Whether you are transporting these cookies across town for the holidays or sending them miles away, they travel well and will taste good when they get there.
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES
Makes 70 3-inch cookies (feel free to halve recipe)
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2½ tablespoons cardamom (or half cinnamon and half nutmeg)
1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ cup molasses
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spice. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add molasses and continue to beat. Reduce mixer speed and gradually add flour mixture until well incorporated. The batter will be soft—chill for at least 30 minutes so it will be easier to scoop.
Using a #30 cookie scoop, place scoops of cookie dough 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 9–11 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Kolachkes
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova.
Makes about 7 dozen (feel free to halve recipe)
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for rolling out dough
1 cup jam or preserves of choice, for filling
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until pale in color. Reduce speed and add in flour until well mixed. Divide dough into four portions. Enclose each quarter in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Have ungreased baking sheets ready. Sprinkle clean work surface with confectioner’s sugar. Roll out one portion of dough ¼ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cookie/biscuit cutter, cut out cookies. Place on baking sheet, leaving 1 to 2 inches between cookies. Make a small indention in the center of cookies with your fingertip or back of a teaspoon. Fill the indention with about ¼ teaspoon jam or preserves. (If you use too much filling, it will run out during baking.) Repeat process until you reach desired number of cookies.
Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, 15–18 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle generously with confectioner’s sugar while still warm.
Lemon Glazed Earl Grey Cookies
Photo by Gina Moore
Makes 1½ to 2 dozen
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out dough
½ teaspoon salt
Glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Additional lemon zest, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, lemon zest and tea until well combined. Let sit for 30 minutes. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add confectioner’s sugar, flour and salt, and whisk gently. Add butter mixture and combine until a soft dough forms, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and roll dough to ¼-inch thick. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut cookie dough and place cookies on the baking sheets. Continue to reroll the dough and cut out cookies until no dough is left. Bake cookies until slightly brown, about 13–15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking process. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the glaze, whisk confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small bowl until glaze is thick enough to drizzle. If needed, add more lemon juice until mixture reaches desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over cookies and allow to dry. Add lemon zest for garnish.
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
Makes 2 dozen
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale yellow. Reduce speed and gradually add in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface. Turn out the dough onto the surface and form a 12-inch log. Roll in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove plastic from cookie dough and, using a serrated knife, slice the dough in ¼-inch to ½-inch rounds. Place on lined baking sheets 1-inch apart. Bake 12–14 minutes until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
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TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Alternate way to shape kolachkes. Cut out cookies using a 3-inch square cutter. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam in the middle. Fold two of the opposite ends and pinch together. Continue with cooking directions.
Chocolate chips in recipe. Mini chocolate chips rather than regular chocolate chips in a cookie recipe make the dough easier to slice. If using regular chips and the dough and cookies fall apart, just press it back together.
Slicing cold cookie dough. If cookie dough is too cold to slice, let it sit for a few minutes to warm up.
Storing cookies. In general, cookies will last for 1 week at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.