Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles

Now and then my Aunt Liz sends me recipes in the mail, clipped from magazines or newspapers. This Thanksgiving she came to Pittsburgh bearing a copy of Southern Living magazine with recipes she thought I’d like, and boy, was she right. The issue features page after page of beautiful cakes, desserts, and cookies for the holidays, including these chocolate peppermint crinkles.

Chocolate crinkle cookies are a Christmas staple, and these chocolate peppermint crinkles are a delicious twist on the classic. If you’re not a peppermint fan you can easily substitute the peppermint extract for vanilla extract. This batch makes 18 cookies and could be easily doubled for a larger batch.

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 eggs
About 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder; set aside.

Combine baking chocolate, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and melt over very low heat, stirring well to combine.

Pour mixture into a medium bowl and add sugar, stirring well.

Add peppermint extract and eggs; stir very well to combine.

Add flour mixture and stir until completely combined; mixture will thicken.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, until easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls, then dip in powdered sugar and toss to coat very well.

Place cookies about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 11 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for about 4-5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Tip: if you don’t want a huge mess on your counter tops, place a kitchen towel or paper towels beneath the cooling racks to catch the excess powdered sugar while your cookies cool.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Chip Cookies

The oatmeal butterscotch chip cookie, also known as an oatmeal scotchie, is a classic cookie that, until today, I had never made.

You’re shocked, I know. How can someone who claims baking prowess never have made a scotchie? Aren’t they the kind of classic that any baker worth her salt should know how to make? The answer is: yes. The are the kind of classic any baker worth her salt should know how to make. And now, I suppose, I’m worth my salt.

The recipe below is slightly adapted from the original one on the package of Nestle butterscotch chips, with a bit more brown sugar and extra vanilla (just like my chocolate chip cookies). Be very careful not to overbake these; you need to pull them from the oven after about 9-10 minutes, even if they still look raw in the middle. Don’t be afraid. They’ll keep baking on the cookie sheet as they cool, and they’ll end up chewy in the middle, which is what you want. Trust me…I’m worth my salt.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon plus a few extra sprinkles of cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, generously packed
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cup butterscotch chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with foil or parchment.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add white sugar and brown sugar, then cream for about 1 minute before adding eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture in two batches, beating to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Stir in oats 1 cup at a time, then stir in butterscotch chips.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are light brown and centers are still pale and puffy; remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for about 4-5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Brown Sugar Pecan Toffee Rounds

Why do some cookie recipes call for chilled dough? While it certainly makes your dough easier to handle, there are also some scientific principles at work. When you chill your dough, it gives the butter, shortening, or other fat in your recipe a chance to solidify, so when your cookies bake, the fat will take longer to melt than if it were at room temperature. This means your cookies will stay in shape, rather than spreading into puddles of goo. Chilling dough also dries out the dough a bit, but in a good way, enhancing the flavors of your ingredients. For more in-depth info on chilling dough, check out this great post from the folks at King Arthur Flour.

Slice-and-bake cookies, like these brown sugar pecan toffee rounds, must be chilled so you can actually slice them. The recipe below is adapted from one I found in a Better Homes & Gardens holiday cookie magazine, which called for ground almonds instead of pecans. As I only had pecans, I substituted them with great results.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup toffee pieces
1 cup ground toasted pecans

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, beat shortening and butter until combined.

Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Beat in flour about 1/2 cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl well, then beat or stir in toffee pieces and ground toasted pecans. You may need to use your hands to fully incorporate the pieces into the dough.

Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 10-inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 5 hours, until the dough is firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices and place about 1 inch apart on your baking sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until edges are light brown and firm.

Cool on cookie sheets for about 3-4 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Peppermint Meltaways

It’s peppermint season! With just a few weeks to go until Christmas, peppermint-flavored treats are everywhere…including my kitchen.

Peppermint is my favorite plant in the mint family, and not just because it pairs very well with chocolate. Peppermint calms headaches, soothes sore throats, tames upset stomachs, and can lower anxiety associated with depression. A pretty powerful little plant, when you think about it.

These peppermint meltaways are adapted from Taste of Home, one of my favorite recipe sources. They’re lighter than expected, perhaps due to the cornstarch in the dough. Next time, I think I’ll swirl together white and red frosting for a candy cane look. This makes a relatively small batch of 2 dozen, but they’d be a nice addition to your Christmas cookie platter.

Ingredients

For the cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the frosting

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
About 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
red food coloring, if desired

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine flour and cornstarch; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add peppermint extract and beat to combine.

Add flour/cornstarch mixture in three batches, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each. Chill dough for about 20 minutes, until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Be careful when checking – these cookies are very soft and crumbly until they’re cool.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat butter for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons milk, peppermint extract, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until combined, then add remaining powdered sugar about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well. Check your consistency; you want a spreadable frosting that isn’t too thick or thin, like the consistency of peanut butter. If necessary, thin your frosting with the remaining milk. Add food coloring, if desired.

Frost cookies and store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.

Vampire Bite Sandwich Cookies

Sometimes you find a recipe that goes totally awry. Such was my experience today with a recipe for vampire bite cookies, a sugar cookie stuffed with raspberry jam. Let’s just say we’ll be going back to the drawing board on those, but in the meantime, I turned what could have been a disaster into something quite tasty.

Instead of wasting my dough – because I don’t ever toss dough or batter unless has gone terribly wrong and cannot be fixed – I decided to bake the cookies, then use a dark red-tinted raspberry buttercream filling for little sandwiches. Fair warning: when taking a bite, the filling will absolutely ooze out on all sides, but that sort of adds to the Halloween-themed fun, no?

Ingredients

For the cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the blood red buttercream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 heaping tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Red gel food coloring

Preparation

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and extracts, beating well to combine.

Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well after each.

Divide dough in two portions; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut dough into circles and place about 1 inch apart on prepared sheets.

Bake for 10-11 minutes, until edges are set. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

To make blood red buttercream, in a mixing bowl, beat butter and raspberry jam on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Mixture will look lumpy; that’s okay. Add powdered sugar and beat until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl several times. Add food coloring and beat until fully combined.

Flip cookies over and top half with a generous dollop of filling (about 1/2 tablespoon or so). Top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate Orange Cookies

Sometimes I wonder who first looked at a piece of citrus fruit and thought, “hmm, I’m going to scrape off the outer layer of that skin and bake with it.” Regardless, it was a great idea.

Proper zesting of oranges, lemons, and limes can best be achieved by using a microplane grater, like this one. When zesting, wash your fruit, dry it with a paper towel, and stick to the colored outer layer of your rind, leaving the white pith alone. I usually zest my fruit first, then slice it and juice it; you can always reserve the juice for another time.

This recipe is adapted from Boys Ahoy.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Zest of one large orange
10 2/3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar (reserve 1/3 cup for rolling)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon orange zest and mix together very well.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and remaining orange zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add egg, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon orange juice and beat until combined.

Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon orange juice and beat until fully combined.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls. Dip in sugar/zest mixture, coating well.

Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten with the bottom of a glass to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake for 10-11 minutes, until edges are set but centers are still just slightly puffy.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Witch Brew Cookies

With just a few weeks to go until Halloween, these fun witch brew cookies are on their way to my goddaughter Mo and her little sister Margo, whose birthday also happens to fall on Halloween. Does this cookie look like something from a witch’s cauldron? I certainly hope so.

A word about spiral cookies: it’s very important to press your layers together firmly as you roll your dough log to avoid the small gaps you can see in the cookie here. This dough is very soft when rolled out, so waxed paper helps in handling a great deal. I found the original recipe for these over at Lady Behind the Curtain and chose not to roll the dough log in sprinkles before I sliced them, but that would definitely add an extra spooky kick (and some nice crunch) to these treats.

Ingredients

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons all purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, cut into cubes and softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Leaf green, lemon yellow, violet, and black gel food coloring

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour with the baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and sugar. Mix to combine.

Add butter a few cubes at a time, mixing until the texture has the consistency of sand.

Add the vanilla and mix just until a ball forms.

Divide dough into thirds; dough will be very soft.

Add food coloring and 2 tablespoons of flour to each ball, kneading with your hands to combine until you have even coloring. For the electric green color, use leaf green and lemon yellow.

Begin with the green ball; tape a sheet of waxed paper to your counter top and roll the dough ball between it and another sheet of waxed paper. Set aside; repeat this process with the black and violet layers.

Place the green layer, still on its waxed paper, on your counter top and remove the top sheet of waxed paper. Carefully remove the black and violet layers from their waxed paper and place them on top of the green layer.

Roll your layers into a log, pressing firmly as you go and using the bottom layer of waxed paper to help with rolling.

Wrap the log tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Remove dough log from the refrigerator and slice into 1/4 inch cookies.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, until cookies are no longer shiny on top.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on cookie sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Laura, my cube wall-mate, accepted a new job in our company and is moving to a new office. In case you’re not familiar with the cube wall-mate (CWM), this is the person who sits on the other side of the wall that separates one section of office cubes from another, who you can hear but not see, as opposed to your cube mates, who are in the same cube row as you. Laura has been an awesome CWM; she’s very good at selective eavesdropping, always willing to say “hey, I wasn’t trying to listen in but I couldn’t help hearing and you actually need to talk to so-and-so about that,” has a top-notch sense of humor, and shares my fondness of kooky sayings like “those cookies are the bee’s knees.”

Laura and I have talked extensively about baking – she makes a mean chocolate pots de creme – and she requested a chocolate raspberry combo as her celebratory farewell cookies. And so, we have these chocolate raspberry thumbprints. The original recipe from Good Housekeeping neglected one very important note in preparation…you have to melt your 2 ounces of baking chocolate before you incorporate it into the dough. Which makes me wonder…how many people tried to make this recipe without melting their chocolate?

Farewell, Laura! We shall meet again on social media and in outside-work-life!

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup cocoa powder
About 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sugar; beat until well-combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, chocolate, and cocoa powder mixing well, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Slowly add flour mixture, beating until fully incorporated.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Using your 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, press a thumbprint well into the center of each cookie. Fill with 1/4 teaspoon raspberry jam.

Bake for 14 minutes, until jam is bubbly at the edges. Remove from oven and cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature; if stacking, place waxed paper between the layers.

Caramel Apple Cookies

Shanah tovah, friends! Tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashannah begins, and we celebrate the Jewish New Year. We don’t have big plans here in the Kozusko-Marcus interfaith household, but naturally, all holidays must be marked with baked goods.

These caramel apple cookies are a great choice for fall, and for Rosh Hashannah, when one gives blessings for a sweet new year. I found the original recipe at Cooking Classy and adapted it slightly, altering the amount of grated apple in the cookies and adding several more teaspoons of apple juice concentrate to the frosting in order to make it spreadable. The frosting sets up very, very quickly – almost immediately – and the additional concentrate is absolutely necessary unless you’re going for something like caramel apple fudge (which would be delicious, but not really useful as frosting).

Tonight, whether you celebrate Rosh Hashannah or not, perhaps you’ll reflect on the coming year and what you hope to accomplish…I know I will, and that many recipes will be involved!

Ingredients

For the apple cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated (about 3/4 cup)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
scant* 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed but cold

*Note: “scant” = less 1 tablespoon

For the caramel apple frosting

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate, plus about 3-4 teaspoons more for thinning (see below)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

Place grated apple and lemon juice in a small bowl and toss to combine; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well to combine.

Add about half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined; with the mixer running on low, slowly pour in apple juice concentrate. Add remaining flour and beat until combined. Stir in grated apple.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, until cookies are set. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: in a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and 2 1/2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar melts.

Add powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and scraping the pan well. Continue adding powdered sugar, alternating with 1 teaspoon of concentrate at a time; I used about 4 additional teaspoons of concentrate to reach a spreadable consistency.

Very quickly spread frosting on cookies and immediately top with pecans; it helps if you have an assistant to sprinkle on the pecans as you continue frosting.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

At any given time, I have at least one can of pumpkin puree in my pantry cabinet. You never know when the pumpkin mood will strike, whether it’s the middle of October, the middle of March, or the middle of August.

Mike recently tagged me in a Facebook post about these cookies, and of course, they had been on my Pinterest board for some time. The original recipe comes from another blog, Lauren’s Latest, and the end result is a delicious combination of a soft sugar cookie and a pumpkin cookie. I adapted the recipe slightly in preparation, and because I don’t keep pumpkin pie spice on hand, I made my own – my recipe appears below.

Next time, I’ll use a full teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in the cookie dough to kick up the flavor a bit. Also, I increased the quantities in the glaze recipe, because the original recipe didn’t produce enough glaze for my batch of 39 cookies.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

Pumpkin Spice Glaze

6 cups powdered sugar
About 5 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make pumpkin pie spice: in a small bowl combine cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir together until very well-combined.

Make cookie dough: in a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth; some small lumps of butter will remain, and that’s fine.

Gradually add flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the sides of your bowl frequently.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheets. Spray the bottom of a glass with cookie spray, dip bottom into sugar, and flatten cookies to about 1/2 inch thickness. You’ll need to re-coat your glass with sugar between each cookie.

Bake for 9 minutes, until edges are set and tops are just beginning to turn golden. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to glaze.

Make your glaze while your first batch is baking: in a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice, mixing well to combine. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your mixture reaches a thick glaze consistency.

Using a teaspoon from your measuring spoons, scoop glaze onto each cookie, allowing to drip over edges. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper.

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