2024 Christmas Cookie Recipe Book
Ginger Molasses Chews Makes 12-15 cookies Prep: 20 minutes | Rest: 30 minutes | Bake: 10-12 minutes
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 stickst) unsalted butter, browned 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup molasses 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole wheat or whole spelt flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt Turbinado sugar for rolling
Brown your butter: Add butter to a small saucepan and place it over medium heat, for 4-8 minutes, stirring continuously. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Continue cooking until the butter turns golden brown and some foam has subsided, revealing the milk solids at the bottom of the pan which will be toasty brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside. Add butter and sugars to a large mixing bowl. Beat together until all the sugar has been coated with the butter. Add egg, vanilla and molasses, mix well. With your mixer on low, slowly add in your flour mixture until incorporated. Once dough has come together, stop mixing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. When you’re ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Remove dough from fridge and let come to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Roll into 2 inch balls (about 50 grams each). Roll in turbinado sugar and arrange evenly on lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Do not over bake! They will seem soft when they come out of the oven but allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. They will deflate and stiffen with time for the perfect crispy/chewy texture.) Once fully cooled, remove from baking sheets and transfer to a wire rack, store in an airtight container, or serve fresh and enjoy!
checkerboard sables ´ Makes 18-24 cookies Prep: 35 minutes | Rest: 1-1/2 hour | Bake: 10-12 minutes
12 tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon table salt 2 large egg yolks *save the egg whites* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups AP Flour, toasted (see instructions below) 1/4 cup whole wheat flour Red food coloring (about 4-5 drops) 1 tsp cocoa powder Toast your flour. In a 10in non-stick skillet, add your flour and spread into an even layer. Heat over medium, scraping the bottom often to avoid burning, stirring regularly for 6-8 minutes until the flour takes on a light brown color, a toasty smell, and has started to clump. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, make the dough. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the yolks and vanilla, beat until combined. Once cooled, add your flours and salt, mix until combined. Remove half of your dough and form into a 1 inch round. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm about 1 hour. With the other half of your dough, add in red food coloring and chocolate powder (this is mostly to enhance the color). Using the heal of your hand, knead the dough until it forms a cohesive shade of dark red. Form into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate as well.
Roll each of the doughs into a rough 6" square about 1/4" thick (when you think you’re almost there, gently lay them next each other to to compare thickness. continue rolling as needed until they even.
Lightly brush the beaten egg whites on the vanilla dough square. Place the chocolate dough square on top and gently but firmly press the two together.
Cut the stacked dough squares in half.
Brush one of the halves with some of the egg white and place the second half on top to make an alternating pattern of vanilla/chocolate/vanilla/chocolate dough.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 even 1/2 inch strips.
Lightly brush one strip with some of the egg white, then place a second strip on top with the colors alternating. (You will have to flip the second strip over so that the colors alternate). Gently press the strips together. Repeat with the additional two strips in the same alternating fashion to make a square-edged log. Trim any excess dough from the ends to reveal a checkerboard cross section on each end
Careful wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. When you’re ready to use, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove your dough from the freezer. Optional: using your egg whites, brush the entire outside of your dough and then, on cutting board or plate with low edges, cover with sprinkles of your choice. Carefully, using a sharp knife, cutting along the short edge of your dough, slice into roughly 1/4 inch squares. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment about 1/2 an inch apart. Bake 8-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the vanilla takes on a slightly golden hue. Let cool and enjoy.
Double Chocolate COokies WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PEPPERMINT Makes 12-15 cookies Prep: 20 minutes | Rest: 30 minutes | Bake: 10-12 minutes
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cups natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp ground coffee or espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup chocolate chips of your choice FOR THE GARNISH
1/2 cup white chocolate chips 3 tbsp heavy cream Crushed candy cane pieces
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add your dry ingredients to your sugarbutter mixture. Beat on low until combined. (The cookie dough will be quite thick, that’s okay). Using a rubber spatula, fold in your chocolate chips Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes hours or overnight. Chilling is mandatory for this sticky cookie dough. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. (If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This makes the chilled cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.)
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Scoop and roll dough, a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. (about 70 grams) Arrange 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Using the heal of your hand, gently press cookie rounds to flatten to about an inch thickness. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Meanwhile make your white chocolate ganache. Add 1/2 cup white chocolate chips to a bowl. heat 3 tablespoons heavy cream in the microwave about a minute or in a shallow saucepan until it’s hot to the touch but doesn’t burn you. Pour over your white chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds. Using a spoon, gently stir until smooth. Mixture should be thick but slide off your spoon. If it’s too think, heat a bit more cream and add it one spoonful at a time. Once cookies are cool, use your spoon to coat half in the white chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow to set 5-10 minutes before serving.
Brown Butter Earl Gray Linzer Cookies Makes 15 sandwich cookies Prep: 35 minutes | Rest: 1-1/2 hour | Bake: 10-12 minutes 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and chilled 4 packets earl gray tea, removed from bags 1 1/4 cups AP flour 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoon vanilla extract Homemade (or storebought) raspberry jam
Brown your butter. Heat on medium heat until the milk solids take on a golden brown color and a toasty, nutty smell. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Let cool completely (I put mine in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the flours, tea powder, and salt. Once your butter has cooled, add in your sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy. Add your egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in your flour and mix on low until combined. Dough should be crumbly but should hold when you press it between your fingers. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
TO ASSEMBLE Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for 5 to 10 minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. On a floured surface, roll one disc of dough out about 1/4"thick, rotating the dough every 3-4 rolls to ensure it doesn’t stick. Using a round cookie cutter (about 2inches in diameter is best) cut out cookies. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat. With half of your rounds, take a half inch round or the open end of a piping tip and cut another circle into the center. Refrigerate on your sheet pan 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes until they take on a very slight golden hue. Let cool completely before filling. To fill, flip bottom pieces so the tops (top when baked) are facing out. Spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on the inside and top with cookie that has a center cutout. Optional: Sprinkle tops with center cutout with powdered sugar before assembling.
Homemade Raspberry Orange Jam 1 12oz bag or 1/2 cups frozen raspberries 1 cup granulated sugar zest of 1/2 an orange juice of 1/2 an orange
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat on low for 3040 minutes until everything has cooked down and darkened in color. It should be glossy on the surface and slightly runny. (If you put a small amount the back of a cold spoon it should leave a line when you run your finger through it.) Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.