by Caitlin Saniga and Sarah Steimer
Included in the box Caitlin sent Sarah were mocha chocolate chip cookies, rosemary shortbread cookies, a couple of sticks of peppermint mocha biscotti (recipe here) and orange-almond biscotti (recipe here).
We love making cookies for the holidays and sharing photos and recipes of them on the blog (most notable was our 2010 Holiday Dozen guide). We often email or text each other to rave about how good the other’s photos look, or to say how good our own cookies tasted. On a few very rare occasions, we’ve been able to try each other’s creations. This year, we decided to send cookies directly to one another so we didn’t have to be too jealous when the pictures and recipes hit the Web!
Below are the recipes for the cookies Caitlin sent to Sarah this year. She got sick before she could finish a third batch, which would have been some sort of crunchy pignoli cookie. Oh, well! There’s always next year, right?
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Caitlin: I had just inherited a robust rosemary plant from a family friend, so I was ecstatic when I found this cookie recipe that included the herb. The flavor intensifies over time for this cookie. Delicious!
Sarah: I fully expected the mocha chocolate cookies to be my favorite — for obvious reasons — but these ended up being my top pick. The cookie is flaky without being dry, and there is literally just the right amount of rosemary in it.
Rosemary shortbread cookies
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons white sugar for decoration
Caitlin: I haven’t tried this trick yet, but I’ve heard that you can save time by rolling out cookie dough between sheets of wax paper or parchment and placing it on a baking sheet before sticking it in the fridge to chill. I’ll definitely be trying this the next time I make cutouts!
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, salt and rosemary until well blended. The dough will be somewhat soft. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Use small cookie cutters to make cutouts. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops.
Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from: AllRecipes.com
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Mocha chocolate chip cookies
- 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground espresso
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Caitlin: I wonder if Sarah realized there was a sparkle of cayenne in this recipe. I added a few heavy shakes at the last minute.
Sarah: Again with the great texture! Chewy and crispy in all the right spots.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined.
In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cayenne and ground espresso.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not overbeat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon, drop rounded balls of dough on the sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
Recipe adapted from: Food 52
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Sarah: So one of the best things Caitlin sent was actually a baggie of Chex mix. One night in college while we decorated and made cards for Christmas, Caitlin made a big batch of the mix and I probably ate almost all of it. She also sent along a recipe book on seasonal pies and a French baguette-scented candle. I could have happily curled up in this box. Too bad she fattened me up with those biscotti before I even had a chance to try. Rude.
[...] Ingredients (adapted from So Hungry I Could Blog) [...]