One more Christmas Cookie

So as I mentioned earlier that I would have another Christmas cookie recipe to try out...It was by far the biggest hit yet. I don't know what it is about ginger but it somehow has the magical properties to transport me back to the Christmases of my childhood. Ginger is warm, comforting with just a little bite to keep you on your toes. I love that bite. Molasses is something dark and mysterious and lives on a shelf in your pantry until the holidays roll around. Unless you are me...I love molasses and go through a few bottles a year.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Into a bowl you place 1 stick of super soft butter (almost to the melting point), 1/3 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup dark molasses (you can use light in a pinch), 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar. Cream these ingredients together. Into a second bowl place 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 3/4 tsp. cardamom, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1 to 2 pieces of crystallized ginger finely diced (it should equal somewhere between 1 to 2 tablespoons). Blend these dry ingredients together with a fork.

Add 1 large egg into the butter and sugar mixture and incorporate.

Start adding in the flour mixture a little at a time blending in between additions.

You can go ahead and bake these right up or put the dough in the fridge over night and bake the next day. If you decide to wait and bake later make sure you let the dough come to room temp to make things go easier.

Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then dip in raw sugar making sure to cover all but the bottom of the cookie.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for somewhere between 8 and 10 min. It took me 9 minutes per batch and I probably could have pulled them about 30 seconds sooner...crazy as that sounds it does matter.

These cookies were disappearing off the plate at my office almost as fast as I put them out. The bf said people at his office were very happy with these. I tell you it is the ginger it brings back warm memories of Christmases past. Bake up some memories.

Christmas Cookies

So I have been working on some Christmas cookies to bake and give this holiday season and I think I have come up with a couple of recipes so far that will be perfect for gift giving. A few weeks back I made Chocolate Anise Biscotti and I had mentioned that I was going to switch out a few things and do a lemon blueberry flavor...well it turned out delicious.

I simply left out the anise and chocolate and made the addition of the zest from one lemon and 1/2 -1 tsp. of lemon extract and a handful of dried blueberries. Then to finish I mixed some confectioners sugar with some fresh lemon juice and drizzled over the completely cooled biscotti.... it was delicious. Big hit with both my office and the bf's office. This will probably end up on my cookie gift giving list.

The other contender is Chocolate Espresso Snaps. Super simple and they really satisfy that chocolate craving. These were also a huge hit with the co-workers

Into one bowl you add 3/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup shortening, 2 cups of white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cream these ingredients together. Into the second bowl mix together 3 cups of flower, 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, 2 Tlb. espresso powder, 4 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt.

Into the first bowl with the creamed together butter and sugar add two eggs one at a time blending between each egg.

Then start adding the contents of the second bowl to the first bowl 1/2 cup at a time blending between each addition.

Yum...chocolate cookie dough.

Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then roll in sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for somewhere between 12 to 14 minutes (depends on your oven).

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for several minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

When completely cooled you can store these scrumptious cookies in a airtight container...Ummm we ate them one and all over the course of a weekend. Monday saw the last of them going to the bf's office.

For me Christmas gift giving cookie has to be simple yet scrumptious. I have to be able to easily half the recipe if needed, and the cookies have to hold up well for traveling over the river and through the woods. I don't want something that is really complicated or fussy. A cookie that stands up well to hot cocoa and compliments the flavor and will also go nicely with that glass of milk for Santa Claus. I have one more recipe to try out this week, but first I need to replenish my supply of parchment paper...Have a great rest of the weekend.