Holiday Cookie Staple Recipes

SHORTBREAD

Heat oven to 375 degrees | Makes 20-25 cookies

2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or an addt’l tsp of vanilla)
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Zest of half a lemon (or the zest of a whole lemon, if you love lemon)
You can also use orange or lime zest, in the winter I like to use soft peppermint or pre-shaved chunks

‍

1) MAKE THE DOUGH:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 2 sticks of butter on medium-high speed until it is of creamy consistency, about 2 minutes.
• Beat in a large egg, 2½ teaspoons of vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds (if available), and lemon zest from half of a lemon. Beat until all ingredients are fully blended.
• Mix in 2½ cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt on low speed until it is mixed well.
• Take it out of the bowl, and roll it onto parchment paper about 1/4 in – 1/2 in. thick

• You may need some additional flour on the roller and parchment to prevent sticking

• Place in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight if you prefer). When ready, it will be firm and cold to be able to cut shapes easily.

• If you place it in the refrigerator on the cookie sheet, it will chill faster.
• ‍

2) CUT OUT COOKIES:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator (once stiff) (and take it off of the cookie sheet if used)
• Cut out cookies in the desired shape

• I like to remove dough from around the cookie cutter after giving it a wiggle
• You may use dough scraps to combine, reroll and cut again. The oil and warmth of your hands might cause you to need to chill the remaining rough a second time until stiff

‍

3) BAKE:

• 8-10 minutes

• you can turn the baking sheets halfway through to produce evenly baked cookies.

‍

SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Heat oven to 350 degrees | Makes 15-20 cookies *recipe reference

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5/8 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1 large free-range egg
1/3 cup mild or regular molasses
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

‍

1) MAKE THE DOUGH

• In a large bowl, sift together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3/8 of a teaspoon of all-spice, 1/2 of a teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 of a teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 5/8 cup (10TBSP) of softened unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup of light or dark brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in 1 large egg, scraping the sides of the bowl between additions.
• Add 1/3 cup of molasses and 3/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until completely incorporated.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture until thoroughly combined about 30 seconds. The dough should be tender (not dry or crumbly) but not sticky.

• If sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough is not tacky to the touch.
• If dry, add molasses one tablespoon at a time until the dough starts pulling together.

‍

2) PREP AND CUT THE DOUGH

• Roll dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper to desired thickness.

• Chill rolled dough for about 2 hours or until stiff. (if you want a shortcut, put them on a lip-less, flat metal baking sheet and then stick it in the freezer, it will chill very quickly).

• Cut desired shapes and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.

• Chill shapes until ready to bake.

‍

3) BAKE

• Preheat oven to 350º
• Bake until the edges just start to brown. 8 minutes for medium cookies and 10 minutes for large cookies.

• Be careful not to overbake. Cookies may become dry if over-baked.

• Cool for 5 minutes on pans then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

* These soft gingerbread cookies tasted great with peppermint chunks on the icing!

‍

SALTED ROLLED CHOCOLATE COOKIE CHUNKS

Heat oven to 350 degrees | Makes 20-25 cookies. *Recipe reference

2¼ sticks salted butter, cold | 255 grams
½ cup granulated sugar | 100 grams
¼ cup light brown sugar | 55 grams
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour | 325 grams
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped | 170 grams
1 large egg, beaten (for the egg wash, not to mix in)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Demerara sugar, for rolling (can also use brown sugar)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

‍

1) MAKE THE DOUGH

• Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat 2¼ sticks of cubed salted butter (see note), ½ cup of granulated sugar, ¼ cup of light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract on medium-high until it’s super light and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes for a stand mixer; 6 to 8 for a hand mixer).

• FOR BUTTER: use at room temperature if you’re using a handheld mixer & cut into ½-inch pieces

• Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour. Once incorporated, add in chocolate chunks, and mix on low just to blend.
• If necessary, knead the dough with your hands to make sure the flour is totally incorporated. At this point, the dough should be smooth and feel like Play-Doh with no pockets of flour.

‍

2) PREP + ROLL DOUGH

• Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky.
• Using your hands, form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. (Don’t be afraid to make them compact. Shortbread is supposed to be dense. That’s part of why it’s so good.) You can also do this using parchment paper if you prefer, but plastic wrap is easier when it comes to shaping the log.
• Each half should form a 6-inch log, 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter.
• Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.

• If you put them in the freezer, they will chill faster!

‍

3) COAT DOUGH IN SUGAR

• Brush the outside of the logs with a beaten egg and roll them in the demerara sugar

• You can also sub brown sugar or coconut sugar

• Using a serrated knife, carefully slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds (if you hit a chocolate chunk, slowly saw back and forth through the chocolate).

• If the cookies break or fall apart, just press them back together — the dough is very forgiving.

‍

4) BAKE

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees
• Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they won’t spread much).
• Sprinkle with flaky salt.
• Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.

‍

ROYAL ICING FOR DECORATING

2 lb bag confectioners’ sugar, no need to sift
8-10 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (opt. to keep icing bright white)
1/2 cup water
+ 4 tablespoons water for flood icing

1. Using a mixer (if you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment), mix a 2 lb bag of confectioners’ sugar, 8-10 tablespoons of meringue powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar on low.
2. Slowly add 1/2 cup of water while mixing at a low speed, 1 tablespoon at a time
3. Scrape sides of the mixing bowl. Increase speed one notch (to #2). Mix for five minutes. When finished icing should have a matte (not glossy) finish. It will hold its shape on the paddle or whisk.
4. (optional) Mix in gel coloring

• Remember to separate the icing into bowls if you want multiple colors
• You will also want to separate the icing further for creating flood consistency

1. Put the icing into a piping bag with a small piping tip for edging, then pipe outlines in the shape you are decorating the cookie with (I typically do circles).
2. Next, take the flood icing, put it into a piping bag with an even smaller tip, and fill in the outlined cookie. If the floor consistency is dripping, or you need to put it down, you can fill a cup with a small amount of water and stick the bag in the cup. The water will prevent the icing from dripping.

• As it cools, it will harden like a shell with a soft interior. You will want to make sure the stiff outlined icing closes in so that the flood icing is contained.
• I like to embellish the top of the flood with sprinkles, sparkles, or chopped peppermint (you can buy it pre-chopped) which will stick to the flood icing when wet. You will want to be careful with the wet icing, if you bump it there will be an indent and it is hard to fill as it dries.

‍