The Fun Stuff:
Rustle up that rugelach recipe, share your family’s favorite gingerbread cookies, or let us in on the secret to your perfect candy cane martini. Post your favorite recipe in the comments below. We can’t wait to start testing them out!
The Fine Print:
To be entered for a chance to win a $25 Title Nine Gift Card, submit your cookie recipe and/or cocktail recipe in the comments below. Recipe must be received no later than December 11, 2015 at 11:59pm PST to qualify. Entrant must be a legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) and 21 years or older. Title Nine employees and their families are not eligible. One cookie recipe winner and one cocktail recipe winner will be announced on December 16, 2015. Each winner will receive a $25 Title Nine Gift Card.
Raspberry Shortbread Bars
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
about 1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam
1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugar, pecans, flour & egg until crumbly.
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture. Pat the remaining crumb mixture into the prepared pan & press down. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
Take the crust out of the oven & spread the raspberry jam on top evenly. Sprinkle the white chocolate chips across the top, followed by the reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.
I love this recipe, it works well for the holidays and tastes so good you will wish you made a second batch!
1.5 Quarts Cranberry Juive Cocktail
1 can defrosted Frozen OJ concentrate
2 cups Cranberry flavored vodka
Mix the ingredients together and place in the freezer (overnight is best). Cocktail will have a slushy consistency. Coat a wine glass rim with sugar and use a spoon to fill your glass, and enjoy!
I ‘re-designed’ this classic favorite last Christmas to use butter instead of shortening and whole wheat flour for a bit of wholesomeness. They ended up with a great bakery texture and I love them even more than before!
Peanut Butter Blossoms
about 4 dozen.
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter or biscoff spread
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (such as Wheat Montana Prairie Gold or King Arthur)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
Additional sugar
47 Hershey’s Kisses
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt; beat just until blended. Scrape down sides of bowl and press plastic wrap onto surface of dough. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Place some sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into 1-in. balls and roll in sugar. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-9 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Immediately place a kiss in the center of each cookie. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freeze until Christmas.
I’m not sure which is my favorite, the peanut butter or cookie butter version. . The biscoff spread allows for them to be enjoyed by those with a peanut allergy : )
Yum, these sound decadent!
Best Holiday Gingerbread Martini
2 Oz Bailey’s
2 oz. Vanilla vodka
2 oz. Cinnamon schnapps
2 oz. Butterscotch schnapps
Crushed ice
Pour liquors into cocktail shaker
; add ice. Coat rim of glass with colored sugar: strain liquor into glass and perch a small gingerbread man on the rim. Enjoy!
Who needs gingerbread cookies when you can have this?
A nicely spiced holiday cocktail:
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz St Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz St Elizabeth allspice dram
Stir with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain into a rocks glass. Try to sip it slowly. 🙂
Pomegranate Pucker – Put 1 or 2 shots of Vodka in a tall glass with ice. Add 4 ounces of 100% Pomegranate juice. Fill remainder of glass with Sparkling mineral water. Stir and enjoy.
Oooh, this one would be good non-alcoholic too. Thanks for sharing!
A time consuming recipe, but these are fabulous. It took many years of tweaking other recipes to get it right. My inspiration was Cardinali Bakery in Syosset, NY, only they make them with 4 layers. Don’t attempt these (or consider them for this contest) unless you use fresh high quality almond paste – I highly recommend Love’nBake TM. Also, they layers need to be soft – better to under bake (should barely brown).
Rainbow or Neapolitan Cookies
Yield – About 4 dozen
Ingredients :
Batter
10 oz. (1 can) – Almond paste (Love’n Bake™ )
1 1/4 cups – granulated sugar
3 1/2 sticks – unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
6 whole eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp – almond extract
2 1/2 cups – all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
Food coloring – red, green (recommend powder or gel)
Filling
1 cup – raspberry jam (or 2 cups and omit the apricot jam)
1 cup – apricot jam
Top / Bottom
16 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Prepare the Batter :
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line three 9 x 13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper (should be about one to two inches higher than all 4 sides of the pan).
2. Spoon the almond paste into the bowl of a mixer.
3. Reserve 2 Tbsp of sugar for the egg whites. Add the rest of the sugar to the almond paste and process with the paddle attachment until the mixture is evenly blended (at least 5 minutes on medium speed).
4. Add the butter to the almond paste mixture and mix until very fluffy (at least 5 minutes on medium speed).
5. Add all the egg yolks at once and continue mixing to incorporate. Then add the almond extract.
6. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl – stir in the flour by hand until just incorporated.
7. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar while still beating. Do not over-mix.
8. Fold by hand, using the whisk attachment. First fold one third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites.
Bake the Layers :
9. Weigh the batter. Place one third into a prepared pan.
• Place batter in each of the corners first
• Then fill in the center and sides
• Make sure the batter is spread evenly across the entire pan with a smooth top
10. Bake on the center rack in the oven until just set – barely brown at the edges, about 8 – 12 minutes. Do not over bake.
11. Cool in pan about 5 minutes (the cake should shrink away from the sides). Invert onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment. Reinvert (top side up) to completely cool.
12. While the first layer is baking – transfer an additional third of the batter to a separate bowl. Add the red food coloring. Place the batter in the parchmnent-lined pan and bake, per the directions above.
13. Repeat the process for the remaining layer using the green food coloring. When finished you will have 3 layers – red, plain, green.
Assemble the layers :
14. Turn a clean pan upside–down (bottom of the pan facing the ceiling) and place plastic wrap on the bottom of the pan. It should overhang the pan.
15. Place the green layer (bottom-side down) on top of the pan. Coat with a thin layer of apricot jam.
16. Place the plain layer (bottom-side down) on top of the jam-coated green layer. Coat with a thin layer of raspberry jam.
17. Place the red layer on top (bottom-side UP).
18. Tightly cover the cake with plastic wrap. Place a baking sheet on top of the cake and weight it with some cans, then place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Finish the Cookies :
19. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Using a finely serrated knife, trim the edges so they are even. Then place the cake on the work surface with the green side on top.
20. Melt half of the chocolate and half of the vegetable oil using either a bowl set over simmering water or a microwavable glass bowl. If using the microwave – turn on for 15 seconds and then stir. Repeat until the chocolate is just melted and smooth.
21. Quickly coat the green side of the cake with the melted chocolate. Use a metal spatula to spread and smooth. Allow the chocolate cool and harden completely.
22. Turn the cake over (red side on top). Repeat the process with the remaining chocolate and oil. As soon as the top is coated, use a decorating comb (or fork) to draw long wavy lines on the surface of the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden completely.
23. Cut the cake using a straight, warm (but dry), knife blade or bench scrapper (dough cutter). To make “clean” cuts, rinse the blade with hot water and dry completely after each cut.
24. Make four even vertical (length-wise) strips. Then cut horizontally every ¾ inch (or 1 inch).
While I would never turn down a cookie, I prefer this lovely cocktail for the holiday season!
Salt and Pepper Martini
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz cointreau
1 oz grapefruit juice (see–it’s healthy!)
1/2 oz ginger infused simple syrup
3 dashes angostura bitters
1 oz Sprite
Shake gin and next four ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice for about 20 seconds. Add Sprite and shake for another 10 seconds. Pour into a martini glass with a salted rim, and sprinkle with a small dash of fresh ground pepper.
The irony of my holiday cookie love is twofold –
1) My day job is Healthy Living Marketing Manager for a regional supermarket chain – so, I really should be making these with avocados, lentils and carob… But please, people – that’s what we’re having for dinner – not dessert.
2) I celebrate Chanukah, which is not really a cookie holiday! But, I absolutely love to bake and really do enjoy the holiday season.
Seriously. Best. Cookies. Ever.
(Mint Chocolate Sables)
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup plus 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (I like Hershey’s Special)
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 ¼ cups bittersweet chocolate chunks
1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl
2. Cream butter on medium speed (stand mixer) until soft and smooth
3. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and peppermint. Beat on medium until light and fluffy.
4. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed until just blended thoroughly
5. Add chocolate chunks and mix until evenly distributed.
6. Transfer the dough onto work surface and divide it into 5 or 6 equal parts and roll into 6-8 inch logs. Wrap each log tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm at least 45 min. (Logs can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month)
7. Remove logs from fridge and, with a sharp knife, cut ½ inch thick slices and place them on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets spaced two inches apart.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until centers are just firm to the touch. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.
Makes 72 cookies.
Bake them.
Share them.
They will change your life.
Though we do love avocados and lentils (carob not so much), we’re glad you chose to submit these chocolaty Chanukah cookies instead! They sound delicious.
Fruit Dip/ Cinnamon Roll Icing/ Cream Cheese Frosting
This is an easy, go to recipe to spice up store (or homemade) cinnamon rolls, cake or to pair with a fruit dip.
Mix 1 8oz brick cream cheese (fat free or 1/3 less fat), 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter, 2 tea. vanilla. Mix using mixer and add milk to get desired consistency. Pairs great with any of the above. To make a mint frosting, add mint flavoring to taste and green food coloring.