Cooking with Melissa: Satisfying the Holiday Sweet Tooth

PrintEmail

We’re coming into my favorite time of the year—friends and family gathering, homes decorated, old family recipes and an overload of holiday cheer.

The week of Christmas I spend a day baking cookies—whatever makes it through the week is served as dessert on Christmas Eve. When I first started this tradition, I made sugar cookie cutouts and gingerbread. Over the years, I have added on to the list. This year I asked each guest what their favorite cookie is so I can attempt to bake them all – I can see my kitchen now in a giant flour mess.

I have tried many versions of the classic sugar cutout cookie and the gingerbread recipe. These are my favorite because they are easy and the ingredients are not hard to find. A trick to keeping the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and the counter is to place it between two sheets of parchment paper (or even plastic wrap) and roll it out. If you spray your cookie cutters lightly with Pam they shouldn’t stick to the dough either.

I’ve also included here a bonus recipe for hot cocoa. You haven’t had a mug of cocoa until you try it this way. You can mix the seasoning in advance and warm milk as needed. This recipe is also a great idea for those last minute gifts or unexpected guests at a holiday party. Pre-mix the seasoning, place it in a festive bag, and include the recipe on the card. It won't disappoint.

Enjoy these recipes and Happy Holidays!

Sugar Cookies

Recipe inspired by Alton Brown

Makes 3 dozen cookies               Level: Easy               Time: 15 min prep, 2 hr inactive, 9 min bake

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
• Candies and icing for decorating

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine.
3. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking.
7. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat.  If you are using candies (sprinkles, red hots, etc) decorate prior to baking.
8. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
9. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven to finish cooking and then move to a wire cooling rack.
10. Serve as is or frost as desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Gingerbread Cutouts

Recipe by Betty Crocker

Makes 8 dozen cookies               Level – Easy               Time:  15 min prep, 1 hour inactive, 7 min bake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• Assorted candies, if desired
• Colored sugar, if desired
• Frosting, if desired

Directions

1. Beat granulated sugar, butter and molasses in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well mixed. Beat in egg and water until blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cardamom and cloves. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. Roll 1/3 of dough at a time on floured surface to ¼ - ½ ­inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.)
4. Cut with floured 2 1/2­inch gingerbread boy or girl cookie cutters. Place at least 1 inch apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Decorate with candies. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
5. Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool. 
6. Once completely cooled frost as desired.

*To make frosting combine 2 cups of powdered sugar with 3 TBS milk and tint with food coloring.  Adjust thickness as needed. 

Christmas Cocoa

Recipe by Betty Crocker

Makes 6 servings               Level – Easy               Time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 cups milk
• Marshmallows
• Candy Canes

Directions

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat sugar, cocoa, water, cinnamon and nutmeg over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. 
2. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in milk and heat over low heat.
4. Pour cocoa into 6 mugs and top each with marshmallows.  Serve with a candy cane.

*For a variation substitute 3 TBS crushed candy canes for the cinnamon and nutmeg for mint cocoa OR add 1 TBS coffee grounds for mocha cocoa.  

About the author and chef:

Melissa Wychocki lives in Naples, FL with her husband Nick and yellow lab - and sous chef - Charley. She runs a successful real estate team, The Bluewater Group, as well as a home flipping company, Bluewater Acquisitions. When she’s not busy with real estate, Melissa has found a new passion in cooking and enjoys hosting dinner parties for family and friends. She has never taken a cooking class and is mostly self taught. Her motivation to write this column is to inspire Young Professionals to put the take-out menus down and give cooking a shot because it’s easy, fun and much healthier! Follow Melissa's cooking column here on YPNation. 

(Photo credit: C.C. Chapman; Creative Commons 2.0)