12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Gingerbread

Gingerbread cookies are the perfect holiday cookie.  They are just classic!  I love when gingerbread is soft and chewy.  The secret I have found is part recipe and then how thick and how long you bake the cookie.  I wanted to use Christmas shaped cookie cutters, so I could take the cookies to my daughter's preschool Christmas Party.  They turned out wonderfully!  These are a little labour intensive but really not bad at all.  Zoe and I had a blast making the cookies.  Zoe, of course loved to eat the dough and since there are no eggs I had no issues with it and even enjoyed some myself.

Ingredients
adapted from Food and Whine

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp. milk


Directions
In a food processor, process the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, spices and salt until combined, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process until the mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With the machine running, gradually add the molasses and milk, process the until the dough is evenly moistened and forms a soft mass, about 10 seconds.




Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough 1/4-inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment layers, stack on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 15-20 minutes. (or refrigerated 2 hours or overnight)



Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.



Remove 1 dough sheet from the freezer, place on a work surface. Peel of the top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip the dough over, peel off and discard second parchment piece. Cut the dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheets with a wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4-inch apart. Set the scraps aside. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full. Bake the cookies until set in the centres and the dough barely retains an imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from front to back and switching positions top and bottom halfway through cooking. Do not over-bake. Cool the cookies on the sheets 2 minutes, then remove to the cookies with a wide spatula to a wire cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.



Dough scraps can be re-rolled then cut and baked as well.

Week 11 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Mars Bar Squares

A couple years ago my Mom, sisters and I started getting together and doing our Christmas baking. We spent hours scouring the internet for yummy and original cookies and squares. One of my favorite squares is Mars Bar Squares and for some reason I only make them at Christmas time. They are so delicious that I really need to make them more often. These squares are ridiculously easy to make and are really heaven in your mouth. They just melt and are the perfect combination of sweet and crunchy. My other favorite holiday treat is Baileys and as you can see from my picture in my mind mars bar squares and Baileys are the perfect combination. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 Mars bars
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Topping
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:Melt Mars bars & 1/2 cup butter or margarine in a large microwaveable bowl. Stir in the Krispies.Press into 8 inch pan, or 8x11 if you like them thinner.Cool in fridge.Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 1/4 cup butter. Spread on top.

Week 10 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Cranberry Bars

Courtesy of Bright Idea Photo

I realized tonight as I wrote up this post that I must love dried cranberries because I have used them a lot in my baking and I think this is my third recipe for Christmas cookes with cranberries.  I have never thought much about cranberries but I do really love them.  I remember the first time I had had 'craisins'; I was in Italy with my friend Gemma and we had met up with some Chilean guys.  We were poor and craisins were the perfect low calorie snack to keep hunger at bay.  Ahhh....good times...really good times....

My love for Starbucks is quite well known amongst my friends.  My favorite drink of all time is a Gingerbread Latte and it only comes out at Christmas, well to be exact November 1st.  Last year one of my favorite bloggers Amanda from Fake Ginger made Cranberry Bars that are similar to Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars.  I actually think that these are much better and I love to eat them straight from the freezer.  You may remember that I am trying to freeze all these goodies...well...even though the bars made it to the freezer there are none left...blush..

I am not going to post the recipe this week because I think you should go to Amanda's blog and check out all the other neat things she has baked and cooked.  Here is the link to the Cranberry Bars on Fake Ginger.

Week 7 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Skor Cookies

Courtesy of Bright Idea Photo

I love Skor anything, it makes everything better.  Next time you are at Dairy Queen ask for a plain cheesequake blizzard with Skor bits added, it is the best thing ever.  Mmmmm...now I need a blizzard...

I decided to make these because my cousin Jesse is coming for Christmas and last time I made them he liked them so much he asked for the recipe.  I made these on my pre-blogging marathon a while back when Ally and Zoe were at their Grandma's and Mike was gone too.  So into the freezer they went until Jesse comes at Christmas!

These cookies start out nice and soft and chewy and then they crisp up as they cool.  I love them fresh from the oven the best.  Well, really what isn't the best fresh from the oven?

I didn't really change anything except these cookies have a lot of sugar so I subsituted the granulated sugar for baking Splenda.

Ingredients
adapted from Hershey's Chipits

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (softened) butter or margaine
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups CHIPITS SKOR Toffee Bits
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in toffee bits.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Week 6 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

A friend of mine mentioned these brownies and how delicious they were and that they actually replaced pumpkin pie at her families Thanksgiving dinner.  I thought I would make these this week because they are a little halloween-y looking.  I must admit that I preblogged these a couple weeks ago and....*blush* I didn't make them.  My mother-in-law was staying with us to help after Georgia arrived and she wanted something to do while everyone (me included) napped. 

This is a typical Martha Stewart recipe where it entails a lot of work.  I am not a huge fan of Martha but she is growing on me.  These brownies are really good but I don't like them for a couple of reasons.  1. I don't really like chocolate.  Blasphemy...I know...for me to like chocolate it has to be just right.  2. I like  my brownies to be chewy and these were rather cake-y 3. These are really sweet and I love sweet but this was just a bit too much.

Now everyone else loved them!  Mike agreed that they were too cake-y but he liked them and thought that they tasted very similar to Cheesecake Cafe's Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I do think I may be the only one who isn't a big fan of these brownies so please try them and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
adapted from Martha Stewart

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions


1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.

2.Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

3.Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.

4.Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.

5.With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.

6.Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Week 5 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Shortbread

My favorite Christmas cookie is shortbread.  I just love it!  I used to always buy it from Costco because I didn't think anything that good could be easy but shortbread is incredibly easy and has very few ingredients.  I saw shortbread cookies at Costco the other day and I was very tempted to buy them until I realized I hadn't picked a cookie to make this week.  So I googled a recipe and saw how easy it was so I whipped them up right away.  This is also the perfect recipe to make with kids who like to eat everything as you are making it because there are no eggs.  I don't like to let the girls eat what I am making before it is cooked mainly because of the raw eggs and well Zoe will eat anything...seriously she will say yum after trying some baking soda.  I am also very proud of myself because I was able to get over half of the cookies into the freezer for Christmas.  I think it helped that it was just me and the baby at home.

Ingredients
adapted from Anna Olson on the Food Network

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup 2 Tbsp icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 °F. Beat butter until light and fluffy. Sift in icing sugar and beat again until fluffy, scraping down sides of the bowl often. Sift in cornstarch or rice flour and blend in. Sift in all purpose flour and salt and mix until dough comes together (it will be soft). Stir in vanilla.


2.Spoon large teaspoonfuls of cookie dough (or use a small ice cream scoop) onto an un-greased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until bottoms brown lightly. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.

Week 4 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 weeks of Christmas Cookies - Sweet Potato Craisin Cookies

My goal with joining the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies was to bake a little each week and slowly stock my freezer. That isn't really happening because the cookies are so good that we eat them and I never seem to be able to make as much as the recipe says, so I really should start tripling the recipe. I wanted to make some thing healthy this week and to use up my sweet potato. These cookies are really good, a little softer than I like but I don't feel bad eating them in the middle of the night when I am nursing Georgia.

Ingredients
adapted from Vegfamily

1/3 cup  agave nectar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1 3/4 cups whole wheat,
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat together sweetener and butter substitute or coconut oil until smooth. Add vanilla, egg replacer, and pumpkin and beat well. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir flour mixture into liquid ingredients. Fold in dried cranberries and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto unoiled cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes, or until bottoms are golden. Cool on wire rack.


Makes about 3 dozen

Note: If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.





Week 3 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Spicy Oatmeal Crisps

I chose this recipe first because I thought that the spices would make the house smell like Christmas. The house didn't quite get a Christmasy aroma but these cookies do taste like Christmas! I had a hard time getting the cookies to crisp up but that didn't take away from the taste.

Ingredients
adapted from Cooking Light

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1 cup packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup regular oats
Cooking sprayDirections
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through pepper) in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in flour mixture and oats.
Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray, these spread a lot so leave lots of space. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until crisp. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

Week 1 Twelve Weeks of Christmast: