Nine bakes for December: two gingerbreads, two cut-out sugar cookies, whipped shortbread, spritz, almond biscotti, pfeffernüsse, stollen. Seven are cookies that keep for a week in a tin.
Gingerbread
gingerbread, icedserving suggestion · photo: Katrin Bolovtsova, Pexels
Molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Dough rests an hour or two before rolling.
The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookies
4.5 ×556143 min24 5inch tall cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Method
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.
In a large bowl (KitchenAid's great for this) beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 deg. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
(Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin.
Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick.
Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
Cut out cookies with desired cutter-- the ginger bread man is our favorite of course.
Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies-- very good!).
Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.
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Gingerbread Cookies
5.0 ×57130 min20-40 cookies
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 lb unsalted butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar or 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup unsulphured molasses
1 lb confectioners' sugar
3 large egg whites
1 drop lemon juice or 1 drop vinegar
food coloring, if desired
Method
For the dough, sift the dry ingredients (except sugar) into a mixing bowl and stir or whisk well to combine.
Beat the butter and sugar by machine and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, scraping down often.
Beat in half the flour mixture, then stop and scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Beat in the molasses, scrape again, and beat in the remaining flour mixture, just until combined.
Divide the dough into several pieces and press each piece into a rectangle slightly more than 1/4" thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (this step is important).
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour or until firm.
Can be left overnight or frozen at this point.
Set racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roll the dough, one piece at a time, on a floured surface just to make the dough flat and even but not much thinner.
The cookies should be 1/4 inch thick.
Cut with floured cutters and arrange on the pans at an inch or two apart, to make room for expansion during baking.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Re-roll the scraps immediately or press together, chill and re-roll later.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until firm when pressed with a fingertip.
(They won't have much extra color and should dent slightly when touched).
Cool the cookies on pans a minute or two, then transfer to racks.
Meanwhile, for the icing, combine the confectioner's sugar and egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat by machine until combined.
Add the lemon juice or vinegar and continue beating till fluffy.
Divide the icing into several small bowls and add the coloring.
Keep plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from being formed.
Use a pastry bag or spread icing on cookies to decorate.
Use raisins, currants and other decorative sweet bits for extra garnish.
If you'd like to use the cookies to hang on a Christmas tree, make a small hole near the top of the cookie as soon as they come out of the oven so you can get a narrow ribbon or string through.
Variation: Cut round cookies and sandwich them with some heated apricot jam.
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Cut-out sugar cookies
cut-outs, icedserving suggestion · photo: Hi Nana Shop, Pexels
Butter dough for cutters. One comes with an icing that sets hard, the other makes seven dozen.
Kittencal's Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies W/ Icing That Hardens
5.0 ×459124 min
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (the sugar must be sifted)
1 tablespoon milk (adding in more if needed for proper spreading consistency)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in place of the almond)
food coloring (use your choice of colours)
Method
For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Set oven to 400°F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only).
On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake 4-6 minutes.
Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
For the frosting; in a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar with milk (start with 1-2 tablespoons, you will likely need more milk for the perfect spreading consistency).
Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until the icing is smooth and glossy (if the icing is too thick add in a small amount more of corn syrup).
Divide into as many separate bowls as you wish for different colours.
Add in food colouring until desired intensity is achieved.
Paint the icing over the cookies using a brush, or dip edges of cookies into icing.
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Pfeffernusse (German Pepper Nut Cookies )
5.0 ×2459 min24 cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses (unsulfured)
1 egg
2 cups confectioners' sugar, for dusting (icing)
Method
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, pepper, aniseeds, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg and cloves.
In a large bowl, using an electic mixer set on medium speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar and molasses until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Beat in the egg.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Butter 2 baking sheets, scoop up pieces of dough and roll between your palms into balls 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Place the balls on the cookie sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and firm to the touch, about 14 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let the cookies cool slightly on the sheets.
Place the confectioners' sugar in a sturdy paper bag, drop a few cookies into the bag, close the top securely, and shake gently to coat the warm cookies with the sugar.
Transfer to racks and let cool completely.
Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Put the raisins, currents, citrus peel, and cherries in a bowl with the rum/brandy and leave them to soak for at least 1 hour.
In a small bowl, stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar into the water. Leave this for 5 minutes for fresh yeast and 15 minutes for dried yeast.
Sprinkle 1½ tablespoons of the flour into the fruit together with the almonds. Stir the mixture until the flour is completely absorbed.
Warm the milk until it is lukewarm and stir in the remaining sugar until it has dissolved. Then, stir in the lemon rind.
Place all but 2 oz (50 g) of the flour in a large bowl with the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add the egg and the milk and sugar mixture to the flour and then beat in the softened butter.
Mix everything into a dough, turn it onto a floured work surface and knead it, using the rest of the flour, until it is no longer sticky.
Gradually add the fruit and almonds whilst continuing to knead the dough.
Clean the large bowl and brush the inside with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Brush the top of the dough with another 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and place it in the bowl.
Cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring 12 x 8 inches (30 x 20 cm), and brush it with the remaining melted butter.
Fold two opposite sides of the rectangle towards the middle, overlapping them slightly. Press the joint gently to keep it in place.
Taper the ends of the loaf slightly and push the sides gently together to form a mound in the middle. The loaf should be about 3½ inches (9 cm) wide and 14 inches (35 cm) long.
Place the loaf on a floured baking sheet and brush it with any remaining melted butter. Leave it in a warm place for an hour or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
Bake the stollen for 45 minutes, or until it is brown and crusty.
Allow the stollen to cool and then sift the icing sugar over the top.
Yields are in cookies, not servings. Where a recipe counts its batch in cookies, the ticket shows the count and skips the nutrition line. Ask your agent for the per-cookie figure.
Chill times are inside the total. The gingerbreads and the cut-outs count an hour or two of dough in the fridge. The shortbread and spritz do not need it.
Doubling takes one line. "Double the gingerbread and give me the shopping list": the ingredient amounts and the list come back scaled.
