Chef Rebekah Flores of Fabulous Food shares some easy and delicious Christmas Cookie recipes.
Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies
Yield: 30 cookies
For the Cookies:
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Fresh nutmeg for garnish
For the Eggnog Ganache:
• 4 oz quality white chocolate
• 2 tablespoons eggnog
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together softened butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and molasses to the butter mixture. Mix on low until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl with spatula as needed.
Add the flour mixture a third at a time, mixing in between each addition until all is incorporated and a smooth cookie dough is formed. Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
Scoop the cookie dough balls before chilling. Take a 1.5 tablespoon size cookie scoop and scoop dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place the cookie balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat Oven to 350F and line your cookie sheet with parchment.
After the dough has chilled, roll the dough balls between the palms of your hands to pack and smooth. Place each cookie ball in the bowl of granulated sugar and gently roll to coat.
Place sugared dough balls on prepared baking sheet and space them 2 inches apart.
Use a rounded 'teaspoon' measuring spoon to press a perfect 'thumbprint' into your cookie dough. (only press halfway down)
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until they are set but still soft. Be careful not to overbake.
You may need to use a teaspoon to press down on the “thumbprint” while they are still hot to make sure it hold its shape.
Let cookies cool completely before filling with eggnog ganache.
For the Ganache:
Combine the white chocolate, eggnog, and rum in a bowl and melt together in a double boiler or microwave, stirring every 15 seconds. The ganache will be quite loose at first but will set up as it cools.
Fill each cookie with about ½ teaspoon of ganache and top with freshly grated nutmeg. The ganache will set after a few hours at room temperature. Chill in refrigerator if you would like it to set more quickly.
Shortbread Pinwheel Cookies
Yield: 30 cookies
• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2.5 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Red and green food coloring
• Holiday sprinkles (optional)
Instructions:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low, add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well-incorporated.
Add the flour and mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. Stop and scrape and continue mixing until well combined.
Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. If you have a kitchen scale, each portion should be approximately 10 ounces.
Leave one portion uncolored. Use gel food coloring to color the other two portions red and green. You can knead the color in like bread dough, or mix it in using the mixer. (If you use the mixer, keep a close eye on the dough and run it for a short time so the dough doesn’t get overmixed and tough.)
Form each color into a disc and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to firm.
Roll each color out between two sheets of parchment to a long rectangle, approximately 6 x 13” long. Try to avoid adding additional flour at this step, or else the cookies might be tough. If the dough starts to feel too soft to work with at any point in the rolling/stacking process, chill it again in the refrigerator until you can work with it easily.
Stack the dough rectangles on top of each other in this order: green, white, then red on top. Roll the dough up into a long, tight spiral.
To roll the edges in sprinkles, brush the outside of the dough log with a very thin layer of corn syrup – you just want enough to make the sprinkles stick. Scatter the sprinkles on a baking sheet, and roll the log around the sprinkles, pressing it into the sprinkles so they adhere and it is completely covered. You can also skip this step and leave the edges plain.
Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Use a chef’s knife to slice the log into rounds a little under ½” thick. Place them on the baking sheets with a few inches between each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they have spread and puffed. They will continue to cook for a few minutes after they’re out of the oven, so don’t wait until they feel firm in the center or they will be overcooked. The perfect pinwheel cookie is crunchy around the edges and soft and tender on the inside!
Chef Rebekah Flores
Fabulous Food
