Holiday Treats
2004 - Sour Cream Cookies - Chocolate Caramels - Chocolate Macaroons - Norwegian Spice Cookies - Molasses Cookies - Festive Bark
2005 - Cardamom Cookie - Sour Cream Cookies - Chocolate Caramels - Molasses Cookies - Festive Bark - Mint Brownies
Sour Cream Cookies
Cookie:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup sour cream
Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cream or half and half
Preheat Oven to 350. Mix flour, baking soda and powder in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and extracts. Stir in sour cream. And then slowly add flour mixture until all added in. Drop cookies on a cookie sheet and bake 8 to 12 minutes. Cool.
Over medium heat combine all frosting ingredients. Stir until melted and smooth. Spoon over cookies.
Chocolate Caramels
2 cups sugar
2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
3/4 Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cups margarine or butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate - chopped
Butter square pan - 8x8 or 9x9. Heat sugar, cream, corn syrup, butter and chocolate to boiling in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly. Cook to 245 degrees on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball that holds its shape until pressed. Spread in buttered pan. Cool. Cut in 1 inch squares. Wrap individually in plastic wrap or wax paper.
Chocolate Macaroons
2 2/3 cups Coconut
2/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
2 squares semi sweet chocolate - melted
Heat Over to 325. Mix coconut, sugar, flour, salt in large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended. Add in chocolate and stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes (only took 10 minutes here). Immediately remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks. (I cooled on wax paper because I don't have wire racks). Makes 3 dozen.
Norwegian Spice Cookies
Makes 32 cookies, Prep: 10 minutes, Refrigerate: 1 hour. Bake: at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger (I would cut this down next time I make them to maybe 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, nutmeg and cardamom in bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 3 ½-to 4 ½-inch cookie-cutter molds with nonstick cookie-cutter molds with nonstick cooking spray.
On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll out half of dough ¼ inch thick. Press cutter molds gently into dough. Gently pull cookies out of molds. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Brush with egg white. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining dough. (I sprinkled with cinnamon sugar mixture and turned out good that way)
Bake in 350 degrees oven 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Remove to racks to cool. Store at room temperature or freeze.
Molasses Cookies
That turned out more like Gingersnaps because of the altitude.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling cookies
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulphered molasses
Preheat oven to 375°F.
With a spoon, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice together in a bowl and set aside.
With a mixer (or by hand), cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl.
Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Place remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Working with 2 Tbsp of dough each time, roll dough into 1 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
Bake until outer edges begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, about 11 to 13 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide spatula.
Note: do not overcook. The centers of the cookies should be somewhat soft and spongy when you take them out of the oven, otherwise they will end up hard and dry. Because of the altitude mine did not turn out hard and dry but very soft and chewy but not spongy like a cake cookie. Everyone who has had them has enjoyed them so far so that is good. But they all say we love these Gingersnaps you made.
Optional Glaze:
When cookies have cooled, lay out over a sheet of wax paper. Sift 1 1/4 cups of confectioner's sugar and then whisk with 2 Tbsp of milk until smooth. Dip spoon into glaze and dribble over cookies.
Festive Bark
This is Master's favorite. I have to make a batch that is just for Him.
16 oz vanilla/almond bark - candy coating - chopped
2 cups small pretzel twists
3/4 cup Red and Green M&M's
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Melt candy coating in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Take off heat and add remaining ingredients, toss to coat. Spread mixture thinly on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Let stand until set. Break into pieces.
cardamom Butter Cookies
The recipe is from Epicurious.
Only thing I did was I added a little more flour to make them roll out - to do cut out cookies with Christmas cookie cutters.
Mint Brownies
Again another recipe from Epicurious.
Only thing I did different here was left out the nuts because Master doesn't like nuts in anything. And I added a little green food dye into the powdered sugar topping.
