12/7/2016
All-Star Holiday Cookie Recipes
Cream Cheese Cookies
The stars of The Kitchen and the chefs in our very own Food Network
Kitchen dreamed up a baker's dozen new cookies to swap this year.
Total Time:3 hr 25 minPrep:40 minInactive:1 hr 30 minCook:1 hr 15 min
Yield:3 dozen cookiesLevel:Easy
Ingredients
2 3/4 sticks (1 cup plus 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, 6 ounces at room temperature, 2 ounces
frozen
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 large egg yolk
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring (see Cook's Note)
2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more if needed
Very finely grated lime zest or finely minced cranberries, for garnish,
optional
Directions
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325
degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Combine the butter, vanilla, 4 ounces of the room-temperature cream
cheese and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl and beat with an
electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups
of the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the
egg yolk and beat until smooth, then add the flour and beat on low until
the dough just comes together. Remove the frozen cream cheese from the
freezer and chop into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the dough,
quickly stirring with a rubber spatula to evenly incorporate them into
the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop 12 portions of
dough, roll into balls and transfer to the prepared baking sheet,
spacing them evenly apart. Lightly flour the bottom of a 1/2-cup
measuring cup and use it to flatten each cookie into a disk about 1/2
inch thick, re-flouring the cup after each cookie.
Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies look
set but are still pale and barely brown on the bottom, 20 to 24 minutes.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to
a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 ounces room-temperature cream cheese,
2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and beat with an
electric mixer on low speed until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add
the milk and stir slowly until a thick glaze forms.
When the cookies are cool, dip the entire surface of the top of each
cookie in the glaze and lift up, letting the excess glaze drip off, then
flip the cookie right-side up and onto the cooling rack. If the glaze is
too thick, add another teaspoon of milk to loosen it. If using the
cranberries or lime zest, sprinkle on top of the cookies while the glaze
is still wet. Allow the glaze to set before serving, at least 10
minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container
for up to 5 days.
Special equipment: a 1-ounce ice cream scoop, optional
Copyright 2016 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
Cook's Note: When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup
and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the
flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
12/8/2016
Caramel Cookie Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid
Time:4 hr 20 minPrep:35 minInactive:1 hr 40 minCook:2 hr 5 min
Yield:26 cookie sandwichesLevel:Intermediate
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookies:
2 cups cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Mexican Cajeta:
1 quart goat milk (or use regular whole milk; see Cook's Note)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 whole vanilla bean, split and with seeds, optional
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
For the shortbread cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the
cornstarch, flour, baking powder, baking soda and fine salt to combine;
set aside.
Put the butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle
attachment. Mix on medium speed, scraping down the sides with a rubber
spatula as needed, until the ingredients are fully combined and the
mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the brandy, vanilla
and egg yolks and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until the flour is
fully incorporated. Mix for about 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and place them onto 2 separate
pieces of plastic wrap. Shape each piece into a smooth disk and wrap
tightly. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350
degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Unwrap one piece of dough and place it on a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. With a 2-inch round cutter
(plain or fluted), cut out about 20 circles and transfer them to the
prepared baking sheets. Bake on the middle rack, in 2 batches if
necessary, until golden brownish on top, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the
cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Repeat the
rolling, cutting and baking process with the second dough piece, for an
additional 20 cookies. Reroll the scraps once, cutting out 12 more
circles, and bake.
For the Mexican cajeta: Stir together the milk and sugar in a large,
heavy-bottomed pot. Add the vanilla extract, salt and vanilla bean pods
and seeds if using. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat while constantly
stirring, 6 to 8 minutes.
When the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add the baking
soda. The milk will become frothy and rise. Keep stirring the mixture.
Put the pot back on the stove over medium heat. Cook at a low simmer,
stirring frequently to make sure that the sauce does not stick to bottom
of the pan. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. After 15
minutes, the mixture will be light golden brown. Remove the vanilla pods
if using and continue cooking until the mixture is a rich brown and
reduced to about 1 1/2 cups (it will resemble a thick caramel sauce at
this point), about 30 additional minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat
and allow it to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
After the cookies and cajeta have cooled, flip half of the cookies
upside down and gently spread about 2 teaspoons of the cajeta on each
one (if the cajeta is too thick to spread easily after cooling,
microwave it briefly to warm it up and loosen it enough to spread).
Place another cookie bottom-side down on top of the cajeta on each and
press to create a sandwich. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar before
serving. Enjoy!
Special equipment: a plain or fluted 2-inch round cutter
Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid
12/10/2016
Eggnog Meltaway Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the
confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food .
Total Time:2 hr 25 minPrep:25 minInactive:1 hr 10 minCook:50 min
Yield:4 dozen cookiesLevel:Easy
Total Time:2 hr 25 minPrep:25 minInactive:1 hr 10 minCook:50 min
Yield:4 dozen cookiesLevel:Easy
With the flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg, these cookies mimic the
holiday drink. Brought to ... More
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a
food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes.
Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape
the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum
and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and
pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and
place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for
30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven
and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back
halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed,
completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies
very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need
to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on
a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar
mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an
airtight container for up to a week.
Copyright 2016 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
Cook's Note: When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup
and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the
flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
