When we'd travel to my grandmother's house for the holidays, she'd always have snickerdoodles waiting for us (along with extras to take on the drive home). So, while these aren't holiday cookies per se, they'll always be Christmas cookies to me.
Snickerdoodles are fluffy and sweet. I love soft cookies, so not much can beat a cinnamon-and-sugar snickerdoodle hot out of the oven. I've adapted the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but there are a lot of great recipes out there for these cookies.
I have to admit, in addition to sweets, I love Christmas music. Here is John Fahey's "Auld Lang Syne," from his 1968 Christmas album, The New Possibility.
Ingredients:
--2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
--2 tsp. cream of tartar
--1 tsp. baking soda
--2 sticks salted butter, softened
--3 eggs
--1 1/2 c. granulated sugar, + 1/2 c. granulated sugar for rolling
--2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine butter, 1 1/2 c. sugar, and eggs on medium speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes). In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Slowly add to the wet mixture until combined. Scrape dough into wax paper and chill for about an hour.
In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Once dough has chilled, shape into 1" balls and roll thoroughly in the mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place at least 2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet (these will seriously expand in the oven). Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or just until the cookies are cracking. If they're golden-colored on top, they're overcooked.
If you read this blog with any regularity, you might have noticed that I have an incurable sweet tooth. The holiday season gives me a marvelous excuse to make (and devour) a new dessert almost every day. I love shortbread, and I've been trying to find a recipe that I'm really crazy about. While I've made some shortbread recipes that are yummy (like my winter white amaretto shortbread), lately I've been craving a shortbread that's especially flaky and crisp. This recipe is exactly that.
You can make this into any shape you'd like, of course. I selected some snowflake cookie cutters to accompany the wintry weather. I tried to introduce you to the Durutti Column's music in previous posts, but it turns out that some of their cold-weather tracks are even more beautiful than I could imagine. Here is their haunting "Snowflakes," to match the aesthetics of these shortbread cookies.
Ingredients:
--2 sticks + 6 tbsp. unsalted butter (keep this very cold like you would for a pie crust)
--2 tbsp. dark rum
--1 tbsp. vanilla
--1 c. turbinado sugar
--1 c. cornstarch
--2 c. all-purpose flour, + extra for rolling
--1 tsp. salt
--decorative sugar crystals
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, sift flour, cornstarch, and salt. Using a food processor or using a pastry cutter, add butter, sugar, vanilla, and rum. If you're using a food processor, pulse the ingredients until they begin to form a ball, just like a pie crust. (If you're using a pastry cutter, it'll take a little more time, but cut the ingredients until a dry, crumbly dough begins to form.)
Separate the dough into quarters. On a large floured surface, shape the first dough quarter into a ball and roll out until it's about 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Using a floured cookie cutter, cut any shapes you like. Repeat with remaining dough, incorporating the scraps as you go. (You'll end up with about 3 dozen cookies or so, depending on the size of your cookie cutter, when all is said and done.)
Arrange the cookies about 1/2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with decorative sugar crystals (I used silver and gold).
Bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 12-14 minutes, or just until the cookie edges are ever so slightly golden. If the tops become golden, they're overdone. Remove from oven and allow to cool. And these look great in holiday gift bags!
It's December, and it's time for holiday desserts! Inspired by Giada's recipe, this bread pudding is oh-so-rich and sweet. Every winter, I end up experimenting with different bread puddings, and this year won't disappoint. The only catch to this specific bread pudding is that you'll likely find that the main ingredient, the panettone, is typically available solely during the holiday season. (*Not sure what panettone looks like or where to find it? It's a sweet Christmas bread filled with candied fruits that, I believe, originated in Italy but is a holiday staple across many parts of the world. You can find it in almost any speciality food store once November rolls around, or you can make your own.)
I made this eggnog bread pudding during one of the first real snowfalls of 2013, and it was a delightful dessert (and later on, as a breakfast food). I topped it with a cinnamon and molasses whipped cream, recipe to follow.
During the snowy winter months, I have to admit that I've collected snowflakes on contrasting dark-colored paper to marvel at their singularity. For the sentiments that snowflake collecting brings, and for winter treats, here's Mark Mothersbaugh's "Snowflake Music" from the fabulous Rushmore soundtrack.
Ingredients:
The Bread Pudding:
--1 large (1 lb.) panettone loaf
--10 large eggs
--6 c. eggnog (you could make your own, of course, but a tasty half gallon from your local grocer will do just fine)
--1/2 c. turbinado sugar
--1/2 c. dark brown sugar
--2 tsp. vanilla extract
*Note: it's best to make this the night before you plan to serve it so the pudding can have time to "marinate" in the refrigerator!
The Cinnamon Molasses Whipped Cream:
--1 pint heavy whipping cream
--1 tbsp. cinnamon
--2 tsp. molasses
--1/4 c. dark brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 13 x 9 baking dish and set aside. Remove your panettone loaf from its wrappers and cut into roughly 1" cubes. Arrange the cubes in the baking dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, eggnog, sugars, and vanilla until well blended. Pour over the panettone cubes, cover with plastic, and place in the fridge overnight. (In a pinch, you don't need to let the bread pudding sit--you can put it in the oven right away.)
Bake uncovered for 45-50 min, or until the center puffs and the pudding is set (believe me, you'll know when this happens, and if you check too soon, the pudding will look like it's never going to set). Remove and allow to cool.
You can also make the whipped cream a day in advance, or immediately before you're ready to serve your bread pudding. Either way, it's quick and easy. In a large bowl, beat the ingredients on medium speed for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks.
Cut and serve your eggnog bread pudding with a (very large) dollop of cinnamon molasses whipped cream.
