Mistletoe Cookery: Christmas Cookies
On the seventh day of Turnip, we have… cookies from Christine!
In honor of the launch of The Lure of the Moonflower back in 2015, Christine concocted a full year of Pink Carnation baked goods, one recipe per book. The recipe below was Christine’s culinary homage to The Mischief of the Mistletoe. (Thanks, Christine!)
And now over to Christine for a cookie recipe to put us all in a festive mood:
The Christmas holidays play a big part in both The Temptation of the Night Jasmine and The Mischief of the Mistletoe. I had every intention of making a Christmas pudding for this entry, but the recipes were… well… gross. Suet and sugar just doesn’t work for me. So I looked for inspiration elsewhere. Then it hit me while watching Holiday Baking Championship on the Food Network (is it just me or is the Food Network all competitions these days?). On the first episode, the contestants made cookies and some of them were required to make spritz cookies. All of a sudden, I HAD to have a cookie press. My best friend, being the wonderful person she is, sent me a cookie press as an early Christmas present.
The recipe I used (with one minor adjustment) is the one that came with the cookie press’s instruction booklet from Oxo.
Ingredients:
– 3 sticks of butter, room temperature
– 1 cup of sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon of salt
– 2 large eggs, room temperature
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used almond extract, and other options include lemon extract, orange zest, etc.)
– 4 cups of all purpose flour
– decorating sugar and sprinkles
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
3. Add extract and eggs, one at a time, continuously beating.
4. Gradually add flour, beating until well incorporated.
5. Using cookie press to place cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking time.
The recipe yields about 12 dozen small cookies, and I baked for about 9 minutes. If you’ve never used a cookie press (this was my first time), keep pumping until you feel resistance for each cookie. I also used an assortment of sprinkles and sugar that I got in a mixed pack from Target. I think it’s been well documented in this year-long journey through baked goods that decorating stuff isn’t my strong suit, but the cookie press made some adorable little cookies.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed the recipes so far, and happy holidays to all!
Thank you so much, Christine! Those are so dainty and delicious-looking.
Every December, my little sister and I make the gingerbread cookies off the back of the Grandma’s molasses bottle (which appears to no longer be on the back of the molasses bottle) and sugar cookies, with varying recipes, since I’m still looking for a recipe I really like. Last year, Tasha Alexander, baker extraordinaire (as well as amazing writer) shared her sugar cookie recipe with me, and this year I’ll be trying the one from the back of the Sur la Table cookie cutters.
Do you all have any favorite holiday cookie recipes? (Please share!)
More recipes coming up soon as Twelve Days of Turnip continues!
My favorite treat this Christmas is a Chocolate-Hazelnut cookie recipe from a bag of Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut flour. This recipe is actually gluten free and almost sugar free (depending on the type of chocolate you use)…but it’s a rich tasting, moist little cookie that tastes like Ferrero Rocher candy: the ones in the gold wrapper! AND the almond butter really adds to the decadent flavor.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/…/hazelnut-chocolate-chip…/ Note: the recipe calls for flaxseed and water instead of egg, for vegans, but I just used one egg, beaten. Instead of coconut sugar I used about 10% more Splenda, and a splash of sugarfree caramel Torani syrup for fun.
Here’s that link again, hopefully it’s complete on the 2nd try:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/recipes/hazelnut-chocolate-chip-cookies/
My daughter and I tried gingersnaps for the first time this year and they are easy and yummy!
My favorite cookies are a Mocha cookie that I stole from GMA years ago. They have very little flour, but lots of chocolate. They are delicious! Here is the link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=6889017
I also love chocolate chip cookies with a higher brown sugar to white sugar ratio.
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/12/01/holiday-cut-out-sugar-cookies-with-easy-icing/
I’m a huge fan of Sally and this is a fantastic sugar cookie recipe. I used it to make Sesame Street birthday cookies and I’m going to be making holiday cookies next week!
Tomorrow is baking day at my house so thanks for the inspiration, Christine! Sugar cookies and gingerbread men, here I come!
Brown sugar shortbread. (the simplest things are best)
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Cream together butter and brown sugar
Gradually add flour
Knead mixture for 3 mins
Roll out to a thickness of around 1/4 inch
Use cookie cutter or just a pizza roller to produce 2″ square cookies
Bake in oven on top shelf at 300 degrees for about 25 mins. Baking time is critical! I don’t leave the kitchen but constantly monitor for coloring. They should be just getting slightly brown on edges for done-ness.
It is not the ingredients but the “technique” that makes these so melt-in-your-mouth good.
Perfection with your favorite tea or coffee!
My neighbor and I always exchange some homemade treats for Christmas. This year, she gave me her own orange marmalade. I used it to make Orange Marmalade Cake. It’s a super orange-y and light breakfast cake.