Almond cookie bars

by Caitlin Saniga

Aunt Karen handed me a box of these and asked me if I'd take them off her hands. No problem! Holly and I scarfed them down in no time. I later tracked down Aunt Karen's friend Dee (who made them) and got the recipe. Thanks guys!

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons almond extract
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds

I made my bars in a smaller dish, so they were thicker and a little softer. Yum!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly flour a 9″-by-13″ glass baking pan or a pan of similar size.

Mix together the butter and sugar. Add the flour, eggs and extracts; stir. Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan. Spread almonds over the top. Sprinkle extra sugar over the almonds.

Bake 35 minutes, or until the cookie turns golden brown. Let cool about 20 minutes before slicing.

Makes 24-28 bars.

Recipe: Dee Burdette, a family friend

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Chocolate-ginger molasses cookies

by Sarah Steimer

These cookies are basically a cross between gingerbread cookies and chocolate chip-walnut cookies. Perfect in every way.

• 7 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks (unless you were smart enough to get chips or morsels); set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa.

Beat butter and grated ginger until combined. Add brown sugar and molasses, again beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Add in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate.

Place dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1-inch thick; seal with wrap and refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more (I prefer overnight).

Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls. Dip the top half into the chopped walnuts, pressing to make sure they stake in the dough. Place on a cooking sheet with either Silpat or parchment paper, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes until the dough firms back up (it is very sticky).

Bake at 325 for about 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will seem rather soft when you take them out, but they firm up as they cool. DO NOT overbake or else you will be eating hockey pucks for a few days.

Makes 24 cookies.

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

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Holiday Dozen: Chocolate raspberry cookies

by Sarah Steimer

The inspiration for these came from cookies we get at the Farmer’s Market in the summer.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups of raspberries, fresh or frozen

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler then set aside. In a small bowl beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork, sprinkle the coffee powder in and let dissolve.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugars until combined. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat. Stir in the white chocolate chips and raspberries by hand. Cover with a towel and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes (this is very important!).

Scoop the dough onto baking sheets with a large spoon or an ice cream scoop, spacing the dough about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is still soft.

Makes about 42 cookies.

Recipe from: Sarah Steimer (using this recipe as a base)

Photo: Sarah Steimer

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 recipes that we’ll post every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Cranberry orange drop cookies

by Caitlin Saniga

I must have added too much orange juice to my glaze mixture, which made it pretty runny. But if you follow the directions and the glaze remains thick, you can drizzle pretty zigzags over the cookies.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest, divided
• 5 tablespoons orange juice, divided
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended. Mix in 1 teaspoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the orange mixture. Mix in cranberries until evenly distributed. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. cookies should be spaced at least 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 3 tablespoons orange juice and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spread over the tops of cooled cookies. Let stand until set.

Makes 4 dozen.

Recipe: AllRecipes.com

Photo: Caitlin Saniga

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 recipes that we’ll post every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Chocolate peppermint bark

by Caitlin Saniga

The peppermint extract is crucial. Before I settled on this recipe, I botched a peppermint fudge because it didn’t have enough peppermint extract.

• 10 candy canes
• 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
• 1 12-ounce bag white chocolate chips

Place candy canes in a durable zip-top plastic bag. Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to break candy into small pieces. (Don’t go overboard and pulverize it into pink dust. If you want pink dust, put it in a blender.) (I found it helpful to unwrap and freeze the candy canes for about 15 minutes before I started.) Set aside.

Lightly grease a rimmed cookie sheet and line with wax paper, smoothing out wrinkles; set aside.

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on half-power in 40-second increments (4 times should be good), stirring with a spatula between cook times. When chocolate is creamy and most lumps are melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour chocolate onto lined cookie sheet. Quickly use a spatula to evenly spread the chocolate. Sprinkle about half of the candy cane pieces over the chocolate. Freeze for a half-hour.

Place white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on half-power in 40-second increments (about 4 times), stirring with a spatula between cook times. When chocolate is creamy and most lumps are melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour white chocolate over other chocolate layer. Quickly use a spatula to spread the chocolate. (Be careful: The warm white chocolate will melt the semi-sweet chocolate if you fuss with it too much.) Sprinkle the rest of the candy pieces over the chocolate. Freeze for a half-hour.

Remove bark from the freezer, and use the handle of a rolling pin or another blunt object to crack sheet of chocolate into pieces. (I refrigerated my peppermint bark after that because I’m paranoid it will melt.)

Makes a decent amount (but you could easily double the recipe).

Recipe adapted from: AllRecipes.com

Photo: Caitlin Saniga

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 recipes that we’ll post every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Cream cheese balish

by Sarah Steimer

The ingredients aren’t the hard part — keeping it together is (literally).

For dough

• 8 ounces cream cheese (do not use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 8 ounces butter
• 2 cups flour

For filling

• 1 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• about 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 or 2 tablespoons melted butter
• sugar, to taste

Mix dough and refrigerate overnight.

Mix the filling and set aside. It should be an almost mushy consistency and taste a little sweet. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut with a round cutter (otherwise known as a drinking glass). Place the circles on a cookie sheet and place about a teaspoon’s worth of the nut mixture on each circle. This will fill about half the cookies, the other half I usually use strawberry jelly for.

Ruined it for everyone else.

Moisten two sides of the circles, I usually just dip my finger in water to do so. Press the sides together very tightly then press down over the filling. Don’t get frustrated if the cookies open back up during the baking process, it happens and you just have to try some new tricks.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Once the cookies have cool, dust them with powdered sugar.

Recipe from: “Mrs. Ungers” (a recipe card that we’ve had for years from my mom’s childhood neighbor)

Photos: Sarah Steimer

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 cookie recipes that we’ll post every Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Oatmeal scotchies

by Sarah Steimer

A recipe from our friend Anna, who learned it from her mother. Anna’s look a little different than mine, but this was my first time!

Our friend Anna sent me this recipe. She said her mother used to make oatmeal scotchies for her father to “make him fall in love with her.” It must have worked because they’ve been married for 29 years.

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups Old-Fashioned Quaker oats
• 1 (11 ounce) package Nestle Toll House butterscotch-flavored morsels (about 2 cups)

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated and brown sugars, eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Anna’s parents on their wedding day… with many years of scotchies to come. (Wouldn’t this make a great Christmas card? Just add a little bow.)

Stir in oats and morsels. It gets very thick, so don’t be afraid to use your hands to mix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes on the middle oven rack. They should be a little soft on top, but golden brown on the edges. They may look like they still need to cook longer, but they continue baking during the cool-down process. Do not overcook!

Makes about four dozen cookies.

Recipe from: Anna and Annie (mom) Carney

Cookie photo by: Sarah Steimer

Wedding photo courtesy of Anna

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 cookie recipes that we’ll post every Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Pistachio chocolate chip cookies

by Caitlin Saniga

The pistachio pudding mix gives these cookies a hint of green. Perfect for Christmas!

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 small package (3.4 ounces) pistachio-flavored instant pudding mix
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (Or maybe pistachios? Seems obvious.)
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two large baking sheets: Lightly grease with shortening, or line with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pudding mix; whisk together to mix. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and butter; cream together until mixture appears light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add eggs; beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add sifted flour mixture; stir until mixed. Add nuts and chocolate chips; stir to mix.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or just until  cookies are set and edges are very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from: The Baking Pan

Photo: Caitlin Saniga

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 cookie recipes that we’ll post every Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Church mice and chocolate-covered pretzels

by Sarah Steimer

My dad makes chocolate-covered pretzels every year and made these mice once. This year I just beat him to it.

Note: The amount of each ingredient you need depends solely on how much you want to make. I don’t even have a final count myself because I plan to make even more pretzels because they make great gifts.

• melting chocolates (You need this waxier consistency so the chocolate sticks to the food better. Can be found at candy/baking supply stores.)
• maraschino cherries, with stems
  

  Ready for their close-up.

• Hershey’s kisses
• almond slices (small bags can be found in the baking section of your grocery store)
• pink icing (optional)
• pretzels

Melt chocolate over a double-boiler, which is basically just a metal bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water. Rinse and pat dry the cherries. Dip each cherry in, covering only the fruit and not the stem. Immediately place the cherry on a cookie sheet and add the kiss for the face. Place two almond slices between the kiss and the cherry for the mouse’s ears.

“Double boiler” with melted chocolate discs.

Once you have a full tray, place it in the freezer for a few minutes. This just helps the chocolate to set. After you remove them from the freezer, add a little pink icing nose using a small piping tip. If you don’t have a tip, fill a baggie with icing and cut the tiniest piece off one of the corners and pipe away.

The pretzels are much easier. Mix a handful into the chocolate until well-covered. Fish the pretzels out and place on a cookie sheet. Allow them to set in the freezer.

It’s best to store both pretzels and mice in the refrigerator, should your house get too warm and the chocolate start to melt. If you’re giving these away as gifts, be sure to tell the recipient this as well!

Recipe: Sarah Steimer (is this considered a recipe?)

Photos: Sarah Steimer

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 cookie recipes that we’ll post every Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Holiday Dozen: Mint-chocolate ravioli cookies

by Caitlin Saniga

These cookies are time-consuming to make (it took me more than two hours to make three dozen!), but with the mint-chocolate centers, they taste just like Christmas!

Beat margarine, shortening, sugar and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until dough is firm.

These guys puff up and spread out when they bake, so be sure to follow directions on spreading them out on the baking sheet.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll half of the dough into a 13-by-9 rectangle, on lightly floured surface. (See note below.) Place mints on dough. Roll remaining dough into 13-byy-9 rectangle on floured wax paper. Place over mint-covered dough. Cut dough between mints with pastry  wheel, pizza cutter or knife; press edges of each ravioli with fork to seal. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes or until golden. Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire rack.

These are best when warm, obviously, because the center is still gooey and soft.

Note: No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t roll the dough into perfect 13-by-9 rectangles. So I rolled the dough to be about 1/8-inch thick (into a big, ambiguous shape) and cut out the dough so it was double-long and could be folded on itself to cover the mints. I’d cut out the dough for mints one at a time and place the mint on one end of the dough and fold the other end of dough over. I kept cutting off extra dough, clumping it back together and rolling it out until I had all my ravioli made. And, what do you know, I had just enough dough for all 36 mints!

Makes 36 cookies.

Recipe: Betty Crocker Cookie Book

Photos: Caitlin Saniga

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 cookie recipes that we’ll post every Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.