Best of Baking

Cookie making Tips
http://www.tallgrasskitchen.com/christmas-cookie-compendium

Best of from Blue Eyed Bakers
http://www.blueeyedbakers.com/home/2012/12/19/the-most-delicious-holiday-gifts.html

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake
Makes 1 loaf
Inspired by Joan’s on Third

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, lower speed to medium and add in the eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. In 3 batches, add in the flour mixture, mixing at low speed after each addition until just blended.

Spread 1/3 of the batter in the pan, then spread 1/3 of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and another 1/3 of the Nutella. Top with the remaining batter and Nutella and lightly swirl the Nutella and batter together with a knife.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Allow the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack for about 2 hours. Store well wrapped at room temperature. And for a real treat, pop a slice into the microwave for 15 seconds and top with vanilla ice cream. Consider yourself warned.

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Cranberry Christmas Cake

from http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2011/12/cranberry-christmas-cake.html

Cranberry Christmas Cake

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.

Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 43 minutes.) Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. I cut mine into fairly small pieces, about 1"x2", so that they could be easily eaten at a party. Enjoy!

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High Tea Lemon Cookies

From http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/HighTeaCookies.htm

Recipe Type: Cookie, Christmas Cookie, Afternoon Tea & High Tea, Lemons, Cornstarch Cookies
Yields: 6 dozen
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min


Ingredients:

2 cups butter, room temperature*
2/3 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch**
Lemon Frosting (see recipe below)

* Very important - please read! You must use room temperature butter (not softened or melted butter). I get emails from bakers saying that their cookies turn out all crumbly. It usually turns out that they have not used room temperature butter. I, personally, make these cookie every year for our Spring Teas. The recipe is correct. These cookies are always the favorite at our teas. NOTE: If you live in a high humidity area, check out comments below. See below for butter softening tricks if you absolutely don't have time to bring your butter to room temperature by letting it sit out on the counter for at least 1 hour to overnight.

** Yes, this is correct - use 1 1/2 cups cornstarch.


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy looking. Add powdered sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract; beat well. Add flour and cornstarch into butter mixture and mix well until well combined. NOTE: At first the dough will look dry - but don't worry, as the dough slowly comes together as you mix it and the butter melts into the dry ingredients.

Do not refrigerate this dough, as the butter will harden and make the dough unmanageable for rolling to a ball.

Using your hands, roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from oven, carefully remove from baking sheet, and cool on wire cooling racks (when warm the cookies are delicate).

When cookies have cooled, spread Lemon Frosting onto top of cookies.

Yields 6 dozen cookies.


 High Tea Lemon Cookies Lemon Frosting:
This recipe makes enough for a double batch of cookies.

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 to 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

In a medium bowl, combine butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and powdered sugar; stir until well mixed. NOTE: Additional lemon juice may be needed to get the frosting thin enough.

NOTE:  After making many batches of Lemon Frosting, I now thin the frosting with additional lemon juice or water and dip the top of the cookie into it. This technique is much faster and easier.





How to Get Butter to Room Temperature Quickly

Butter softened properly is ready to use when it can be easily squished between your thumb and forefinger. I prefer that you let your butter soften up naturally, but if you absolutely don’t have the time to let you butter sit out at least 1 hour or overnight, here are a few tricks to soften butter up fast:

Cut into small cubes: Cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit out at room temperature for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The smaller the cubes, the quicker the butter will soften.

Grating butter: If the butter is frozen, try grating it. Grate the cold butter on the large side of a box grater (it may get messy). The small pieces will soften almost immediately.

Pound the butter: Put the butter in a re-sealable plastic bag and use a rolling pin or meat pounder to flatten the butter. A few minutes on the counter and the butter will be up to room temperature.

Microwave: Least desirable way to soften butter. Microwave the butter in 5-second bursts, but there is a chance that it will melt completely, So, watch carefully!

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Wisconsin Brandy Bites from JSOnline.com

Jennifer Glocka of Milwaukee tied for first in the Localicious category and tied for second place overall with these moist morsels laced just so with Door County cherry brandy.

Wisconsin Brandy Bites

Makes 3 dozen

Tested by Chelsey Lewis

Ingredients

Caramel (see recipe)
1 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
2 cups walnuts
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup Door County cherry brandy
¼ cup powdered sugar

Caramel:
½ of a 14-ounce bag of caramel candies, unwrapped
2 tablespoons milk
1 ounce cream cheese, room temperature (optional)

Preparation

Prepare Caramel: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil.

Add unwrapped candies and milk to a small saucepan.

Set small saucepan in the medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted. If using cream cheese, add at this time and keep stove at low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth.

Let mixture cool 5 to 10 minutes before adding to basic Brandy Bite mixture.

Cookies
In a food processor, chop vanilla wafers and walnuts. Add dried cranberries and chop mixture into crumb-size pieces.

Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add brandy and ¼ cup of the caramel to the mixture and stir. If the mixture is dry, add a small amount of brandy until mixture is of a dough-like consistency. Shape spoonfuls of mixture into 1-inch bite-size balls.

Roll balls in powdered sugar. Store in a single layer in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Note: You need only ¼ cup for the recipe. Save remaining caramel sauce to serve over ice cream.

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Lady Fingers (Pecan Fingers) from JSOnline.com

Mary Beth Niebler of Waukesha tied for first in the Holiday Best category and for second overall with this exceptionally well executed classic. Most recipes have a 1:2 ratio of pecans to flour; these are 1:1.

Lady Fingers (Pecan Fingers)

Makes about 52
Tested by Zeina Makky

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups very finely ground pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for rolling

Preparation
In a large bowl, cream butter and the ½ cup powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour, nuts and vanilla and mix until combined.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Roll small balls of dough into finger-like shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom. Let cookies cool briefly before rolling in powdered sugar and placing on racks to cool. After cookies have completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar again.

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Festive Mixed Nut Bars from JSOnline.com

Sue Shannon of Saukville won the Bar None category and tied for third overall with these pretty, crunchy triangular bars. She said she originally made them with peanuts but thinks the deluxe mixed nuts (she uses Kirkland brand from Costco, with macadamia nuts) give them a richer flavor.

Festive Mixed Nut Bars

Makes 5 to 8 dozen, depending on size of pan and how you cut them
Tested by Nancy Stohs

Ingredients
1 package (two-layer size) white cake mix (any brand)
½ cup (1 stick) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (divided)
1 egg
1 1/3 cups butterscotch chips
½ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups mixed nuts

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15-by-10-inch or 17-by-12-inch sheet pan with foil, leaving some excess foil on sides for lifting bars out of pan. Do not grease. (Shannon uses the larger pan.)

In large bowl with electric mixer, beat cake mix (dry), the ½ cup butter and the egg on low speed until dough forms. Press dough into foil-lined pan, using palm of your hand to flatten and evenly cover bottom of pan. Bake in preheated oven until light brown but not set, about 13 to 15 minutes (slightly longer if using the smaller pan).

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix butterscotch chips, corn syrup and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until chips are melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

When baked layer is done, immediately spread butterscotch mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle nuts on butterscotch mixture, arranging them with a bit of space between nuts. Press gently to set. Bake 7 minutes longer.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle half of pan with red sugar and the other half with green sugar. The sugar will stick to the warm butterscotch between the nuts.

Cool completely in pan on wire rack. When cool, lift bars out of pan using foil. Place on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut into about 2-inch squares. Then cut on the angle, creating triangle-shaped cookies.

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Brownie Mints from JSOnline.com

Madeline LaFrombois, 9, and her mother, Mary LaFrombois, of Whitefish Bay, won the Parent + Child category with this chocolaty, minty cookie. Madeline came up with the cookie idea and name and helped make the cookies, Mary said.

Madeline wanted to create a chewy chocolate cookie with just a “hint of mint,” her mother said. They turned their favorite brownie recipe into a cookie and added chocolate frosting and peppermint candy.

“We like Penzeys Dutch-process cocoa,” Mary wrote. “It makes the cookie a dark chocolate color and looks nicer with the chocolate frosting and pink peppermint topping.”

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies
Tested by Zeina Makky

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
12 ounces semisweet
chocolate chips
¼ cup whipping cream
½ cup crushed peppermint candy (about 5 candy canes)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make cookies: In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar and cocoa powder using electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until fully integrated. Gradually add flour and salt until fully mixed.

Scoop with a small spring-loaded scoop (about 1 inch diameter) onto cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven 12 minutes, until cookies are semi-firm.

Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks.

While cookies cool, make frosting: Melt chocolate chips in a large bowl in the microwave. Heat cream about 1 minute on high in the microwave. Gradually mix cream into chocolate until fully mixed and glossy. Cool.

Frost cookies with chocolate frosting. Dust with peppermint candy before frosting sets.

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Cranberry Snow Drops  from JSOnline.com

Her mother’s cranberry torte recipe was the inspiration for this delightfully light, airy cookie by Inga Harwick of Wauwatosa. This cookie was a runner-up in the Localicious category.

Makes about 3 dozen
Tested by Roberta Wahlers

Ingredients
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1 cup fresh Wisconsin cranberries, cut in half
½ cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, beat butter, egg and sugar with electric mixer until very, very stiff (about 8 minutes at high speed). Add flour, cranberries and pecans all at once and mix lightly by hand.

Drop by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.

Place one sheet of cookies in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 15 minutes.

Reheat oven again to 400 degrees and repeat procedure for next sheet of cookies.

Remove to wire rack immediately and cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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Orange Cranberry Jumbles  from JSOnline.com

Refreshing with orange flavor and cute like mini-doughnuts — that’s what the judges said about this cookie from Maria Schmitt of Wauwatosa, which was a runner-up in the Localicious category. She based it on a lemon cookie recipe from Woman’s Day years ago, switching to orange and adding cranberries.

Makes about 48 cookies (2 1/2 inches in diameter)

Ingredients

Dough:
2 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup finely chopped dried cranberries

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
½ teaspoon finely grated orange peel
Sparkling sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugar together until pale. Beat in egg, orange peel, vanilla and cranberries. Add flour mixture gradually. Stir just until blended.

Divide dough in quarters. Divide each quarter into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into an even rope about 5 inches long. Bring ends of each rope together and press together to form a ring. Place 1 ¼ inches apart on lined baking sheets.

Bake 1 sheet at a time in preheated oven 8 to 12 minutes until just faintly browned at edges. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel in a small bowl. Stir until smooth and blended. Add more orange juice and/or powered sugar as needed. Dip top of each cookie into glaze. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Let stand 1 hour until glaze sets.

Note: For those who like orange and chocolate, the cookies could be drizzled with chocolate instead of using the sparkling sugar.

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Door County Cherry Almond Chippers  from JSOnline.com

Jane Mathews of Franksville adapted a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis to create this cherry-chocolate-almond treat. This cookie was a runner-up in the Localicious category.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
Tested by Chelsey

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon soy sauce (Kikkoman’s)
1 large egg
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup coarsely chopped dried sweetened tart cherries}
½ cup slivered, blanched toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Ganache:
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons white corn syrup

Topping:
¼ cup ground almonds
Preparation
In a bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon and soy sauce until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg. Add flour and beat at lowest speed until blended. Stir in chips, cherries and chopped almonds.

Roll dough into a 2-inch-wide log. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice dough log into ¼-inch rounds and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 12 minutes, until just starting to brown.

While cookies bake, make ganache. In a saucepan, heat heavy cream until bubbling. Turn off heat and drop in chocolate chips. Wait 2 minutes, then stir until mixture becomes glossy. Add corn syrup. Cool until desired pouring consistency. Spoon ganache over cookies and sprinkle with ground almonds.

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Cranberry Pecan Spice Cookies  from JSOnline.com

After spending hours on fussy, intricate cookies, Paula Waldoch of Milwaukee developed this easy cookie packed with flavor and crunch, which was a runner-up in the Holiday Best category. “I needed an effortless filler for the platter and this is what evolved,” she wrote.

Makes about 4 dozen
Tested by Nancy Stohs

Ingredients
1 box (2-layer size) spice cake mix
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon Penzeys cake spice
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup dried cranberries (about a 5-ounce bag)
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup white chocolate chips

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, flour, cake spice, butter and eggs with an electric mixer 1 minute. Stir in cranberries, pecans and white chocolate chips. Dough will be very stiff.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.

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Swedish Hallongrottor with Lingonberry Jam  from JSOnline.com

The lingonberry jam served at Al Johnson’s in Door County inspired Jane Mathews of Franksville to develop this cookie, an adaptation of a Dorie Greenspan shortbread recipe.

Makes 4 dozen
Tested by Carol Deptolla

Ingredients
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup Baker’s super-fine sugar
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup lingonberry jam (see note)
½ cup regular granulated sugar
¼ cup candied orange peel (see note)
3 tablespoons Swedish pearl sugar

Preparation
In a bowl, combine orange zest and Baker’s sugar and mix until it looks like new-fallen snow. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt together with a whisk.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed of electric mixer until soft and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add orange zest-sugar and mix until it combines with the butter. At a lower speed, add whole egg and egg yolk until incorporated. Add vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to butter one-third at a time. Don’t overmix. Fold a bit to make sure flour is incorporated. Form dough in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

Take a small melon-ball-size scoop and form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into regular granulated sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets at least an inch apart and indent with your thumb. Fill with a scant amount of lingonberry jam. Bake in preheated oven 8 minutes until just starting to appear golden. Remove from oven and while filling is hot, sprinkle with orange peel and pearl sugar. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Notes: Lingonberry jam and pearl sugar are available at Woodman’s and high-end groceries.

Store-bought candied orange peel is fine. I made my own, which is fairly easy to do.

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Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cookies  from JSOnline.com
Kale Lund, 10, and his mother, Cheryl Lund, of Wauwatosa placed as runner-up in this category. “My cookie creation is special because it has toffee in it and you can just pop them into your mouth,” said Kale, who — according to his mother — is “really interested in cooking/baking and sometimes will whip up crepes or a yeast bread on his own and prefers Food Network to Cartoon Network!”

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen
Tested by Jen Steele

Ingredients

Cookie dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 ounces light cream cheese
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup finely ground almonds

Filling:
Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips (60%) (3 chips per cookie)
Nestle’s white chocolate chips (3 chips per cookie)
Heath toffee candy bars, finely chopped (½ teaspoon per cookie) (or use Heath bar bits)

Glaze:
1 cup Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Topping:
Heath toffee candy bars, finely chopped (½ teaspoon per cookie)

Preparation
In a bowl, cream together butter, light cream cheese and almond extract. In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar, flour, salt and almonds. Blend both mixtures together on low speed about 1 minute. Scrape side and bottom of bowl and mix again on low speed 1 more minute until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Press your thumb into each ball, forming a well, and insert filling ingredients. Enclose dough around filling.

Place on ungreased baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven about 13 to 14 minutes, or until bottoms are slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine glaze ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat, continuously stirring, until smooth. When cookies are cool, pour a heaping teaspoon of glaze over each cookie and top with ½ teaspoon of finely chopped Heath bars. Let cool until glaze sets before storing.

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Chocolate Melting Moments  from JSOnline.com

Denise Polka of Milwaukee submitted this easy-to-like little cookie with a fine texture and colorful sugar coating.

Makes 4 dozen
Tested by Zeina Makky

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar (divided)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red and /or green decorator sugar (optional)

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine butter, 2/3 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add flour, cornstarch and cocoa. Beat until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about l hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into l-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are set. Let stand l minute; remove from cookie sheets.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 2/3 cup powdered sugar and decorator sugars, if desired, in a small bowl. Roll warm cookies in sugar mixture and again when cooled.

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Peppermint Blondie Bars  from JSOnline.com

Valentina Ciuffreda, 16, of Wauwatosa created these sweet, buttery minty bars.

Makes 35 (2-inch) bars
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
Peppermint buttercream (see recipe below)
White chocolate layer (see recipe below)
Crushed candy canes

Peppermint buttercream:
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops red food coloring

White chocolate layer:
9 ounces white chocolate
1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 15½-by-10½-by-1-inch jellyroll pan, line it with criss-crossed sheets of foil that come up over sides of pan, and generously butter the foil.

In a bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, then add peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat in flour until well combined.

Spread batter evenly with your fingers into your pan and bake it in middle rack of preheated oven 17 to 20 minutes or until bars start to pull away slightly from edge of pan. Set pan on rack to cool.

Prepare peppermint buttercream. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth and well combined. Spread evenly over shortbread base once it has cooled.

In top of double boiler or in microwave, melt white chocolate with shortening. and spread carefully and evenly over peppermint buttercream. Immediately sprinkle crushed candy canes over the bars and let cool a few hours before cutting. Once they are cooled, enjoy your decadent cookie delight!

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Nancy’s Gluten-Free Oatmeal Craisin Cookies  from JSOnline.com

Nancy Wilder of Elm Grove created these tasty little sugar-topped gluten-free cookies that you would never suspect were not made with regular flour.

Makes 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 extra-large egg, beaten
¾ cup brown rice flour
½ cup sorghum flour
¾ cup tapioca starch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Preparation
Melt butter. Add sugar, oats and dried cranberries. Let cool.

Add beaten egg to mixture.

Into another bowl, sift together brown rice and sorghum flours, tapioca starch, cinnamon, salt, ground almonds and xanthan gum. Add to wet ingredients, starting with 1½ cups; dough should hold together and not be too dry. (Any leftover blend can be used for another gluten-free baking project.) Let dough rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Drop small balls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, or until light brown. Remove to racks to cool. Sprinkle with sugar while still warm.

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Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies  from JSOnline.com

Victoria Law of Milwaukee has made many a pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin but said the cookie-cake texture of these tastey filled sandwich cookies is better with canned pumpkin.

Makes 20 to 22 sandwich cookies
Tested by Jen Steele

Ingredients

Cookies:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Pumpkin cream cheese frosting: 
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, blend together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla extract and beat until creamy. Mix in flour mixture and chopped pecans until well blended.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets.

Bake in preheated oven until edges are lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting onto flat bottoms of half the cookies and top with another similar-size cookie. Store in refrigerator.

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Pumpkin Cranberry Drops  from JSOnline.com

Gerry Cofta of Milwaukee doctored up her mother’s traditional pumpkin cookie recipe with crystallized ginger, nuts and cranberries. She said she loves the taste of brown butter and uses it often to make a glaze.

Makes 4 dozen
Tested by Alison Sherwood

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized ginger plus more for topping
2 cups flour
½ cup sliced almonds, chopped and toasted, plus more for topping
½ cup dried cranberries
Brown butter drizzle (see recipe)

Brown butter drizzle
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)


Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg, pumpkin and 1 to 2 teaspoons crystallized ginger. Gradually add flour, beating until combined. Stir in ½ cup almonds and dried cranberries.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to rack and let cool.

Make brown butter drizzle and drizzle over cooled cookies. If desired, sprinkle cookies with additional chopped almonds and crystallized ginger. Let drizzle set.

Tester’s note: If you love cranberries, you might want to add even more.

Brown butter drizzle:
In a medium saucepan, heat butter over low heat until melted. Continue heating butter until it turns a delicate brown, watching carefully. Remove pan from heat. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make an icing of drizzling consistency.

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Rum-Glazed Spice Logs  from JSOnline.com

These buttery not-too-sweet little frosted cookies with a rum-flavored glaze were created by Sue Shannon of Saukville. She used Penzeys spices, including its Baking Spice, a blend of cinnamon, ground anise seed, allspice, mace and cardamom.

Makes 8 dozen
Tested by Kate Fons

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup water
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tablespoon buttermilk powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Penzeys baking spice blend
½ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon West Indies ground nutmeg

Glaze: 
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon rum extract
Extra nutmeg for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl of mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg, water and vanilla. Mix until liquid is incorporated and mixture is smooth and creamy. Add flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, salt and spices. Beat until well mixed.

Put dough into a cookie press and use the larger star disc (5/8 inch from tip to tip). Pipe a long log of dough the length of an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat 3 to 5 times, depending on size of cookie sheet, leaving 1½ to 2 inches between logs. Using a knife, score logs about every 2 inches.

Bake in preheated oven 14 to 16 minutes, until bottoms are slightly golden. Remove from oven and immediately use a knife or metal spatula to cut logs where scored. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For glaze, combine all ingredients and mix with a whisk until smooth. Put glaze into a 1-quart zipper-topped freezer bag. Snip one corner to make a ¼-inch opening. Squeeze a ribbon of glaze onto each cooled cookie and sprinkle very lightly with nutmeg.

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Sweet Matcha Shortbread Cookies with Door County Cherry Preserves  from JSOnline.com

Jill Whalen of Waukesha has been experimenting with adding flavors to shortbread, a family cookie favorite (pumpkin pie spice, egg nog flavor, etc.). An encounter with matcha tea ice cream last summer in Washington state inspired this rendition with a local twist: sweet matcha powder from Rishi Tea paired with Door County cherries. “Together they make a lovely green and red Christmas cookie,” she wrote.

Makes 3 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies
Tested by Roberta Wahlers

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
¼ cup Rishi Tea sweet matcha powder
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
Pitted Door County tart cherries
Sugar
Additional sweet matcha powder for dusting

Preparation

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sweet matcha powder (be sure to use sweetened, not regular matcha powder), powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, then stir in flour and beat until well combined.

Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours to allow tea flavor to develop.

Meanwhile, prepare cherry preserves for filling: (See note) Put as many cherries as you have into a heavy, non-reactive pot and cook over medium-high heat about 20 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and soft.

Measure cherries including juice, return to pot and add three-fourths the volume of sugar. (For example, if you measured 4 cups of cherries and juice, add 3 cups of sugar.) Also add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until it becomes thick, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot to prevent sticking. Wait until bubbles subside, then test for proper consistency: Place a teaspoon on a frozen plate and refreeze a few minutes; nudge it with your finger, and if it wrinkles, it’s done. You can then can or freeze the preserves for future use. For use in the cookies, make sure they’re cooled first to at least room temperature.

When ready to bake cookies, bring dough to room temperature and roll out on lightly floured surface into a ¼-inch-thick slab. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter (such as a star). Using a smaller cutter (in the same shape or just a circle), cut out a small center from half the cookies. Place all cutouts on ungreased cookie sheets and refrigerate 15 minutes. This will help the cookies keep their shape.

While cookies chill, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake cookies in preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden on the bottom. Remove to racks to cool.

To assemble: Dust cookies lightly with sweet matcha powder. Spread bottom of each whole cookie (without a center cut out) with a scant ¼ teaspoon of cherry preserves (try to omit any cherry chunks). Top with a cut-out cookie, then place a little more of the preserves in the center. For crispier cookies, wait until just before serving to add preserves and assemble.

Note: Premade Door County cherry preserves can be used.

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Coconut Raspberry Thumbprints  from JSOnline.com

Barbara O’Donnell of Milwaukee, who created this coconut lovers’ recipe, said she loves to bake Christmas cookies and sends them all over the world.

Makes 3 dozen
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut (a 7-ounce bag)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs whites, slightly beaten
½ teaspoon almond extract
4 ounces chocolate flavor candy coating
¼ cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Sir in egg whites and almond extract. Drop coconut mixture by teaspoons 1 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheets, making 1- to 1½-inch mounds. Lightly flour your thumb and press into the center of each mound to make an indentation.

Bake in preheated oven about 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown. If necessary, use the rounded side of a teaspoon to press indentation again. Cool cookies completely on cookie sheets. Carefully remove cookies form cookies sheets.

In a small heavy saucepan or in microwave, heat and stir candy coating over low heat until melted. Carefully dip the bottom of each cooled cookie into the melted candy coating, letting excess drip off. Place cookies, candy coating sides up, on parchment paper, and let stand 30 minutes or until candy coating sets. To fill cookies, just before serving, spoon about ¼ teaspoon of the jam into the indentation in each cookie. (Or, if making ahead, store in a single layer.)

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Rugelach  from JSOnline.com

These sugary walnut-filled treats from Renee Schmidt of Jackson will help round out any cookie platter.

Makes 48 crescent-shaped cookies, about 3 ¼ inches in length
Tested by Jill Stohs

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preparation
In a large bowl, beat the 1 cup room-temperature butter with cream cheese and salt until smooth. Add flour and mix on low speed until well mixed.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions and shape into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill just until firm, no more than 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon until thoroughly mixed.

Roll each dough disc into a 10-inch circle on a floured surface. Brush each circle with some melted butter and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar filling and ¼ cup walnuts.

Cut each circle into 12 wedge-shaped pieces; roll each wedge into a crescent-style roll. Place rolls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and bake in preheated oven 18 to 24 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly, then brush each cookie lightly with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Note: You will have cinnamon sugar left over. Save for another use or, if desired, reduce to 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

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All recipes from JSOnline.com found here http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/2013-holiday-cookie-contest-is-a-christmas-treat-b99147051z1-234275891.html

More cookie recipes
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie.htm