One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is all the different cookies I get to indulge in. From the basic chocolate chip to the specialty cookies. Any cookie is a good cookie. I have complied just a few yummy recipes for you to try yourself. I hope these recipes make you as hungry as they made me!
Chocolate Crinkles
Prep: 20 m
Cook: 12 m
Ready In: 5 h
Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Source: AllRecipes.com
Rolled Sugar Cookies
Prep: 20 m
Cook: 8 m
Ready In: 3 h
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Source: AllRecipes.com
Triple Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 large yolk
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces white chocolate chips
Directions:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cloves together in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from the heat, add the bittersweet chocolate, then set aside until melted.
Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a medium bowl, then slowly whisk in chocolate. Stir in the flour mixture to make a loose dough. Don’t overwork the dough. Fold in the chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 if convection option is available).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form dough into balls, about 2 inches or 1 1/2 ounces each, and put on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a couple inches between the cookies. Bake until outside is crackly, but the center is still moist, about 13 to 15 minutes, or 12 in convection. Cool on a rack.
Source: FoodNetwork.com
Peppermint Meringues
Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
Pinch fine salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Red food coloring, preferably gel
Directions:
Special equipment: A pastry bag fitted with a round tip A small paintbrush or cotton swab
Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the peppermint.
Fold the top of a pastry bag fitted with a round tip over and down a few inches. Dip a paintbrush in the food coloring. Starting inside the pastry tip, brush a stroke of food coloring from the tip to the top of the bag. Repeat with 3 more evenly spaced strokes. Fill the bag with the meringue; try to spoon it directly into the center so as not to smudge the food coloring (though some smudging is inevitable). Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds of meringue spaced 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Open the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and shut the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until they are completely dry inside, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Source: FoodNetwork.com
Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
Directions:
For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.
Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.
For the filling: Meanwhile, heat the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; at 75% power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively; put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth).
Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until the filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For the glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 75% until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread the glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, and then refrigerate overnight.
Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Store the bar covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cook’s Note: *To crush the candy canes, remove wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll over and break up the candy into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.
Source: FoodNetwork.com
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, scooped and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Confectioners’ sugar, for coating
Filling:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
Directions:
For the cookies: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl, then set aside. Whisk together the granulated sugar, butter, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and eggs in another bowl. Fold the flour mixture into the sugar mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes (it will still be soft).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put some confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the chilled dough with a tablespoon and drop into the confectioners’ sugar to completely coat. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets and position the dough balls about 3 inches apart; they will spread to about 3 inches in diameter once done. Bake until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch with no dark spots and dry on top, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet about 10 minutes; the bottoms should just barely lift off the baking sheet and the cookies will still be slightly soft.
While the first batch of cookies are baking, scoop and coat another batch of dough and transfer to the second baking sheet. Bake the second batch while the first batch is cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough.
For the filling: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla until no lumps remain and the filling is smooth.
When the cookies are cool, spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling on the bottom (flat sides) of half of the cookies. Top each with one of the remaining cookies, bottom (flat side) facing in.
Cook’s Note: The cookies will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Source: FoodNetwork.com
I hope you enjoy these recipes! Let me know your favorite cookies to make during the holidays in a comment below!
Until next time!
