Here it
is, the final Christmas Cookie installment for 2010, unless I
decide to get real crazy. I started out this round with my
Cranberry Orange Almond Cookie Recipe. They are a nice departure
from the super sweetness of all of the others. And the almonds are
optional if you are not a fan.
Cranberry
Orange Almond Cookies
Ingredients
2c
flour
1
1/2 tsp powder
1/4 tsp
soda
1/2 tsp
salt
3/4 c
butter
1
c sugar
1
egg
1
tbs orange zest
3/4 c
slivered almonds
1
c dried cranberries
Instructions
Preheat
oven to 350F.
In a
medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and
orange zest. Gradually add the flour mix and the almonds. Stir
until just incorporated. Stir in the cranberries. Drop dough into
rounded tablespoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake for 9-12
min.
Next up
are Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies. These guys are dangerously
delicious. And the combination of Dark Chocolate and candy cane
flavors is pretty amazing.
Chocolate
Peppermin Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Cookies:
3/4
cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3
cup Hershey's special dark cocoa powder
1/8
teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4
cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1
large egg
1/2
teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
1
cup confectioner's sugar
4
tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1-2
teaspoons milk
4-6
drops of peppermint flavoring
Red sugar
crystals for decorating
Instructions
In a
mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl,
cream butter and sugar, then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix wet with
dry to create a firm dough, then refrigerate at least 2 hours. When
chilled, roll dough out into 1 inch balls and flatten. I used a
melon baller to scoop the dough to keep the cookies uniform in
size. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10
minutes. Cool completely. To make filling, beat ingredients (save
red sugar) until smooth. Put a dollop of filling onto one cookie
and top it with another. Pour red sugar out into a shallow bowl.
Roll sandwich cookie on their sides through red sugar, coating the
exposed part of the filling. Enjoy!
And
Finally, Classic Ginger Bread Cookies (some with a
twist.**)
Gingerbread
Cookies
Ingredients
1
cup butter or margarine, softened
1
cup sugar
1/4
cup water
1
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1
cup molasses
5
cups all-purpose flour
1/4
teaspoon salt
1
1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/2
teaspoon ground allspice
1
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Royal
Icing (found with the sugar cookie recipe in
Part 1)
Food
Coloring
Colored
decorating sugar
Instructions
Pre heat
oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a
mixer until fluffy. Stir together 1/4 cup water and soda until
dissolved; stir in molasses. Combine flour and spices. Add to
butter mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beginning and
ending with flour mixture. Shape mixture into a ball; cover and
chill 1 hour.
Roll to
1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with he cookie
cutters of your choice. I used the classic gingerbread man, a star
and a candycane. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined
baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to
cool.
Tint icing
as desired and use a piping bag to decorate cooled cookies. I stick
with white icing to decorate the gingerbread men. I used yellow
icing to pipe an outline onto the stars and decorated them with
yellow sugar as well. For the candy canes, I piped on the white
stripes first and let that icing firm up. Then I mixed up some red
icing and added 3-4 drops of peppermint flavoring to it.*** I then
piped on the red stripes, coated them with red sugar and let them
firm up. The flavor combination of gingerbread with just a hint of
peppermint is amazingly good and because the flavoring is only in
the red stripes of the icing, it is not overpowering.
Delish!
Happy
baking!
/
The Gypsy's
Corner
