Soft Gingerbread Cookies

The holiday season completely sneaked up on me out of nowhere, and I find myself utterly unprepared. Is it just me, or has Christmas come faster than usual this year? A week from Christmas and I have not decorated, put up a tree, or braved an over-crowded shopping mall. And I definitely have not been cranking out the Christmas cookies.

That said, I made sure I carved out some time this weekend to make these Soft Gingerbread Cookies. This is a recipe a family friend has used for decades. Every year, she would use it to make my younger brother the cutest advent calendar. She would wrap 24 of these cookies in plastic and attach them to a ribbon. My brother would then snack his way down to Christmas! These cookies stay remarkably soft day after day, so you can make these quite a bit in advance of when you'd need them. The spices in these are just right, and they have the perfect amount of sweetness. I'm sure Santa wouldn't mind gobbling a few up!


SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c molasses

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.

2. Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the molasses. In small batches, mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl between each batch. Refrigerate dough for about an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment, leaving plenty of room between them. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass into flour and shake off the excess. Press the drinking glass onto each dough ball to flatten them.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Pecan Sandies

I always thought Pecan Sandies were the exclusive creation of the Keebler elves. That turns out not to be true, and Pecan Sandies can be made at home. This was my first try at making cookie dough with the food processor, and I found it to be a very quick and easy process. These cookies would be excellent with tea or coffee.

PECAN SANDIES
from The New Best Recipe

1 1/2 c chopped pecans, plus more pecan halves for topping cookies
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk

1. In a food processor, pulse together the pecans and sugars until pecans are ground. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until dough starts to look like wet sand and rides up the side of the bowl. Run the food processor and add in the yolk while it's running. Dough should come together into a ball.

2. Remove ball from food processor and knead a few turns on a clean surface. Roll dough into a 12 inch log, and cut in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

3. Remove dough logs from freezer. Unwrap and roll on a clean surface to fix the flattened side (your logs will be flat on the bottom). When log is fully round once more, rewrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator. Slice into 1/4" slices and place on parchment paper. Press a pecan half into the top of each slice.

5. Bake for 22-24 minutes, rotating baking sheets half way through baking. Cookies are done when edges start browning. Allow cookies to cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

These cookies combine two great fall-appropriate flavors: pumpkin and ginger. Gingersnap fans will love these. Pumpkin lovers will be happy as well. You can't go wrong with a classic cookie like this. My taste testers agree. I sent a box of these off to work with my husband, and the box came back with nary a crumb.


PUMPKIN GINGERSNAP COOKIES

2 1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar (plus more for rolling cookies)
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, molasses, egg and vanilla extract. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and coat each ball with sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops of cookies crack. Allow cookies to cool on sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been baking chocolate chip cookies since forever. My brother and I used to be in charge of making the annual toll house Christmas cookies. We'd make huge double batches, although almost as much cookie dough would wind up inside our mouths as on the baking trays. Not that I eat the dough anymore. Well, maybe a pinch here and there. But I'm mostly reformed, and isn't that what counts?

When I saw these cookies on the Pioneer Woman's new cooking show, I knew I had to try them. I love everything malt. As it turns out, these cookies don't have an overwhelming malty taste. You do get a hint of it, but I doubt you'd notice it without being told it's in there. Or maybe my palette is just not refined enough. In any case, these cookies are still worth making. I love how thin and chewy they are. The only change I made to the original recipe was to use semi-sweet chips instead of milk chocolate chips. To me, a chocolate chip cookie needs a semi-sweet morsel to be complete.


MALTED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c light brown sugar
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c, rounded, malted milk powder
1 12oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla and malted milk powder. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Spoon cookie dough onto prepared sheets, leaving plenty of room between each dough ball. These cookies spread quite a bit. Bake for about 10 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Source: Pioneer Woman

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Cake Batter Cookies

I've been seeing cake batter recipes all over Pinterest. Cake batter pancakes, cake batter blondies, cake batter truffles. At the heart of the cake batter phenomenon is the "funfetti" cake mix, which is, from what I gather, yellow cake with sprinkles in it. It's a concept I find intriguing and horrifying at the same time. I felt compelled to try it. So I jumped on the cake batter bandwagon and hoped for the best.

These. cookies. are. so. GOOD! I can't confirm whether they taste like cake batter, since I've never eaten cake batter. But I can promise that they are crazy tasty (and crazy addictive to boot!). I love the chewy texture of these, and love that they bake rather flat. The cookies didn't last long, not because they went stale but because we ate them all. This recipe is a keeper for sure. I might try playing with it to bypass the box mix, but I'm very happy with it as written.


CAKE BATTER COOKIES

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c funfetti cake mix
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Stir together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter with the sugars. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl and beat for another minute or so. Add in dry ingredients. Mix just to combine. Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. Keep in mind that these cookies spread (it's part of their charm), so leave about two inches between each scoop. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Source: Lovin' From the Oven, who adapted the recipe from Stephanie Cooks

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Oatmeal Cream Pies

I'm not sure what inspired me to make this classic lunch-box treat, the oatmeal cream pie. But I did. And I'm glad. Anyone who is a fan of the Little Debbie version will absolutely love these. People not familiar will probably enjoy them, too. If you're not an oatmeal fan, don't worry. Oatmeal gives these snack cakes a bit of body and texture, but the flavor won't resemble anything that's ever been served to you in a bowl. My oatmeal loathing husband loved these.

Now, I don't know if was just me, but I had a lot, a lot, of extra filling left over. I also got half the amount of sandwiches I should have (about 12 vs. 24). That said, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of halving the cream filling or doubling the cookie batter, for the purposes of writing up this recipe, in case you have a different experience than I did. I say, try it once as written and decrease the amount of filling you prepare accordingly. The worst thing that can happen is that you'll have extra marshmallow filling on your hands. Or is it the best thing? ;)


OATMEAL CREAM PIES

for the sandwich cookies:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

for the filling:
1 1/2 c Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/4 c vegetable shortening
1 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Continue to beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. In a food processor, pulse 3/4 c of the oatmeal until it becomes more like flour. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground oatmeal, regular oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add these dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Mix together at a low speed until just combined.

4. Drop tablespoons of batter on the prepared baking sheets. These cookies will spread while baking, so keep dough rounds about 2 inches apart. Bake each sheet for about 10-12 minutes, or until just slightly browned at the edges. Let cool on a wire rack before filling.

5. For the filling, beat together the marshmallow cream and shortening on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat again for another 3 minutes. To get your best looking cookie sandwiches, place filling in a plastic gallon bag and clip a bottom corner with scissors. Use this as a piping bag. Pipe filling, starting in the center of the cookie and swirling outwards, stopping about 1/4 inch from the edge. Gently press a similarly sized cookie on top.

Source: Whoopie Pies

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Sweet Indulgences Sunday, Foodie Friday

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

There are a few cookie recipes I think every home cook should have in their arsenal. A good lemon cookie is one of them. And these are really good lemon cookies.

I'd like to think I'm not an emotional eater, but I have to admit these cookies made me very happy. There's something about lemon that is so cheerful and bright. The taste, the smell, it all puts me in a good mood. It's impossible to feel stressed out or morose while eating something lemony.

These Lemon Crinkle Cookies take the best things about lemon and make them even better. Oh so slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, sweet with a slight tart-- these cookies are absolutely incredible. They melt in your mouth. They also keep their texture better than any cookie I've ever made. I stored them in a plastic container for almost a week, and they still tasted exactly like they did on the first day. This does not happen often. Most of the time, cookies get sort of stale and limp by day three. Not these little champs.

I made these cookies intending to ship them off to my husband's co-workers like I do with most baked goods. My husband took one bite and said, "These can stay here." If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is. The only change I might consider is adding more lemon zest. Not to say these cookies aren't lemony as written, because they are, but it's an easy change to the recipe for the ultra-lemon lovers among us.


LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon zest (or more)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease with a light coat of non-stick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined. In small batches, add in the sifted dry ingredients, mixing just to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or foil and place in refrigerator. Chill for at least an hour.

4. Place powdered sugar in a shallow dish or on a large plate. Roll chilled dough into one-inch balls. Roll each ball through the powdered sugar to coat, and then place on prepared cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven, or until bottoms have started to brown ever so slightly and cookie takes on a matte (not glossy) appearance. Be careful not to over bake. Recipe yields about two dozen cookies.

Source: Lauren's Latest

This recipe is shared with Crazy Sweet Tuesday, This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Sweet Indulgences Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Delectable Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show

Oreo Cheescake Popsicles

For some reason, I've had in my head for a while that I need to make a frozen treat combining Oreos and cheesecake. I can't quite explain it. I'm not an avid consumer of either. The craving proved so strong, I broke down and bought a popsicle mold specifically to test out this recipe. I'm very happy I did. These popsicles are fantastic. They are, quite literally, frozen Oreo cheesecake on a stick. How can that ever be bad?

If there's one downside it's that these popsicles have a limit to how hard they'll freeze, which means they won't take perfect shape to the mold. So you won't get a picture-perfect pop. But who cares? Did I mention these are made of frozen Oreo cheesecake?


OREO CHEESECAKE POPSICLES

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. powdered sugar
2 c. heavy cream
10 Oreo cookies, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Mixing on low speed, pour in the heavy cream. The goal here is not to whip the cream, so take care not to over-mix. Fold in the chopped Oreo cookies.

2. Pour batter into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 10 standard sized popsicles.

Source: slightly adapted from Group Recipes

Confetti Cookies

Kids and adults alike will love these Confetti Cookies, which feature everyone's favorite candy coated chocolate, M&Ms. I think these would be the perfect treat for back-to-school lunch boxes. However, I've also served them to my husband's co-workers. Adults need a little candy in their lives, too! As a side bonus, these cookies were probably the easiest I've made. The use of self-rising flour eliminates the need to sift together a dry mix.


CONFETTI COOKIES

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 c. candy-coated chocolate candies (like M&Ms)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter and brown sugar, using an electric mixer. Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla extract. Add self-rising flour in small batches, mixing well between each addition. Batter will be very thick. If it seems unworkable, add about 1/2 tsp water. Stir in the chocolate candies by hand.

3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place on sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges. Let cookies sit on sheet for 2 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 45 cookies.

Source: Home Baking, no listed author, Parragon Publishing, 2005, pg 158.

Buttery Shortbread Cookies

These cookies helped change my perception of shortbread. Before, my thoughts of shortbread were of the box of Girl Scout cookies that sat unopened in the pantry months after the thin mints were gone. These shortbreads, however, probably won't make it very long in your pantry at all. That's because it's pretty hard to resist eating them. I polished off my test batch at an embarrassingly quick pace. Rich and buttery, sweet without being overly so, these cookies are what shortbreads should be. I wound up eating a lot of them with my coffee, finding it an unexpected compliment, and imagine they would be good with tea as well.

The original directions for this recipe call for these to be rolled cookies. But I could not get the dough to roll out. I tried both refrigeration and additional flour to no avail. It is pretty humid here, but I also have central air and can't be sure the weather is to blame. I tried rolling the dough into balls and pressing down with a drinking glass, but the dough was too sticky to pull off the glass cleanly. Finally, I decided to press the dough balls with my fingers. Not only did this work, but the dough squished a little around my middle finger, creating an attractive ridged appearance. I am a bit sad I didn't get to use my Hello Kitty cookie cutter but still very happy with how these cookies wound up looking.


BUTTERY SHORTBREADS

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. superfine sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of half a lemon (I chose to zest the whole lemon, because I love lemon)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
granulated sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add in the superfine sugar. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture in small batches. The dough should come together and clean the sides of the bowl.

3. Refrigerate dough for about a half an hour (this step can be skipped if it's cold in your kitchen). Roll dough into one-inch balls. Place balls on parchment paper and press down with your first three fingers. Recipe makes about 26 cookies.

4. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, or until edges turn a very light brown. Do not over bake. Remove cookies from oven and immediately sprinkle with desired amount of granulated sugar (sugar will only stick when cookies are hot). Let cookies rest on their baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container.

Source: Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours

Double Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Mmm... chocolate. One picture hardly seemed like enough.

These cookies are popular around Christmas, but I see no reason not to enjoy them year-round. The recipe calls for Dutch-process cocoa powder, but I used natural (Hersey's to be exact) and had no problem. These cookies have a dense texture and taste to them that reminds me of a devil's food doughnut. They'll definitely help fix any chocolate cravings you might be having!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CRACKLE COOKIES

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
• 1 c. powdered sugar

1. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer, mix in melted butter and eggs. Don't be alarmed if your batter seems stiff and crumbly, that's the nature of these cookies. Turn off the mixer when it appears all the ingredients are well mixed.

2. If your batter is still crumbly at this point, use your hands to bring into a ball. Kneed the white chocolate chips into the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.*

3. Roll dough into small balls. Coat the balls with powdered sugar. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool fully before eating. Makes about 24 cookies.

*Just a side note: The purpose of chilling the dough is to prepare if for being rolled into balls. In general, a cold batter with make a better sphere. However, since this dough is fairly stiff on its own, you're probably ok to skip refrigeration if you have a cold kitchen, or are just in a real hurry. I refrigerate, but I'm a sucker for following the rules.

Source: Food Network Magazine, December 2010, vol 3, no 10.