What are your favorite holiday traditions? I love baking cookies, they are delicious bites of love and frequently loved edible gifts.
Here are a couple of my families favorite recipes, both can be prepared and kept in logs in the refrigerator or freezer to bake off a little at a time if you don't want a cookie extravaganza!
Ginger Cookies from the Healdsburg Downtown Bakery & Creamery
4 3/4 c all purpose flour 3/4 pound butter @room temp
2T baking soda
3/4 t salt 1 3/4 c sugar
1/2 t baking powder 2 large eggs
2 t cinnamon 1 t vanilla
1 1/2 t ground ginger 1/2 c molasses
1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger in large bowl, sift and set aside.
2. Combine butter and 1 3/4 cups sugar in a bow and beat until fluffy, add eggs one at a time and vanilla, beat in molasses.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet until just combined.
4. Transfer dough to a clean work surface, roll the dough into 1 1/2” diameter logs, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
5. Heat oven to 350° unwrap and slice logs into 3/8” rounds and place on an un-greased cookie sheet (sprinkle with additional sugar if desired) bake 12-14 minutes. remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Pin Wheel Cookies
(we always triple this recipe, as it is labor intensive and we always want more!!)
2/3 c sweet butter @room temp
2/3 c sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1 egg
1 3/4 c unbleached AP flour
1/4 c dark cocoa
1. Cream butter & sugar, add vanilla bean seeds and beat in egg until smooth. Set aside 3/4c batter.
2. Add 1c flour to remaining batter, beat until smooth, roll out dough between waxed papers to 12"x8", refrigerate.
3. Mix remaining 3/4c flour w/cocoa and beat into remaining butter/sugar mixture, roll out as with white dough 12"x8" and refrigerate for 15 min.
4. Place black & white cookie doughs together and roll the rolling pin over both doughs to consolidate, then roll up dough into a tight jelly roll lengthwise and refrigerate wrapped for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375° lightly grease baking sheets
6. Cut roll into 1/4" slices, arrange on cookie sheet and bake 12 min or until golden brown, cool on racks.
Please feel free to share your favorite holiday traditions with me in the comments!
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