On the Twelfth Day of Cookies...

Sugar Cookies! You can't have Christmas without Sugar Cookies!

I sprinkled them with large sugar crystals for that extra sparkle :)

I hope you enjoyed the Twelve Days of Cookies! Have a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Sugar Cookies-
3/4 C. Butter

1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt

Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and flavoring thoroughly. Measure flour by dipping or sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together; blend in. Chill at least 1 hour. Roll, cut and bake at 400 degrees. Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Icing-
2 C. Sifted Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 T. Cream (add more or less to desired consistency)

Blend sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add cream to make it easy to spread. Tint with a few drops of food coloring. Spread on cookies.

On the Eleventh Day of Cookies...

Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies! This is for all of the Nutella fans! This is a third variation of the chocolate decadence cookies. In the cookies are chopped hazelnuts, and the cookies are filled with creamy Nutella... mmmmmm! Also...

Peanut Butter Thumbprints! How can you go wrong with the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination? You just can't! This is the fourth variation of the chocolate decadence cookie recipe. Recipes with variations are so nice for Christmas baking, you get 5 cookies out of this recipe!

Just fill a small plastic bag with peanut butter, snip the corner and fill the little cookies.

Here they are ready to bake.

Here are a few types of the cookies, the plain ones in the back are the basic recipe and delicious!

Make all of the variations or pick your favorite one!

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies
Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.

Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies-
Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies (recipe precedes), mixing 1 cup chopped hazelnuts into dough in step 1. Continue with step 2, using your palm to press dough balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Bake as directed and let cool. Spread the flat side of 1 cookie with about 1 Tbsp. Nutella and sandwich with another cookie. Makes 20.

Peanut butter Thumbprint Cookies-
Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies (recipe precedes), through step 1. Continue with step 2, forming cookies into balls and setting on prepared baking sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie ball, making a small well. Fill a resealable plastic bag with about 1/2 cup peanut butter. With scissors, snip off 1 corner of bag; squeeze about 1/2 tsp. peanut butter from bag into each well. Bake as directed. Makes 40.

On the Tenth Day of Cookies...

Lemon Thumbprints! They're such cheerful little cookies, like little rays of sunshine and just right for lemon lovers!

Mmmm... lemon.

These are raspberry thumbprints. I used store bought raspberry jam; they're a great contrast to the lemon.

Here they are ready to go in the oven. I used the end of a wooden spoon to make the little "wells" for the filling.

Enjoy these sweet little cookies!

Lemon Poppy Seed Thumbprints (I decided to leave out the poppy seeds)-

For the Curd-

Heat:

6 T. fresh lemon juice, strained

2 T. unsalted butter

Minced zest of 1 lemon

Whisk Together; Add:

2/3 cup sugar

2 T. cornstarch

Pinch of Salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cookies

Cream-

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. poppy seeds (I left these out)

Dust:

with powdered sugar

(Raspberry Jam if you like)

Heat lemon juice, butter, and zest for the curd in a saucepan over medium until butter melts. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a blowl. Add eggs and yolks; whisk until smooth. Gradually add warm juice mixture, whisking constantly; pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat 5-8 minutes, or until curd is thick, bubbly, and begins to turn bright yellow and opaque. Stir often with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching, mixture will be thick. (To cook the starchiness out of the cornstarch and ensure the curd will be thick enough to pipe, be sure to cook the curd until stiff.) Off heat, stir in the vanilla.

Transfer the curd to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until cold. (Curd may be made and chilled up to 2 days ahead.)

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

Cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla for the cookies in a bowl with a mixer until light.

Add flour and poppy seeds, and blend just until incorporated.

Pack a tablespoon measure with dough and shape into a 1" ball, pressing and smoothing it to eliminate cracks. Arrange balls on prepared baking sheets 2 "apart and make a 1/2" deep indentation in each one using a rounded handle of a wooden spoon. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 mintues, then transfer to a rack.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a small star tip with the cooled curd. Pipe a small amount of curd into each indentation in the cookies. You can also just spoon a dollop of the curd on the cookie.

Dust cookies with powdered sugar before serving.

On the Ninth Day of Cookies...

Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies! And they look so "Christmas-y"! This is a variation of the Chocolate Decadence Cookie.

For the crushed candy canes, just put them in a bag and smash away.

When you get the pieces small enough put them in a bowl to roll the filled cookies in.

So cute!

Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies-

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies
Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

(3 cups powdered sugar)
(4 T. milk)
(3/4 tsp. peppermint extract)

(For this variation- Prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies through step 1. Continue with step 2, using your palm to press dough balls into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Bake as directed and let cool. In a bowl, mix 3 cups powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp. milk, and 3/4 tsp. peppermint extract. Spread 1 heaping tsp. peppermint icing onto the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with flat side of a second cookie to form a sandwich, pressing together to squeeze filling to the edge. Roll edge of cookie in crushed and sifted candy canes. Makes 20.)


1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.

On the Eighth Day of Cookies...

Double Chocolate Decadence Cookies! These cookies are Money! As my brother would say :)  Truly there are no words! Except... yummmmmmmm. You must make them!

It's another amazing recipe from this December's issue of Sunset Magazine. There are four variations to this recipe, which I'm going to use for the next few "Days of Cookies". They are made with melted bittersweet chocolate instead of cocoa which gives them a rich, true chocolatey flavor. They also have white chocolate chips. This is a recipe for a lifetime!

Chocolate Decadence Cookies-

Makes about 40 cookies

Time 30 minutes, plus chilling time

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Guittard, chopped (I used Toll House Bittersweet Chips and they worked really well)

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup unsalted butter, into chunks

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

(1 cup white chocolate chips for this variation.)

(For this variation: prepare Chocolate Decadence Cookies, chilling dough 30 minutes in step 1, then mixing 1 cup white chocolate chips into dough. Chill dough another 1 1/2 hours. Continue with step 2, forming and baking cookies as directed. Makes 40.)

1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set over a pan filled with 1 in. simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.

2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes ( a few more minutes for me ). Let cool on baking sheets.

On the Seventh Day of Cookies...

Hawaiian Wedding Cakes! These aren't your ordinary wedding cake cookies, they have a taste of the tropics in them! In the cookie dough there are chopped macadamia nuts, toasted sweet coconut, and green specks of  fresh lime zest. So good!

This is another recipe from Cuisine at Home, Holiday Cookies. However I can't remember what year I bought it, possibly 2008. Here are the cookies before they are popped in the oven and rolled in powdered sugar.

I love the tropical twist on these traditional cookies, enjoy them!

Hawaiian Wedding Cakes-

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. table salt

Minced zest of 1 lime

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (to toast: spread out coconut on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 5 minutes for me, but 10-15 minutes in the recipe)

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, salt, and lime zest with a  mixer until light.

Add flour, nuts, coconut, and lime juice; mix with a spoon just until incorporated.

Shape dough into 1 1/2" balls using a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure. Arrange on baking sheets about 2" apart, and bake until set and golden on the bottom, 15-18 minutes. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes.

Roll cookies in powdered sugar while hot; transfer to a cooling rack lined with parchment paper or paper towels (this makes for easy cleanup). When cookies are completely cool, roll them in powdered sugar again, then store in single layers in airtight containers.

*Freeze for up to 1 month

*Can be doubled

On the Sixth Day of Cookies...

Rocky Road Brownies! This recipe is from Cuisine at Home. Watch out, they're very rich, and gooey and delicious!

Have a glass of milk ready!

Rocky Road Brownies-

1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp.espresso powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. table salt
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup roasted, salted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Melt butter and cocoa together in a bowl in the microwave at High power, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Stir in the sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or just until brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Sprinkle marshmallows, almonds, and choloclate chips on hot brownies. Heat broiler to Low and adjust rack so it's 8" from the element. Broil brownies just until marshmallows turn golden, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from oven, let cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate until cold.
To cut, loosen brownies from the sides of the pan using a bench knife coated with nonstick spray. Lift the brownies out of the pan and cut with a long, sharp knife.