Christmas Baking: Gingerbread Cake with Cinnamon Frosting & Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

I didn't get to do as much Christmas baking as I'd planned, being away for most of the time. But what I did bake, people seemed to really like, which is always good, especially since I tried something new this year. I usually make Snickerdoodles every year but we didn't have the right sugar so I opted out.








Gingerbread Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger (I didn't have ginger so I used 1/2 tsp of cloves and nutmeg)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup hot water

Grease a 9-inch square pan and pre-heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, and stir in the molasses. In a separate bowl, sift the remaining dry ingredients; add alternately with water to molasses mixture in 3 additions, stirring after each addition. Bake in prepared pan about 50 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 8oz package cream cheese
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp heavy cream

I'm just guessing on the amounts, I never write them down for frosting. I just add more butter and more sugar and more cream until the taste and consistency is what I want.
Cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add confectioners' sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. Add heavy cream and beat until frosting is fluffy and of spreading consistency.

Chewy Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies (from ohmyveggies)

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
• 1/2 c. crushed peppermint pieces (about 6 candy canes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until combined and any lumps are broken up. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using a mixer on high speed. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined. Set mixer to low speed and slowly add flour mixture. Beat until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and peppermint pieces.
Drop tablespoons of batter two inches apart onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. (Don't overbake or the cookies won't be chewy!) Cook on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.

Someone Help Me Name This Cake?

I am terrible at coming up with names for cakes/cookies/meals of any kind. Chocolate cake with so many alterations it barely resembles a typical chocolate cake is still just "chocolate cake." Either that or I have to explain every time whatever is in what I made, instead of just having a clever name that sums it all up. So if anyone has any suggestions for this, let me know? I may not have a name for it, but I can assure you it's delicious.

Sometimes when I'm bored and in a cooking mood, I look up recipes for a specific thing to make (like cake for example), decide on a base recipe (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, something with fruit), open up a new tab a million tabs from other sites and start assembling bits and pieces of the final recipe in Gmail. Today was one of those days. Obviously, this process gets complicated if certain things I want to make, I don't have the ingredients for, but most of the time I just make substitutions or alterations.
I originally hadn't intended to, since I make things with Oreos so often, but I added Oreos at the last minute because I knew I wanted a filling of some sort / two different frostings so it wasn't overwhelmingly chocolate. I love cakes dripping with ganache on top, but have never made one, and I also think cakes decorated in a creative way (not the frosting this time, since I lost my piping bag and tips) are always awesome.

So I decided on chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, cookies & cream frosting in between the layers, covered in dripping ganache and decorated with Halloween nonpareils and Whoppers because it's October and I need to use my Halloween sprinkles, don't judge me.
Another thing: I AM ABSOLUTELY AWFUL AT WAITING FOR CAKES TO COOL. I'm so excited and eager to frost the cake that most of the time, I put the frosting in between the layers and it melts right away. I have tried to hurry the cake up by putting it in the freezer / fridge but of course, the middle is always still warm and causes everything to melt and be lopsided, etc. Do not be like me. If you are like me, and end up with a tilty cake, put it in the fridge for a bit until the cake is cool and frosting has hardened up a bit, then fill in any gaps and try to make everything as even as possible. Other blogs have tutorials and things of that nature for how to properly frost the perfect cake, and I would advise looking at them at least once (unless you're one of those people who isn't a perfectionist and doesn't care what the cake looks like as long as it tastes good; then just keep being you because you are awesome and I admire you).

for the cake:

• ¾ cup butter room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate melted

chocolate buttercream: 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• A pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (or to taste)
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder

oreo filling:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
•  about 1 row of Oreo cookies, finely crushed
• 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

dark chocolate glaze:

• ¾ a cup of dark chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp of heavy cream
• 1 tbsp of powdered sugar 
• (a couple of tsp of water if needed)

the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with baking spray. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.
Add the melted chocolate to the cake batter and pour it into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

the glaze:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place a heat proof bowl over the top of the simmering water.
Add in chocolate and heavy cream, stir continuously until melted.Stir in sugar.
If it does not look pourable, add some water 1 tsp at a time until it is.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
You can work the chocolate down the sides with a rubber spatula to create drips

the chocolate buttercream:
Whip in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment butter, and flavoring till creamy then whip in powdered sugar and cocoa. Set aside until ready to use.

oreo filling:
Grind/crush Oreo cookies until fine.
Cube butter and place in stand alone mixer bowl.
Using the whisk attachment, whisk butter, vanilla, 1 cup of sugar, and Oreo cookies together on medium speed until smooth.
Add remaining sugar and 2 tbsp cream.
Whisk on medium to high for a few minutes until frosting is smooth.

(recipe sources / recipes altered:  cake | oreo frosting | glaze | buttercream)

Eggless Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

People sometimes ask me if I'm a vegetarian or if I'm allergic to certain things because I've made quite a few eggless / gluten-free / dairy-free desserts. I don't have any food allergies and while I don't eat meat frequently, I'm not a vegetarian (and I don't have any problems with those who are). I always find it funny when people think this because the case usually is I was just out of certain items usually needed to bake but was determined to make something anyway. I also just really like trying new recipes and seeing what substitutes can work and still taste good.

Tonight, we had no eggs. The reason I wanted cookies so badly was for a ridiculous reason: Spongebob. Spongebob was on and he was eating a cookie and I instantly needed to make some. It's silly, but it's the truth. I wanted to make cookies so badly I looked up an eggless recipe and adjusted it accordingly. This is also the first baked good I've made a) with my replacement wire whip for my KitchenAid, and b) in the oven in my new apartment. So I was taking quite the risk.

It should be noted that the batter for these cookies is much lighter than normal dough because of the lack of egg, and it also has a slightly floury aftertaste that goes away with baking. If you bake the cookies too long, they crumble very easily (and don't taste very good) because of the flour to liquid ratio. The bottoms of my cookies got brown rather fast, but the tops barely browned at all, so don't worry about the bottoms burning and the rest not being cooked through. About 8-10 minutes and they should be perfect. They aren't crunchy and they aren't chewy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. They're light and soft and melt in your mouth.

Eggless Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from recipe4living )

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-1 1/2 cups dark (or semisweet, etc) chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat butter and other wet ingredients until butter appears creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add in chocolate chips.
Bake for about 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reese's Pieces

This weekend is being spent up in Portsmouth / Maine to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday. His birthday is actually September 2nd, but my aunt and uncle are going to be in the area, so we're celebrating early. I haven't seen my dad, aunt, uncle, or cousins in a while (especially the latter, I think it's been years) so I'm really excited. My dad adores peanut butter cookies and last year I made him peanut butter bacon cookies, so I made more this year since he loved them so much. I wanted to make something for the less adventurous in my family (mainly my cousins), so I made these cookies as well. Chocolate and peanut butter is always a good combination.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reese's Pieces (adapted from The Curvy Carrot)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup Reese's Pieces candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Nestle chocolate chunks)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With the mixer running, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, mixing until combined.

Add the Reese's Pieces and chocolate chips. Mix to combine.
In rounded tablespoons, place the cookies about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet, pressing each one down slightly to flatten.
Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

It tastes just as good as it sounds and it made me wonder why I'd never mixed ground up cookies into my cookie batter before, because it's a brilliant idea (especially with Oreos).
I've since made these cookies two more times because they've become a new favorite.

I don't have a food processor (which if you read this blog often enough, you'd know) which may seem like a setback, but it's no problem at all. In order to crush cookies, crackers, and the like, all I do is take a ziploc bag, put the cookies in, and smash them up with a rolling pin. Sometimes (like with Oreos, specifically because the cream in the cookie makes it stick to the bag in large amounts), it's easier to smash one cookie at a time. It's tedious but worth it if you don't have a food processor. All that smashing is probably good for stress too.

Triple Chocolate Cookies (recipe via picky palate)

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 15 whole Oreo Cookies, finely ground

Preheat oven to 350°F and get a large baking sheet ready.
In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, ground Oreos, and chocolate chips, slowly mixing until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

I have been in a ridiculous cooking-mode all week. I guess I missed baking and cooking a lot more than I thought while I was at college. 



Chocolate Cheesecake

• 1-1/2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs (about half the package) 
• 3 tbsp. melted butter 
• 2 8oz packages of softened cream cheese 
• 3/4 c. sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/3 cup dutch-process cocoa (1.38 oz) 
• a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Preheat your oven to 325 F.
Line a 9x9 baking dish with tinfoil, then coat it with cooking spray.

If you don't have a food processor (like me), place your Oreos in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until they're good and crumbly. They don't have to be perfect and small chunks of cookie are fine. After crushing the Oreo cookies, mix them with the melted butter and press into the bottom of the pan tightly. Cook crust for about 10 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl on medium (or with a hand mixer) until creamy, then mix in the cocoa until everything is combined. Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared pan with crust and spread evenly. Coat top of cheesecake with chocolate chips.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until set. Let cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing into bars.

Cow Cookies

Not to be confused with "cowboy cookies" or "cowgirl cookies." Just cow cookies. Because they're black and white patterned like a cow!
I didn't have a lot to work with (we were almost out of cocoa powder and butter when I started making these and now we are out) but I didn't want to make plain old chocolate chip cookies. I made these before, but with a different recipe. I have to say I like this one better.

"Cow" Cookies (makes about 5 dozen)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Nestle chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. Divide dough in half. Mix the cocoa powder with one half of the dough. Grab an equal amount of the plain and chocolate dough, and roll into a ball (about a tablespoon of dough should cover it, depending on how big you like your cookies). Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden. Cool on baking sheet and enjoy!

Gingersnaps

These are the other cookies I made for my dad as part of his birthday cookie care package. Gingersnaps! He’s loved these ever since I can remember but I’ve only ever made them twice. I tend to like them when the texture is a little chewy, but my dad likes them better when they’re hard and crunchy, so I made sure they were just how he likes them.

Gingersnaps

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup white decorating sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger;
stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll
each ball in white sugar before placing 2 inches apart on ungreased
cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until center is firm. Cool on wire racks.

(adapted from Kirbie's Cravings)

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

This is one of the most loved (and debated) things I make. A lot of people are freaked out by the whole "meat product in my dessert" thing, but let's face it. Bacon is delicious. Not only that, but it makes sense with the salty-sweet combination that's so loved in desserts anyway. I made these for my dad's birthday.

Not to mention they only have five ingredients that most people have around their house on a daily basis, which makes them easy to make. Since they're not made with any flour, they have a texture that's more crumbly than most cookies, but remain delicious all the same.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

• 1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• about 6 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled and diced

In a skillet over medium high heat, fry up bacon until cooked through and let cool on paper towels until cool enough to dice. Dice up with a knife or just crush the bacon into small pieces with your hands and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Fold in cooked bacon. Roll into balls about the size of a teaspoon and create a cris-cross pattern with a fork.Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before making the cris-cross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a baking sheet for at least five minutes.

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Moving somewhere new is always difficult at first, but getting used to the new kitchen is probably the hardest part.

You have to figure out how temperamental the stove is, find everything you need, have a place to actually work while cooking...
I was less than thrilled with the kitchen at my mother's when she moved in. The cabinets were all really small but very deep, so knocking something over while trying to get something else was pretty much inevitable. The kitchen itself was tiny in general.

Growing up in apartments all my life, I'm used to small kitchens, but this was ridiculous. Every time I made cookies, I had to put them on cooling racks in another room due to lack of counter space (and hope my cat didn't get at them).
Over time, I eventually developed a routine to cooking in that kitchen, but it still isn't my favorite place to cook in.
Anyway, I took these to my dad's when I visited and they were apparently really good. I personally think they were missing a little something, but I used sea salt instead of Fleur de Sel because I didn't have any, and thus sprinkled more on each cookie.

(recipe via Picky Palate)

Pretzel M&M Cookies

I made these for the first time last summer and now I make them constantly. They’re definitely in my top 5 favorite cookies. I used to think crispy M&Ms were the best kind of M&Ms, but I believe they stopped making them (or they’re just really difficult to find for whatever reason). Now pretzel ones are definitely my favorite. They also make the best cookies. Salty, sweet and crunchy.

Pretzel M&M Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups pretzel M&M’s
• Sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl, set aside.
Cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
On low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel M&M’s.
Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough on greased prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 10-12 minutes (I use REALLY big spoonfuls so mine usually take about 14 minutes) until cookies are slightly golden around the edges. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely, etc.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

(recipe courtesy of Two Peas & Their Pod)

Cowboy Cookies

As with most cookie recipes, as soon as I saw this, I knew I had to make it. Pretzels & chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, and I love the texture of oatmeal cookies. I had some mini marshmallows left over from making “Copycat Momofuku Cornflake Marshmallow” cookies, and thought they might taste good (or even slightly like said cornflake cookies) pressed into the top of the batter.

Cowboy CookiesYields: about 40 cookies

• 1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 c rolled oats
• 14 tbsp unsalted butter, cool but not cold, cut into cubes*
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 lg egg
• 1 lg egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 c semisweet chocolate chunks
• 3/4 c thin salty pretzels, broken into tiny pieces but not crushed into dust
• about 1/4 c mini marshmallows (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the oats and stir to combine. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat for 5 seconds. Dissolve the espresso powder in 1/4 c. hot water and add it to the bowl, mixing until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chunks and 1/2 c. of the pretzel pieces. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls and place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the remaining pretzel pieces over the dough balls. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough down lightly; don’t smash the cookie – you just want to slightly flatten the ball and push the pretzel pieces into the dough. Press mini marshmallows into the tops of the cookie with your fingers.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown or just start to darken. Set the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

(adapted slightly from mybakingheart)

Wookiee Cookies

I got the Star Wars cookbook for Christmas. It was absolutely my favorite gift, since it combines two of my favorite things - Star Wars and cooking. It’s definitely more of a kid-oriented cookbook, but a lot of the recipes are still very creative and fun to make for someone who isn’t a child. The first time I made these cookies, I didn’t realize I was basically just making cinnamon chocolate chip cookies. That’s pretty much all they are (though Wookiee cookies is much more fun to say) but for some reason, the cinnamon really adds to it.
Things to note: I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup Nestle chocolate chunks. Also my cookies didn’t turn out very dark since I used light brown sugar and in the picture in the book, they’re pretty dark. They don’t specify, but I’m assuming they used dark brown sugar. Or it’s photoshopped. Who knows?

Wookiee Cookies (from The Star Wars Cookbook)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed and set aside.
Put the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in another mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until well blended and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until well blended. Add in the chocolate chips. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto a greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden. Makes about 3 dozen.

Pfeffernüsse

These are definitely one of my favorite Christmas cookies and I remember as a kid my dad used to say the word a lot for no reason, just because it’s fun to say and it always stuck in my head. Hence why it’s the name for this blog. So that is why I picked these to make for our “gift giving exchange” between friends, this Christmas. I also wanted to do something traditionally German since my family is of mostly German ancestry. This particular recipe is a little different from the one my family used to use, but until I can find that one, this one’s the closest I’ve found.

Pfeffernüsse

• 1 cup +2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of ground cloves
• pinch ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons black treacle (or molasses)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350F
In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda and all the spices, set aside. In another larger bowl beat the sugar, butter and treacle together with an electric whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat again.
Then fold the flour/spice mixture into the wet mix until completely combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Form the cookie dough into little balls (if they’re too big they’ll spread out too much) and place 2 inches apart (I used a melon baller since I couldn’t find my mini ice cream scoop, so a lot of mine spread out a lot. They still taste fine, they just don’t look as pretty.)

Bake for about 10 minutes at 350F (you will need to do this in a few batches).
Let cool on rack for at least 10 minutes and then dip each cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar until completely coated.

Snickerdoodles

Ever since I was little, we always made snickerdoodles for Christmas and only then. I don’t believe they’re actually traditionally just a Christmas cookie, but that was the only time we ever made them. I remember helping my dad make the batter, then forming an assembly line with him for rolling them in the sugars (not just cinnamon sugar, but red and green colors for Christmas too), and of course eating half the cookie dough. It’s definitely one of my favorite childhood memories. As I got older, I realized not everyone only ate them during Christmas. My friends always wanted me to make them all times of the year, and I obliged but somehow felt bad about it, like I was betraying a family tradition, and so I never wanted to eat them. I still made them this Christmas though, and they were just as good as I remember. They just taste better during the holidays.

Snickerdoodles

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

(for rolling)

• about 2 tablespoons sugar
• about 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*also I like rolling some in colored sugar, green and red for Christmas! (just take a couple drops of liquid food coloring and mix it in some sugar with a fork until it’s not lumpy and the colors are vibrant)

In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half of the flour, the 1 cup sugar, the egg, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375* F for 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

I made these for my mother because these are one of her favorite cookies. I, personally, despise white chocolate. It's not even really chocolate. I also learned macadamia nuts are rather difficult to chop up.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 10 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and salted, chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 375 F.
In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown, and centre is set. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

(recipe courtesy of onecaketwocake)

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were really, really good. The only complaint I have is that when you try to press the cookie dough around the brownie, the cookie dough gets kind of sticky and messy, even if chilled.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 package brownie mix or use your favorite brownie recipe (this one is mine)
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 oz. bag miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make brownies according to package/recipe and let cool. Cut about ten 1 inch squares. Enjoy the remaining brownies.
For the chocolate chip cookie dough, beat butter with a mixer until creamy. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir together with a wire whisk. Add flour to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in mini chips.
Let dough chill covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use a measuring cup to scoop batter by the 1/2 cup. Since it’s chilled, you may need to pack it with a spoon. Then use the spoon to remove the dough from the cup and place it on parchment paper. Work quickly so the dough remains chilled or either prepare one cookie at a time so the rest of the dough remains cold.
After the dough is on the parchment paper (I’ve never used parchment paper), make an indention and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center. Press the brownie down gently and work the remaining dough around the brownie. You can use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. (I found that once the brownie was covered, it was a good idea to pinch some of the extra dough off so the cookies weren’t TOO large.)
If your dough gets too soft, you can chill the rolled dough balls for a few minutes right before baking.
Prepare six cookies at a time using a large baking sheet (15 X 20) and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator until time to bake the second batch.
Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Makes about ten cookies using a little less than a 1/2 cup of dough for each cookie.
If your cookies start to get too brown before they are done baking, you can place a sheet of aluminum foil over top for the last few minutes.

(recipe courtesy of Life's Too Short To Skip Dessert)

Brownie Cookies

These are probably my favorite cookie. I’ve never made these the same way twice, but they always seem to turn out delicious. Sometimes I use different kinds of chocolate, and/or cocoa powder, sometimes I add a little more or less sugar depending on what kinds of chocolates I’ve used. One time I even used chocolate sprinkles when I didn’t have enough of one kind of chocolate (it added a nice crunchy texture, I recommend trying it sometime). It all depends on what you have in your kitchen and your personal preferences.

Brownie “Puddle” Cookies

• 2 2/3 cup chocolate, chopped
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, heat the chocolate and butter until completely melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract; whisk until well combined. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir together and set aside.
Add the melted chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Drop scoops of about 1½ tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside and the dough has lost its sheen. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets.
Transfer to a wire rack when firmly set, and repeat with any remaining dough, if necessary.