Merry Christmas!

Kick back, relax, and enjoy the morning with all your new gizmos and gadgets before the hordes descend!

Good luck to anyone cooking a big holiday meal. No need to wish luck to those out there sure to enjoy that meal!

Happy holidays to everyone!

Cookie Calendar: Chocolate Chip Cookies

You could make these famous chocolate chip cookies as a quick dessert on Christmas morning, but I doubt even the familiarity and drop-cookie-ease of this recipe is enough if you have to cook a big meal today.

Still, these would be greatly comforting to enjoy in the post-holiday season soon upon us, as you sit back, relax, and relish a job well done.

As a hint for next year, my mom often would bake these as (highly anticipated) gifts for school staff when we were in grade school. As the recipe states, she alters the standard Toll House cookie recipe by always using butter-flavored Crisco (which is fattier than butter, by the way, making these cookies darker and crisper on the outside) and by dropping them with an enormous cookie scoop. We’re talking about a scoop on the high-end of what’s sold at the kitchen store, which holds something like two or more tablespoons of dough. The cookies will end up bake-sale sized, maybe about four inches across.

Cookie Tip #24: Don’t trust what a recipe gives as its yield. I often end up with far less than what’s stated; I imagine that others always end up with more. A lot depends on the size of your scoops or slices, true, but you’ll also run into variations due to measuring differences. Flour is especially difficult to measure accurately because it compresses under its own weight. Someone who sifts and gently scoops flour with a spoon into a cup will end up putting much less flour in the bowl than someone who uses the measuring cup to shovel straight out of the canister and presses the top flat. It’s best to find recipes that measure ingredients by weight rather than volume for this reason.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Nestlé and Mom

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (1 stick) butter-flavored Crisco
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) chocolate chips

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by ice cream scoop onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes:
Mom’s way: Use the big cookie scoop to create huge, four-to-five-inch cookies. Will take a few more minutes to bake.

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Last-SECOND Gifts for Cooks

I say last-second as they can be ordered online and all you have to do is print a receipt or a card. We’re talking memberships, subscriptions, and lessons here, all stuff you don’t need to leave the house to buy. Who wants to go out in the cold, especially if it means fighting your way into Christmas Eve Wal-Mart?

Ungift Guide 2007: Best Last Minute Online Gifts for Cooks (The Kitchn)

A Little Bit of Christmas Eve Fun

Test your international holiday food knowledge over at AOL.

I got a 10 out of 10, but it helped that I live in Slovakia and have more exposure right now to a number of the quiz items. I even saw advocaat at the store a week or so ago.

via Slashfood

Cookie Calendar: Swedish Christmas Cookies

If you’d like to have fresh-baked cookies on Christmas with a minimum of fuss, then slice-and-bake is definitely the way to go. If you’re like most (non-insane) people putting on a big party on Christmas Day, you’ll probably be spending much of today in the kitchen prepping anyway, so why not whip up some cookie logs?

Food Network accompanies this recipe now with a picture of pastel-sugar-bedecked cookie rounds, but back when the recipe was first unleashed on the 12 Days of Cookies hordes, the picture dazzled us with a red-and-green holiday theme.

What colors of sugar your roll them in is up to you, but I did the mix of red and green when I baked these. I simply sprinkled both shades on my work surface, used my fingers to mix ‘em up, and then rolled away.

Cookie Tip #23: Slice-and-bake logs in the freezer or fridge mean fast cookies with minimal effort at any time in the holiday season!

Swedish Christmas Cookies
Source: Food Network
Yield: About 3-1/2 dozen cookies

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Colored sanding sugars or chopped toasted pecans

Whisk the flour, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.

Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pulse in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the flour mixture and process to make a soft buttery dough. Divide dough in half onto 2 (12-inch long) sheets of plastic wrap, using the plastic, shape into rough logs. Refrigerate the dough logs for 30 minutes until just firm enough to shape into uniform logs, 8-inches long by 2-inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Scatter either the sanding sugars or toasted nuts on a work surface and roll the logs until completely coated. Cut into 1/4-inch thick cookies and space about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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A Gift in a Jar for Oatmeal Cookie Fans

. . . like my grandpa. My mom always makes sure I prepare some oatmeal raisins for him. And why not — they’re yummy.

They almost feel healthy, too, with all that whole grain and fruit. They’re a great cookie for everyone to make after swearing to those New Year’s resolutions!

Quaker Oats provides the recipe for creating the jars on their site. It’s kind of nice because it even incorporates the fat yet, like Bisquick, it doesn’t require refrigeration. That’s miracle of shortening for you.

Don’t forget to print out the cookie recipe to attach to the jars, else your recipient won’t know what to do with a jar full of floury oats.

Cookie Calendar: Famous Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies may be your typical, everyday cookie fare, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without them making an appearance on our holiday cookie platters. It’s a special favorite of my grandpa, but I think a lot of people would be disappointed not to be able to have a few (and take some home!).

Oatmeal cookies do have a holiday flavor, too, with their molasses-like brown sugar. You can up the Christmas factor by adding in some cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice — whatever gets you in that celebratory mood.

We always add raisins to our oatmeal cookies, but at this time of year, dried cranberries or even cherries would be perfect!

Cookie Tip #22: If you’re not already planning to pre-wrap a bunch of your cookie stash as gifts, consider having pretty bags or storage containers nearby so that guests can pack up a few cookies for the road as the party breaks up. Your waistline will thank you come New Year’s.

Famous Oatmeal Cookies
Source: Quaker Oats
Yield: About 5 dozen

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable shortening
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg, water and vanilla; beat well. Add combined oats, flour, salt and baking soda; mix well.
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Notes:
Cook Tips and Variations

* Add 1 cup of any one or a combination of any of the following ingredients to basic cookie dough: raisins, chopped nuts, chocolate chips or shredded coconut.

LARGE COOKIES: Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 17 minutes. ABOUT 2-1/2 DOZEN

BAR COOKIES: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. Makes 24 BARS

* HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Increase flour to 1-1/4 cups and bake as directed.

Nutritional notes:
Serving Size:
1 cookie
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 70, Calories from Fat: 25, Total Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: .5g, Cholesterol: <5mg, Sodium: 10mg, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 1g

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Grocery Goodies Gift Baskets

I wrote previously about magazine subscriptions as last-minute gifts for the cooking-minded, and I mentioned the grocery store as a source for an accompanying token (such as a copy of the magazine or a food product that fits the magazine’s theme) that the recipient could open on Christmas day.

Today, it’s a great deal closer to Christmas, and the stores are even more swamped back in America, I’m sure. But even if magazine gifts aren’t your style, you can still avoid the worst of the holiday-shopping crowds and buy lovely gifts for friends and family at the supermarket or even the corner drug store. All you need is some creative thinking!

And since the energy for creative thinking may be in short supply at this time of year, rest assured in knowing that there are many people on the Internet who have gone to the trouble of thinking creatively for you.

I have a few suggestions myself before I send you off to the web’s collective genius. My focus here, both in suggestions and in links, is on gifts that add up to more than the sum of their parts by virtue of being placed together in a basket.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be a basket — let the theme of the gift dictate the vessel. And if desperation strikes and CVS or Walgreens doesn’t have anything basket-like beyond zip-top bags, you can always use a standard gift bag or even a box bottom wrapped in holiday paper.

Onward!

Cookie Tins

Every year, I plan on giving most of my extended family a tin of homemade cookies on Christmas. If you bake a lot during December like I (usually) do, then all you need to do is find some pretty containers because you’re bound to have more cookies than anyone will eat at the big party anyway.

The assumption here is that you have cookies around anyway, so the key to making this last-minute gift for someone is finding a container. If you had planned ahead, you would have picked up something round and festive at the Container Store or Wal-Mart. But we’re not planning ahead! If you’re lucky, your grocery or drug store will have some holiday tins in their Christmas-merchandise areas. If not, now’s the time to hit up the disposable Tupperware aisle. Often, you’ll find containers with pretty pictures on them at this time of year, but if not, swing by the greeting cards and buy some stickers for decoration.

Raid your cookie stash in the freezer Christmas morning while you’re putting everything out to thaw anyway to fill the containers. Add gift tags and maybe some bows and you’re done! Plus, if you fill a few extra unmarked boxes, you’ll have ready presents for unexpected guests.

Take it to the Next Level: Put the cookies in cellophane bags tied with ribbon and gather the bags in a pretty basket. Tuck in recipes for all the cookies along with a cookie scoop and cookie cutters. Consider including a jar of homemade chocolate-chip cookie mix or some coffee and a mug to accompany the dessert.

Movie Bucket

You see this idea a lot, so I’ll try not to dwell. Look for a big plastic bowl or, if you’re lucky, a popcorn bucket to present this one in.

First, fill your bowl with a jar of popcorn or microwaveable bags and some yummy popcorn seasonings. Some stores offer bottles designed specifically for popcorn, but if you don’t see any, look in the spice aisle for seasoned salt blends, Molly McButter, ranch dressing packets, and cinnamon sugar. You could also include a shelf-stable jar of parmesan if your recipient is OK with cheese in a green can.

Next, hit up the candy aisle for anything that they sell at your local cinema. Think Dots, Twizzlers, or Raisinets in big boxes.

Because your recipient can’t eat all that junk without something to wash it down, nestle in a couple of bottles of a favorite soda, too.

If you’re seriously pressed for time, shop your pantry for the food items. I bet most people have some bags of popcorn, sacks of candy, and cans of soda kicking around. Check your own spice supply for unopened packets or pour some of your favorite blends into labeled and decorated zip-top bags.

Finally, pick up a DVD to complete the basket. Every supermarket and drug store offers a limited selection these days. If you don’t see one you know is on the must-watch list, try looking for either a holiday-themed movie or something that looks seriously so-bad-it’s-good kitschy. Or, if you’re pulling this together last second, throw in a recently acquired DVD from your own collection in its pristine case. You can buy it for yourself again after the holidays are over.
Take it to the Next Level: Swing by the movie theater for a gift card on a weekday or in the morning, when it’s least busy. Or, find more cinematastic treats to include, such as tortilla chips with cheese dip and pickles (hey, our local theater used to have a big jar on the counter). If you don’t want to spend more time out shopping, consider upping the ante by adding in a Netflix gift subscription.

For more ideas, check out these other web sites:

Slashfood: Gift Guide: Yes, you can get presents at the supermarket

Hungry Girl: Last-Minute Guilt-Free Gifts

Bite of the Best: Holiday Food Gifts

Real Simple: Hostess Gift Baskets and Gift Basket Dinner

Every Day with Rachael Ray: Homemade and Handpacked

Gifts in a Jar recipes: Gifts in a Jar | Organized Christmas, Jar Mixes, Gifts in a Jar Recipes, Gifts in a Jar, and more — just search Google.

Cookie Calendar: Shortbread Bites

Half an inch sure makes for one teeny-weeny cookie! If you have little kids around at the holidays, I bet these would make great “tea party” fare.

The square shape is also somewhat unusual for a cookie, and the sprinkles worked into the dough make it so festive. You could use red and green nonpareils for Christmas, true, but I liked the look of the rainbow ones too much to go any other way.

They look kind of reminiscent of that confetti icing they sell at the grocery store. I always longed for that stuff on cakes, but my mom was never a canned frosting kind of person.

Nowadays, I don’t like icing much, and I’m often too impatient to wash everything up and make a batch after I’ve gone to all the trouble of baking. I do sometimes buy frosting in a can for cakes that must be frosted and aren’t for me to consume. Hmm, sometime I need to relate my adventures in seven-minute frosting from this summer!

I digress! My big tip for these cookies is to underbake them a bit. I followed the directions here, and 18 to 20 minutes is waaaaay too long for butter cookies the size of nickels. When the bottoms are so very golden brown, the cookies turn all dry and crumbly rather than luscious and buttery. Start checking these puppies, I don’t know, nine minutes in, and pull them once they look set.

Cookie Tip #21: Don’t trust a recipe. Trust your senses! If they look set, they are done, even if it hasn’t been 30 minutes. If they look dull, add sprinkles or candy bits. If they taste boring, add more vanilla or other flavoring next time. Just watch out when you start changing things such as the kind or amount of cocoa or acid used, as ingredients such as those might be balancing out another acid/alkaline ingredient that makes the cookie rise or come together.

Shortbread Bites
Source: Good Housekeeping

• 1 ¼ cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon(s) sugar
• ½ cup(s) (1 stick) butter (no substitutions), cold, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon(s) red and green nonpareils or sprinkles or 1/2 cup mini baking bits

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse flour and sugar until combined. Add butter and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in medium bowl. With hand, gently knead in nonpareils or baking bits until evenly blended and dough forms a ball.
3. On lightly floured waxed paper, pat dough into 8″ by 5″ rectangle; freeze 15 minutes. Cut dough into 1/2-inch squares. Place squares, 1/2 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.
4. Bake cookies 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week, or in freezer up to 3 months.

Nutritional notes:
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving)
Calories 40
Total Fat 3g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol –
Sodium –
Total Carbohydrate 4g
Dietary Fiber –
Sugars –
Protein –
Calcium –

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Good Housekeeping’s 30 Days of Cookies

For more cookie-recipe goodness, check out Good Housekeeping magazine’s chock-full-of-pictures cookie page.

Some look especially good:

Cinnamon Spirals

Spumoni Icebox Cookies

Fig-Filled Moons