Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies
Written By Michael Vyskocil, Photos by: Tara Hope Cofiell
Derived from the Dutch word koekje, and known as biscuits in England and biscotti in Italy, cookies can be traced back some 2,700 years ago, to ancient Persia.
Centuries later, there seems to be no end to the variety of cookies baked in kitchens around the world. Many of the best holiday cookie recipes are family favorites. The fresh-baked aroma of cookies evokes wonderful childhood memories.
We have collected a sampling of Christmas treats, including buttery spritz cookies, glistening “stained glass” cookies, elegant cherry jubilee cookies and spicy chocolate gingersnaps.
Bake a batch to share with loved ones or tote some to a cookie exchange (see below).
One or more of these cookies may just become family heirlooms.
Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies
This adaptation of gingersnaps blends semisweet chocolate together with the old-fashioned taste of molasses and the distinctive flavors of ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
6 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
? teaspoon ground nutmeg
? cup (1 ? sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar, plus additional sugar for rolling
? cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add molasses and egg; beat until combined.
Add flour mixture in small batches and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate by hand. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place granulated sugar in a pie plate. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball of dough in sugar. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake until surface cracks, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Holiday Spritz Cookies
To create these buttery treats, use a cookie press – a tube fitted with a decorative disc at one end and a plunger at the other – to extrude or “spritz” the cookies onto the baking sheet. Decorate with colored sugars or use melted chocolate to make sandwich cookies.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
? cup sugar
1 large egg
2 ? cups sifted all-purpose flour
? teaspoon baking powder
? teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Colored decorating sugars
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
Fit a cookie press with the desired template and fill with cookie dough. Press cookies about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle cookies with desired colored decorating sugars.
Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 9 to 10 minutes. To ensure even baking, rotate baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 6 dozen cookies
“Stained Glass” Cookies
These cookies will keep their shape if you chill the dough after cutting out the shapes and before removing the excess dough and centers. Bake the cutout tops and bottoms separately, since the baking time may vary.
2 12-ounce jars apricot, strawberry or red raspberry jam
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
In a small saucepan, slightly warm jam. Strain warm jam through a fine sieve placed over a bowl and set aside. Discard solids.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to the dough, alternating additions with milk. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Let chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll chilled dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a piece of parchment paper cut to size of baking sheets. Using a 2-inch square cookie cutter, cut out squares from dough. Cut out the centers from half the cookies with desired cookie cutters, such as star, trees or bells. Chill for 30 minutes. Remove cutout centers and dough scraps. Either bake cutout shapes or gather cutouts together with dough scraps and reroll dough. Do not reroll dough more than once.
Bake cookies until just golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Once cool, spread centers of uncut cookies with jam. Top with a cutout cookie. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about 3 dozen filled sandwich cookies.
Cherry Jubilee Cookies
Ground almonds and maraschino cherries make these cookies absolutely delectable.
1 ? cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
? teaspoon salt
2 ?/? cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 cups finely ground almonds
30 maraschino cherries (about one 10-ounce jar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, almond extract and salt. On low speed, gradually add flour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Brush each ball of dough with beaten egg whites. Roll each ball of dough in ground almonds. Place balls approximately 2 to 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each ball.
Drain maraschino cherries. Pat cherries dry with paper towels. Cut each cherry in half. Place a cherry half, cut side down, into the indentation of each cookie.
Bake cookies until just golden around edges, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Makes 5 dozen cookies.
Somewhere among the Christmas shopping, holiday decorating and card mailing, the thought of cookie-baking comes up. But the idea of devoting hours to the task of creating several dozen holiday treats is enough to deter even the most ambitious multi-tasking maven. A cookie exchange provides a practical solution.
The activity will not only provide you with a sampling of home-baked holiday delights, but it will also help you connect with family and friends during the busy holiday season.
Local Carroll bakers sing the sweet praises of cookie exchanges. Shawn M. Simms, an English instructor at Westminster High School, recalls fond memories of hosting a cookie exchange.
“Basically, I invited 10 or so friends over and asked them to bake five dozen of their favorite holiday cookies,” said Simms. “I had prepared some snacks, and we chatted and then helped ourselves to each others’ cookies, cafeteria style, dividing them evenly. We then left with a tin or two of a variety of cookies to serve our guests during the holiday.”
Baking traditions abound at McDaniel College. Vicky Shaffer, director of advancement services at McDaniel, has been hosting cookie exchanges for coworkers in her department for years. Shaffer has only two rules for cookie exchanges: Cookies must be homemade and participants must provide recipes at the exchange.
“On the day of the exchange,” she said, “we gather in the office hallway to share our cookies and cookie-baking stories; how late we were up baking, the batch that was burnt, or the family members who helped themselves to too many cookies before they were packaged.”
Thinking of hosting your own cookie exchange? Here are a few tips:
- Encourage guests to bring their own containers, but keep a variety of tins, gift bags and boxes on hand for those who might forget.
- Request at least two dozen cookies per guest. Depending on the number invited, you can distribute a dozen to participants and keep the remaining dozen for sampling at the event.
- Make a list of cookie types. You don’t want everyone baking the same batch of chocolate chips. Avoid duplication by asking guests to report what cookie they will bring when responding to your invitation.
- Collect cookie recipes to distribute at the exchange. Invite participants to share their cookie recipes by bringing printouts along with their baked goods.
- Don’t forget beverages. Offer a seasonal punch, water, coffee, tea or sparkling cider for your guests to sip while they are sampling the cookie offerings.
