These holiday recipes were too good not to share…Enjoy!
Swedish Chocolate Balls “Chokladbollar”
Ingredients:
1/4 lb or 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp strong coffee (cold)
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
Instructions:
You can do this with your hands in a bowl or food processor.
1. First mix butter, sugar and coffee together and then add all the other ingredients. Make sure the butter is mixed in well. The batter should be easy to roll and not too sticky, you can adjust consistency with oats or coffee.
2. Roll batter into about 25 small balls and roll them in coconut flakes or sprinkles.
3. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before eating.
Source: Delishhh
Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
Yield: Makes 4 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon red food coloring paste
Parchment paper
Instructions:
1. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended, scraping bowl as needed.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 12- x 8-inch rectangle on a piece of lightly floured plastic wrap.
4. Knead food coloring paste into remaining portion of dough while wearing rubber gloves. Roll tinted dough into a rectangle as directed in Step 3. Invert untinted dough onto tinted dough; peel off plastic wrap. Cut dough in half lengthwise, forming 2 (12- x 4-inch) rectangles. Roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side, using bottom piece of plastic wrap as a guide. Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 4 hours or up to 1 month.
5. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut ends off each dough log, and discard. Cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Bake at 350° for 6 to 7 minutes or until puffed and set; cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
7. Place Peppermint Frosting in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe about 2 tsp. frosting onto half of cookies; top with remaining cookies, gently pressing to form a sandwich.
Peppermint Frosting
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions:
1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium, and gradually add milk and peppermint extract, beating until smooth.
These cookies are delicious eaten at room temperature, or chill them 30 minutes for a firm, cool filling.
Source: “Southern Living” magazine
Brown Butter Hazelnut Sugar Cookies
Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups sugar – plus 1/3 cup for rolling
1/4 cup cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 ounces cream cheese – cut into 8 pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter – melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Place 1½ cups sugar, hazelnuts, and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan frequently, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Pour butter over sugar and cream cheese mixture; whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons reserved sugar (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Source: Cook’s Illustrated