This is the time of year you're likely to be baking an inordinate amount of cookies in a small window of time. Here are some general tips and reminders to help get through the holiday rush:
- make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature
- aerate your flour before measuring it out by dipping a large wooden spoon in the bag/container
- use a whisk to "sift" your dry ingredients together
- use a mini ice cream scoop for making uniform and even balls of cookie dough
- cookie dough can be made ahead and frozen until ready to use (in fact this is preferable for drop cookies as they may spread too thin while baking)
- baked cookies will keep up to 1 week in an airtight container or freeze them and use within a month
- baked cookies that are frozen don't need to be defrosted before serving or gifting
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Cranberry Coconut Citrus
makes about 3 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1.5 sticks (1/2 + 1/4 cup or 169g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp grated orange peel (about 1 small orange)
1/2 tbsp grated lemon peel (about 1 lemon)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sweetened moist flaked coconut (not dessicated coconut)
METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Grease or line baking sheets.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, citrus peels and vanilla until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until dough comes together. Dough should be smooth, not too crumbly.
5. Mix in cranberries and coconut by hand.
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are just set and the edges begin to brown. Lift cookies carefully (they will be very soft at this moment) with a thin metal spatula on to a wire rack and cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Bonus: these cookies are vegan-friendly.
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White Chocolate Chip Pecan
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup or 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (can substitute in white or dark chocolate chips)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F (188C). Grease or line cookie sheets.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until well-blended and smooth.
5. Add chocolate chips and nuts (if using) and mix by hand.
6. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.
7. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are just slightly colored on top and the edges are brown. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
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Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's Gingerbread Cookies
makes about 4 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup or 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
Sprinkles
METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (177C). Grease or line baking sheets.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, molasses and spices until well combined.
4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until well-blended and smooth.
5. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.
6. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until cookies are set and soft in the centre. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
7. Make the cookie icing. Frost and decorate cooled cookies as desired.
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Oatmeal Cookies
recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking's Classic Oatmeal Cookies
makes about 4 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks (1 cup or 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup cranberries or chocolate chips (optional)
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F (188C). Grease or line cookie sheets.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
4. On low speed stir in the dry ingredients until combined.
5. Stir in oats and cranberries or chocolate chips (if using).
6. If dough is too sticky to shape into balls, freeze for 5-10 minutes first.
7. Shape chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the cookies are lightly brown all over. Let cookies rest for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
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