The new old-fashioned way
By Hope Cusick
It’s that glorious time of year when Christmas cookies, bars and candies grace the holiday tables. Favorite recipes used only once a year come out of hiding. Hours and days are spent making these coveted morsels. Baking and decorating cookies with family and friends is an added joy and cherished tradition.
This is not the time of year where you count calories. You don’t need to gobble down loads of cookies; sometimes a couple of bites will satisfy the cookie monster in all of us.
Gifts of holiday goodies make special treats for neighbors, friends, colleagues and church groups. A platter of these left out for Santa or brought to the office party are sure to win favor. It’s a wonderful time to try these delicious and kid-friendly cookie recipes. Go ahead and preheat the oven. Happy Holidays!
Hints from Hope: Remember to use real butter and unbleached flour to make cookies that taste like your mother’s or grandmother’s holiday cookies. Use an electric mixer to beat butter, vanilla, eggs and sugar together, but use a wooden spoon to stir in flour, baking powder and chips or nuts to avoid over-stirring. Refrigerate dough for 12 or more hours before baking for an optimal cookie. Cold dough is easier to slice.
Use an extra-thick, clean aluminum cookie sheet; always put dough on a cold cookie sheet and bake on the center rack. Cool cookies completely before storing, and separate iced cookies with waxed paper to prevent sticking.
Southern Snowflakes: Pecan Lace
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (Optional)
1 pinch of salt
In a saucepan on medium heat, mix together butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5–8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in pecans, flour, and orange zest (optional) until well mixed. Pour mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop dough by teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto sheets, about 6–8 per sheet. Roll dough into marble-sized balls, they will spread. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cookies will harden as they are cooling. Transfer parchment papers with cookies on them to cool on wire racks. Let cookies cool completely before storing in airtight containers. They may be frozen up to 3 months.
Orange-Cardamom Chocolate Cookies
These are a slice and bake cookie. Keep a roll in the freezer, thaw slightly and bake just before guests arrive. The house will smell so good. Makes 36–40 cookies.
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white, beaten
Coarse sugar crystals
In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt and ground cardamom; set aside.
In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar with orange zest until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then stir in flour mixture. Blend until just combined, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.
Transfer dough to a square of parchment, form into a log 2-inches in diameter, and roll tightly in parchment. Refrigerate until solid, about 2 hours, rotating every 20 minutes to maintain shape.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly brush the dough log with beaten egg white. Place coarse sugar in a rimmed pan and roll log in sugar until coated well. Slice the log into rounds that are 1/4-inch thick. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets 1 inch apart.
Bake in 350 degree oven until cookies are set and there is slight resistance when centers are touched, about 8–10 minutes. Cool on pans. Store in airtight containers.
Santa’s Buttons: Red Velvet and White Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup canola oil
1 11-ounce bag white vanilla baking chips, about 2 cups
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together red velvet cake mix, eggs and canola oil.
Form teaspoon-sized balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about 1 inch apart. Slightly pat down the top of each cookie ball in the center with your thumb or the back of a teaspoon to shape an indentation.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8–10 minutes; the top of each cookie will crack. Cool for 2 minutes and quickly make indentations with the back of a spoon, if necessary. Remove cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, microwave white baking chips uncovered on high for 30-50 seconds, stirring once, until softened and chips can be stirred smooth. Spoon melted chips into a re-sealable Ziplock bag, seal. Cut off a tiny corner of bag. Twist bag above melted chips. Squeeze bag to fill each thumbprint cookie. Let stand until set.
Wanted: Gingerbread Men
Makes about 36 cookies, depending on size.
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
3 tablespoons hot water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour or more as needed for consisrency
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat till combined, scraping the bowl. Beat in the molasses, egg and water until blended. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3–4 hours or until easy to handle.
Grease a cookie sheet, set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 5–6 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Decorate cookies with icing.
Confectioners’ Sugar Icing
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk, plus more as needed
In a bowl, mix together sugar and milk. Stir in additional milk one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches an icing consistency.
Blue Ribbon Peanut Butter Fudge
2014 New Hanover County Fair Blue Ribbon winner
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
In a bowl, combine peanut butter, pecans and vanilla. Stir.
In a saucepan mix sugar and milk. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring continuously and boil for exactly one minute. Pour over the bowl of peanut butter, vanilla and pecans and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour into a buttered 8 x 8-inch pan and allow to cool. Cut into squares.
Hope Cusick is a prize-winning cook, a poet, and a Pender County columnist. Her confections take home prizes at the Blueberry, Strawberry, and Rice Festivals, as well as the county fair.
