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WeCookiers Sugar Cookies

Without the blather: 

 

Ingredients

2 sticks (1/2 pound) of real butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1 ½ c granulated sugar (vanilla sugar is nice if you're feeling wealthy)
1 ½ tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp butter emulsion
1 tsp salt
3 c flour

This makes roughly 20 three-inch cookies or 3 dozen regular size.

1.       Cream butter and cream cheese together until it looks fluffy and light yellow, about 2 minutes.

2.       Add egg, granulated sugar, and emulsions. Mix just until incorporated.

3.       Add the salt and flour. Mix only until the flour is mixed in. Over-mixing could cause tough cookies due to the egg.

4.       Spatula it out onto plastic wrap on a table. Form a nice ball. Flatten the ball out to a rectangle or disk shape about an inch high (or less).

5.       Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. I double the plastic wrap if the dough will be in the fridge for more than a couple of days. Place it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes (I do overnight).

6.        When chilled, sift out some flour on your workstation or use wax paper. Place dough on the flour (or between sheets of parchment paper) and roll out. I choose to cut them at ¼” thickness. 

7.       Cut out the shapes and place them on (new) parchment-lined baking sheets.

8.       Place sheets in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. 

9.       Preheat the oven to 350⁰.

10.   When cookies are frozen, pull them out of the freezer and place them immediately into the oven (yes, frozen). Bake for 13 minutes or until lightly browned, watching carefully.

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Christmas Cutouts

½ c butter, softened
¾ c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1-1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt

Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Combine remaining ingredients.

Roll a small portion of dough at a time to 1/4 inch thickness on cookie sheet. (If too soft, chill dough until firm enough to roll.) Cut with 2-1/2 inch cutters; bake at 325 for 5-7  minutes.

Cool 1 minute. Cool on rack. 

 

Christmas Party Cocoa

4 1/2 cups whole milk

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

6 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chopped

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

 

Add the milk, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, chocolate, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) to a large pot. Place the pot over medium low heat until the milk is scalding, but not boiling. Be sure to stir the pot often to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom and burning.Once it is steaming, serve. 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
36 miniature peanut butter cups unwrapped

Small colored sprinkles (balls work best)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, then dry ingredients. 

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place in cups of a miniature muffin pan.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly brown and still puffy. Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie. Once the chocolate starts to melt on the top, add a pinch of sprinkles. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pans; then allow the chocolate to firm up completely.

 

Sprinkle Cups

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ t vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (if desired)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup red sprinkles
1/4 cup green sprinkles

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 - 3 tablespoons milk

Additional sprinkles for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray mini muffin pans with baking spray and set aside.

Beat the butter about a minute, then add powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add egg and extract, then flour.

Divide the dough into two portions. Stir green sprinkles into one half and mix red sprinkles into the other half (or just add both colors to all cookies).

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Then, press the balls into the prepared mini muffin pan. Press each dough ball with your thumb.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are light brown. Remove from the oven and press the centers with the rounded side of a measuring teaspoon. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, frosting: Beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add as much milk as needed to create a smooth frosting.

Use a piping bag with a large star tip to frost the cooled cookies. Top with additional sprinkles. 

 

Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2/3 cup any flavor fruit jelly or jam

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Chop the walnuts so they are almost a powder. 

Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolk.

Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.

Shape dough into balls. (These should be about 1.5” in diameter.) Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.

Layered Peppermint Cheesecake

Cheesecake layer

3 8-oz packages cream cheese
½ c sugar
2 t unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 T flour
1-1/2 c sour cream
2 t vanilla
1/ t peppermint
2/3 c crushed peppermints

Sour cream cake layer

1 18.25-oz pkg white cake mix
2 large eggs
1 8-oz container sour cream
1/3 c vegetable oil

White chocolate mousse frosting

2/3 c sugar
1 c white chocolate morsels
2 c heavy cream
2 t vanilla

Garnishes: white chocolate curls, mint candies.

Prepare cheesecake layers: preheat oven to 325. Line bottom and sides of 2 8-inch round cake pans with foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease the foil. Beat cream cheese, ½ c sugar, and 2 T butter at medium speed with electric mixer 1-2 minutes or until creamy and smooth. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add flour, sour cream, vanilla and mint, beating until blended. Fold in candies. Pour batter into prepared pans, then place those pans in a large pan, add water to depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven to wire racks; cool completely – about 1 hour. Cover cheesecake (do not remove from pans) and freeze 4-6 hours, until solid. Lift from pans, using foil as handles, then gently remove foil. Wrap in plastic wrap and return to freezer until ready to assemble cake.

Prepare sour cream layers: Preheat oven to 350. Beat mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and ½ c water at low speed for 30 seconds or just until moistened; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Spoon into 3 greased and floured 8-inch rounds. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 min, remove from pans to racks and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Prepare frosting: Cook 2/3 c sugar and ¼ c watr in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3-4 min or until sugar is dissolved. Add white chocolate and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature (about 30 min) whisking occasionally.

Beat cream and 2 t vanilla at high speed until soft peaks form. Fold in chocolate mixture until frosting reaches spreadable consistency.

Place 1 cake layer on a stand or plate. Top with successive cheesecake and cake layers (cake, cheesecake, cake, cheesecake, cake). Frost. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish.

Peppermint plate:

Preheat oven to 350. Trace a 10-inch circle on parchment paper, place paper on baking sheet. Arrange 60 hard mints inside circle on paper, laving 1/16 inch between candies. Bake 9-10 minutes, until candies begin to melt and touch. Remove from oven, cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Gently remove parchment paper and place on cake stand, under cake.

Chocolate Ganache Thumbprints with Crushed Peppermints

1 c unsalted butter
¾ c powdered sugar
¼ c packed light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla
3 c flour
½ t kosher salt
½ t baking powder
¾ c chocolate chips
3 T cream
¼ c crushed peppermints

Preheat oven to 375 with racks in top and bottom third of oven.

Whisk together dry ingredients in small bowl. Beat butter and sugars until smooth; add egg yolk and vanilla; then add dry mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, indent each with thumb. Bake 12 minutes, switching rack positions halfway through. Cool on wire racks then remove from sheets and cool completely.

Combine chocolate chips and cream in microwave-safe bowl; cook on medium until melted and smooth – about 1.5 min, stirring every half-min. Cool 5 min. Fill each cookie indentation. Sprinkle evenly with crushed mints; let stand 15 min before serving.

Peppermint Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting

2 c sugar
1-1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
2 T (yes, T, not t) vanilla
4 cups cake flour
1 T baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
1 c milk
shortening to grease pans

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together dry ingredients in separate bowl and set aside. With mixer, beat sugar and butter until fluffy, about 2 min. Add eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Add vanilla. Add dries, alternating with milk, beating on low until just combined. Pour into two prepared 9-inch pans. Bake about 28 minutes, until pick comes out clean. Cool on racks in pans 20 minutes, then transfer directly to racks and cool completely, about another 30 min.

Peppermint Buttercream

3 c powdered sugar
1 c unsalted butter, softened
½ c finely crushed starlight mints
1 t vanilla
½ t salt
1-2 t milk
2-3 drops red food coloring

Beat powdered sugar and butter on medium until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add peppermints, vanilla, and salt, beat until blended. Add 1 t milk, beat in up to 1 more t of milk, ¼ t at time, until desired consistency is reached. Beat in food coloring one drop at a time, until desired color.

Seven-Minute Frosting

12 large egg whites
3 c sugar
3 T corn syrup
1 t salt
½ t peppermint extract

Pour water to a depth of 2 inches into bottom of a saucepan or double boiler; bring to simmer over medium heat. Stir together egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and salt, in a heat proof bowl on top of double boiler or saucepan. Place bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and beat on medium high until stiff peaks form and mixture is completely cooled, about 10 min. Beat in mint extract.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread buttercream in even layer about ½ inch thick to within ½ inch of edge. Top with second cake layer. Spread cooled 7-minute frosting on top and sides. Reserve remaining frosting for garnish.

Garnish:

Roughly crush 1 c hard mints into pieces. Crush an additional ¼ into fine pieces and set aside. Add 1 t white disco dust to 1 c crushed candy and stir to combine. Pipe swirls of reserved frosting onto cake, lightly press dust/candy mixture into the sides of the frosted cake until they are coated. Sprinkle piped swirls with finely crushed candy and additional ½ t dust.

Chocolate Cutout Cookies

¾ c butter
½ (4-oz) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking bar, finely chopped.
2 1-oz unsweetened chocolate baking squared, finely chopped
1 c sugar
1 c packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1-1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
1 c unsweetened cocoa, divided

Whisk together dry ingredients (only ¾ c of cocoa) and set aside. Combine butter, bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and microwave on high until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, about 1 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Beat chocolate mixture, sugar and brown sugar on medium until combined, about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add dries, beating on low until well combined, about 2 minutes. Dough will be very soft. Transfer half of dough onto plastic wrap and wrap tightly, shaping into a 4-inch disk. Repeat with second half of dough. Chill 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325. Let one disk stand at room temperature about 10 minutes and roll to ¼ inch thickness on a surface sprinkled with 2 T cocoa. Cut with a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter, rolling scraps once. Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment lined sheets. Bake 8 minutes, switching pans halfway through baking. Cookies should not brown. Cool on pans 5 minutes, then move to wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Icing

1-1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T meringue powder
4-5 t water
red food coloring
green food coloring

Beat sugar, meringue powder, and 4 T water on medium speed until well combined, 3-4 minutes. Add up to 1 t more water, ¼ t at a time, to reach desired consistency. Divide icing between two bowls, stir in food coloring 1 drop at a time until icing reaches desired shades of red and green. Pipe trees on tops of cookies and sprinkle with same-colored sparkling sugar.