Stale spices will yield a flat-tasting cookie, so make sure your spices aren’t too old. When you open up the jar of ground ginger it should really smell like ginger ! Ditto for the cinnamon. And no amount of pre-ground nutmeg will beat the flavor of freshly grated. If you bake these cookies for the time suggested, they will be slightly chewy in the center and crisp around the edge. If you prefer them crunchy all over, bake for about 2 minutes longer. METHOD: PREHEAT the oven to 350° F. Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. WHISK…
Cookies
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Continue ReadingDutch Spice Cookies Thin crisp spice cookies are ubiquitous at Christmastime in most northern European countries. One particularly popular variety is called speculaas in the Netherlands, speculoos in Belgium, and Spekulatius in Germany. Believed to be named for the Latin word speculum, meaning “mirror”, these cookies reflect the image of…
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Continue ReadingGingerbread People I used to think gingerbread people were mostly for decorating and looking at, but not for eating. Now I think they’re as yummy to eat as they are fun to make. The texture is light and crisp, and the spice is just right. Best of all the…
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Continue ReadingConfectioner’s Sugar Icing METHOD: PLACE the confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of the milk and the lemon juice. Add more milk as needed, but keep in mind that the icing must be thick enough to pipe. If using food coloring, divide the the icing among…
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Continue ReadingFor Iced and Decorated Sugar Cookies METHOD: Using an electric mixer set on low speed, beat the confectioner’s sugar, egg whites and 4 tablespoons of warm water in a large bowl until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the icing is thick and glossy, 3 to 4…
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Continue ReadingChocolate Peppermint Cookies These chocolate rounds topped with peppermint glaze and crushed candy canes make a festive addition to the Christmas dessert table. To crush the candy, place it in a heavy duty plastic bag and smack it with the smooth side of a meat mallet or hammer. Crush the…
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Continue ReadingMost thumbprints are butter cookies with an indentation made with the poke of a thumb, which is how the cookie got its name that is filled with jam. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, a jazzier version for the holidays, something chocolate is more fun to make and scrumptious to…
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Continue ReadingCoconut Macaroons Every now and then I get the urge for moist, chewy treats, so I always keep a can of sweetened condense milk in the pantry and a bag of coconut in the freezer. I guess you could say that being prepared is worth its weight in macaroons ! …
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Continue ReadingFIG HALF MOONS Fig is a popular filling for pastries and cookies at Christmastime, especially in the Italian Tradition. Here, an orange-scented fig paste is tucked into rich pastry dough that is formed into half-moon shapes. A little more work than the average cookie, these treats are well worth it.…
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Continue ReadingThe dough is easy but the waiting is hard Yes this dough, which is more like a thick creamy batter, really requires a thorough chilling that is best accomplished overnight. It needs to be firm enough to roll into balls and cold going into the oven in order to puff…