Repeat after me- Butter is NOT evil! Holiday Cookies Wk 4

Last night I had a dream that Richard Simmons and Jillian Michaels came to perform an exorcism on me  because my head was spinning around and I had butter shooting out of my ears. I also think I was ranting something about baking soda will be my savior.. 

Yes people, the Holiday season has begun. And I am literally as stuffed as that 20 lb turkey I slathered in butter and roasted on Thursday. Yet somehow, I continue to polish of the last piece of pumpkin pie as I write this. 

Don't get my wrong, Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday and I really enjoy the meal prep, but I totally have my fat pants on right now. Tomorrow calls for a whole grain and fruit detox.  And hopefully no one will be in the sharing mood and bring in left overs to work. 

Here's the irony. After all that cooking and eating, I still wanted to continue my weekly ritual and prepare the cookies for week 4.

The cookie of choice?  Chocolate Chip of course. I actually struggle with this one a bit, because there is part of me that feels as if it really should not be part of the line up. I guess because it's a pretty common cookie. But who am I to look down on most coveted comfort food?  I love these cookies, and they are the best for this project for a number of reasons.

1) There are a million great Chocolate Chip varieties and recipes out there to choose from.

2) Everyone loves these. A sure winner.

3) The recipe makes a butt load and it makes a great filler so you can give people a lot of these and only a few of the pricier or special cookies.

My choice? Good old fashion Toll House cookies. With a bit of a twist of course;)  You can choose to follow my adaptation or theirs.

Couple of tips on this one. A small ice cream scooper comes in really handy here. I have a #70, whatever that means, but it makes it really easy to dose out, and less messy. Also, I like my cookies soft, so once they are baked, if you store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread, they will soften up. If you like them crunchy, skip the bread.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted by Nestle Toll House

Prep: 10 mins

Cook Time: 12-15 mins per batch.

Makes 36-48 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening like Crisco. * I like butter flavored. This makes the cookies puff a bit.
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 package chocolate chips, or chunks

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine butter, shortening, and sugars in mixer until pale and fluffy.
3. Add baking soda, salt and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time until well combined.
5. Add flour a bit a a time until just combined.
6. Add Chocolate chips 
7. At this point you can bake or freeze until ready to use
8. Scoop on greased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden brown.
9. Lay on wire rack to cool and then devour.

Enjoy!  I am off to take a Tums and make some Mama's Oatmeal for tomorrow.

Holiday Cookies WK3- Angeletti Cookies

How far back can you remember as a kid? I have a weird memory from when I was 2 and met my first childhood friend. Happy to report that 34 years later, we are still connected on FB.

I can remember a few things from preschool, some family memories during that time. Basically a bunch of wonderful vignettes until I was about 6 or 7. Oddly, these cookies are also on my early memories list.

Can't even tell you why, it's not like they were a family favorite. In fact, any one who knows my mom, knows that from 1975 until 1999 or so, my mom all but blew up our oven when she tried to bake. PS. she's always been a great cook, but baking... well there was one time , never mind, I digress.
Mom has since had a baking epiphany and is now a great baker...

The memory is really bizarre too. I remember being at some church reception in the country. I think it was a shower.. It's almost like the beginning of a bad 1970s crazy movie. Anyway, I had these cookies and they rocked.

Even today as I pulled the ingredients together, baked and set them out for their shoot, not only was my mouth watering, but Jake all but climbed on to the table to get one. Not fun when I am trying to keep steady to shoot. My husband, literally stopped the sentence he was in the middle of, and his eyes grew wide when he saw them..

I shoot, and hand them out.. Soft, and sweet. A little like a scone, but then the sugary double bourbon vanilla glaze hits you.. Ooey, gooey.. Ummm.. Heaven.

Baby Girl didn't get to try any.. I only made a few for the shoot and froze the rest. Hey, her fault for taking a marathon nap. Man eat Man in this house. Better she learns young.

Really easy, really quick. Enjoy.

Angeletti


Makes 36 cookies| Hands-On Time: 30m | Total Time: 1hr 00m

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for rolling the dough
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 
  
• Glaze:
• 1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tablespoons multicolor nonpareil sprinkles, for decoration (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs until blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined (do not overmix).

* You can wrap in cling wrap and freeze until ready at this point, or continue and bake.

1. With floured hands, roll level tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and the bottoms are pale golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
2. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and the vanilla until the mixture forms a thick but pourable glaze (add more water if necessary).
3. Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and let set, rounded side up, on a rack set over a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle with non-pareils, if using. Allow the glaze to set, about 20 minutes. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Week 2- Holiday Cookies.. Basic Sugar Cookie

I know that they say that getting kids involved while you are cooking is great. They eat better, it's educational, it's involvement.  Today, I say the hell with that. Sometimes you just want to get in and out of the kitchen. I love the "idea" of the kids helping, and really truly do let them get into it.

But some times, what could have been a 10 minute, relatively low-mess project, turns into flour all over my kitchen, some kind of gooey, sticky, drippy thing hanging from my drawer handles and baby girl soaking wet.  

I literally felt like I was playing beat the clock on this blog entry.. I could hear the race horse anthem playing in my head as I quickly rolled out my dough and stamped out my cookies. Then, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, I can hear my husband taunting me with that phase.. the dreaded phrase of "she's Ah-hup. UGH.. the baby was up from her nap.. Really, just 5 more mins??? 

Honestly, I have no right to complain. Somehow I have been blessed with excellent sleepers at night and naps have always been 2-3 hours for both of them.

But, Charlotte being up meant one thing, a partner in the kitchen, and a partner like Charlotte is like letting a herd of cats into the kitchen.. I love her, but not today..  

My point in sharing this, is that this week's recipe for Holiday Cookies is super easy, and super delicious, but if you have a 2 year old "helping" please plan for more time.. ;)

These cookies for me are amazing. You can use them plain, decorate with royal icing, roll into balls and press chocolate kisses or jam into the center the list goes on. Really fast, really easy, totally yummy.

Enjoy and may your kitchen stay flour friendly..

Basic Sugar Cookie recipe

Adapted from Real Simple

Prep Time: 25mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients

•             5 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the cookies
•             ½ teaspoon baking soda
•             ½ teaspoon kosher salt
•             2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks), at room temperature
•             1 ½ cup sugar
•             2 large eggs
•             2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1.              In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2.              Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

3.              With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and (unless otherwise specified in an individual recipe) refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 1 hour or freeze until ready to bake off for the holidays.

4.             Alternately, make cutout cookies by doing the following: Heat oven to 350° F. On a floured surface, roll out each disk ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes and place on parchment-lined baking sheets; refrigerate until firm. Sprinkle with decorating sugar, if using, and bake until just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Real Cheap, Real Simple, Real Homemade- Holidays on a Budget!

* to view more images from this shoot check our our Shop

A bit of a confession here, but it's relevant to today's posting. Last Holiday Season for us, like many was pretty stressful. We have a ton of people in our lives that we love dearly, but the idea of having to buy presents for everyone was pretty scary. So I decided to take those words of "it's the thought that counts" a little more to heart. I thought real hard about what personal gifts Rick and I could create on a limited budget and limited free time.  Well, I do cooking and baking really well.. Then it hit me, Cookies! and lots of them. They are cheap, they are easy to make (ahead of time) and everybody likes sweets.  

So, that's just what I did. I baked my little heart out. And then I did the other thing I do well, package. I found inexpensive boxes, and really pretty ribbon and decorated those yummy morsels in a Holiday package to delight anyone.

So you better believe I am doing it again this year. But this time, I am going to share my ideas and recipes with all of you.

For the next six weeks I will share with you one cookie recipe per week. The idea here is that you premix your cookie dough and freeze it until you are ready to bake. You can safely store most cookie doughs in a freezer for well up to two months. Then, the week before you want to present the cookies, you can start baking the off and storing them in an air tight container. When you are ready give your gifts, package them up with a pretty bow and.. Ta Da....

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, it falls a bit earlier this year (first week of Dec.) you will only be able to get through 4 of the 6 weeks. Sorry, I started this later then I thought.

I will also help you prep for the packaging with ideas and places to buy.

So, for week 1  I present:

Cranberry Pistachio Icebox Cookies

adapted from Epicurious.com

(shortbread style cookie)

Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)

• Special equipment: parchment paper

Directions

Make dough:
Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then freeze.

Up to one week before presenting.

Slice and bake cookies:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.

Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.

Enjoy!