We’re finally done. 63 dozen cookies in all. We baked all weekend (Julia helped), packed the boxes on Sunday night, and they shipped out Monday. This annual ritual’s a little crazy –particularly with a two year-old’s hands in the flour– but it’s lots of fun too, and it’s nice to give a gift we’ve made ourselves.
The packages are being delivered today, so I’m not spoiling anyone’s surprise by showing you what’s inside.
Out of the box:
I painted and glittered the tins myself. (More on that later.)
The first layer:
Gingerbread and Rolled Sugar Cookies (recipes below).
The Second layer:
From the top, clockwise (recipes below),
Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps
Mini Pecan Pies
Date-Nut Rolls (my grandmother’s recipe and my all-time favorite cookie)
Thumbprints
Checkerboard Shortbread
Mexican Wedding Cakes
Bizcocho (recipe from David’s new sister-in-law’s family’s ranch near Marfa, Texas)
Recipes
1. Gingerbread (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Directions
Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into shapes. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or baking mats and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Decorate with Royal Icing piped from a pastry tube using a #3 pastry tip.
2. Royal Icing
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix ingredients together until smooth. Spread or pipe onto cookies. If icing becomes too firm, add a few drops of water and stir.
3. Rolled Sugar Cookies
For about 4 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for rolling and cutting
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Sanding sugar, royal icing and other decorations (optional)
Directions
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well to combine. Mix in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour and mix just un-til incorporated (do not overmix).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just barely golden around the edges, 7 to 12 minutes (depending on size of cookies). Cool completely on baking sheets.
Decorate, if desired. Let dry at least 2 hours. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
4. Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps (from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
For about 2 dozen
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, for coating
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients; beat in milk just until combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar twice.
Place balls on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Date-Nut Roll
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
For the filling:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 pound dates, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup water
Directions
1. In an electric mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
3. Sift together dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Divide dough into 3 parts and roll each out about 1/4 inch thick. Spread 1/3 of filling on each, roll up and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut each roll into about 1/4 inch slices. Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown.
To make the filling:
Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Warm until the filling is soft and smooth, stirring occasionally. Cool before using.
5. Thumbprints (adapted from Martha Stewart)
For about 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pistachios, crushed peppermints, or sanding sugar
1/2 cup apricot or raspberry jam
Directions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.
Preheat oven to 350F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in finely chopped nuts and arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart. Press a well into the center of each using your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and press well again with handle end of a wooden spoon. Spoon jam into thumbprints. Bake until firm, 7 to 9 minutes more.
6. Checkerboard Shortbread (from Marta Stewart)
For about 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 large egg
Directions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.
Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.
Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Mexican Wedding Cakes (adapted from Noel Nut Balls from Martha Stewart)
For about 5 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon bourbon or orange juice
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans (best if chopped by hand)
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and honey until fluffy. Add bourbon, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and beat to combine. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper. Roll the dough, 2 teaspoons at a time, into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake until brown around the edges, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Roll in confectioners’ sugar to coat.
8. Bizcocho (recipe from Maricela Garcia)
For about 4 dozen
Ingredients
½ lb. butter
½ c. powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Cream butter and add sugar. Stir well and add flour and vanilla. Press through cookie press and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until light brown. While warm roll in a mixture of
1 cup granulated sugar
3-4 tsp. cinnamon
Notes:
Always use butter (Maricela uses regular salted butter)
She uses Mexican vanilla
Maricela also grinds her own cinnamon from sticks (purchased in Mexico) in the blender. She likes the coarser, fresher nature of cinnamon ground this way.
She always doubles this recipe and makes lots as they keep well in the freezer.
