Three Great Holiday Cookies

Ah, Christmas.  The season of hope, joy, peace and cookies.

Cookie #1 in this lineup may be basic-looking the flavor and aroma are unbeatable.  This recipe is from the fantastic book Fix Freeze Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik (Storey Publishing).  Several dozen of these unbaked cookies are patiently waiting in the freezer, just waiting to be enjoyed.  Sweet!  Break out the stand mixer for this one!  Behold, the Very Vanilla Snickerdoodle.

2 cups butter, softened 

3 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons double-strength vanilla extract (I use Hawaiian Vanilla.  Amazing.)

31/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 tablespoons baking powder (Open a fresh can for holiday baking!)

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

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Topping:

Scant 1/2 cup vanilla sugar (See below. )

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (Open a fresh jar of this, too!)

For vanilla sugar, pour 1 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor.  Add 1/4 of a vanilla bean.  Process for 30-60 seconds or until the vanilla specks are well distributed throughout the sugar.  Pour the vanilla sugar through a fine strainer to remove any large particles.  Cure the sugar in an airtight container for one week before using.  Vanilla sugar is also available in larger markets and cookware stores.

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Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Set the mixer at medium-high speed and run it for about 5 minutes.  I always cream the butter and sugar for every cookie and cake that I make.  Proper creaming makes a world of difference in the finished product.

Reduce the speed to medium and add egg, milk and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add half the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat well, starting at low speed and gradually increasing it.  Beat in remaining flour mixture.  The batter will be stiff.

In a small bowl, mix Topping ingredients.  Label seven quart-sized freezer bags.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll the dough balls in the Topping and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

Remove dough balls from freezer and place a dozen into each labeled bag.

Seal and freeze.  To bake one dozen cookies, place frozen cookies 3 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.   Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until tops crack.  Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Remove them to a cooling rack.

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Cookie #2 was inspired by a trip down the baking aisle at a local warehouse club.  This recipe was printed on the back of Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix box!  I baked these, cooled them completely, stashed them into freezer bags and will thaw them out--in the bags--the day before stashing them into gift tins.  They are chewy, crunchy with the addition of nuts and have a perfect balance of chocolate and coffee flavors.  Behold, Chocolate Espresso Cookies.

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder or instant coffee powder

1 package Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix

1 large egg

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.  (I'm partial to the parchment.)  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine water and espresso powder.  Stir until dissolved.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, oil, cinnamon and the espresso mixture.   Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl.  Stir in chocolate an nuts with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.

Bake about 6-8 minutes or until edges are just set.  (Centers may appear doughy.)  Do not overbake.  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

I used a tablespoon-sized Wilton cookie scoop and leveled off the dough before depositing the dollops onto the cookie sheet.  My cookie took about 15 minutes to bake.  You do want the centers to look a little moist; this is what creates the chewy texture.  You don't want them to taste like raw dough, though. The tops should look matte and set.  

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Last, but not least, is a cookie that is the very essence of Christmas for me.  The season always divides the world into two groups:  Those who love fruitcake and those who hate it.  I'm definitely in the former camp.  If you hate fruitcake, at least try it in this cookie form.  This jumble of fruits, nuts, butter and brandy may very well expand your horizons!

Fruitcake Cookies

1/2 cup softened, unsalted butter

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1/2 cup brandy or bourbon

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 pound golden raisins

1/2 pound Sunsweet whole pitted dates, chopped 

1/4 pound candied, chopped orange peel

1 pound candied red cherries, chopped

3/4 pound candied pineapple, chopped

1/2 pound walnut halves

1/2 pound pecan halves

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar for five minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.  Add milk, vanilla and brandy and thoroughly mix.  It may appear curdled.  That's okay.  Add 3/4 cup of the flour, mix well and set aside. 

In a separate large bowl, add remaining flour, spices, fruits and nuts.  Toss to combine.  Pour the batter over the fruit and nut mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon.  Refrigerate overnight.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, portion out the dough.  Firmly compact the dough while forming it into balls.  Place the dough balls on the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.  Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and set.  Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.  Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.  Cool completely and store them in an airtight tin.  These are delicious when freshly made, but they're even better after a week of aging.  If they last that long, that is.  My supply is dwindling!

Enjoy and have a wonderful, blessed Christmas!

Christmas Roast Beast

This would melt any Grinch's heart--well-seasoned, slowly roasted, juicy, medium in the center, more well-done on the ends.  Delicious!

One bone-in, ribeye roast, approximately 5 1/2 pounds

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons coarse-ground mustard

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil.  Place the roast on the pan.  Set aside.

Whisk together oil, Worcestershire and mustard.  In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.

At this point, I put on a pair of disposable gloves.  Pour the liquid mixture all over the roast and rub it in well.  Do this with the dry mixture as well.

Roast it for three hours.  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before carving.  

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Biscotti

These.are.so.good.  I just mailed off a batch to my best friend for Christmas.

This recipe comes from:

Christmas with Southern Living 2001
Page 154
Copyright:  Oxmoor House

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup finely chopped cocktail peanuts
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate mini-morsels, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons solid shortening

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with a Silpat.  Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, beating well.

Stir together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.  Turn dough out onto a lightly flour surface.  Knead in peanuts and 1/2 cup mini-morsels.

Shape dough into a 13" x3" log on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 40 minutes or until firm.    Remove to a wire rack to cool.  (Leave the oven on.)

Using a serrated knife, gently saw the cookie log into 1/2" thick slices.  Place the sliced on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake for 7 minutes; turn cookies over and bake for 7 more minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Combine remaining 1 cup mini-morsels with last two ingredients in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat until melted.  Dip one end of each biscotti into the mixture.  Place on wax paper until chocolate hardens.

Yield:  28 cookies

Asian-Inspired Snack Mix

We've all had Chex Mix at Christmas.

How about one with dried apricots, cashews, sesame sticks and wasabi peas, all bathed in spicy/sweet sauce with tamari and cayenne?  It hits all the flavor bells--sweet, crunchy, spicy, exotic and tangy.

I made this as a food gift for my vegan cousin, Eric.  I swapped out the butter with vegan margarine.  I had to sneak a taste.  (Quality control, right?)  Loved it!  Making another batch for me--with butter!

The recipe comes from:

Christmas with Southern Living 2010

Asian Snack Mix

Page 158

Copyright 2010, Oxmoor House

2 cups Rice Chex cereal

2 cups sesame sticks (I've seen these on the salad bar at Chuck E. Cheese!  My local grocery store stocks them at the end of the frozen pizza aisle, along with other unusual offerings like circus peanut candy and Mary Jane candies.)

1 cup mini twist pretzels (I used unsalted ones.)

3/4 cup salted cashews

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup wasabi peas (These are found in a can on the Asian foods aisle.)

1/3 cup butter (or vegan margarine)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used tamari.)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil; spray with Pam.  Set aside.

Combine the cereal, pretzels, sesame sticks, cashews, apricots and wasabi peas in a large bowl.  

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Alternatively, you can place these ingredients in a 2-cup glass measuring cup, cover and microwave on High for one minute or until butter is melted and the sugar dissolves.

Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat.  Spoon the mixture onto the prepared pan.

Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to one month.

Mama Dot's Cornbread Dressing

My beloved maternal grandmother, affectionately know to her grandchildren as Mama Dot, hosted Thanksgiving every year and everyone loved her dressing.  It's very moist and rich.

She left this Earth ten years ago and holidays just don't quite seem the same.  I make this now to keep her close.  Mom won't make it.  She says I have The Touch.  Aunts and cousins who live far away have been e-mailing me to request the recipe.    Here it is.

16 oz. package Pepperidge Farm Herb-Seasoned Stuffing Crumbs (no substitutions)
16 oz. package Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing Crumbs (no substitutions)
4 large stalks of celery, from the heart (leaves included), very thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter (or use 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup bacon drippings)
Table or kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (My addition and I love it.  She didn't use it.)
2 quarts low-sodium chicken or turkey stock  (Buy all the broth or stock-in-a-box that you can.  It comes in handy at the holidays!)
Turkey drippings
Last year, I added 2 large eggs and 1 cup crushed oyster crackers and I loved the result.  It seemed puffier.

Pour the crumbs and oyster crackers (if using) into the largest bowl you own.  Set aside.

Saute the celery and onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Cook until tender and very lightly browned.  Add a pinch of salt to the veggies while they're cooking.  Add to the crumbs.  Sprinkle on extra salt and seasonings.  Add one quart of the stock and a ladleful of turkey drippings.  Mix well with a heavy wooden spoon.  Mama Dot added the stock until the mixture was extra soupy.  She always said you had to add plenty to make a good finished product.  I use less stock than she did.  I keep adding stock until it looks like this:

Taste it.  Seasoned fine, but blah?  Add some more turkey drippings.  Extra pepper is always good.  I used the Old Bay to give it a more rounded flavor.  It worked really well with the poultry seasoning.

When it tastes perfectly seasoned and rich enough and the consistency is where you want it to be, you can add the eggs (if using).    Scoop the dressing into a well-greased baking pan (I use a Martha Stewart lasagna pan from K-Mart.)  Bake it in a preheated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.