Holiday Cookie Recipes

[AGBF]

Hearst Castle Shortbread Cookie Recipe


"This is a shortbread recipe inspired by the version published in The Castle Cookbook by Marjorie Collard and Ann Marie Lopez. I added a few of my own touches and elaborated on the instructions - the end result is a perfectly light and buttery shortbread cookie with just the right amount of sweetness.




4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 pound unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat again, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl once or twice as you are mixing. Beat in the vanilla extract. If you have a vanilla bean slit it open along its entire length, scrape out the vanilla bean paste from the interior of the bean, and add this to the mixer as well. Add the flour mixture in two additions. Stir until everything comes together into a thick dough.

Turn the dough out onto a countertop and divide into two pieces, there is quite a bit of dough, so cutting it into two pieces just makes it easier to roll out later on. Press each piece of dough out into a flat patty an inch thick. Wrap each piece in plastic and chill completely in the refrigerator - about thirty minutes. When the dough is chilled, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out 1/4-1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters or a knife and place on a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are barely golden.

Makes 3 or 4 dozen tiny cookies - more or less depending on the size of your cutters."

The article and recipe above were taken from the website below:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/about/#101


I had been looking at many shortbread recipes and this one struck me as being different: quite heavy in butter and sugar compared to flour. I have no idea how that would play out in reality, but thought it might be interesting given the description of the cookie.

Deborah

 

[Mannequin]

Date: 12/21/2008 4:59:32 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/21/2008 12:55:44 AM

Author: equestrienne

Lemon flavored icing and snowflake sprinkles on these!

eq, your cookies are all beautiful, but these in particular? Outstanding!

Seriously, they look like they came from some very upscale bakery. Way to go!

Ellen and Skippy, thanks for the cookie compliments.

I took them to a party today and they were INHALED.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 12/22/2008 12:48:41 AM
Author: equestrienne

Ellen and Skippy, thanks for the cookie compliments.

I took them to a party today and they were INHALED.

Equestrienne, I am sorry that I have been ignoring your cookies! I couldn't help but notice them; they are inutterably gorgeous! They really do look like cookies that are pictured in a women's magazine. The fact that they taste good enough to be inhaled at a gathering as well as looking great is just amazing!

Sometimes one gets wrapped up in something in a thread and forgets to comment on something else. It just seemed so obvious to me that your cookies belonged on the cover of "Family Circle" or "Woman's Day"! (Do those still exist?)

Deb

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/21/2008 9:40:55 PM
Author: curiopotter
Ellen I''m making your fudge! I''ll post pictures soon.

Oooh, I hope you like it!

 

[beau13]

Date: 12/21/2008 10:48:10 PM
Author: AGBF




Hi, beau,

I just went into my recipe cards and checked the recipe sumbride posted against my mother''s recipe, the recipe she made all her life and I have made all of mine...and they are nearly identical! I think that you are just not used to traditional Scottish shortbread! Your kids may just not like it!!! I loved it all my life and so did my daughter, but she doesn''t eat cake or candy!

My recipe is posted somewhere at the very beginning of this thread. I will go look for it, rather than retyping it! The main difference I can see right off is that I use confectioner''s sugar, not granulated sugar.

Deborah

That could be where I went wrong? In Canada , "confectioner''s sugar" is not something I''ve ever heard of..I wonder if that''s the same as "icing sugar" (white/powdery product)? I appreciate the new recipe you posted..however..time has run out for baking for me. I am off to the grocery store, then bakery..I believe I seen some awesome looking peanut butter balls, assorted squares (with chocolate and caramel..MMmm), and fancy cookies that are homemade...just not by me..but who will know the difference right??

Enjoy all the great recipes everyone..some of the pics (of pastries) I''ve seen look better than those in a Paula Dean cookbook!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/22/2008 8:39:01 AM
Author: beau13

Date: 12/21/2008 10:48:10 PM
Author: AGBF




Hi, beau,

I just went into my recipe cards and checked the recipe sumbride posted against my mother''s recipe, the recipe she made all her life and I have made all of mine...and they are nearly identical! I think that you are just not used to traditional Scottish shortbread! Your kids may just not like it!!! I loved it all my life and so did my daughter, but she doesn''t eat cake or candy!

My recipe is posted somewhere at the very beginning of this thread. I will go look for it, rather than retyping it! The main difference I can see right off is that I use confectioner''s sugar, not granulated sugar.

Deborah

That could be where I went wrong? In Canada , ''confectioner''s sugar'' is not something I''ve ever heard of..I wonder if that''s the same as ''icing sugar'' (white/powdery product)? I appreciate the new recipe you posted..however..time has run out for baking for me. I am off to the grocery store, then bakery..I believe I seen some awesome looking peanut butter balls, assorted squares (with chocolate and caramel..MMmm), and fancy cookies that are homemade...just not by me..but who will know the difference right??

Enjoy all the great recipes everyone..some of the pics (of pastries) I''ve seen look better than those in a Paula Dean cookbook!!

Yep, confectioners sugar is the same as icing sugar, that one stumped me before!

 

[beau13]

Date: 12/21/2008 4:59:32 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/21/2008 12:55:44 AM
Author: equestrienne
Lemon flavored icing and snowflake sprinkles on these!

eq, your cookies are all beautiful, but these in particular? Outstanding!

Seriously, they look like they came from some very upscale bakery. Way to go!



beau, no, those Philly cookies wouldn''t be something I''d make in particular for kids. They are for a more sophisticated palate I think.

I gave the cookies to my 82 year old dad..he likes them!! I actually don''t mind the plain creme cheese cookies (without the nuts..I made both versions)
I fogot to contibute my one "two ingredient" cookie recipe!!
Never made them, but have tried them at parties.

Ritz crackers (round ones...everyone knows what they are I assume)
Coat them in melted chocolate..let cool on wax paper.
Simple, and tasty!! Kids like them, as do those with more "sophisticated palates"!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/22/2008 9:13:15 AM
Author: beau13
I gave the cookies to my 82 year old dad..he likes them!! I actually don''t mind the plain creme cheese cookies (without the nuts..I made both versions)
I fogot to contibute my one ''two ingredient'' cookie recipe!!
Never made them, but have tried them at parties.

Ritz crackers (round ones...everyone knows what they are I assume)
Coat them in melted chocolate..let cool on wax paper.
Simple, and tasty!! Kids like them, as do those with more ''sophisticated palates''!

Yay!


I''ve never heard of the Ritz cookies, but they sure would be easy! May have to try that...

 

[indypitty]

Date: 11/28/2007 9:54:24 PM
Author: lydia
Here is an awesome and easy cookie to make. My sister brought these for Thanksgiving.

Ritz crackers
Mint chocolate chips

Dip ritz crackers in melted chocolate chips. They are so good you can''t stop eating them.

I made these last night using Ritz and Andes mint chips!!! They are soooo easy and soooo good. I am sold on any cookie this good that only uses two ingredients and no oven! I just melted the chips in the microwave and dipped away. I also sprinkled them with some Christmas sprinkles. Taste like thin mints...

 

[Mannequin]

Date: 12/22/2008 6:36:27 AM
Author: AGBF

Date: 12/22/2008 12:48:41 AM

Author: equestrienne


Ellen and Skippy, thanks for the cookie compliments.

I took them to a party today and they were INHALED.

Equestrienne, I am sorry that I have been ignoring your cookies! I couldn''t help but notice them; they are inutterably gorgeous! They really do look like cookies that are pictured in a women''s magazine. The fact that they taste good enough to be inhaled at a gathering as well as looking great is just amazing!


Sometimes one gets wrapped up in something in a thread and forgets to comment on something else. It just seemed so obvious to me that your cookies belonged on the cover of ''Family Circle'' or ''Woman''s Day''! (Do those still exist?)


Deb

Awww, thanks Deb. You''re too kind. I am planning on making more soon, so I''ll post more virtual goodness.

 

[beau13]

Date: 12/21/2008 11:03:46 PM
Author: AGBF



beau,

If you find your recipe for a more buttery shortbread, be sure to post it! It took me a few readings to understand that that is what you are really looking for! I would love to have such a recipe so that I can have some more variety available to me when I choose to make shortbread!

In fact, if I can help you to research a recipe, I will be glad to do so. It will be a fun project!


Deb

GOT ONE!! I''ve been so busy with my business lately, I can''t believe It was staring my right in the face!! My business (Kim''s Kitchen) has some fabulous products (and recipe books), that are only available in Canada. I opened the "Holiday Favourites" recipe book, found some time today to make a batch of these "whipped shortbread" cookies, and OMG..these have that rich, buttery taste, shortbread cookies SHOULD have!!

The recipe is as follows:

(makes 60 (4cm) cookies)

1 lb butter
1 cup icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla
2. Add flour, cornstarch
3. Chill for 30 minutes
4. roll out dough, sue cookie cutters..etc
5. Bake for 10-12 m inutes at 350 degrees
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I melted the fine Belgian Chocolate I sell...and dipped half of each cookie into the chocolate.

Now we''re talking mouthwatering, rich, buttery shortbread!!

So..AGBF, if you''re still baking, you might wanna give these a try!

 

[AGBF]

beau,

When I was looking at recipes last night I found one for a whipped shortbread cookie that had cornstarch in the recipe. It was a favorite with many, many people (although one or two found it tasteless). It supposedly melted in people's mouths. The reason I was put off by that particular recipe was that many of the reviewers gave complicated directions on watching it bake, watching it brown, taking care that the edges didn't get brown too quickly, etcetera. At least that is what I recall. Maybe I will go back and look for that recipe and compare it to the one you posted. Yours does not seem to come with warnings!!! Thank you so much for posting it!

Deborah

 

[Skippy123]

A friend of mine made these and they are delicious!

Laura Bush''s Cowboy Cookies
Makes about 36
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

NOTE: For 6 dozen smaller cookies, use 2 tablespoons dough for each. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 18 minutes.

 

[beau13]

Date: 12/22/2008 6:59:04 PM
Author: AGBF





beau,

When I was looking at recipes last night I found one for a whipped shortbread cookie that had cornstarch in the recipe. It was a favorite with many, many people (although one or two found it tasteless). It supposedly melted in people''s mouths. The reason I was put off by that particular recipe was that many of the reviewers gave complicated directions on watching it bake, watching it brown, taking care that the edges didn''t get brown too quickly, etcetera. At least that is what I recall. Maybe I will go back and look for that recipe and compare it to the one you posted. Yours does not seem to come with warnings!!! Thank you so much for posting it!

Deborah

Mine is SIMPLE! No warnings..easy, turned out fabulous! I don''t bake (more like burn!)..so trust me when I say they are simple, and fool proof!!

 

[AGBF]

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.




This is the site where I found the recipe to which I referred you, beau. The one posted above. As you can see, the recipe on that site is very different from the one you posted!


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Melt---In---Your---Mouth-Shortbread/Detail.aspx


Deborah

 

[curiopotter]

Date: 12/22/2008 8:04:26 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/21/2008 9:40:55 PM
Author: curiopotter
Ellen I''m making your fudge! I''ll post pictures soon.

Oooh, I hope you like it!

Ellen,

Two questions! I couldn''t find almond bark, but can I use white chocolate and almonds instead? Also, Do I heat up the sugar mixture to 240 degrees F (like they say on the candy thermometers for fudge) and THEN add the white chocolate? or do I add the white chocolate and heat it up?

 

[curiopotter]

Omigaad..

I''ve been looking for a Gingerbread Cookie recipe that''s moist and chewy instead of hard and crumbly, and I found one that''s AWESOME!
Sandra Lee makes it on her semi-homemade show. Next on the list, Ellen''s famous Peppermint Fudge!


Ingredients


Gingerbread cookies:

• 1 package sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Royal Icing
• 2 large egg whites or 5 tablespoons meringue powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla)
• 3 cups confectioners'' sugar, sifted
• Food coloring, if desired

For Gingerbread Cookies:


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients together and chill for up to 1 hour. Roll dough out on floured board about 1/8-inch thick. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters and place onto sheet pan. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

For Royal Icing:

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or extract until frothy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny. Turn to high and beat approximately 5 minutes till stiff and glossy. Add food coloring, if desired, and transfer to a pasty bag to pipe onto cookies.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/22/2008 7:55:51 PM
Author: curiopotter

Date: 12/22/2008 8:04:26 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/21/2008 9:40:55 PM
Author: curiopotter
Ellen I'm making your fudge! I'll post pictures soon.

Oooh, I hope you like it!

Ellen,

Two questions! I couldn't find almond bark, but can I use white chocolate and almonds instead? Also, Do I heat up the sugar mixture to 240 degrees F (like they say on the candy thermometers for fudge) and THEN add the white chocolate? or do I add the white chocolate and heat it up?

Oh, no! I should have been more specific curio, it does not actually have almonds in it. It's just a name for candy coating. I'm attaching a pic so you'll know what it looks like. Every grocery store should have it, usually in the baking aisle. Ask if you don't see it.

I have tried using white cocolate mixed with the bark, but amazingly enough, it wasn't as good!

As to the second question, just put the canned milk, butter, and sugar all in the pan together, and heat til boiling (med-high heat), stirring the whole time. Boil 5 more minutes (keep stirring), then take off heat and add chocolate and marshmallow creme. No need for a thermometer.

 

[curiopotter]

Ellen I''ll hit the bigger grocery store tomorrow and grab some. Thanks for the picture!



Okay ladies, my gingerbread cookies are done and decorated! My husband made his best attempts at a few of them but heaven help him, he''s an engineer not an artist! Here we go!

 

[curiopotter]

Gingerbread men with ginger red heads!

 

[curiopotter]

the houses were the hardest.. we didn''t have pastry bags so we cut the tips off plastic bags

 

[marcy]

Date: 12/21/2008 12:56:53 AM
Author: equestrienne
These were topped with almond flavored icing.

I love almond flavoring. All of your cookies look great - you did a very nice job decorating them.

 

[curiopotter]

last one!

 

[marcy]

Date: 12/22/2008 11:42:10 PM
Author: curiopotter
Ellen I''ll hit the bigger grocery store tomorrow and grab some. Thanks for the picture!



Okay ladies, my gingerbread cookies are done and decorated! My husband made his best attempts at a few of them but heaven help him, he''s an engineer not an artist! Here we go!

Curiopotter - your gingerbread cookies look really cute. I like them.

 

[Skippy123]

Wowweeeeee Curiopotter, you are an artist with the cookies!

Where do I place my order?

I love Gingerbread and Ginger snaps! They are adorable, I want one!

eta: love the high heels on the Gingergirls

and all the other details like their belts. hehe

 

[zoebartlett]

Curio -- your cookies look great!

 

[Lorelei]

Dang Curio, those are works of art!!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/22/2008 11:42:10 PM
Author: curiopotter
Ellen I''ll hit the bigger grocery store tomorrow and grab some. Thanks for the picture!



Okay ladies, my gingerbread cookies are done and decorated! My husband made his best attempts at a few of them but heaven help him, he''s an engineer not an artist! Here we go!

You''re welcome!

And your cookies are lovely! Even the ones hubby did.

 

[Loves Vintage]

This is the recipe for the Polish Kolachke cookies that I mentioned in this thread a few weeks ago. I haven''t made them yet, but if I do, I will post photos on here. They are really light and delicious!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/kolachke-glazed-polish-pastry?autonomy_kw=polish&rsc=header_2

Ingredients
Makes about 4 dozen.
1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 (2 1/4 teaspoons) package active dry yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup fruit preserves
Sugar Glaze


Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine sour cream and yeast in a small bowl. Set aside until slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in egg until smooth. Set aside.
Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in sour-cream mixture until dough comes together.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill each thumbprint with 1 teaspoon preserves. Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pans to rack to cool. Let cookies cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove cookies to rack. While cookies are still warm, drizzle with sugar glaze.

 

[curiopotter]

marcyc, Skippy, Zoe, Loreli, Ellen, Aw thanks guys! My favorite part is the ginger people''s two little front teeth. I hope people will still eat them!