I grew up in family kitchens and honed my best cooking skills there. As soon as Big Moma, my grandmother, placed the cake pan in the oven, I began licking the mixing bowl of her famous pound cake. It actually took a pound of butter and a half dozen eggs so she baked it only for special occasions. My sister Bea made fantastic ambrosia, and her conch fritters tasted like “she put her foot in them.” (That’s Southern talk for “they were cooked with her very soul.”) My godmother’s Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce could light a flame in your heart as well as on the table. Slices of my mother’s infamous sweet potato pies were requested by friends whenever I went home for visits but it was her can’t-eat-just-one chocolate chip cookies her grandchildren will always remember. When my own kids were young, they enjoyed helping me make carrot cakes, meringues and glazed pecans for holiday gifts. The kitchen has been family-central for at least three generations.
Therefore, it was a natural wish – as the children evolved to adults – to become a grandmother someday and assume that role cooking treats for and with my grandchildren. Now, as “Nana” to toddler Ethan and infant Shane, baking cookies has taken on a newfound degree of satisfaction.
When you are separated by thousands of miles, something as simple as homemade cookies can mean the difference between being remembered or not. The box of pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cookies I mailed to Ethan at Halloween were a big hit. Such a big hit, they had to eventually hide the box from him. To add delight to our mutual satisfaction, Ethan’s mother called a few weeks ago to say: “Ethan wants to say something to Nana.” Listening intently, I heard a tiny voice on the other end: “Nana, I want COOKIE!” My daughter-in-law recounted the story of how he had gone to a photo of me, pointed and said, “Nana…cookie!” She called to let him put in his request personally. Let’s just say it made Nana’s day!
So, guess who’s making Christmas cookies for Ethan? Nana is, of course. While I’ll use my 20-year-old sugar cookie and royal icing recipes to make angels and trees and snowmen, I’ve been collecting new recipes over the last year in anticipation of the holidays. A box of Christmas cookies from grandma should be as exciting as the wonderful cookie tin they’ll travel in. And, knowing the short attention span of a 15-month old, a variety of cookies is a must for sustaining a child’s wonder. If you’ve got a “special someone” to make cookies for this Christmas – grandchild, friend, niece in college, son in the military, aunt in a senior home – here is a delightful collection of cookies and treats to “put your foot in” and send with love:
Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe: makes 2-3 dozen cookies
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Blend flour and salt in small bowl; set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add dry mixture until just combined.
4. Form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 6-inch disk. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days). Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. On a well floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough into a 1/4-inch thick round. Cut out as many cookies as possible and transfer to ungreased large baking sheets, with cookies about 1 inch apart. (As necessary, rewrap dough and chill until firm again before continuing.)
6. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until edges are golden – 10-12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
7. Make more cookies with remaining dough and bake on cooled baking sheets.
8. Ice and decorate. Store in airtight container up to a week.
Royal Icing: makes about 3 cups
This thick icing holds its own with the best of cookies!
1 (1-lb) box confectioners sugar
4 tsp powdered egg whites
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1. Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, until just combined.
2. Increase speed and continue to beat until icing holds stiff peaks. If not using immediately, cover surface with damp paper towel, then cover with plastic wrap and chill.
3. When decorating cookies, transfer 1/4 cup icing to small bowls for each color and tint. Spoon each color into a sealable bag, press out excess air and snip a 1/8 opening in 1 bottom corner of bag.
4. Twist bag firmly just above icing and pipe icing onto cookie. Let icing dry completely, about 1 hour.
(In lieu of royal icing, you can use the recently-released “Food Doodlers” or other brands of food coloring pens. Doodlers are available at Sur la Table and local cooking stores.)
Pistachio Buttercreams: makes about 30 sandwich cookies
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
Granulated sugar
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. rum, cognac or milk
6 oz. semisweet chocolate pieces or white baking pieces, melted
3/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
1. Combine flour and 1/2 tsp. salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined.
2. Beat in egg. Blend in dry mixture on low speed until just barely combined. Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass in granulated sugar and use to flatten each ball into a 1-1/2 inch circle.
4. Bake cookies about 8 min. or until bottoms are completely browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
5. For filling: In a small bowl, beat together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter and rum on medium speed until combined.
6. To assemble cookies, spread filling on the flat sides of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookie to make sandwiches. Chill about 30 min. or until filling sets.
7. Drizzle or spread chocolate on top of cookies and sprinkle with pistachio nuts. Chill about 10 min or until chocolate sets.
Note: Cookies may be prepared and baked as directed (no fill or decoration) ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. When ready, remove or thaw cookies; fill and decorate.
Dark Chocolate Truffles (A Ghiradelli Chocolate recipe – easy!)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups Ghiradelli 60 percent Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips or two 4-oz. Ghiradelli 60 percent Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars
Coating: 1/3 cup Ghiradelli Unsweetened Cocoa or 3/4 cup chopped almonds or pecans
1. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
2. Add butter and stir until melted. Add Ghiradelli chocolate; stir until completely melted and smooth.
3. Remove from heat and pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and hide in refrigerator until firm, at least two hours.
4. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and then roll each ball in Ghiradelli Cocoa, chopped almonds or pecans. Serve.
Lime Snowballs: makes about 30 cookies
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. (packed) finely grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon lime oil (available at Sur la Table)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend flour and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Mix in lime juice, peel and oil.
2. Add dry mixture in batches until smooth. Refrigerate dough until just firm, about 45 min.
3. Form dough into balls, using a scant 1 Tbsp. for each, and place on prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
4. Bake cookies until pale golden on tops and browned on bottoms, about 25 min. Transfer baking sheets to racks; immediately sift powdered sugar over cookies.
5. Cool cookies completely on baking sheets.
Note: May be prepared and baked ahead. Store in airtight container up to 5 days or freeze up to 2 weeks. Sift more powdered sugar over cookies before serving.
Florentines (a Real Butter recipe) : makes 4 dozen cookies
A surprising hint of chili powder (yep!) nicely balances the crisp textures and sweetness.
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sliced almonds
10 Tbsp. (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup half-and-half or whole milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 oz. fine-quality (at least 60 percent cocoa solids) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven rack in the middle. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or heavy-duty foil buttered generously.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in almonds.
3. Add butter, half-and-half (or milk), corn syrup, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
4. Scoop heaping tsp. of batter onto the prepared sheet at least 3 inches apart, six cookies per sheet. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are flat and browned around the edges – about 7-9 min. Cook cookies on the sheet several minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a cooking rack.
5. When all the cookies are baked, melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Using a very small tipped pastry bag or the tines of a fork, drizzle the chocolate in a zig-zag pattern over the tops of the cookies.
Icebox Pinwheels: makes about 56 spirals
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp. coarse salt
2/3 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp, pure vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1. Put butter and sugar in bowl, and using paddle attachment of an electric mixer,
blend on medium speed until creamy. Add whole eggs and salt and mix until combined. Mix in milk and vanilla. On low speed, add flour mixture in small batches until just combined.
2. Remove half of dough from bowl and set aside. Add cocoa powder to remaining half. Mix on low speed until combined.
3. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out chocolate dough to 1/4 inch thick. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out vanilla dough to 1/2
inch thick. Trim both doughs to 9 X 6 inch rectangles. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 min.
4. Brush egg white on top of each rectangle, then place vanilla dough on top of chocolate dough. Starting at one long side, roll up dough. Gently pinch the edge of the roll and seal it. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 min.
5. Cut log crosswise into 1/4 inch tick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm but not browned, 12-14 min.
6. Let cool on sheets 3 min., then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Doggie Biscuits (for your four-legged friends!): makes about 5 dozen biscuits
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cups cornmeal
1-1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp. pieces
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 large egg
1. Mix flours, cornmeal, oats, wheat germ, baking powder and salt in a food processor or mixer until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size butter bits. Add 1 cup water and blend until a coarse dough forms.
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in parsley and mint until evenly blended. Gather, dough, then halve dough and form into two balls. Flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk.
3. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two large baking sheets.
4. On a well-floured surface, roll 1 disk into a round (1/3 inch thick) with a floured rolling pin. (If dough is too soft, wrap and chill in refrigerator until firm.) Cut out as many biscuits as you can and arrange them on 1 baking sheet.
5. Gather scraps, reroll and cut more biscuits. Repeat process with 2nd disk of dough on 2nd baking sheet.
Whisk egg and 1 Tbsp. water. Brush biscuits with egg wash and bake about 35 minutes, switching position of sheets midway through, Turn off oven and dry biscuits in oven overnight.
P.S. If you’re mailing off the cookies to a faraway place amid volumes of holiday mail, here are a few tips to help your cookies arrive safe and sound:
* If the cookies are large and shaped, wrap each cookie in a paper towel or parchment paper. If small and round, wrap small batches in paper towels or parchment paper.
* Stack the wrapped cookies in a cookie tin or airtight container; stuff all open areas with paper towels or parchment paper.
* Place the cookie tin in a box with limited movement; stuff all open areas with tissue or newspaper to create a tight package with no “giggling.”
* Mark the box “fragile, please hand stamp” to catch the attention of caring mail carriers. (Last year, I gave a box of the cookies to my postman as I handed him my to-be-mailed boxes. Needless to say, they got special care on this end.)
P.P.S. Surprise! I just discovered an easy way to expand my cookie collection. Costco’s selling a double-box of 7-Layer Bars, complete with condensed milk, chocolate & butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts. Add two sticks of butter/margarine to mix up a 48-bar batch in minutes. They’re a tasty addition to the real homemade ones!
–Jacqui Love Marshall lives in Danville with her vintage-car-loving husband, two pugs and binders of recipes.
