Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!
a downloadable ebook for paid subscribers!
The time has come for me to share one of my very favorite December traditions with all of you: Cookies!
I love an excuse to bake as many different types of cookies as possible. Some years I manage to do it mid-December, some years it’s more like a New Year’s cookie assortment, and some years I don’t get around to it at all (I was a little preoccupied in 2023). I send cookies to my friends and family. I keep little packages of cookies in my bag so when I go to the bar down the street or run into someone in the neighborhood I have a little treat to hand someone that hopefully brightens their day.
When I’m making my cookie menu, I choose cookies that are beautiful and delicious, and very importantly, have a long shelf life. This is the time of year I break out my cookie cutters and stamps, make annoying recipes that only call for the egg white or yolk (p.s.if you make the thumbprints and the snowballs from the ebook you’ll use both), sandwich cookies, cookies where the dough has to rest and chill, and decorated cookies. Some years I make caramels or cashew brittle or spiced mixed nuts too. These are not everyday recipes.
Some light and citrusy, some chocolatey and spicy, some classic, and some new “spins”. I have old favorites that I turn to year after year, but I always throw in a wildcard or two to switch things up.
When I was putting my menu together this year I focused on spice cookies, jammy cookies, and candied fruit cookies (inspired by Nature’s Candy, by Camilla Wynne…naturally). There was a moment when I thought I might make an entire jam cookie assortment. I held back and limited myself to just two, but I’ll probably bake a few more types before the year is up.
I went through a bunch of tests before settling on the 8 that made it into the book and there were some casualties along the way.
2024 Rejects
Buttered Walnut Shortbread, Coconut Millionaires Shortbread, and Figgy Bars were all unceremoniously cut after being not delicious too many batches in a row. I might revisit them someday, but not any time soon.
Honorable Mentions
cookies I love, but didn’t make this year:
Shauna Sever’s Iced Oatmeal Cookies on A Cozy Kitchen
Buttermint Patties: not cookies, but so good
Sister Pie’s Buttered Rum Shortbread
Iced Gingerbread: classic roll out gingerbread that make great ornaments too
Sam Seneviratne’s Jamaretti: an Everyday Food classic
Ok, now onto the main event!
I am so excited to share my cookie menu with you this year. Drumroll please!
COOKIES 2024
Cranberry Almond Snowballs
Browned Butter Thumbprints
Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Butter Glaze
Marmalade Almond Wedges
Cocoa Molasses Crinkles
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Stamped Gingerbread
Lemon Poppyseed Shortbread
I’m sharing my favorite Stamped Gingerbread with all subscribers, and paid subscribers will receive all 8 cookie recipes in a downloadable ebook with big, beautiful photos. Scroll to the end to find a link to the pdf. Might be a nice time to gift a subscription to someone, just sayin’….
Here’s a little sneak peek of the book! Scroll down for the full recipe. Paid subscribers keep scrolling to download the pdf. Happy Baking!!
Stamped Gingerbread Cookies
Yield: about 30 cookies
I’ve made a version of these cookies every year since I first learned about them in Helen Goh and Yotam Ottolenghi’s book, Sweet. I switch it up a bit every year but the general idea stays the same: soft, spicy gingerbread with buttery glaze. These last for a long time at room temperature, making them the perfect cookies to have on hand during entertaining season.
Soft Gingerbread
1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup/100 grams dark brown sugar
1/4 cup/85 grams unsulphured molasses
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
2 cups/256 grams all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter Rum (or orange) Glaze
2/3 cup/80 grams confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon dark rum or orange juice
Pinch kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
Warm water, as needed
1. Add the butter, brown sugar and molasses to a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk, spices, and salt. Mix until well combined.
2. Fold in the flour and baking soda, knead the dough in the bowl a couple of times to help it come together. If the dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it comes together.
3. Heat oven to 325ºF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Add a few tablespoons of flour to a shallow dish. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick.
4. Dip your cookie stamps into the bowl of flour and shake off the excess. Press the stamps firmly into the dough and carefully remove them, dip the stamps with flour and repeat. Use a cutter that is a similar size of the stamp to cut out the cookies. Alternatively, stamp the dough in whatever pattern you like, then cut the shapes however you like.
5. Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheets, with about 1-inch of space in between, they will not spread much. Reroll and cut the dough one more time. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until they are just firm to the touch. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets.
6. While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. You will want it ready to brush on the cookies while they are still warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, rum, and salt. Add warm water a bit at a time until the glaze is the consistency of white school glue. The glaze will harden as it sits, add more warm water as necessary to keep the glaze fluid while you are using it.. Brush the glaze on the warm cookies with a pastry brush, making sure to get into all of the nooks and crannies to highlight the indentations, but not cover them completely.
7. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before storing. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or longer in the freezer.
Make ahead: Store unbaked cookie dough, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. Freeze baked and glazed cookies in a well sealed airtight container for up to 1 month.