti has cooled down, move each log to a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to cut the log on the diagonal into approximately ½" slices.
  4. Arrange slices (keeping a cut side down) on baking sheet. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. Turn each biscotti over and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden all over. Transfer biscotti to a cooling rack.

 Source: Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Enjoy your last few days of 2014 and happy new year 2015!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

2 Pecan Sandies

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I know M and I have been saying this the whole time, but I cannot believe we are only three days away from Christmas.  All the cookies are made and we are so excited to share the the last two with you.  Today’s cookies are the Pecan Sandies, a delicious butter cookie with a hint of sweetness and a whole lot of pecans!  I actually picked out this recipe last February when I got the Bouchon Bakery cookbook.  When you know you have to make 12 new types of cookies in December, you definitely  need to plan ahead!

Pecan Sandies

This recipe closely resembles my family’s recipes for Mexican Wedding Cakes, the only difference is that these are made with pecans instead of walnuts, and the cookies are pressed down instead of just cooked in ball shape. I wouldn’t refuse either with a cup of tea or coffee…mmmmmmm.

2 Pecan Sandies

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2 Pecan Sandies
Author: 
Serves: 24-30
 
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups plus 2 tsp. all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar, additional for sprinkling finished cookies
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and mix together until light and fluffy.
  3. In a separate bowl combine pecans and flour.
  4. Mix dry ingredients into butter until combined, scraping down the side of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
  5. Roll dough into 1 to 1½ inch balls. Place dough balls at least 2 inches away from on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Lightly flour the backside of a measuring cup, press dough ball into ½ inch thick disk.I
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cookies are lightly golden on edges, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Let cool on a wire rack and lightly sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar.

Source- Slightly adapted from Bouchon Bakery cookbook

sisterk (2)

11 Christmas Snickerdoodles

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Christmas Snickerdoodles (from 2 Sisters 2 Cities)

For my first Christmas cookie recipe of the season, I decided to turn a traditional year-round cookie into a Christmas version of itself.  I used red and green sugar crystals in the recipe to turn these Snickerdoodles into Christmas Snickerdoodles!

This recipe was super simple and it was the perfect cookie recipe to make with a 3-year old and 5-month old.  After I formed a ball of cookie dough, I handed it to T and he would roll it in either the red or green sugar & cinnamon mixture, then place it on the pan.  We got a good laugh as Baby N sat in his Bumbo chair and kept trying to grab for the red cookies…you can have cookies soon baby!  I hope you have as much fun as I did making these Christmas Snickerdoodles this holiday season. (Just keep in mind that the dough needs to be refrigerated for one hour before baking- the perfect amount of time to grab a quick afternoon nap or watch a Christmas movie by the fire!)

Christmas Snickerdoodles (from 2 Sisters 2 Cities)

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11 Christmas Snickerdoodles
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Turn this classic cookie recipe into a Christmas one by using green and red-colored sugars.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 and ½ cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons red sanding sugar or sugar crystals
  • 2 tablespoons green sanding sugar or sugar crystals
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat butter on high for 30 seconds. Add the 1 and ½ cups sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix until combined. Use a spatula to scrape the side of the mixing bowl if necessary. Turn off mixer and add in eggs and vanilla- mix for 30 more seconds until combined. Turn off mixer and add 1 cup of flour at a time, beating after each addition until flour is incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or more.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. Add the red sugar into a small bowl and the green sugar into a second small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon into each bowl and mix. Shape dough into ~1 balls (you can make the balls smaller or larger based on how what size cookie you prefer. I ended up making 36 cookies from this batch of dough.)
  3. Roll balls in either the red or green sugar mixture until dough is coated. Place 2 inches apart on the parchment paper.
  4. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool.

Source: BHG.com

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Thumbprint Cookies

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Thumbprint Cookies

Guess what I am sharing with you?   That’s right, another cookie recipe!  These cookies were part of my boyfriend’s little bake-a-thon 2013. Thumbprint cookies are very special to my boyfriend because when he was little, he used to make these cookies with his Nanny (grandma.)  This isn’t the exact recipe he made with his Nan, but is the closest thing he could find since he lost her recipe.  How can you say no to a cookie with a story like that!

Raspberry Thumbprints

The cookies he made with his Nan didn’t have icing on them, but I had him add this because that’s how my mom’s thumbprint cookies are.  A little drizzle of icing makes everything better, right?  He used two different types of jams and then filled some with apple butter.  We got the delicious apple butter in Napa a couple weeks ago from Frogs Leap Winery.   It was by far the best winery we went to while we were there and they served us cheese, crackers and this apple butter that we had to have more of.  The jams in the thumbprint cookies were raspberry (my favorite) and apricot (his favorite.)

Plate of Thumbprint Cookies

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Thumbprint Cookies
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 2 eggs yolks
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups AP flour
  • ½ cup of your favorite jam
  • 2 tsp. Milk
  • ½ Confectioners sugar
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a mixer cream together sugar and butter.
  2. Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
  3. Add the flour and salt to batter and mix until just combined.
  4. Form dough into ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  6. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
  7. Lightly press down with your thumb in center of the cookie dough ball and make a small well. In the well fill with ½ teaspoon of jam.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm.
  9. Make icing by stirring together confectioners’ sugar and and milk. Stir until completely smooth. It should be runny to be able to drizzle over cookies.
  10. Once cookies are cooled, take a spoon and drizzle icing back and forth over cookies to make stripes.

Source– adapted from Garret McCord from Vanilla Garlic via Simply Recipes

Apple Butter Thumbprints
sisterk (2)

Eight Kolacky

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Kolacky

K and I are once again on the same wavelength this week…my cookie for today as part of our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies is also a jam-filled one.  If you are looking for a jam cookie in addition to K’s raspberry linzer cookies, try this recipe for kolacky.  This has been a traditional Christmas cookie that we have had at our home growing up.  I believe it has Polish origins.

kolacky

These cookies can be customized to your taste by using any type of jam or fruit preserves that you want.  I usually prefer to make it with apricot jam, but you could do another type or even a variety of jam flavors.  I love how this cookie puffs up while baking to create light flaky layers- it’s perfect with a cup of tea.

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Eight Kolacky
Author: 
Recipe type: cookie
Cuisine: Polish
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 30
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Thick jam, such as apricot
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl until fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to butter and cream cheese mixture in fourths, blending well after each addition. Chill dough until easy to handle.
  4. Once dough is chilled, roll dough to ⅜th inch thickness on floured surface. Cut out 2-inch circles (or other shapes). Place on ungreased baking sheets. Make a "thumbprint" about ¼ inch deep in each cookie (I just use my thumb, but the back of a spoon would also work.) Fill each cookie thumbprint with jam.
  5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until delicately browned on edges.

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Ten Crisp Toffee Chocolate Bars

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crisp toffee chocolate bars

One foodie trend that I can not get enough of is the combination of chocolate and salt.  We’ve definitely posted a lot of recipes that include this combo (see Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Fleur de Sel, Sea Salt Caramel Brownies, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars.)  When I came across this recipe for crisp toffee chocolate bars in one of my favorite cookbooks, Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn, I knew I had to try it.

crisp toffee chocolate bars

This recipe is very easy to make and it doesn’t require any specialty ingredients.  In fact, I had the entire ingredient list on hand and did not need to make a trip to the grocery store (that’s definitely a huge bonus this time of year!)   This recipe for crisp toffee chocolate bars can be upgraded by using a higher quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate.  I ended up using a combination of 70% cacao dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips.  These bars went so fast in our household that I already need to make another batch!

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Ten Crisp Toffee Chocolate Bars
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20
 
Ingredients
  • cooking spray
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 cup dark chocolate, or semisweet chocolate chips (or a combination of the two)
  • cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the sifted flour and stir to combine. Mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
  3. Add the dough to glass baking dish and press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and set, about 20 minutes. Cut into small squares while still warm.

Source: Slightly Adapted from  Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn

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Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

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So, I have seen these soft sugar cookies on just about every blog I read.  I have been trying to ignore their existence because I knew they would be too good and I would eat them all.  Well, I finally caved in and made them for a bake sale that was going on at my work to support local food banks.  I was right… these cookies are too good!  They need to be erased from my mind like on Men in Black or maybe a vampire can compel me to not remember these cookies.  I am afraid these things can’t happen and I will have to suffer on the elliptical at the gym everyday knowing that these cookies exist.

Okay, I am being a little over-dramatic.  I just think these cookies are really great.  They are a really yummy soft sugar cookie with butter-cream frosting.  My boyfriend called them cupcake cookies because they sort of look like the top of a cupcake.  They were very successful in the bake sale, although they were selling them for a dollar! These cookies are totally worth two dollars.

These soft sugar cookies can be festive for whatever holiday that you want them to be with a little food coloring and sprinkles.  I made mine Easter/ Spring color with light yellow frosting and pink sprinkles.  You could make them for any holidays like Easter,  Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, my birthday, and even just a Tuesday.  I am sure I can think of more reasons to make these cookies!

Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

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Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • Cookies:
  • 4½ cups AP flour
  • 4½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (1½ cup)
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Frosting:
  • 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ⅓ cup (5⅓ tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
  • Food coloring
  • Sprinkles
Instructions
  1. Line baking sheets with silicone non-stick mats or parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Next in a large bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer combine butter and sugar, Mix on medium–high until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Next mix in vanilla extract being sure to scrape down the sides to combine everything. Gradually add in dry ingredients on low speed until combined, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the large cupcake scoop or a ¼ measuring cup scoop out portions of dough and roll into balls. Flatten each dough ball with hand and place cookies 2-3 inches apart from one another on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. Let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then move over to a cooling rack.
  3. In the bowl of the mixer with a whisk attachment add in 5 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add in melted butter, vanilla and milk and whisk at low speed until smooth. Continue to whisk for 1 minute. Add in food coloring at this time and mix to combine. When cookies are completely cool, frost and top with sprinkles. Leave cookies out at room temperature until the frosting hardens on top. Place the cookies in an airtight container and place wax paper between the layers. Serve with a big glass of milk and charge at least 2 dollars for them at a bake sale!

Source- adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Hostess with the Mostess

Ten Glazed Lemon Cookies

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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

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