Holiday Cheer

What makes the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of cocoa on a cool December day? Why, a spritz cookie, of course. Light and crispy, buttery and sweet, with just a dash of crunchy sugar or colorful sprinkles top, these are the cookies that impromptu Christmas parties should be made of. Start with a simple dough and use a cookie press to fashion a variety of adorable shapes. For our own Christmas spritz cookies, we choose to divide the cookie dough in half, coloring one part bright green and leaving the remainder its natural creamy color. The green trees we decorated with red sprinkles, like so many Christmas ornaments, while the cream trees received a sprinkle of gourmet sugar, reminiscent of freshly fallen snow.

Christmas Spritz Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Food coloring, optional
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375F. Thoroughly cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla, almond; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill.

Place dough into cookie press and press cookies on to ungreased cookie sheet. Top with sprinkles or sugar. Bake 9-10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies from cookie sheet; cool on rack.

Can be made without cookie press, just shape and bake.

Makes 7-8 dozen cookies.

 

Chocolate times two!

What could be better than a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie? A chocolate chocolate chip cookie, naturally. Double the chocolate for double the fun! This "Doubly Chocolate Chip Cookie" is a great way to satisfy your chocolate and cookie cravings at the same time, or just to add a little variation to your usual baking repertoire.

Doubly Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly; remove cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 4 ½ dozen cookies.

Lemon & White Chocolate

Summer calls for sweet treats of all kinds, and these lemony white chocolate bars certainly suit this season of warm and sticky! A riff on a traditional brownie recipe, these bars are an excellent dessert to share with your family and friends that can't (or even more sadly, just don't) eat chocolate.

Lemon & White Chocolate Bars

¾ butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups white chocolate chips

Melt butter, remove from heat. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, stir until well blended and smooth. Stir in white chocolate chips. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and serve.