Posted on 11/28/2017 3:26:23 PM PST by Jamestown1630
Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the bustle of preparing for Christmas begins. This weekend my husband put up our lights (every year he adds a little something, and by now I suspect our balcony and windows can be seen from space) and we've got most of the gift shopping done. Now I'm thinking about food.
I have never made Christmas cookies as much as I’d like because I felt they had to be done close to the holiday, when I'm usually very busy; and many recipes lose a lot if you freeze the baked product.
For some reason I didn’t think to make at least the dough ahead and freeze that, though I’ve done it with savory pastries. Here from All Recipes is a guide to freezing and then baking your cookie dough, and even your cookies:
http://dish.allrecipes.com/freezing-cookies-and-cookie-dough/
I recently obtained a copy of the first Food52 cookbook, " the first-ever online community cookbook", which has a lot of very interesting recipes, including a good recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana, and a roasted beet/citrus salad that I want to try.
It's a very nice book, the Kindle version of which is currently available on Amazon for $.99; and it includes ‘Secret Cookies’ - which apparently got their name because they were passed down in confidence by an elderly woman who said, “After I’m gone, you may give out the recipe.”:
https://food52.com/recipes/165-secret-cookies
-JT
This week: Christmas Cookies!
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
My kids actually prefer them frozen. The cookies.
They like to eat them frozen, or they like what freezing does to them?
My husband likes the Girl Scout thin mint cookies - those are good frozen.
Hmmm. I don’t know. They like them frozen. I used to start baking thanksgiving weekend. One year I made 200 cookies.
Bring it on, I need some ideas.
A big favorite in this house:
Trillian’s Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Pecan Cookies
Ingredients:
2- 1/4 cups of unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of peanut butter, crunchy
1 cup of dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of chopped pecans
2 cups of dark chocolate (I use Ghiradelli or Dove) cut into chunks
Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together butter, peanut butter and brown sugar in kitchenaid stand mixer using flat beater. Add egg and vanilla until well blended. Sift together flour and baking soda and blend into rest of mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and pecans by hand.
Using a 1 inch mini ice cream scoop, place 1 inch dough scoops onto parchment paper 2 inches apart. Using your fingers flatten dough into circles.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until completely cooked through.
Take out of oven and let rest 1 minute. Then cool completely on racks.
Years ago I made and then froze cookie dough balls. A few weeks later I decided to bake them. As I cleaned up after lunch to prepare for baking I talked about how much fun it was going to be to our toddler.
I still remember saying,”let’s get the cookies out!” as I opened the freezer to find a gallon size Ziploc with one dough ball left. So much for baking cookies with my son!
Unbeknownst to me, my husband had been taking one or two to eat on the way to work everyday. I couldn’t fathom eating that much raw dough, but learned just how much of a sweet tooth he had!
INGREDIENTS 24 to 36 pieces assorted fresh and dried fruits (such as fresh cranberries, whole strawberries, orange segments with membranes intact, kumquats, dried apricot halves and small grape clusters) 24 to 36 wooden skewers 4 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup water 1/3 cup light corn syrup optional 4 thin rounds peeled fresh ginger
PREPARATION Line large baking sheet with foil. Wipe fruits clean. Insert 1 skewer halfway into each fruit (excluding grape clusters). Combine sugar and water in heavy medium 4-inch-deep saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Add corn syrup and ginger option. Increase heat and bring to boil, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Attach candy thermometer to saucepan. Boil without stirring until syrup is golden amber color and candy thermometer registers 340°F, swirling pan occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
SUGAR SHELL Holding skewer, carefully dip 1 fruit into hot caramel, coating completely. Hold fruit over pan, allowing some of excess caramel to drip off. Place fruit, still on skewer, on foil-lined sheet. Repeat dipping with remaining fruits and caramel. Hook stem end of each grape cluster in tines of fork; dip into caramel to coat. Place on prepared sheet. If necessary, carefully tilt pan to submerge fruits in caramel.
CHEF'S TIP Can be prepared ahead. Cranberries, strawberries and orange segments can stand at room temperature up to 6 hours. Kumquats, dried apricots and grape clusters can be refrigerated uncovered overnight. fork; dip into caramel to coat. Place on prepared sheet. If necessary, carefully tilt pan to submerge fruits in caramel. (Can be prepared ahead. Cranberries, strawberries and orange segments can stand at room temperature up to 6 hours. Kumquats, dried apricots and grape clusters can be refrigerated uncovered overnight.)
LOL! I used to like eating raw dough when I was a kid - especially pie pastry.
This is how we got ‘cookie dough ice cream’ ;-)
That’s beautiful, even if it does have to be made the same day.
Nice confection for Christmas cookie trays. Just three ing; white chocolate, peanuts, pretzels.
Vintage recipe. Sweet and subtle chocolate complements saltiness.
METHOD Melt/stir smooth/creamy in st/steel bowl over simmering water, 12 oz (coarse-chp good
quality white chocolate (burns easily.) Offheat add 1/2 c roasted peanuts, 1 1/2 c thin pretzel sticks
broken into 1 1/2" pieces, stir well/coat. Spoon onto parchmented sheetpan.
(CHEF TIP: If too runny, refrigerate 10 min).
Store airtight; refrigerates several weeks.
That is, I bought a piece of metal duct tubing, and was able to fashion it enough to pass for two "tins".
She was able to doubly one-up her sister on both taste and style, so it was worth it.
Not exactly cookies but had a couple squares of white choc bark so melted them and spread on some pretzel sticks yesterday. Sprinkled them with red sprinkles before the bark hardened. Always a big hit.
My hubby loves raw cookie dough. The thought of it makes me gag.
Most cookies are disgustingly oversweet to me.
Thumbprints still appeal to me as an adult, you can fill them with any marmalade or jelly from Orange to cherry.
The neat part is you can involve the kids in the preparation!
Get those little paws busy!
I was trying to find the molds for these cookies - I think they’re also called ‘Krokaner’ - but it’s very hard to find the forms in the US, and we’ll have to remember your ingenuity.
(There’s a German cake called ‘Rehruecken’ that is made in a sort of half-cylinder pan that might work for the cookies.)
Mmmmmm. Raw cookie dough.
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