-          In a mixer, blend 12 oz of butter with 18 oz of sugar, cream

-          Add 4 eggs one at the time, scrape the side of the bowl

-          Add 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, mix well

-          Add a mixture of ¾ cup of cocoa powder previously  mixed with ¾ cups of hot water

-          Then add 1 tbsp of vanilla extract with 1 cup of sour cream

Scoop into paper lined muffin tin, add a mint patty on top and bake at 350ºF about 20 minutes.

After cooling, pipe your favorite ganache icing flavored with mint extract if desired.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Gingerbread Men

3/4 cups Molasses
3/4 cups Butter
3/4 cups Brown sugar(firmly packed) be generous
3 2/3 cups Flour
2 tsp Ginger (ground)
2 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Nutmeg (ground) fresh is best
1 Egg
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch fine salt
Decorating icings and assorted candies

In saucepan over medium heat, heat molasses, margarine and brown sugar until mixture boils, stirring occasionally to blend well. Remove from heat; cool. In a large bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg. Blend egg into molasses mixture. With a spoon, stir molasses mixture into flour mixture until smooth.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 350º F.  Divide dough in half. On floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with floured 5 x 3-inch gingerbread cookie cutter (or knife your own design). Gently lift with metal spatula onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire rack. Decorate as desired with icing and candies.

CHRISTMAS BUTTER COOKIES

1 c Soft butter (real butter-only) room temp
2 tb Pure Vanilla Extract
3 c Flour
2/3 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 ts Salt sea or kosher salt
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Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar. Gradually stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time,
beating after each addition. Blend in flour and salt. Mix well. Wrap dough and chill for at least 2 hours. Lightly flour a pastry cloth and rolling pin. Roll dough to about 1/8″ thickness. Cut into desired shape. Place 1″ apart on cookie sheets. Bake at 350′F. for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool, frost and decorate. Makes 5 dozen.

COOKIE ICING
3 ea Egg whites
2 ts Water; (use 3 if req’d)
1 lb Powdered sugar
Food colors, sprinkles, etc
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Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until foamy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Continue to beat until thick and creamy. Add just enough water to get a good spreading consistency. Tint with food coloring, if you wish. Spread evenly over cookies.  Decorate with glitter, sprinkles, dragees and cinnamon red hots, if desired.

CHRISTMAS CANDY CANE COOKIES

1 c Butter room temp
1 c Powdered sugar
1 Egg
1 t Peppermint extract (Peppermint Oil is Stronger if using be aware)
1 t Pure Vanilla extract
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 t Sea or Kosher Salt
1/2 ts Red food coloring
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Mix together butter, sugar, egg, and extracts thoroughly. Stir in sifted flour and salt. Divide
dough in half. Blend red food coloring into one half of the dough. Cover the two pieces of dough and refrigerate for 4 hours. Preheat oven to 375ºF. For each cookie, roll 1 teaspoon of dough from each half back and forth on lightly floured surface into 4″ rope.  Place 1 red and 1 white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on un-greased cookie sheet and curve down top of rope to form handle of cane. Bake 9 minutes. Watch closely, as they have a   tendency to brown quickly.  Add clear Sugar Crystals to give a sparkly effect to the cookies.

HOLIDAY IDEAS:

Brownie Candy Cane Bites:  Basic sugar cookie dough, candy canes and already baked chocolate brownies.  Get the dough and the brownies the same temp and then combine leaving the brownie in chunks NOT MIXED IN and then add crushed candy canes.  Use an ice cream scoop to portion out cookies onto prepared pan and bake at 350 for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on how chewy or crispy you want cookies.  These cookies can be made in so many versions just make whatever kind of brownies you want and add to cookie dough and add candies, nuts, dried fruits, flavorings you name it.

Brownie Ideas:  Don’t just stick to the regular chocolate brownie with or without frosting consider adding flavorings like Peppermint Oil and Candy Canes for holiday or Peanuttles (toffee peanuts), shredded coconut, M&M’s, Candy Bars, even Cookie Dough can be added to the brownie and then baked.  Consider making a brownie with jam in the middle very easy make your brownie mix put half of mix in prepared pan then put in freezer for bout 1/2 hour.  Then take your jam and spread over child brownie mix then put back in freezer for bout 15 then put rest of brownie mix on top and bake.  You can even add another flavored top to the brownie.  There is no limit to what you can create.

TIPS ON STORING AND FREEZING COOKIES
Baking cookies is a favorite activity during the holiday season. The smell of the cookies baking, the warmth of the oven, the joy when you see the results, and of course, the taste! Here are some tips for saving and storing your cookies:

Preparing: Make sure your cookies are completely cool before preparing them for storage or freezing. Any frosting or icing should also be fully set and firm.

Storing: Cookies should be stored in an airtight container or bag. Some cookies will keep better if individually wrapped, such as very large gourmet type cookies, large cutout and frosted cookies and very thick cookies. Plastic wrap, foil or waxed paper works well for individually wrapping the cookies.

Freezing: Just about any type of cookie will freeze well and can last for up to 1 year from when you baked them. Make sure the cookies are wrapped well in waxed paper, plastic wrap or foil. Wrap them individually to make them last longer, hold their shape better and preserve their taste and texture. Then put them in an airtight container like a Tupperware or other container. You can also use a Ziploc freezer bag, just make sure you have sealed it tightly. Cookies that have been frosted will only keep for a few months in the freezer.

Using Frozen Cookies: Unwrap the cookies carefully and let them thaw completely and come to room temperature before serving. You can also microwave them on high for about 20-30 seconds.

Freezing Cookie Dough: Many people don’t realize that you can freeze the actual cookie dough for up to 1 month. Then thaw it out completely before preparing to bake. This can save alot of time during the holiday season and give you the same fresh from the oven taste as fresh baked cookies. Cookie dough that is very, very soft should not be frozen. Any dough that is firm will freeze very well. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or freezer bag.

When storing or freezing dough or baked cookies, don’t forget to write the date and type of cookies on the package.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

PEPPERMINT CRUNCH BARK

1 lb. white chocolate
1 c. peppermint crunch (you can also use crunched peppermints)

Melt white chocolate for one minute in the microwave. Stir in peppermint crunch. Spread on cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Place in freezer until cool (approximately 3 minutes). Break into pieces.

HOLIDAY MARBLE BARK

One 1 lb. bag (16 oz) chocolate chips
One 1 lb. bag (16 oz) white chocolate chips
2 candy canes or about 20 starlite candies
wax paper

Unwrap and crush the candy canes or starlite mints into very small and set aside; place the bag of chocolate chips in one microwavable bowl, and the white chips in another separate one, and microwave each for about 2.5-3 minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.

Immediately after melting and removing from microwave, add half of the crushed candies to each of the bowls of melted chips.

Spoon melted mixture onto wax paper, dropping spoonfuls of white and chocolate next to each other and then swirling to create a marbled effect. When all done dropping and swirling, place in fridge or freezer to harden.  In fridge give it a couple hours or one hour in the freezer but watch it so it doesn’t harden. Break into pieces.

10 MINUTE NEVER FAIL MICROWAVE PEANUT BRITTLE

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 c. raw peanuts
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine first 4 ingredients in 2-quart microwave mixing bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Add butter. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes. Brittle should not get too brown. Stir in vanilla and soda until light and foamy.

Spread on buttered baking sheet as thinly as possible. Cool. Break into pieces.

PEANUT BRITTLE

2 cups raw peanuts (with salt is good also) consider Cashews or cooked Bacon pieces YES Bacon!!!
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Butter a cookie sheet and set aside. Mix water, sugar, peanuts, and syrup in a 2 quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil.

Cook until candy thermometer reaches hard crack stage (310°F). Remove from heat.

Quickly stir in baking soda, Vanilla & butter. Will harden rapidly.

Pour quickly onto the buttered cookie sheet and let stand for about an hour to cool. Break up into pieces.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!

Ingredients:
2tbsp Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1 cup Steamed Milk or Half n Half
2tbsp Monin Peppermint Syrup
Whipped Cream
Chocolate sprinkles for garnish
Or Candy Cane
For an alcoholic version substitute peppermint schnapps for the Monin peppermint.

Method:
Steam milk or half ‘n half whisk in Valrhona cocoa powder until incorporated. Pour mixture into a mug add peppermint monin.  Stir with a candy cane and top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!