Some Cookie Day Recipes

[talon]

Here's the first batch of cookie recipes I'm considering:

Nodding Feddies

These are named Nodding Feddies because Alfred (affectionately called "Feddie") would nod and nod and nod as he ate them. He likes dunking them in milk and they are a good cookie for that - fat, just hard enough to need softening in milk, and spicy enough to flavor the milk to drink once the cookies were eaten. They are a plain-looking cookie, but don't let their appearance fool you! We only make these on Cookie Day, just to make them extra special. Feddie anticipates them all year long, and you can, too.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons freshly grated citrus rind

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and spices in medium-sized bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then whisk in the citrus rind - I like using a blend of orange and lemon, but grapefruit adds a nice unidentifiable flavor, and tangerine or clementine rinds brighten the cookie, so use what you like best; beat until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix just until blended.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or quick release foil - or simply grease them. Divide dough into four equal pieces; shape each piece into 3/4-inch-thick rope about 12 inches long. Place the ropes on the prepared cookie sheets and freeze about 30 minutes or until firm. Don't wrap the ropes in plastic, just leave them exposed to the freezer air.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut frozen ropes into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 180 cookies.



Fruitcake Cookies

Fruitcake itself is often the butt of jokes, but these cookies transcend that - they are crisp, light, luscious, and decadently addictive. We've never had anyone who wanted to stop at just one, although there were a few who did just to prove they could. Of course, when we bake these for Cookie Day, no one stops at just one. That's just not in the spirit of the holiday.

1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon brandy or rum (or brandy or rum flavoring)
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1.4 teaspoon tarragon
1 package (about 12 ounces) chocolate chips (optional)
2 cups chopped dried fruits - I like cranberries, apricots, apples, white raisins, blueberries, and strawberries, but use what you like
1 cup chopped pecans or almonds

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or quick release foil.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and brandy/rum all at once. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, tarragon, and allspice in a medium-sized bowl; add to the creamed butter mixture. Beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, fruit and nuts.

Drop the dough by spoonfuls2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes because they are really soft when you first take them out of the oven and they need to firm up before you move them. Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.

Depending on the size of the spoon, you can get anywhere from 30 to 60 cookies.


Nutty Scrolls

These cookies arose from playing D&D, as a joke about "eat your words" and "eat after reading". As DM, I baked a batch of these cookies to give players who had to eat something written, and they became very popular game props that migrated their way into Cookie Day.

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
1 egg
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup very finely chopped pecans or almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Combine the flour and salt in small bowl; set aside. Beat 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg; beat until blended. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until well blended. The dough will be stiff. (If necessary, knead the dough by hand until it holds together.)

Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper into 12X10-inch rectangle. Remove the waxed paper from the top of the rectangle.

Combine chocolate chips, nuts, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter; stir into chocolate chip mixture. (Chips will partially melt.) Spread mixture evenly over dough leaving 1/2-inch border on the long edges.

Using the bottom sheet of waxed paper as guide and starting at a long side, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll style, removing the waxed paper as you roll. Wrap it in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap the dough. Cut log into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 40 cookies.


Firecracker Fudge Cookies

Sometimes, First Fire and Cookie Day happen very close together. Because we can schedule all our holy days (except Cookie Day which is always December 12th), First Fire may be celebrated on December 11th or 13th, and these cookies can be used as feast fare for both.

2 cups chocolate morsels, divided
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt 1 cup morsels in the top of a double boiler or microwave in a medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on High (100%) power for 1 minute; stir. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Cool to room temperature.

Cream the sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in melted chocolate. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the dry ingredients together and gradually stir it into the creamed butter mix. Stir in the remaining morsels. Cover; refrigerate just until firm.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in the powdered sugar. Place on ungreased, parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sides are set but centers are still slightly soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 40.



Cherry Ecstasies

This cookie should stay in a round ball shape, but if the humidity is up or you don't drain and dry the maraschino cherries well enough, it will flatten. They still taste yummy, they just won't be a nice round ball anymore. The dough should be a little on the dry side but hold together well - watch carefully how much flour you beat in.

¼ cup coarsely chopped maraschino cherries
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup chopped almonds, toasted*
48 whole maraschino cherries
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Drain the ¼ cup maraschino cherries on paper towels; pat dry to remove any excess liquid. Set cherries aside.

Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour, nuts, and cherries with a wooden spoon.

Drain and dry the whole maraschino cherries. You don't have to remove the stems, but if you leave them in, warn people not to eat the stems when they eat the cookies. I kind of like leaving the stems in.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls around a dry maraschino cherry. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets on wire racks. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

If desired, roll cooled cookies in additional powdered sugar before serving. You can tint the powdered sugar with a teensy tiny bit of maraschino cherry juice (rub it in well and let the sugar dry before rolling the cookies in it). Makes about 48 balls.

*Note: To toast nuts, spread them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until nuts are slightly golden brown, stirring once or twice. Cool completely. Chop nuts and set aside.

To store: Place cookies in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen, before serving.


Holiday Ribbon Cookies

You don't have to make the ribbons red, green, and white. You can do light and dark chocolate with white, or orange, red, and yellow, or whatever other color combination you want. Simply substitute the pistachios and green coloring and or the dried cherries and red coloring for other nuts or mini chocolate chips and a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder, other dried fruits, and other food colors.

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup (about ¾ cup pistachios in shell) shelled pistachios, finely chopped
Green paste food coloring
1/3 cup red dried cherries, finely chopped
Red paste food coloring

Line 9-inch by 5-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting wrap extend on all sides. On waxed paper, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar 4 minutes or until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and almond extract and beat until well blended. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.

Transfer 1 rounded cup plain dough to medium bowl; with spoon, stir in pistachios and enough green food coloring to tint dough bright green. In another bowl, place 1 rounded cup plain dough; stir in cherries and enough red food coloring to tint dough bright red.

Evenly pat pistachio dough into bottom of prepared pan; freeze 10 minutes. Pat plain dough on top of pistachio layer; freeze 10 minutes. Pat cherry dough on top. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dough from pan; discard plastic wrap. With serrated knife, cut dough crosswise into ¾ -inch-thick slices. Cut each slice crosswise into ¼-inch cookies. They should be three stripe cookies: green, white, and red. Place cookies, 2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. You can, if you like, sprinkle the slices with coarse sugar crystals.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and golden brown at edges. Cool cookies on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. With wide spatula, carefully transfer cookies to rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 2 weeks, or in freezer up to 3 months. Makes about 60 cookies.


Forest Strudel Cookies

You can substitute seedless raspberry jam, cherry jam, or other fruit jams for the blackberry jam.

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam
1 cup flaked coconut
¾ cup chopped pecans or almonds, toasted
½ cup dried currants or dried blueberries
Powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Beat in sour cream until mixture is moistened and starts to cling. Gather mixture into a ball. Divide into three portions.

On a lightly powdered-sugared surface, roll out one of the dough portions into a 9-inch square. Spread with about 2 tablespoons of the jam; sprinkle with one-third of each of the coconut, walnuts, and currants. Roll up into a spiral; pinch edge to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Repeat with the remaining dough, jam, coconut, nuts, and currants. Chill for 2 to 3 hours or until firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, nonstick foil, or foil lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut rolls into ¼
-inch-thick slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven about 12 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. While warm, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes about 100 cookies.

To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.


Cat's Tongues

Originally, these were created for Candlemas, but they quickly became a Cookie Day favorite and make an appearance there. They are a bit tricky to make since they have to be flipped part way through, but if you have a pair of wide bamboo tongs or a tonged serving spatula, those make the task much easier.

5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of sweet spices like clove, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg to equal 1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 sheet from a 17.3-oz box frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Mix 1/4 cup of the sugar, the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in a small cup until blended.

Place a 12-in. sheet wax paper on a work surface. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of the remaining sugar into a 10-in. square on the wax paper; unfold puff pastry and place in center of sugared square. Roll the pastry into a 10-in. square.

Mark the center of the pastry square with the back of a knife. Sprinkle half of the spice sugar evenly over one half of the pastry. Using your fingers, roll up the spice-sugared side into a tight cylinder toward the center of the dough, stopping at the center mark.

Place another sheet of wax paper over the pastry and flip it over. Remove the top sheet of wax paper and sprinkle the flat side of the pastry with remaining spice sugar. Roll up the flat side into a second tight cylinder, rolling toward the center of the dough, stopping next to the first cylinder. Slide the roll onto a small baking sheet; freeze 15 minutes.

Line 2 baking sheets with nonstick parchment or reusable nonstick liners. Using a sharp knife, cut pastry roll crosswise into 28 (1/4-in.-thick) "coiled- S" slices. Place slices on a wax paper- lined baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes. (Slices can be stored in layers between wax paper and frozen up to 1 month ahead.)

Heat oven to 375°F. Arrange half the frozen slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and caramelized. Remove baking sheet from oven; using an offset spatula, flip the cookies over (carefully re-coil any cookies that may unravel). Return cookies to oven and bake second sides 5 to 6 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and crisp. Move cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining slices on second prepared baking sheet. Makes 28 cat tongues.



Snickerdoodles

For festiveness, we often use colored sugar in place of the plain sugar that we mix with the cinnamon. Very, very rarely, we leave the cinnamon off and just roll the balls in colored sugars - Mardi Gras Balls are rolled carefully through yellow sugar, then each end dipped in green or purple sugar, for example. When we do that, we mix the cinnamon into the snickerdoodle dough.

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup lard (the lard gives it a delicacy and prevents the cookie from getting too crisp, you can use all butter, if you prefer)
2 eggs
2 ¾ - 3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400ºF.
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, lard, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
Shape dough into 1 balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Makes about 60

Tipsy Gingerbread
This gingerbread is not your normal gingerbread cookie. It's a spiral cookie with a tipsy layer. Rum goes best with gingerbread, but if you prefer an anisette liqueur, go for it.

For Gingerbread Dough:
3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
2 large egg yolks
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Tipsy Dough:
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon rum or rum flavoring
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

To make gingerbread dough: In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Beat in egg yolks until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and flatten slightly; chill until firm but pliable, about 1 hour (or freeze for 30 minutes).

To make plain dough: In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and flatten slightly; chill as directed above.

Unwrap dough. With a lightly floured rolling pin, on a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, roll out gingerbread dough into a 12- by 15-inch rectangle. Slide dough, on waxed paper, onto a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Repeat to roll out plain dough; chill both rectangles until firm to the touch but still pliable, about 10 minutes.

Carefully invert the gingerbread dough over the plain dough, lining up edges as evenly as possible. Remove waxed paper from top of gingerbread dough. With a sharp knife, cut rectangle in half lengthwise to make two 6- by 15-inch rectangles. Transfer one of the rectangles to another sheet of waxed paper.

Starting at long edge of one rectangle, lift waxed paper to roll doughs into a tight, even cylinder (if dough cracks instead of rolling easily, let stand about 10 minutes to soften slightly). Repeat to roll other rectangle. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Unwrap rolls and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Lay cookies flat, 1 inch apart, on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

Bake cookies in a 325° oven until edges just begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. With a wide spatula, transfer pinwheels to racks to cool completely. Makes about 120 cookies. If you cut the dough ½ inch thick, you'll get half as many cookies and they'll be thicker ad softer.

And that's enough for this post!