More Holiday Cookies
The holidays are not complete without delicious cookies and treats! I have two more cookie recipes to add onto the other two cookie recipes I posted for Ellavate day 11. This is your reminder to enjoy the holiday treats without guilt because we only get this season once a year. Food is more than just something you it. Food is joy, food is an experience, and food is full of comforting memories. Let yourself indulge into the beauty of cookies! Life is all about balance and enjoying everything in moderation. If you restrict yourself from holiday treats, you are just more likely to want them even more and end up eating even more of them. Don’t let the holidays be consumed with thoughts of what you should or shouldn’t eat. Be mindful, but let the holiday cheer sink in through the treats you consume. With that in mind, let’s get into these recipes.
Ginger molasses cookies: These cookies are insane. You get the perfect zing matched with an amazing chewy texture creating joy and harmony in your mouth. I love adding crystallized ginger as the not so secret, secret ingredient to make the ultimate mouthwatering bite.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2.5 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper (around 3-4 grinds on a pepper grinder)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
Crystallized ginger
Demerara sugar
Recipe:
Adjust oven rack to the middle and preheat to 375°F.
Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce to medium low and add the egg yolk and vanilla until incorporated. Add the molasses until combined. Reduce to low speed and add the flour mixture just until incorporated.
Put the Demerara sugar into a bowl. Cut the crystallized ginger into small pieces. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper (it depends on how big or small you make the balls). Roll the dough into balls, add the ginger pieces in, and roll in the sugar. Place on the baking sheets.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for around 11-12 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
Salted caramel shortbread cookie bites: Can you really ever go wrong with shortbread, salted caramel, and chocolate? I don’t think so! The buttery shortbread, silky caramel, rich chocolate, and salt make this holiday treat one of the best. One of my favorite things ever is caramel. I honestly think I could eat spoonfuls of caramel. If you love caramel just like me, this recipe is the one for you.Another thing I love about this recipe is you can do it in stages. You can make each layer at a different time so it’s not super overwhelming.
Picture from The Splendid Table
Ingredients:
For base:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
a pinch of flaky salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
For the caramel:
1 stick butter
1 packed cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp flaky salt
14-oz can full-fat condensed milk
The chocolate topping:
7 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 63% cocoa)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp flaky salt
Recipe:
Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper (cut it to the size of the pan). Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until creamy and pale. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla until even paler.
Sift the flour over the butter and sugar. Gently work the flour into the mixture with a spatula or your hands. This should form a dough that starts to clump together.
Press the dough into the pan and prick it with a fork. Chill for 10 minutes. Then bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, turning the pan halfway.
Make the caramel by adding the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt gently in a pan. Then stir in the condensed milk. Bring the caramel to a simmer and stir the whole time with a spatula. You are done when it thickens, smells like toffee, and when the spatula leaves a trail in the caramel for a few seconds.
Pour the caramel over the shortbread and let it cool.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, add the oil, then pour over the caramel. Next add the flaky salt on top and let it set at room temperature.
Cut into cubes and serve.