from Kris B.
Cookies! There are very few kinds of cookies that I don't like. Like Cookie Monster, having a cookie will always make me happy. I'm not so sure about this new thing Cookie Monster has going on with cookies now being a "sometimes food." I think they are most certainly an "anytime" food!
Admittedly, I have no talent for making the fancy iced and decorated cookies. You'll have to turn to Tracey for help there! I am more a master of uniform drop cookies, thanks to a handy dandy cookie scoop. Lol! But, that said, I really do like pretty cookies, especially as gifts. I have reconciled my lack of skill and talent for icing with my love of pretty cookies by turning to making stamped cookies.
King Arthur Flour offers this set of three snowflake stamps. These stamps, made of heavy cast aluminum, have a solid wood handle that is sturdy and easy to grip, making their $23.95 price tag a little more palatable. I have worked a lot with terracotta cookie stamps. I much prefer the aluminum ones. The "heaviness" of these stamps makes it easy to get an even pattern over the entire cookie. The Starry Night stamps are also good sized, measuring three inches. Printed on the box in which the stamps come is a recipe for Starry Night Stamped Gingerbread Cookies. This recipe varies slightly from the King Arthur Flour recipe for Winter Spice Stamp Cookies that I used. The primary difference between the two recipes is that the recipe on the stamp box uses a touch of cocoa in addition to the traditional cinnamon, cloves, and ginger found in most spice cookies and The King Arthur Winter Spice Stamp Cookies use the King Arthur Winter Spice Blend (available from King Arthur for $4.99) that is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, and cardamon. The Winter Spice Stamp Cookies also use a touch of molasses.
Usually when I make stamped cookies, I roll the dough into balls and use the stamping process to both flatten and imprint the cookies. Instead of this method, these cookies are rolled out to 1/4" thick, cut out, and then stamped. This process made for pretty edges on the cookies. I used a fluted edge round cutter from a set by Ateco to cut my cookies. The cutter was exactly the same size as the cookie stamps, which made for the pretty edges around the stamped area of the cookie as well as on its edges. One thing that I did do that was not specified in the instructions was to dip the stamp in sugar before stamping each cookie. I'm not sure if this helped, but I had no issues with the stamp releasing from the dough.
The Winter Spice Stamp cookies are a crisp cookie, much like a ginger snap. Generally, I prefer chewy cookies, but these are really good, especially with a hot cup of coffee that I may or may not have used for dipping my cookie. :-) As one who always prefers crispy cookies, and cookies with NO chocolate, and cookies that go well with coffee, Weber was quite happy with this week's recipe choice as well. Tracey and I had a good laugh over the fact the we both tend towards chewy cookies and Jeremy, like Weber, likes the crispy ones...just one more way in which our worlds are similar!
If they are not all eaten before you can package them, these are pretty cookies and will make a great Christmas gift. To make the gift even more special, add some nice coffee or, if you must, tea for a gift that will surely be appreciated...even if the recipient is normally a chewy cookie kind of person. Lol!
Winter Spice Stamp Cookies
from Tracey G
This time of year I'm gearing up (if not already into
full swing) for making my Christmas Food Gifts. Usually it's cookies or treats
of some kind. I love making them more than I like eating them (I can't believe
that's even possible, but it's true!), so it's always fun for me to get
started. My plan of attack is usually the same - one or two really pretty
things (more complicated) then fill in with the easier sorts of things that don't
require a lot of tedious work or detail etc. I rotate my recipes every year,
usually trying to incorporate one or two new ones every season. And the new
ones usually involve some sort of EASY to produce cookie (or treat)!
I love thumbprint cookies - they are one of my favorite cookies to eat,
and I love making them because they are so easy! Like Kris, I too use a cookie
scoop (it's about a tablespoon I believe) for any cookie dough I can, lol. It
makes quick work out of getting them on the baking sheet to be sure! So, when I
was perusing the King Arthur Flour website for a cookie recipe this week to try, I ran across this one for Lemon-Raspberry Thumbprints. It's a combination I've never made in this sort of
cookie - I've used raspberry jam before in my thumbprints (because it's one of
my favorites), but I've never made a lemon-flavored cookie to go under it. I
was sold!
The dough was super easy to whip up. The do give you a
couple options, as you can make them with the tablespoon sized scoop/spoon or a
teaspoon. I went with tablespoon because that's what size my scoop it and I
wanted it as easy as possible, lol. After I got them scooped onto the baking
sheet, I used a round measuring teaspoon to make the indentations for the jam
after they are baked. Once they were baked off and totally cooled, I added the
jam. The jam sets up a bit, so they hold up nicely.
Harry proclaimed that these
were the best thing ever, and Jeremy (not to mention myself!) loved them as
well. They have earned a spot in "The Book" of keepers for sure! I
will make these again, and they will be great in my Christmas Treat Rotation!
Here's a link to the recipe:
No comments:
Post a Comment