lifeinflux

Day 12 – Garam Masala Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

// January 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // A State of Yum

If ever a cookie demanded you take a bite with an open mind, this would be the cookie. Aarti Sequeira is the Season Six winner of The Next Food Network Star and is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I pilfer her recipes frequently on FoodNetwork.com. This past December when Food Network released their annual Best Cookie recipes, I found this one. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate, gingerbread AND garam masala but it took me a few weeks to decide if I could stomach the three together. I made the cookies, decorated them (I recommend the Royal Icing over the Chocolate Glaze), and immediately sunk my teeth into one. Yummy, yummy, yum, yum, yum! If you enjoy Indian food, you have to make these cookies. And if you’re not a fan of Indian food, you should STILL make these cookies. Besides being absolutely delicious with a touch of heat (spice heat, not hot heat), they are gorgeous cookies and perfect to give to friends for any occasion. Helpful hint: Shop Sur La Table for the fennel seed, dried rose petals and gold or silver dragees if you’re in a hurry. If you got a week or two, order them online for a LOT less. Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour, plus for dusting
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
Chocolate Glaze, recipe follows
Royal Icing, recipe follows
Toasted fennel seed, dried rose petals and gold or silver dragees, for garnish

Directions
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and garam masala in a large bowl. Set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and ginger; continue to beat over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Add the molasses and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour in 2 batches and mix on low until combined and forms a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and pat into 2 (1/2-inch thick) rectangles. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the bottom and top half of the oven. Line 3 to 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.

Roll each portion of the dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle (Important Note: If the dough becomes soft, chill for a bit in the refrigerator). Cut the dough with 3-inch cookie cutters, lay on the prepared baking sheets about 1-inch apart, and chill for 10 minutes. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Decorate, as desired, with Chocolate Glaze or Royal Icing. Garnish with toasted fennel seeds, dried rose petals, or silver dragees.

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons water

Combine all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cook until the chocolate melts, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir to smooth out and combine.

Royal Icing
1 and 1/2 tablespoons egg white powder
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons water

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer over medium-high speed until it forms thick and glossy peaks, about 6 minutes.

Be sure to use this Royal Icing recipe for this particular cookie and not the Royal Icing recipe (thinned) featured elsewhere on Lifeinflux.  This Royal Icing needs to be STIFF in order to properly decorate the cookie.

Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

// January 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // A State of Yum

With a last name like Gloege, you’d think Drue would love all things ginger (with a heavy splash of butter and molasses to boot). However, it’s taken Drue a few years to fully embrace gingerbread and for a long time she’d pick simpler, lighter cookies over the dense, earthy complexity of gingerbread. We started slowly with her after a few years of rejecting my delightful gingerbread men, moving into soft gingerbread cakes and then on to denser ginger and molasses bread. Two years ago, I decided to find a soft gingerbread cookie with a hint of chocolate to see if I could appeal to her obsessive love for all things chocolate, while still maintaining the proper gingerbread flavor and density. After a few trials (and many errors), we finally found the right balance of chocolate, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses to appeal to everyone! This is a year round cookie for us but we make them for everyone over the holidays. And, most importantly, the provide Jays and I with the ginger kick we love (use freshly grated ginger!!) and are still a cookie Drue enjoys a lot!   Ah… compromise!   While they don’t have the visual appeal of my gingerbread men of old, they are simple to make, delicious and everyone seems to enjoy them. I hope you do, too!

Ingredients
7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 and 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Beat butter and grated ginger until whitened using a hand electric mixer and a paddle attachment, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Roll dough into 2-inch balls; place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield about 2 dozens.

Day 10 – French Christmas Cookies

Day 10 – French Christmas Cookies

// January 6th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // A State of Yum

Sure, we have a Day 10 cookie post on Day, um, 13… but timing aside, I wanted to go ahead and complete the 12 days of Cookies because I’m enjoying writing and hope someone out there is benefiting from these pictures and recipes. If not, it’s a great way to catalog some of my favorite holiday recipes! French Christmas Cookies are the best combination of sugar and butter cookies in the world. I have avoided sugar cookies for years. I never keep them cold enough, rolling out the dough is a total PITA and I almost always cut the cookies too thin which means the bottom of the cookie is slightly scorched OR the cookie breaks when I decorate it. Madness, I tell you. Since I tend to avoid anything that leaves me writhing on the floor in sheer, utter frustration, sugar cookies fell out of rotation once I realized that the simple, undecorated butter cookies made my child as happy (in 1/8th of the time) as cutout, decorated sugar cookies. Over time – and time really does dull all painful memories (childbirth, bad dating experiences, Christmas cookie disasters) – I started missing the creative process involved in decorating sugar cookies. So, me being me, I went to le Goog and started researching foolproof sugar cookies, narrowed down the search to a few that, on paper, seemed yummy and easy, and put them to the test! After a few near misses with sugar cookies, I found a site on French Christmas cookies and how using cake flour (not all-purpose) and honey make a HUGE difference in the flavor of the cookie and the malleability of the dough. I downloaded and tried the recipe and the cookies were sheer perfection! And now you can benefit from the fruit of those labors. Aren’t you the lucky one?

Ingredients
1/2 cup cold butter, NOT room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 and 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

Directions
Cream butter until soft, add sugar and beat. Add honey and egg yolks and mix into the sugar/butter mixture until the mixture is fluffy. Add milk, vanilla, and combine. Then add flour gradually, beating in the flour after addition. Once mixed, immediately wrap dough in plastic and chill for 2 hours, minimum (overnight is preferred).
Once chilled, roll out the dough (1/2 inch thickness) and cut. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool and frost with thinned royal icing and decoratives like nonpareils, M&Ms, chocolate sprinkles, red and green sprinkles, etc.

Note: Do NOT allow the dough to come to room temperature while rolling and cutting. I reach into the fridge, grab a quarter of the dough, roll it and cut it and immediately bake the cookies, putting leftover dough back into the fridge until the next rolling/cutting/immediately baking session. This is the secret to perfectly rolled, perfectly cut holiday cookies!!

Royal Icing
Ingredients
3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions
In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners’ sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. You will need to thin your royal icing before using it (and make sure you have your nonpareils in a bowl ready for use and toothpicks nearby before you get started).

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see a video that walks you through thinning your royal icing!

Day 9 – Peanut Cookies                                                                              Day 11 – Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

Day 9 – Peanut Cookies

// January 4th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Peanut Cookies are pretty much the one cookie that gets made a few times a year around these parts. Jason consumes them with wild abandon and loves them so much, he starts talking like a Keebler Elf when he knows they’re coming. Unlike traditional peanut cookie recipes, we don’t just use peanut butter but also add a cup of unsalted, dry roasted peanuts to the batter. At one point, Drue called these peanut peanut butter cookies which sounds just about right.

A family favorite, you’ll find peanut cookies in our cookie jar during the holidays, around Jason’s birthday and on random occasions when I need to bribe him to do something (like helping me clean the gutters on my house).    I guess you could call them my bribe cookies!

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I recommend Peter Pan b/c of all the sugar)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup of unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

Directions
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Add 1 cup of peanuts and fold into the batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack!

YUM YUM!

Day 8 – Lime Zingers                                                                                Day 10 – French Christmas Cookies

Day 8 – Lime Zingers

// January 4th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

To say we love citrus in this house is putting it mildly. Drue was popping lemon wedges in her mouth and eating the flesh off the rind before she turned a year old. So when I found the recipe for lime zingers, we decided to include it in the pool of cookies to bake year-round. The reality of my busy schedule is that I really only bake cookies around the holidays. So lime zingers have become part of our holiday tradition. If you like the taste of lime, you should include these lovely cookies as part of your holiday baking tradition as well! Hope you love them as much as we do!!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Beat in sugar until combined. Beat in lime peel, the 1/4 cup lime juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Using 1 or 2-inch cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. Or you can take the lazy approach and simply scoop up the finished dough by the tablespoon, roll them into balls and place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown around edges. Immediately transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

Lime Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice and vanilla. with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Tint frosting as desired with food coloring. Spread over cooled cookies.

Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs                                                   Day 9 – Peanut Cookies

Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs

// January 1st, 2011 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Last year, I discovered a recipe for Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs and, loving butterscotch proceeded to make these cookies with all sorts of hope and wild abandon. The goal was to include these in our gift baskets to friends and family. Sadly, we never made it that far; we didn’t even make it to the chocolate dipped part as what emerged from the oven were more… plank like than logs. They were, however, delicious; so this year my goal was to figure out what went wrong and allow you to benefit from my trial and error. While this year we did not achieve the slim, round effect shown in Martha Stewart’s cookie magazine, what we ended up with was a lot closer and we were actually able to dip them in dark chocolate goodness. Since dark chocolate is ohsoyummy, instead of simply dipping the tip into the chocolate, we ended up dipping the entire edge of the cookie and were quite pleased with our final result. Sure we deviated from Martha’s recipe and we absolutely walked away from her little pfft of chocolate showcased in her cookies. But the cookies we did produce are more indicative of us because they aren’t perfect little logs of butterscotch with a perfectly placed dab of chocolate (and nuts) at the end. And isn’t that what baking is all about? Putting in a little of you, your personality and know how to achieve a desired effect? Yeah, I thought so too!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butterscotch baking pieces, finely chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1 and 1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate pieces
2 tablespoons shortening

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, 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. Stir in any remaining flour and the butterscotch pieces with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 9-inch-long log; flatten so logs are about 2-1/2 inches wide. Wrap logs in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill 2 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch- slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Meanwhile, spread almonds in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Toast in the 350 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven; cool.

Combine chocolate pieces and shortening in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip ends of cookies into melted chocolate. Place cookies on waxed paper. Sprinkle almonds on chocolate. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Makes about 54.

To store, place cookies in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze, undipped cookies up to 3 months. Thaw cookies; dip cookies in melted chocolate and sprinkle with almonds.

Day 6 – Eggnog Cookies                                                                                            Day 8 – Lime Zingers

Day 6 – Eggnog Cookies

// December 31st, 2010 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Eggnog is one of my most favorite drinks on the planet. We get it in pint glass jars from our favorite local dairy, Straus Organic Family Creamery. If you’ve seen those California happy cow commercials, those cows live at Straus because this is bar-none the best milk, ice cream, yogurt and eggnog I’ve ever consumed (of ALL time). And Straus’ eggnog is the featured ingredient in one of my favorite cookies and the origins of this Christmas drink is greatly debated. Many believe that eggnog is a tradition brought to America from Europe. This is partially true. One version of the story has eggnog related to various egg, milk and wine punches that were found on European dinner tables during the holiday season. However, in America a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America, rum was commonly called “grog”, so the name eggnog is likely derived from the very descriptive term for this drink, “egg-and-grog”, which corrupted to egg’n'grog and soon to eggnog. At least this is one version of the story. Some people believe that the “nog” of eggnog comes from the word “noggin”. A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish “Sherry” and milk. The English called this concoction “dry sack posset”. It is very easy to see how an egg drink in a noggin could become eggnog. Either way, with it’s European roots and the availability of the ingredients, eggnog soon became a popular wintertime drink throughout Colonial America. Who doesn’t like a spicy, rich, alcoholic drink to warm themselves on a cold, holiday winter night?

The eggnog we get from Straus is, admittedly, non-alcoholic but is the perfect addition to traditional pound cake and sugar cookie recipes. With a splash of nutmeg, it really does make the perfect holiday cookie.

Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg
Chopped pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Add a handful of chopped pecans (more to taste) if you enjoy pecans and mix into the batter. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1″ apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula. While the cookies are cooling make your eggnog whipped topping.

Eggnog Whipped Topping

Ingredients
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup eggnog (to taste)
nutmeg to taste

Directions
Pour your whipping cream into a chilled metal bowl. Using a hand mixer on high speed, mix the whipping cream until soft peaks start forming. Once the peaks move from soft to medium peaks, gently and slowly add your eggnog (to taste), making sure that your whipped peaks do not collapse. Mix the eggnog into the whipped cream until the peaks are stiff. Immediately transfer the whipped mixture into pastry bags and pipe onto the cooled eggnog cookies. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve immediately. Lasts up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and move to the counter to warm up to just under room temperature 30-45 minutes before serving. See picture above for example!!

Yum yum yum!!
Day 5 – Snowberry Cookies                                                                 Day 7 – Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs

Day 5 – Snowberry Cookies

// December 31st, 2010 // 5 Comments » // A State of Yum

I know, I’m late again… the thing is that I caught this minor cold so I’ve been sleeping a lot more than I usually do.  Today I will catch up and post not one but TWO cookie recipes for you.  Mmk? So, on to the cookies, specifically, snowberry cookies. These cookies, while considered a delicacy and a treat in Europe, aren’t actually well known of here in the U.S. This is a real shame because these cookies are delicious and, while a bit of a pain to make, totally worth it, in my opinion. It’s your typical cookie with butter, brown sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. But the YUM comes from the chopped maraschino cherries, nuts and coconut you add to the cookie base before baking. And the WOW factor is from thinned out royal icing that you pour over the cookies once they’ve baked and cooled (see image to the right) before adding nonpareils – I used a toothpick to create the swirls in the royal icing and added white nonpareils on top of the swirls – to create the effect you see here.   Sure, it takes a little more time but OH it is so worth it, especially when giving these lovely, dense cookies as gifts to others. Enjoy!

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup chopped each of nuts, cherries and coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream shortening, sugar and egg until light and fluffy using an electric hand mixer. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drop on greased pan and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely.

Royal Icing

Ingredients
3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions
In large bowl of stand mixer combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add confectioners’ sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and mixture is shiny. Turn speed up to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add food coloring, if desired. For immediate use, transfer icing to pastry bag or heavy duty storage bag and pipe as desired. If using storage bag, clip corner. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. You will need to thin your royal icing before using it (and make sure you have your nonpareils in a bowl ready for use and toothpicks nearby before you get started).

Here is a great video on how to properly thin royal icing. As for the nonpareils and toothpicks, be creative and have fun!!

Days 3 and 4 – Mexican Wedding Cookies and Snowballs                                               Day 6 – Eggnog Cookies

Days 3 and 4 – Mexican Wedding Cookies and Snowballs

// December 29th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

This year we decided to leave the cookie beaten path and venture off onto the road less traveled (by this family anyway). A love of sugar, pecans and peppermint made adding two new cookies to our list easy. So this year we decided to make Mexican Wedding Cookies and Peppermint Snowballs. These two cookies are amazing when made correctly and hard balls if made poorly (yes I just said hard balls in one of my posts. I can hear Erin snickering already!). Years ago, I gave up my Kitchen Aid do-everything mixer in favor for a high-octane hand mixer and my cookies have never been better. As with many cookies, the trick is getting the batter fluffy enough to set up on the outside but be soft and full of yum on the inside. We had our challenge and I added peppermint candies, peppermint oil and three bags of powdered sugar to our shopping list. All I can say is that both cookies are family favorites and you’ll be seeing them annually in our Christmas tins, baskets and boxes!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent or a ball.  Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Note:  Use an actual tablespoon to measure our your dough.  More than a tablespoon and the cookies don’t keep their crescent or ball shape!   If you use a tablespoon to measure our your dough, you should get about 2 and 1/2 dozen cookies out of one batch.

Peppermint Snowballs

Ingredients
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely crushed peppermint candy

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets, or line with parchment paper.

Beat 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar with the butter, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and egg in a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer set at medium speed until well blended and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to Low, and gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy using a wooden spoon.

Roll a small amount of cookie dough between your hands to make 3/4 inch diameter balls. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool on racks. Combine remaining confectioner’s sugar and crushed peppermint candy in a bowl.

As soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle, roll the warm cookie in the sugar/peppermint mixture. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. As you store these cookies, place any extra sugar/peppermint mixture on top of each row of cookies.

This one batch should yield 60 cookies provided that you use a tablespoon to measure out your dough for each cookie!

Enjoy!

Day 2 – Paradise Macaroons                                                                              Day 5 – Snowberry Cookies

Day 2 – Paradise Macaroons

// December 28th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // A State of Yum

Yes, yes, yesterday I was supposed to post day 2 of the 12 Days of Cookies, thereby providing you with this lovely recipe for Paradise Macaroons. But in my defense, I slept all day yesterday, which I suppose is not much of a defense at all. That said, and without further ado, I give you my recipe for Paradise Macaroons shamelessly stolen from Alton Brown (so you know it has to be good)!! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 (7 to 8-ounce) packages sweetened shredded coconut
2 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites at room temperature
5 ounces granulated sugar
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 ounce vegetable shortening
2 ounces finely chopped dry-roasted macadamia nuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut with the sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip the whites until medium peaks form, 6 to 7 minutes.

Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer the parchment with the macaroons to a cooling rack. Cool completely before topping.

Fill a 4-quart pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the side, set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a small metal or glass mixing bowl and set over the simmering pot. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat.

Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate mixture, sprinkle with the chopped macadamia nuts and place on parchment paper to set, about 30 minutes.

You should get approximately 3 to 4 dozen cookies out of this one batch. And the extra step of dipping the cookies into chocolate and adding the macadamia nuts are well worth it. These cookies have replaced the Magic Bars we’ve made for years at Christmas time. Not that we have anything against Magic Bars but these macaroons are more elegant and are just so darn yummy! Let me know what you think of them!

Day 1 – Candy Cane Meringue Cookies       Day 3 – Mexican Wedding Cookies and Snowballs