Christmas Cookies

[kitwilliams]

mmmmmm. cookies.

and so many of the cookies I bake this season include ginger. big, soft ginger cookies with bits of chewy, spicy candied ginger. long, crunchy ginger biscotti (in maida heatter's newest cookie book) with crunchy almonds and, along with the ginger, white pepper and colman's mustard powder for a real KICK! and my cousin's famous ginger crunch: a gingery-shortbread type base with a crunchy-chewy ginger topping/glaze.

mmmmmmm. ginger cookies.

[201]

...big, soft ginger cookies with bits of chewy, spicy candied ginger...

Can you post a recipe? I'm incredibally inept at baking/cooking/following directions, but I'm trying to learn and I'm a big fan of ginger!!

[Jaymes]

Fruitcake Cookies are what I take to cookie exchanges, so I come home with 10-20 dozen different varieties of cookies.  

Jaymes: Thanks so much for this great sounding recipe....reminiscent on the about-mentioned Hermits, but richer.

You go! Second recipe of your I've printed in the last 24 hours!

I swear we were separated at birth.

[maggiethecat]

Jaymes: Separated at birth? Possible. That's why (separation-wise) you hung with Peter Paul and (briefly) Mary, and I with John Mayles and various other Brit Blues folk.

Isn't it great how the parents are holding up? See you in Ottawa at Christmastime!

[Jaymes]

I see someone's been eavesdropping on us Texans.

[maggiethecat]

I see someone's been eavesdropping on us Texans. 

[ruthcooks]

Here's my 2002 Christmas cookie selection:

Marion's Date Balls (a date stuffed with a walnut, dipped in cookie batter, baked and frosted with browned butter icing)

Scottish Shortbread (a family tradition)

Mock Strudel (cream cheese pastry roll-ups with nuts and pineapple jam, sifted with powdered sugar)

*Brandied Apricot Balls (again with the powdered sugar)

*Mazarinkakor (Swedish Almond Bars with Chocolate Glaze)

*Cinnamon Cloud-Nine Crunchies (with yeast, from the aforementioned Rose cookbook)

Chocolate Crunchies (chocolate and nuts held together with more chocolate, very decadent)

I'm also making cakes that are a cross between fruitcake and carrot cake, Grand Marnier and no spices, very moist. I made cheese straws for my good friend who doesn't care for sweets, which is kin to heresy in my family!

*as yet untried

[kitwilliams]

...big, soft ginger cookies with bits of chewy, spicy candied ginger...

Can you post a recipe? I'm incredibally inept at baking/cooking/following directions, but I'm trying to learn and I'm a big fan of ginger!!

Happy to oblige!

Chewy Ginger Cookies

4 oz. butter

1 1/3 c. sugar

1 egg

1/3 c. dark corn syrup

3 Tbsp. light molasses

2 Tbsp. milk

4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves (I'm not a huge fan of cloves so I use 1/4 tsp.)

4 oz. chopped, crystalized ginger

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets w/parchment.

Cream butter and sugar 'til light and fluffy. Add egg. Add molasses, corn syrup and milk.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix briefly. Add chopped ginger and mix to evenly combine. Chill.

Roll into 1 1/2" balls (I use a small ice cream scoop) and roll in granulated sugar.

Bake on parchment lined sheets for 12 - 14 minutes. As the dough is dark it is hard to determine doneness by color but you don't want to overbake these as they will then be hard rather than the soft and chewy you are looking for.

Hope you love them as much as we do!

[maggiethecat]

Thanks, Miss Kit! These are now on my weekend agenda!

[kitwilliams]

Thanks, Miss Kit!  These are now on my weekend agenda!

You're welcome Maggie and 201 and whoever else makes these addictive cookies this weekend!

I'm doing something rather decadent right now: I usually dip my shortbread in bittersweet chocolate but someone in this thread mentioned the word "fudge" so I'm baking a pan of shortbread and then covering it with a thin layer of fudge. Neither me nor my family like nuts in our fudge but even us purists want a little crunchy contrast to the creamy richness every once in awhile!

And another thought. Anyone loving nutmeg should make the nutmeg cookies in Rosie's All Butter, Sugar-Packed-whateverthehellthenameofthatbookis....big, soft, cake-like cookies with a lovely little browned butter glaze. They don't travel well (you can't stack them as the bottom of the cookie on top sticks to the glaze of the cookie on the bottom -- anyone know how to resolve that other than putting a square of patty paper between them?) but that nutmeg flavor intensifies if you can wait a day before eating them. I rarely can.

[snowangel]

And another thought.  Anyone loving nutmeg should make the nutmeg cookies in Rosie's All Butter, Sugar-Packed-whateverthehellthenameofthatbookis....big, soft, cake-like cookies with a lovely little browned butter glaze.

The cut-out cookie recipe I got from my great-grandmother has nutmeg in it. It really sets these cookies (also loaded with butter) apart from the rest of the cut-out cookies on most Xmas cookie plates.

[kitwilliams]

The cut-out cookie recipe I got from my great-grandmother has nutmeg in it.  It really sets these cookies (also loaded with butter) apart from the rest of the cut-out cookies on most Xmas cookie plates.

So is it your basic, buttery, roll-out Christmas Cookie dough with the exception of adding lots of freshly grated nutmeg? If so, I'll try it with my own recipe....if there is something special about it...will you share??? Anything that "stands out" on a plate of Christmas cookies is well worth knowing about!

[Elizabeth_11]

This thread has given me so many good ideas! All of these recipes posted look absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to try some of them. I would actually love anyone's cutout cookie recipe if you have one you think is really excellent. I'm looking for a thick, dense, not too hard recipe that you frost. (like the ones in bakeries--does that mean it would use shortening??) Anyways, I used to have a wonderful sour cream cutout recipe, but I can't find it anywhere! All the ones I've tried using sour cream turns out way too puffy and cakelike for my taste. I'm going to bake up a storm this weekend--happy baking everyone!

[Jaymes]

I do roll-out Christmas cookies with the following Sugar Cookie dough:

1/2 C shortening

1/2 C butter

1 C sugar

1 egg

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t cr of tartar

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients in the order given. Mix fats, add sugar and cream in, add egg and mix till combined and somewhat fluffy, add flour until well combined, add remaining ingredients.

Combine into ball and roll out. Cut into shapes. Dust with sugar, or colored sugar, or dot with balls or other decorative garnishes.

Bake 350º for 10-11 minutes, watching closely, because they burn easily.

[201]

Thanks, Kit... but I have a couple of ingredient questions (since I'm new to this)!

First... chopped, crystalized ginger. Is this readily available at a supermarket?

Second... parchment. Same question with a slightly dumber look on my face.

I know what wax paper, aluminum foil, and Saran wrap are though!!

[Jaymes]

First... chopped, crystalized ginger.  Is this readily available at a supermarket?

Second... parchment.  Same question with a slightly dumber look on my face. 

Both of those should be available at a large supermarket. Parchment paper in the same section as the wax paper - crystalized ginger with the rest of the spices.

[kitwilliams]

First... chopped, crystalized ginger.  Is this readily available at a supermarket?

Second... parchment.  Same question with a slightly dumber look on my face.  

Both of those should be available at a large supermarket. Parchment paper in the same section as the wax paper - crystalized ginger with the rest of the spices.

I know Trader Joe's are not as prolific back east as they are here but you can even get candied ginger already chopped at TJs. Most other places have the larger chunks which you'll need to either chop or snip to the appropriate size.

Other than your supermarket which should have parchment, specialty kitchen shops would have it. Better yet, you'll probably get the baking bug with all your new found recipes here so invest in a whole box of parchment at your local restaurant supply!

[heyjude]

My very favorite cookie for many years is one of many classic and original treats that a close friend makes every year. She gave me the recipe last year for a Christmas gift and I pledged not to give it out. I've never seen it in a book, but when I googled it, there were some variations. So, I feel okay about posting the URL for one that's pretty close. It has a picture of cut out cookies and my(her)recipe is done in a roll and sliced. They last forever in a cookie tin, but you have to start now because the dough needs to age. Enjoy and let me know if everyone else already knew about them.

http://www.danish-deli-food.com/English/co...l.asp?recid=308

The Danish name is Brune Kagel which translates to Brown Cookies. The recipe I was given does not have Potash which I think is baking powder.

Edited December 7, 2002 by heyjude (log)

[Jaymes]

Hey Jude -

Thank you for that link. The cookies look great and I am going to try them out. Further down at the bottom of the recipe, it says "potash is also called potassium." You say your recipe does not call for potash. Does it call for anything like potassium??? Do you know that potassium/potash is baking powder??? Do you have any idea where I can find potash here in the States?

[kitwilliams]

Hey Jude -

Thank you for that link.  The cookies look great and I am going to try them out.  Further down at the bottom of the recipe, it says "potash is also called potassium."  You say your recipe does not call for potash.  Does it call for anything like potassium???  Do you know that potassium/potash is baking powder???  Do you have any idea where I can find potash here in the States? 

Jaymes:

I was looking up potash and found the following link. Very interesting!

Comparison of Leavening Agents

[Degustation]

and so many of the cookies I bake this season include ginger.  big, soft ginger cookies with bits of chewy, spicy candied ginger.  long, crunchy ginger biscotti (in maida heatter's newest cookie book) with crunchy almonds and, along with the ginger, white pepper and colman's mustard powder for a real KICK!  and my cousin's famous ginger crunch:  a gingery-shortbread type base with a crunchy-chewy ginger topping/glaze.

I would also love to get the recipe for the gingery-shortbread with the ginger topping. I tried a Ginger Lemon recipe last year and was disappointed with the texture - too dry. I had sampled another version at a party which was quite buttery and lemony with a very distinct ginger kick. I was toying around trying to replicate this but since I'm such a novice at baking I didn't know where to begin. Any suggestions from the expert bakers? Can I just use some buttery type cookie recipe and add in the lemon zest and candied ginger, with some ginger spice?

My dad and I are the only ones in the family who really love ginger...so too bad if there are more of these kinds this year.

Last year, I made rugelach with apricot preserves, lemon butter bars, the ginger lemon cookies, and brutti ma buoni. Looking forward to expanding my horizons this year with these great suggestions.

Edited December 7, 2002 by Degustation (log)

[Suvir Saran]

invest in a whole box of parchment at your local restaurant supply!

Box?? Where do you get that? We get 8 sheets in a plastic bag and they coset over 6 dollars. Is that about right?

[Suvir Saran]

Last year, I made rugelach with apricot preserves, lemon butter bars, the ginger lemon cookies, and brutti ma buoni. Looking forward to expanding my horizons this year with these great suggestions.

Quite an impressive list already. You are so modest.

How are you doing? When are we going to be graced by a visit from you in NYC?

Happy Baking!

PS: If you want to buy some ginger cookies that are not to crisp, just the right amount of chewy and spicy enough ..... you can go for the Charles and laurel Cookies, ginger cookies. They are very good. Contact: (866) 662-6400 for mail order.

Web link to Charles and Laurel Cookies

I like their ginger cookies the best. I stopped making them at home once I enjoyed these. I bake others at home still.

[201]

I know Trader Joe's are not as prolific back east as they are here but you can even get candied ginger already chopped at TJs.  Most other places have the larger chunks which you'll need to either chop or snip to the appropriate size...

I've never been there, but I know there's a Trader Joe's about 10 minutes away from me. Sounds like that's where I'm heading!

[Suvir Saran]

I know Trader Joe's are not as prolific back east as they are here but you can even get candied ginger already chopped at TJs.  Most other places have the larger chunks which you'll need to either chop or snip to the appropriate size...

I've never been there, but I know there's a Trader Joe's about 10 minutes away from me. Sounds like that's where I'm heading!

Lucky guy! I have only been to the one in LA... Great store.