Daily Dose: Thanksgiving Cookie Favors

 

For our recent pre-Thanksgiving dinner get-together, guests went home with these delicious and beautiful cookie favors.  I've been wanting to use this technique since seeing these cute dinosaur and star cookies at Dean and Deluca:

Seriously, how cute are they?  The technique is very simple and hard to mess up.  But the result is dramatic and professional looking.  Use these cookies next time you want to make a big impression.  Enjoy!

Cookies:  I used my favorite rolled sugar recipe.  And since this was for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner I used shapes that reminded me of autumn - a pumpkin and an acorn. 

Icing:  I used my basic sugar cookie icing, but omitted the meringue powder.  And, since I needed to cover the entire surface of the cookie, I added a little more milk to thin it out.  I'd say about 2-3 more tablespoons.

Technique:  On a piece of wax paper, cover the cookie with icing. 

Transfer to a second piece of wax paper and, before the icing has time to harden, cover with sanding sugar.  Use sanding sugar that is the same color of your icing.   NOTE: you want to do one cookie at a time, or else the icing will harden and the sugar won't stick.

Once the icing has set up a little bit, you can transfer the cookies to a rack and let them dry for a couple of hours. 

Shake off any excess sanding sugar and wrap in individual clear baggies. Then decorate with your favorite labels!  I used these place cards from Martha Stewart:

Daily Dose: Ginger Cookies

This cookie really showcases some of my favorite fall flavors: ginger, cinnamon, clove, and molasses.  Yummmmm.  Even though the flavors scream "FALL" I'm thinking of coming back to this cookie in the summer and using it in an ice cream sandwich. Unlike the more famous Ginger Snap, this ginger cookie is the perfect consistency for an ice cream sandwich; soft and chewy, but still sturdy.  Pair with a lemon or strawberry ice cream and you've got a killer ice cream sandwich.  Is it June yet?!  Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies
(modified from AllRecipes)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange juice (or water)
1/4 cup molasses
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar (for rolling)

Directions: 
 

Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 

  
Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange juice and molasses. 

Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Chill for 40-60 minutes

Preheat oven to 350F.  Scoop out walnut sized balls of dough, and roll them in the remaining  of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, and flatten.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. 

Ginger Cookies
(modified from AllRecipes)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange juice (or water)
1/4 cup molasses
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar (for rolling)


Directions: 
1. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. 
2. Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange juice and molasses. 
4. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Chill for 40-60 minutes
5. Preheat oven to 350F.  Scoop out walnut sized balls of dough, and roll them in the remaining  of sugar. 
6. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, and flatten.   
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Daily Dose: Momofuku Part II - Marshmallow Cereal Cookie

My boyfriend has been asking me to make Momofuku's cornflake cookie for months now.  I finally decided to oblige, but had limited supplies on hand.  So this isn't a duplicate of Momofuku's cereal cookie.  It's more like the distant cousin.  The original has cornflake, marshmallow, oatmeal and chocolate chips.  I swapped puffed rice cereal for the cornflakes, left out the oatmeal, and used what little chocolate chips I had on hand.  Even with all changes, the final cookie was AWESOME!  Definitely one of my new faves.  The cereal and marshmallow give it an interesting texture, and there was just enough chocolate for my tastes.  If you're a purist and want something like the original, you can find a recipe at The Cookbook Chronicles.  For my interpretation, see below.  Enjoy!

Marshmallow Cereal Cookie

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used a mix of light and dark because that's what I had on hand)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon hot water
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1 cup mini-marshmallows, approximately

Directions: 

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water.  Add the baking soda mixture and salt to the batter.

Mix in flour until incorporated.  Stir in cereal and chocolate bits.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chill for about 15 minutes, then scoop onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Top with marshmallows, pressing down to ensure the marshmallows stay in place.  I cut some in half to make sure they stayed put. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until edges are golden browned.



Marshmallow Cereal Cookie

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used a mix of light and dark because that's what I had on hand)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon hot water
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1 cup mini-marshmallows, approximately

Directions: 
1. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water.  Add the baking soda mixture and salt to the batter.
4. Mix in flour until incorporated.  Stir in cereal and chocolate bits.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chill for about 15 minutes, then scoop onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Top with marshmallows, pressing down to ensure the marshmallows stay in place.  I cut some in half to make sure they stayed put.
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until edges are golden browned.

Daily Dose: Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Cornmeal isn't an ingredient normally found in cookies, so I was really intrigued when a friend recommended this recipe.  The flavor wasn't affected much, if at all, by the addition of cornmeal.  These certainly aren't corn cookies.  The biggest difference was in the texture, which is crisp and sandy; something between a shortbread cookie and a sugar cookie.  Really the ideal texture for dunking in milk or tea.  Even though I prefer my cookies to be soft and chewy, I'm definitely a fan of these cornmeal cookies!  I should note, however, that my boyfriend thought these were only "OK."  I couldn't disagree more.  Feel free to opine and take sides :)  Enjoy!

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
(Recipe modified from MarthaStewart)


Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (fine ground)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt; set aside.

Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.  Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll 1 1/2 inch balls and place, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets.  Dip a fork in sugar and use it slightly flatten the cookies. Use a criss-cross pattern, like with peanut butter cookies.  Bake until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
(Recipe modified from MarthaStewart)


Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (fine ground)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt; set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

3. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5. Roll 1 1/2 inch balls and place, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets.

6. Dip a fork in sugar and use it slightly flatten the cookies. Use a criss-cross pattern, like with peanut butter cookies.   

7. Bake until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

8. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Daily Dose: Walnut Shortbread Cookies

The port glazed grape tart I made a few days ago was delicious, but my favorite part was definitely the walnut crust.  It wasn't too sweet and had a great nutty flavor and crumbly texture.  So today I skipped the filling and made walnut shortbread cookies instead.   Don't have walnuts?  Use pecans or almonds (yum!).  No matter which nut you use, these cookies won't last long!  Enjoy!

Walnut Shortbread Cookies
(Recipe modified from JoyOfBaking)

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Lightly toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat.  Let cool.  Reserve 1/2 cup and coarsely chop. 

In a food processor or blender, pulse the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts with 1/3 cup brown sugar until finely ground (be careful, don't let it become a paste).  In a medium sized bowl place the walnut mixture, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and remaining 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. 

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour mixture, mixing only until incorporated.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.  

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour). 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove one half of the dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll to1/4 inch thickness.  Then, with a lightly floured cookie cutter, cut shapes. Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up the cookie dough.  Roll and cut out the remaining cookies.

For a crunchy and crumbly cookie bake for approximately 13-15 minutes or until the shortbreads are a deep brown color. For a softer texture, cook for a shorter time period, until light brown.  Remove cookies from oven and cool on a wire rack.  

Walnut Shortbread Cookies
(Recipe modified from JoyOfBaking)



Ingredients:


1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger 

Directions:

1. Lightly toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat.  Let cool.  Reserve 1/2 cup and coarsely chop. 

2. In a food processor or blender, pulse the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts with 1/3 cup brown sugar until finely ground (be careful, don't let it become a paste).  In a medium sized bowl place the walnut mixture, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and whisk to combine. 
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and remaining 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. 
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour mixture, mixing only until incorporated.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.  Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour). 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove one half of the dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll to1/4 inch thickness.  Then, with a lightly floured cookie cutter, cut shapes. 
6. Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up the cookie dough.  Roll and cut out the remaining cookies.
7. For a crunchy and crumbly cookie bake for approximately 13-15 minutes or until the cookies are a deep brown color. For a softer texture, cook for a shorter time period, until light brown.  Remove cookies from oven and cool on a wire rack.  

Daily Dose: Momofuku Blueberry and Cream Cookies

After my visit to Momofuku Milk Bar I was really excited  to make their delicious Blueberry and Cream Cookies.  The cookie is very unique, but the recipe is fairly straightforward (the hardest part was actually finding dry milk powder!). 

Top: Momofuku Milk Bar Blueberry and Cream Cookie.  Bottom: My Blueberry and Cream Cookie.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the baking process for this recipe (my mind is still in vacation mode!).  But the final product came out great and pretty close to the real deal, with a few notable differences.  First, this recipe produced a cookie that was less sweet than what is sold at Milk Bar (which I liked).  Second, the dried blueberries I used were REALLY dry, so my cookies weren't as moist as the ones at Milk Bar.  Even with these slight differences, these cookies are definitely worth a try, especially if Momofuku Milk Bar isn't in your neck of the woods. Enjoy!

Milk Crumbs
(Recipe from Epicurious)

The recipe is actually two parts.  First you make these milk crumbs.  Then the crumbs are added to the cookie.  I never would have thought to use milk powder in such a unique way!  The crumbs aren't very sweet, but give the cookies a nice creaminess. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and coarse salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add butter; stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10 minutes. Cool Milk Crumbs completely on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Blueberry and Cream Cookies
(Recipe from Epicurious)

Ingredients:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Milk Crumbs
1 1/2 cups dried blueberries

Directions:

Combine butter, both sugars, and corn syrup in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat on medium-high speed until mixture is very pale and sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat on low speed just until blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add Milk Crumbs; mix on low speed just until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer. Stir in blueberries just until evenly distributed (dough will be very sticky). 

Using 1/4-cup ice cream scoop for each cookie, drop dough onto 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 24 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled until baking time.

 

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large (18x12-inch) rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Transfer 6 chilled dough scoops to each sheet, spacing at least 4 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake cookies, 2 sheets at a time, until golden, reversing sheets halfway through baking, 20 to 22 minutes total. Repeat with remaining chilled dough, cooling and relining sheets between batches. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

NOTES: 

1)  I skipped the overnight chilling ('cause I'm impatient!).  Instead, I let the dough sit for about 30-40 minutes.  

2)  If you are going to do an overnight chill, make sure to scoop the dough while the dough is still soft, then chill the separate balls of dough.  The dough gets quite hard, and it'll be difficult to scoop the dough if you wait 24 hours.

3)  I had to play with the baking time and oven temperature to get the right texture.  I ended up baking them for 11 minutes at 350 degrees.

4)  I cut the recipe in half, and still got about 40 cookies.

Daily Dose: Andy Warhol Sugar Cookies

After visiting the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, I was inspired to get in touch with my inner pop artist.  I decided the best baking medium would be sugar cookies, as they really are a blank canvas (pun intended!).  The recipe below is, hands down, the best sugar cookie I've come across. But before we get to the recipe, here's a gallery of the finished product and the art they were inspired by. 


Album cover art for The Velvet Underground & Nico

Rorschach, 1984

Yarn,1983

Rolled Sugar Cookies
(from AllRecipes)

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugar, until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, and stir until incorporated. Cover and chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  On a floured surface, roll out dough to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Cut out desired shapes. I didn't have a banana cookie cutter, so I just cut around a banana print out. 

Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake 6-8 minutes, or until light golden brown on the edges.  Cool completely. 


Sugar Cookie Icing
(adapted from AllRecipes)


Ingredients: 
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
food coloring


Directions: 

Combine sugar and milk in a small bowl.   Add corn syrup and extract.  Combine until smooth.  You can adjust the thickness by adding more or less milk or corn syrup.

Divide into separate bowls and add desired food coloring. Spoon or pipe onto cookies.  Go wild, get creative, and create your own masterpiece!!

Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar, until smooth.
2. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift in the dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, and stir until incorporated. Cover and chill for an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  On a floured surface, roll out dough to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Cut out desired shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake 6-8 minutes, or until light golden brown on the edges.  Cool completely. 


Sugar Cookie Icing

Ingredients: 
1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
food coloring


Directions: 

1. Combine sugar and milk in a small bowl.   Add corn syrup and extract.  Combine until smooth.  You can adjust the thickness by adding more or less milk or corn syrup.

2. Divide into separate bowls and add desired food coloring. Spoon or pipe onto cookies.  Go wild, get creative, and create your own masterpiece!!