Sugar and Spice Cookies

Rather than baking the traditional icing covered sugar cookie, I opted to bake something with a little kick. This is another recipe from The Cookie Book.  No icing, just a little glaze, and some holiday spices to give them a kick.

Combine 2 cups of flour with a 1/2 tsp of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon, cloves, and instead of mace and allspice, I used nutmeg and ginger.

Using a pastry blender, cut in a 1/2 cup of softened butter into the flour mixture until it resembles "fine bread crumbs."

So like this.

Next, mix in 1 beaten egg, and I used 2 Tbsp of water.  The mixture was originally too dry.  I started using a spoon.

But I had to switch to my hands...it got messy.

The recipe called for immediately rolling out the dough and cutting shapes, then refrigerating for half an hour, but I did it backwards.

Flour your rolling space as well as the rolling pin.

Roll the dough out, and cut out your shapes.

My shapes are festive, but can easily be gifted to those who don't gather around the tree for presents during this time of year.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

I didn't use the glaze, but if you want to here's what you do.  Mix 1 egg with 1 Tbsp of milk with a 1tsp of fine sugar.  Once they're out of the oven sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

This is a recipe I've made every year for the past 5 years.  I first saw it on a Christmas episode of Good Eats.  These cookies are absolutely delicious, and in Alton Brown's book Good Eats 2: The Middle Years the recipe was available, however, you can find it here.

Alton Brown loves measuring ingredients by weight.  This makes the recipe very accurate, but if you don't have a scale in your kitchen, you have to guess.  First, mix 15 1/2 ounces of flour (I used 2 cups) with 3/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp of salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In another bowl beat 1 cup of softened butter with 1 cup of white sugar.

Beat in 1 Tbsp milk and 1 egg.

Slowly incorporate the flour mixture.

Split the dough in half, and place in different bowls.

I'm sure you've clicked my link for the recipe, and you've noticed that the dough, is in fact two types, a chocolate and a peppermint dough.  For the peppermint dough, mix in 1 tsp peppermint extract (I used schnapps, the supermarket was out of extracts), 1 egg yolk, and a little over a 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes.  I used my hands, it got a little bit messy.

For the chocolate dough, mix 3 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate, and 1 tsp of vanilla.  I used a spoon this time.

Cover both doughs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Now it's time to prepare a surface to roll out the doughs.

I used my cutting board, so I could use it as a template, to keep the dough rectangular.  I sprinkled it with flour, as well as my rolling pin.

Turn out the chocolate dough first, and roll into a rectangle.

Next, the peppermint.  I placed it right on top of the chocolate dough, and rolled it slightly smaller than the chocolate.

Roll it up in a log, wrap it in parchment paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Slice into rounds, and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Beautiful and delicious!  I hope you enjoy this recipe!