Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Cookie recipes from four great local bakeries make for a sweet holiday season
Whether you’re baking for Santa or for your neighbors, friends, family or self, making cookies can be a great way to unwind, get creative in the kitchen, honor family traditions and spread holiday cheer in general.
We’ve asked four great local bakeries to provide a favorite holiday cookie recipe, which we’ve shared on the following pages. Read on for recipes and inspiration from Bluegrass Baking Company, Midway Bakery, Olive’s Apron and Futile Bakery.
Special thanks to the High Street gift and design store For Friends for providing the venue and beautiful holiday serving ware for the shoot – all of the serving and entertaining items pictured are available to purchase at the shop.
Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Recipe by Bluegrass Baking Company
Cookies:
• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Pinch of cardamom
• Zest of half an orange
Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, garam masala and allspice. Set aside.
Cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and paddle to check for unmixed butter. Slowly add egg, molasses and vanilla. Mix to combine and add dry ingredients.
Mix on low until combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl once or twice. Chill covered dough for at least one hour.
Heat oven to 350 F.
Measure out 1-ounce scoops and gently roll cookie dough into balls. Place two inches apart on a lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-11 minutes, depending on preference. Cool completely before icing.
For the icing: Whisk together all ingredients and add more milk/powdered sugar as necessary, until mixture is thick yet pourable. Drizzle or spread across cooled cookies.
Recipe yields about one dozen cookies.
Jam Cake Linzer Cookies
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Recipe by Futile Bakery
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
• Store-bought blackberry jam, stirred to loosen up
Heat the oven to 350 F.
In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the egg followed by the vanilla and mix for one minute to combine, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
While mixing on a low speed, add the flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Remove the dough and place on a large piece of plastic wrap, pat into a rectangle, wrap and chill in the fridge. This can be prepared a few days in advance. The dough should rest for at least 20-30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until very thin, about a quarter-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds about 2 ½-inches in diameter. Use a small round cutter, a vanilla bottle cap or other tool to stamp out a circle in the center of half of the cookies. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until dry and just beginning to brown at the edges. Let cool completely before continuing.
Assembly:
Separate the “bottom” cookies from the “top” cookies (top cookies have the hole).
Using confectioner’s sugar (about a half-cup to start) in a sieve or sifter, dust the top cookies with an even coat of sugar.
Stir the blackberry jam to loosen it. Place the jam in a piping bag or plastic baggie. Pipe blackberry jam onto the bottom cookie, and add the top cookie to complete the sandwich.
Recipe yields about two dozen cookies.
Cranberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Recipe provided by Midway Bakery / Holly Hill Restaurant Group
• ¼ pound butter, room temperature
• ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together with an electric mixer until smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, incorporate the flour, just until a soft dough forms.
Stir in the cranberries by hand.
With floured hands and a lightly floured surface, gently roll dough into a log.
Wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate 60-90 minutes, until the dough is firm.
When ready to bake, unwrap the dough and slice a quarter-inch thick. If the dough crumbles, let it come to room temperature for a few moments. Place the dough rounds 1-inch apart on a nonstick cookie sheet.
Bake in a heated 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool for 4 minutes on the sheet, remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
Recipe yields about 24-26 cookies.
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Recipe provided by Olive’s Apron
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup dark cocoa powder*
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
• White chocolate melting wafers or almond bark
• Crushed peppermints, for garnish
*Dark cocoa powder adds a darker color and richer flavor.
If you can’t find it, regular cocoa powder will work just fine.
Heat oven to 375 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides and add the eggs, extra yolk and peppermint extract and beat for 2-3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment and scoop dough into 4-tablespoon portions. Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired. Freeze dough for about 15 minutes.
Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes – you want the edges to be set, but the center will still be a little soft. Cool completely.
While cookies are cooling, melt the almond bark or melting wafers per the package directions. Dip half the cookie in the white chocolate, and immediately sprinkle with crushed peppermints. Place back on parchment until the chocolate is set.
Recipe yields approximately 12 large cookies.