By Special Request: Cookie Link Round-Up

Yesterday, I got the same question from Heather in Paris and Book Clubber Amy in West Seattle: do I have any recommendations for a good cookie for the holiday season? Heather is looking forward to visiting her fella across the Channel and having access to a proper oven. Amy is heading to a new mom cookie exchange.

I was, of course, no help on the spot. Amy caught herself as she was asking the question, realizing that her requirements for a recipe (tastiness, holiday appropriateness, relative ease of preparation for a very new mom) and my usual selection criteria (is this the most complicated way to go about making this food stuff, stopping just shy of necessitating growing the raw ingredients myself and/or what weird ingredient will it require me to buy?) might not overlap a whole lot.

Nevertheless, what good is a Google Reader dedicated to food blogs and full to the brim with holiday tips if I can’t expertly slice my way through it like a sushi chef to at least attempt to give my friends some useful info? 

Here’s what I came up with for some tasty but not-too-time-consuming holiday treats:

Actually, this first one for Butter-Nut Blondies is personally tried and tested...

...and the Blondies are a) DELICIOUS and b) super easy to prepare, especially as it is a bar recipe.  Although many people don't often have whole wheat flour on hand, it's worth it to buy some, as then you will have an excuse to make these all the time.  I have never had the butterscotch flavoring called for, and haven't missed it.  Don't skip the potentially odd-seeming vinegar; it helps make these more complex and interesting instead of just sweet.

Mark Bittman’s has an easy-sounding recipe for Butter Cookies that can be made in a food processor and the dough can be split to accommodate different mixins.

Oregon live has: One Dough, Five Cookies.  Starting from the one recipe you can make Master Butter Cookie, Chocolate Peppermint Drop Cookies, Coconut Caramel Bars, Dutch Spice Cutouts, Cranberry-Pecan White Chocolate Cookies

Chow.com has a list of recipes they say are easy enough that you can do multiple at a time. They include: Pumpkin Butterscotch-Chip Cookies, CHOW’s Intense Brownies, Super-Sized Ginger Chewies, Double Chocolate-Caramel Cookies (“thumbprint cookies with a serious dose of chocolate and a chewy caramel center”), Sticky Peanut Cookie Bars, Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting, Coconut-Date Icebox Cookies.

Here are some other miscellaneous cookies that would make a nice addition to a holiday cookie plate: Hazelnut Kiss Cookies, Chai Spice Gingerbread Girls, Icebox Cookies (easy-to-make dough, chill, slice and bake) in Pistachio-Cranberry or Eggnog

And here's a quick round-up of some Cookie Tips and Tricks, along with some other recipes... 

• Tips for Sugar Cookies with link to recipe from Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano
• Epicurious has a slideshow of 25 most popular Xmas cookie recipes with some cooking tips
• Tips on rolling out cookies
• Chow has some Cookie Tips video

Once you are all done with your baking, how about some ideas for drink pairings with holiday cookies beyond the traditional milk?

Comments

[Heather]

Thanks! I'll let you know which ones I do and how they come out. ;)

[Heather]

Hi Leslie,
Thanks for all of the cooie ideas. Based on what I could find in England (no butterscotch chips or flavoring), I'm making the butter nut blondies. It says to use unsalted butter, but there's salt in the recipe. What if I use salted butter and not add extra salt? :)

[Leslie Seaton]

Yes indeed, that is the general advice I've seen for using salted butter in place of unsalted. You should be good! Let me know how they turn out...I just made another batch for my grandma and might make another this week for some upcoming houseguests...very much a winner.