Cookies, cookies, cookies galore!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup golden raisins and/or snipped dried apricots
• 1 1/2 cups lightly salted dry-roasted pistachio nuts, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat two 8x4x2-inch (or similar) loaf pans with nonstick spray. Line a large baking sheet with parchment; set aside.
2. In a large bowl stir together sugar, butter, vanilla, baking powder, almond extract, and salt. Add eggs and whites, beating vigorously until evenly incorporated. Fold in raisins, then nuts until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually stir in flour until very well blended (if desired, work in last of it with your hands). If dough seems very soft or sticky, let it stand to firm up for 5 minutes.
3. Divide dough in half; place each half in a loaf pan. Using greased hands, press dough to edges until smooth on top and evenly thick all over. (Alternatively, line a large baking sheet with parchment. Using greased hands, shape and smooth each half into an 8x4-inch, evenly thick loaf, spacing them as far apart as possible on the baking sheet).
4. Bake for 24 to 28 minutes or until firm and light brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Set aside; cool completely. Transfer to a cutting board. Using a large, serrated knife, cut each loaf into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Place slices, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet.
5. Return to oven. Bake slices 12 minutes or until toasted and light brown. Cool slightly. Gently turn over. Bake 7 minutes more until golden brown, watching closely to avoid over browning. Turn off oven. Let stand in oven to crisp 10 minutes more. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Notes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine coconut, granulated sugar, egg whites, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
2. Form 2 tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet and space them 1 inch apart.
3. Bake until edges are golden and macaroons are firm, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cups of sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with wooden spoon until smooth. Add flour and salt, stir until combined. Stir in dried cranberries. Divide dough into quarters.
2. On parchment, shape each portion into a log about 1.5 inches thick. Wrap logs tightly in parchment or plastic. Chill 30 minutes or up to one day.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F. With a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4 inch rounds. Rotate log to avoid flattening. Place rounds on parchment lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges just begin to turn golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely.

Notes

Ingredients

• 150 g butter at room temperature
• 95 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 vanilla bean (pod)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• 280 g of flour
• 2 g salt
• 100 g of dark chocolate
• 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
• royal icing and sprinkles

Instructions

1. Mix butter with powdered sugar until fluffy. Add egg and whisk well.
2. Cut and scrape vanilla bean. Add seeds to dough and mix.
3. Add lemon zest and mix.
4. Add flour in small amounts and mix. Add salt and mix.
5. Wrap dough in plastic and store in fridge for at least an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350F.
7. Clouds: On a lightly floured surface roll out dough until it's about 1/8 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shape and place on parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
8. Trees: On a lightly floured surface roll pieces of dough into 1/4 inch thick snakes. Fold them to form a tree shape as you see in the picture above. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
9. Bake both clouds and trees for 8 - 10 minutes until edges are golden.
10. Once cookies are cooled completely, decorate trees with royal icing and sprinkles.
11. For clouds, melt chocolate gently in microwave in 15 seconds intervals. Add cream and stir until you have a smooth glossy texture. Dip each cookie into chocolate, let excess drip off and place on parchment to dry.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder (if using). Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

Ingredients

• 1 stick of soft butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon all-spice
• 100 g of dark chocolate broken into chunks
• Royal icing and sprinkles

Instructions

1. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and beat for 6-8 minutes with an electric mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once pale and creamy add the molasses, flour, baking soda, and spices.
2. Mix until it just comes together to form a smooth dough.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. For Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies: add chocolate chunks to dough. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake 8-12 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely.
5. For Gingerbread Cookies: Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shape. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are golden. Let cool completely. Decorate with royal icing and sprinkles.