Category: Twelve Days of Cookies

Holiday cookie recipes
Cookie Sleuth (Sally’s Sesame Cookies)

Cookie Sleuth (Sally’s Sesame Cookies)

By | | Comments 2 comments

Day 4 of the 12 Days of Cookies..surprisingly I’m on schedule…I think

I wanted to choose a song that fit this cookie recipe but instead, I picked a beautiful song that is so relevant to what is happening in our world right now.  Someday at Christmas sung by Jack Johnson.

When it comes to cookies I border on obsessive.  If a recipe doesn’t turn out as expected, I turn into Sherlock Holmes.  The game is afoot to solve the mystery of why a cookie doesn’t taste quite right, why it spreads too much or too little.  I tried different baking sheets and tested parchment versus Silpat.  Maybe it’s the butter, did I cream it too much or too little?   Auugh, enough to drive me bonkers.  I do have a few friends that I  commiserate with who will leave no cookie unturned.  My friend Kristine is like that.  In another life we would both be happily ensconced in America’s Test Kitchen furiously measuring, testing, mixing, tasting.

Swap Cookies and Tips

For our cookie exchange, Kristine made her always-popular sesame cookies.  The recipe was given to her by her mother-in-law Sally.  Much like Benne wafers of the South, these little gems are crispy, buttery, and jam-packed with sesame seeds, a sesame flavor bomb.  Kristine first shared Sally’s cookies and recipe at our inaugural preschool cookie exchange.  I loved them.  I made a batch but they just weren’t the same.  The bottom looked lacey with lots of holes, the texture was different, and the cookie was much too crunchy.

This happens randomly with both tried and true recipes and new recipes.  I  would then e-mail the author of the recipe, call King Arthur Flour’s hotline, or run it by fellow bakers.  At our most recent exchange, though we hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, Kristine and I immediately launched into a conversation about the texture change in my batch of cookies.  Obsessive? Crazy?  You be the judge.

Luckily, Kristine’s batch was perfect!

DSC02744

This is the perfect holiday recipe.  It is a slice-and-bake cookie.  You can make the dough in advance, throw it in the fridge or freezer, and bake off cookies when you need them.  It makes a boatload of delicious cookies (~ 100 of those bad boys).

Print Pin

Sally's Sesame Cookies

Also known as Bennes, these southern favorites are crisp, light and redolent of sesame
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Benne Wafer, black sesame seeds, cookies, slice and bake, Southern
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. butter 4 sticks
  • 1 ½ c. sugar.
  • 3 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 c. sesame seeds
  • 2 c. Angel flaked coconut sweetened
  • ½ - 1 c. chopped almonds or walnuts.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F.

  • Cream 1 lb. butter and 1 ½ c. sugar until blended and smooth. Do not over overmix.
  • Add all purpose flour, sesame seeds, coconut, chopped almonds or walnuts. Mix well. Chill; divide dough into four equal logs. Wrap each roll in plastic and keep refrigerated (may be frozen).
  • Take out one roll at a time and slice ¼ inch. Leave ½” space between cookies.
  • Bake for approximately 30-min. being careful not to over brown. I’ve never baked them the full 30-min.

Makes over 100 cookies.

    Notes

    Recipe is easily halved
    Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Almond Clouds)

    Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Almond Clouds)

    By | | Comments 0 Comment

    I manage to combine everything I love in one trip.  How cool is that?  Crew, travel, photography, food..life is good, eat pie.

    Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow by Diana Krall

    New England Bucket List  

    Row at Head of the Charles in Boston:  Check   
    1017SenMast8W040-01-1In Boston:

    • Jane, Mary and Debbie’s Excellent Adventure:  Check
    • Experience New England Fall colors   Semi-check (a little too late)
    • Visit Quechee, Vermont.
    • Walk the covered bridge to get to Simon Pearce Glass
    • Listen to SiriusXM Radio  They play 6 artists from each decade over and over and over
    • Chocolate-covered oyster crackers? Yep, Cocoa Bean Montpelier, Vermont

    IMG_0781

    Find obscure pie shed in the middle of nowhere and eat scrumptious pie:  Check

    Poorhouse Pies  Underhill, Vermont, get the Key Lime Pie, you won’t regret it.  After watching A Few Good Pie Places on public television, this was our destiny….

    DSC02375

    Visit baking mecca King Arthur Flour:  Check

    Is this Heaven? No, it’s Vermont.  Is it possible to pack 15 pounds of flour in my suitcase and not exceed airline weight limit?  Apparently not.

    DSC02346 (1)

    And now for that cookie recipe I promised.  Straight from King Arthur Flour, Almond Cloud Cookies.  Yes, gluten-free and ridiculously easy, child’s play…just saying.  I recommend a food processor to make the batter, an idea from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake, making it incredibly easy to make.

    DSC02688

    DSC02696DSC02698

     

    I used almond paste from the King Arthur Flour catalog.  It calls for bitter almond oil, but, you can substitute vanilla extract and still taste the almond.

     

     

     

     

     

    The dough is fairly stiff.  I made my cookies a little smaller using a tablespoon ice cream scoop. Instead of sifting powdered sugar over the batter before baking, just roll the balls of dough in the sugar.

     

     

     

    Do not skip the 3 finger indentations.  The cookies look better.  Baking time was approximately 15 minutes. The edges will be crisp and light brown and the centers soft and chewy.  If you love almond and have a sweet tooth, this is the cookie for you.

    Print Pin

    Almond Cloud Cookies

    Ingredients

    • 1 10 ounce can of almond paste
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2 egg whites lightly beaten
    • 1/2 tsp almond extract
    • 1/4 tsp. bitter almond oil substitute vanilla extract for this
    • 1/4 salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees
    • Place almond paste and sugar in food processor bowl. Pulse to blend until mixture looks crumbly
    • Add egg whites, salt, extracts to almond sugar paste.
    • Blend until smooth. Batter will be fairly stiff, should be able to scoop batter out with tablespoon ice cream scoop.
    • Roll in powdered sugar until evenly coated
    • Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Gently press three fingers into the top of each dough ball.
    • Bake 15 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the center still chewy.
    A Ridiculously Easy Peanut Butter Cookie

    A Ridiculously Easy Peanut Butter Cookie

    By | | Comments 2 comments

    Are you ready to start baking for the holidays?  I tried two new cookie recipes yesterday to take to our annual holiday cookie swap and both are winners.  We started our swap way back when the kids were in pre-school and through the years we have managed to keep the tradition alive.  Our early gatherings were during the day with kids and babies in tow but have now morphed into a mom’s happy hour. We eat, drink, catch up on what we are doing as well as the kids and of course trade cookies.  Amazing how quickly 17 years have flown by.

    The first thing you should know is that both recipes are STUPID EASY.  My favorite cooking category.  If you are looking for cookies that are delicious and will illicit oohs and aahs, look no further. Oh, did I mention they are both GLUTEN FREE?  BAM! The trifecta.  I did not choose them because of that, they just happen to be gluten free. Here is the first one, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies.

    FlourlessPeanutButter

    To go along with these crazy good cookies here is a Peanuts favorite The Charlie Brown Christmas Song sung by Mariah Carey.

     

    As the song is playing, pullout the peanut butter (smooth or chunky), brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, vanilla and 1 egg.  That’s all you need for this recipe!  I found multiple versions of this recipe online and adapted the one from Our Best Bites.  These cookies are soft, chewy and scream peanut butter flavor.  You can add chocolate to take it to another level, its entirely up to you.  Enjoy!

    Print Pin

    Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup peanut butter smooth or chunky
    • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I use 1/2 cup white sugar & 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
    • Sugar for rolling
    • Chocolate chunks I use the chunks from TJs, you can use chips if you like
    • optional: heaping 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips I recommend dark or semi-sweet

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Combine peanut butter and sugars and until smooth (1-2 minutes on medium speed).
    • Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix for about a minute.
    • If adding chocolate, fold into dough now. Chocolate is optional, really.
    • Using a tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop and shape dough into balls, roll in sugar.
    • Place balls on parchment lined cookie sheet, approximately 11/2 inches apart.
    • Using a fork, flatten with a criss cross pattern, or simply flatten with the bottom of a glass.
    • Press one chocolate chunk or chip into the center of cookie after flattening the dough.
    • Bake for 8-9 minutes, don’t overbake!
    • Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies. Recipe can be doubled easily.

     
    Feed the World…Cookies! (Dorie’s Jammers)

    Feed the World…Cookies! (Dorie’s Jammers)

    By | | Comments 0 Comment

    Is it December already?  Time to get in the holiday spirit.  In my book that means baking cookies and listening to holiday tunes.  I am an unabashed lover of Christmas music.  You won’t find me anywhere near a mall on Black Friday.  Instead, I’ll be home pulling out my favorite Christmas CDs and kicking back.  I’ll wait for CyberMonday to get serious about shopping.  For my first holiday season blogging, it seems fitting to create a top 12 days of Christmas cookies list with holiday tunes to go along.  If you have a tried and true delicious recipe you make every year, I would love to post it here to share with everyone.  Just email or message me on Facebook.  A virtual cookie swap!   Don’t forget to include your favorite Christmas song, a picture of your creation, and if there is a special story behind the recipe.

    I’m Excited, Lets Get Started!

    Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid just for you.

     

    Jammers

    Just like her World Peace Cookie, this is another yummy cookie by Dorie Greenspan (how does she do it?) aptly named Jammers.  These edible jewels start with a tender shortbread cookie base topped with a nice dollop of jam and finished with a buttery, crumbly streusel topping.  Before Dorie released her recipe Tim of Lottie + Doof created his version.  The original Jammers are made in 3-inch ring molds.  I opt to make them smaller in mini-muffin tins, an idea I found on another blog. Either way, they are delicious.

    A Couple of Tips When Making these Cookies

    Feel free to use your favorite jam.  I often use a couple of different ones for the color appeal.  Butter or spray the tins well or the cookies will stick to the pan.  I use a tablespoon ice cream scoop to measure out the dough into each cup and lightly tamp the dough into the tins.  This is not like a tartlet or mini piecrust.  The dough should be a thick layer (~1/2 inch thick) filling approximately 2/3 of the cup.  I would leave some space at the top or the jam will spill out as the cookies bake.  Top with a generous sprinkle of streusel but try to leave spots of jam exposed.  It is prettier that way.

    Go Big Or Go Home

    Christmas Eve 2022: So I decided I wanted to get closer to the original Jammer, that is, a bigger cookie.  I pulled out my regular muffin tin to make Dorie’s Jammers.  Through experimentation, I settled on 25 grams of dough that I tamped into each muffin cup. Yep, no rolling and cutting.  This should give you a disc of dough about 1/2 inch thick that pretty much fills the tin.

    The rest of the recipe is pretty much the same.  Baking time is a little longer, approximately 20-22 minutes until the edge is golden brown.

     

    IMG_8738 (1)

    Print Pin

    Dorie Greenspan's Jammers

    Ingredients

    Adapted from Lottie & Doof's version of Dorie Greenspan's Jammers by Blackjack Bakehouse

    Makes about 42 cookies

    Cookie dough

    • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt heaping
    • 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
    • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour

    Streusel Topping

    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt heaping
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Instructions

    Directions for dough:

    • In large bowl or in bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. With mixer on low, beat in egg yolks and vanilla until well blended, about one minute.
    • Add all of flour at once and with mixer on low, blend with butter mixture until just combined. Do not overmix! (I barely beat it in and then combined the last few streaks of flour with a spatula.)
    • Press dough into a mound and cover dough in bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the dough. Cover bowl tightly with more wrap or foil and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

    Directions for Streusel:

    • Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in microwave. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well-combined and pebbly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

    When ready to bake:

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray thoroughly. These babies like to stick a little, so grease the cups well.
    • Break up the streusel crumb topping mixture with a fork until pebbly and set aside.
    • Press small mounds of cookie dough, about 1 tablespoon-size, into each cup as though making a thick cookie crust (as opposed to a thin pie crust that will just crumble when you try to remove it from the mini muffin pan). The crust should come up to just below the rim of the cup and there should be a small indention in each cup for the filling.
    • Place about 1 teaspoon of jam/pie filling in each indentation, then top the filled cookies with a generous sprinkle of streusel mixture.
    • Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the top edges of the cookies are golden brown and the crumb mixture is golden.
    • Allow cookies to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to cool directly on wire rack until completely cool.
    • Store, uncovered or lightly covered, at room temperature
    My Favorite Scottish Shortbread

    My Favorite Scottish Shortbread

    By | | Comments 3 comments

    I love baking cookies.  Every Christmas I bake an assortment of cookies for family and friends, a tradition I started years ago.  Last year I made bags of granola instead and realized just how much less stress I had by not baking 10 different kinds of cookies!  But (sigh),  I’ll go back to baking cookies, its a labor of love and I am a glutton for punishment.  There are the tried and true cookies I bake year after year; the few that show up from time to time and then, one or two new cookies each holiday season.

    The Perfect Cookie

    The cornerstone of my Holiday box of cookies is the traditional Scottish Shortbread.  The recipe, from the long-defunct Cuisine magazine, was the bonus to the story, My Father’s Shortbread.  The author recounts watching his father making shortbread every Christmas.  His father’s only tools were his hands.  I cheat a little and use a mixer to combine the flour into the kneaded butter but everyone should make shortbread completely by hand once.

    "<yoastmark

    Shortbread is my absolute favorite cookie. It’s probably because I am a butter FREAK.  I love butter.  People ask, do you want a little toast with that butter?  Shortbread cookies are the closest you will get to just popping a little pat of moo-magic in your mouth.

    The dough can be rolled and cut into traditional wedges or works beautifully as cutouts.  I have in my collection a couple of embossed rolling pins that can be used with shortbread.  Roll the dough to approximately 1/4 inch and then use your embossed pin to create the pattern on the cookie.  The dough is easy to work with and very forgiving.

    _V3A6829
    (left upper corner going clockwise) Nutmeg logs, World Peace cookies, pecan tartlets, mocha macadamia slices, jan hagels, thumbprints, crescents, peanut & bittersweet chocolate cookies, traditional shortbread, corn cookies

    My Father’s Shortbread is my favorite, go-to shortbread cookie, but Bouchon’s Shortbread is a close second!

    Adapted from My Father’s Shortbread by Sydney Edelson Cuisine Magazine Dec 1983

    Print Pin

    Traditional Scottish Shortbread

    Butter in cookie form
    Course cookies, Dessert
    Cuisine European
    Keyword Shortbread
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound cold lightly salted butter
    • 1 cup superfine sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

    Instructions

    • Work butter until soft but not melting.  Easiest thing to do is pound the butter with a rolling pin   Fold butter in half and smoosh it with pin (yes smoosh) until malleable but not warm.
    • Place butter in bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and salt cream until combined, do not beat until fluffy as this will incorporate too much air into butter.
    • Add flour to butter mixture and mix on low until particles cling together.  Remove from bowl and knead gently until smooth and soft.  Pat or roll into a rectangle about 3/8" thick.  Mark off pieces 1" x 2-1/2", prick with fork and chill for 1 hour.
    • Cut apart and place on cold baking sheet 1/2" apart.
    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees, place shortbread in oven and immediately turn temperature down to 275 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes, rotate pan and leave for additional 10-15 minutes.
    • Cookies are done when bottoms are golden brown and sand color on top.  You can  use cookie cutters if you wish. Shortbread retain their shape well.

    Notes

    Remember to turn your oven down to 275 when you put the cookies in the oven!!!