The Xmas cookie recipe reminded me how much I like experimenting with baking at this season. So I thought maybe we could share some of our favorite recipes. I’ll post my absolute favorite:
Molasses Crinkles
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger ( I use a full teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup grandmas molasses (NOT black strap or barbados!)
granulated sugar for sugaring tops of cookies
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt in a bowl until combined.
Beat together shortening, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and molasses, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until combined.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into a 1-inch ball with wet hands, then dip 1 end of ball in sanding sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them, sugared side up, 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total, then cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
Might have to try those. All I’ve got are my mother’s Orange-Nut Crisps, which she described as a tea cookie, probably because hers were small and hard. I add a bit of OJ to mine, which makes for a softer cookie. In the past, I’ve substituted a tsp of Cointreau. I also make them larger.
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour
Grated rind of one orange
Grated rind of one lemon
1 egg, separated
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp OJ
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add Work in the flour, rind and egg yolk. Make into 2 dozen balls. Roll in slightly beaten egg white, then in chopped nuts. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork to about 1/4 inch. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
Obsessing over snickerdoodles. Particularly, this recipe. It really is the end-all be-all of scnickerdoodle recipes as far as I’m concerned. If you don’t like them too tangy, cut the cream of tartar from 2 tsp to anywhere from 1 1/2 tsp to 1 3/4 tsp. But they need that bit of tang to be right, goshdarnit! I just made my second batch today (so I guess I lied about it in the other thread being the one and only batch I make a year–usually it is), after baking (and eating) my first batch two days ago. Now, understand, I don’t normally have a sweet tooth. I just go nuts for these things.
I love Snickerdoodles! Funny, I have made Mrs. Siggs fresh pumpkin pie from the same site, so I will try her cookies.
Coconut Macaroons
2/3 C. of sweetened condensed milk
1 C. of shredded coconut
1 C. of chopped walnuts (or chopped pecans)
1 C. of chopped dates (or maraschino cherries)
dash of vanilla
1/4 tsp. of salt
Mix, drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper, and bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. Let cool down, remove and put on a plate (they will be VERY sticky)
I didn’t realize there were other recipes of hers. Will have to check them out. I just remember coming across the snickerdoodles a few years back when researching “best snickerdoodles” recipes, and coming across a couple of hits back to that recipe, which sold me as the best snickerdoodle recipe.
These Cranberry and White Chocolate cookies turned out pretty well, too:
I have one more batch to finish, supposedly “the best” sugar cookies. Need to roll them out and bake them so I can ice them tomorrow. I’m pooped, my back hurts, and I’ve been to the grocery store twice today, twelve hours apart.
I mentioned my coconut date balls in the other cookie thread.
1 stick butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup finely chopped dates*
1 cup finely chopped pecans*
1 cup rice krispies
1 tsp vanilla extract
approx 2 cups coconut
I get chopped dates & pecan pieces and then just chop them up even more.
Melt butter/marg in nonstick skillet over low heat. Stir in sugar, dates, eggs. (You want the heat low so that you don’t wind up with scrambled eggs when you add the eggs in.) Cook mixture over med-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick (about 15 min). Remove from heat. Stir in pecans, rice krispies, vanilla. Allow to cool. Roll teaspoons of mixture in coconut spread out on waxed paper.
