Holiday Cookies

Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season [A Baking Book]

$4.99 US
Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Press
On sale Sep 05, 2017 | 9780399580260
Sales rights: World
From Icebox Pinwheel Cookies to Red-and-White Meringue Kisses to Apple Cider Caramels, find new inspiration for the best of seasonal baking with Holiday Cookies.
 
This instant holiday classic is packed with 50 recipes, each gorgeously photographed and meticulously tested, along with dozens of decorating and packaging ideas. Filled with reimagined favorites like Giant Molasses Spice Cookies and Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies; confections like Peppermint Bark, Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle, and Dark Chocolate–Hazelnut Fudge; and detailed instructions for gorgeous gingerbread houses, cookie place cards, and edible ornaments, this is a cookie book like no other. Because the recipes are easy to scale up or down, Holiday Cookies is perfect for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, and just enjoying throughout the season. From a veteran baker and recipe developer, each cookie in this collection is guaranteed to be a stand-out, and destined to become your new Christmas classic.
CONTENTS

1 Introduction
2 About This Book
5 Cookie Tips and Tricks
7 Decorating Cookies
13 Royal Icing
14 Packaging Tips and Tricks
17 Storing Cookies

CHAPTER 1
19 VERY MERRY CLASSICS
20 Gingerbread Cookies
24 Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons
27 Minty Spritz Cookies
28 Icebox Pinwheel Cookies
32 Black and Whites
35 Chocolate–Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwich Cookies
36 Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
39 Triple-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
40 Chocolate-Stenciled
 
CHAPTER 2
43 COOKIE EXCHANGE PARTY
44 Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
48 Red-and-White Meringue Kisses
51 Bejeweled Chocolate Cookies
52 Oatmeal Crisps with Chocolate
55 Almond Ricciarelli Cookies
56 Fruitcake Shortbread
59 Dark Chocolate Cookies with Caramel
60 Espresso Thins
63 Malted Milk Chocolate Cookies

CHAPTER 3
65 WARM HOLIDAY SPICE
66 Molasses Spice Cookies
69 Thumbprints with Spicy Plum Jam
70 Pain d’Épices Shortbread Swirls
73 Glazed Eggnog Madeleines
74 Saffron Pistachio Biscotti
78 Hot Chocolate Cookies with Aleppo Pepper
81 Cinnamon-Sugar Palmiers
82 Fig and Cardamom Rugelach

CHAPTER 4
87 AROUND THE WORLD
88 Swedish Pepparkakor
91 Italian Pignoli Cookies
92 Austrian Linzer Augen
95 South American Alfajores
99 Danish Butter Wreaths
101 Hungarian Kiffles
105 Dutch Speculaas
106 Mexican Wedding Cookies

CHAPTER 5
109 HOLIDAY CONFECTIONS
110 Peppermint Bark
113 Apple Cider Caramels
114 Peanut Butter–Chocolate Crunch Squares
117 Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle
118 Matcha Chocolate Bark with Berries and Coconut
121 Dark Chocolate–Hazelnut Fudge
122 Bourbon and Maple Chocolate Truffles
125 Chocolate Caramels with Bourbon and Vanilla

CHAPTER 6
127 DECORATED DELIGHTS
128 Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Cutouts
132 Citrus Sugar Cookie Ornaments
135 Candy Cane Cookies
136 Doily-Rolled Gingersnaps
139 Gingerbread Place-Card Cookies
141 3-D Christmas Trees
144 Stained-Glass Snowflakes
147 Gingerbread House
INTRODUCTION

The aroma of baking that fills my home in December is unlike that of any other time of year and heightens my excitement for the approaching holidays. Thinking about what lies ahead conjures up memories of being a child, when early every moment of the holiday season seemed warm and festive.

I was born and brought up in Sweden, where my parents built a house next door to my grandmother’s home. The nearest town was six miles away, so my childhood was spent in the countryside. I learned to bake from a young age, and as a teenager I worked in a konditori (bakery) in that nearby small town. From the age of thirteen, children in Sweden can take two weeks every semester to do practical training at a local workplace, which is how I came to be at the Holgers Konditori. Opened in 1903, the bakery is located in the main square and is where everyone in town goes for special-occasion cakes, cookies, and buns. When I finished my training, Holgers offered me a summer job, and I worked there every summer. I loved every minute.

That love of baking extended into my home life, particularly around the holidays. Once autumn arrived, which brought fewer daylight hours, inside activities like baking became the norm. Come winter, nighttime fell early, and any opportunity to celebrate and decorate—especially with lights—helped brighten the darkest time of year. In Sweden, holiday celebrations start early and include many festivities, such as the Advent season, which begins on the fourth Sunday preceding Christmas. One of my favorite celebrations is St. Lucia Day, in which girls dressed in white lead a candlelight procession, and everyone in the group sings and pepparkakor, a gingery cookie with plenty of snap (you’ll find the recipe on page 88), is served. A lot of baking is done early in December, when breads, cakes, cookies, and confections are made and then stored for the upcoming celebrations. I remember eating many of these treats only during the holidays, so just making them would put you in the spirit of the season.
"Painstakingly written and rich in detail for even the seemingly simplest cookie. The payoff is big because her creative recipes have already started replacing my former tried-and-trues." —Melissa Clark, New York Times

About

From Icebox Pinwheel Cookies to Red-and-White Meringue Kisses to Apple Cider Caramels, find new inspiration for the best of seasonal baking with Holiday Cookies.
 
This instant holiday classic is packed with 50 recipes, each gorgeously photographed and meticulously tested, along with dozens of decorating and packaging ideas. Filled with reimagined favorites like Giant Molasses Spice Cookies and Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies; confections like Peppermint Bark, Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle, and Dark Chocolate–Hazelnut Fudge; and detailed instructions for gorgeous gingerbread houses, cookie place cards, and edible ornaments, this is a cookie book like no other. Because the recipes are easy to scale up or down, Holiday Cookies is perfect for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, and just enjoying throughout the season. From a veteran baker and recipe developer, each cookie in this collection is guaranteed to be a stand-out, and destined to become your new Christmas classic.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

1 Introduction
2 About This Book
5 Cookie Tips and Tricks
7 Decorating Cookies
13 Royal Icing
14 Packaging Tips and Tricks
17 Storing Cookies

CHAPTER 1
19 VERY MERRY CLASSICS
20 Gingerbread Cookies
24 Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons
27 Minty Spritz Cookies
28 Icebox Pinwheel Cookies
32 Black and Whites
35 Chocolate–Peanut Butter Brownie Sandwich Cookies
36 Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
39 Triple-Chocolate Chunk Cookies
40 Chocolate-Stenciled
 
CHAPTER 2
43 COOKIE EXCHANGE PARTY
44 Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
48 Red-and-White Meringue Kisses
51 Bejeweled Chocolate Cookies
52 Oatmeal Crisps with Chocolate
55 Almond Ricciarelli Cookies
56 Fruitcake Shortbread
59 Dark Chocolate Cookies with Caramel
60 Espresso Thins
63 Malted Milk Chocolate Cookies

CHAPTER 3
65 WARM HOLIDAY SPICE
66 Molasses Spice Cookies
69 Thumbprints with Spicy Plum Jam
70 Pain d’Épices Shortbread Swirls
73 Glazed Eggnog Madeleines
74 Saffron Pistachio Biscotti
78 Hot Chocolate Cookies with Aleppo Pepper
81 Cinnamon-Sugar Palmiers
82 Fig and Cardamom Rugelach

CHAPTER 4
87 AROUND THE WORLD
88 Swedish Pepparkakor
91 Italian Pignoli Cookies
92 Austrian Linzer Augen
95 South American Alfajores
99 Danish Butter Wreaths
101 Hungarian Kiffles
105 Dutch Speculaas
106 Mexican Wedding Cookies

CHAPTER 5
109 HOLIDAY CONFECTIONS
110 Peppermint Bark
113 Apple Cider Caramels
114 Peanut Butter–Chocolate Crunch Squares
117 Smoked Almond and Cacao Nib Brittle
118 Matcha Chocolate Bark with Berries and Coconut
121 Dark Chocolate–Hazelnut Fudge
122 Bourbon and Maple Chocolate Truffles
125 Chocolate Caramels with Bourbon and Vanilla

CHAPTER 6
127 DECORATED DELIGHTS
128 Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Cutouts
132 Citrus Sugar Cookie Ornaments
135 Candy Cane Cookies
136 Doily-Rolled Gingersnaps
139 Gingerbread Place-Card Cookies
141 3-D Christmas Trees
144 Stained-Glass Snowflakes
147 Gingerbread House

Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

The aroma of baking that fills my home in December is unlike that of any other time of year and heightens my excitement for the approaching holidays. Thinking about what lies ahead conjures up memories of being a child, when early every moment of the holiday season seemed warm and festive.

I was born and brought up in Sweden, where my parents built a house next door to my grandmother’s home. The nearest town was six miles away, so my childhood was spent in the countryside. I learned to bake from a young age, and as a teenager I worked in a konditori (bakery) in that nearby small town. From the age of thirteen, children in Sweden can take two weeks every semester to do practical training at a local workplace, which is how I came to be at the Holgers Konditori. Opened in 1903, the bakery is located in the main square and is where everyone in town goes for special-occasion cakes, cookies, and buns. When I finished my training, Holgers offered me a summer job, and I worked there every summer. I loved every minute.

That love of baking extended into my home life, particularly around the holidays. Once autumn arrived, which brought fewer daylight hours, inside activities like baking became the norm. Come winter, nighttime fell early, and any opportunity to celebrate and decorate—especially with lights—helped brighten the darkest time of year. In Sweden, holiday celebrations start early and include many festivities, such as the Advent season, which begins on the fourth Sunday preceding Christmas. One of my favorite celebrations is St. Lucia Day, in which girls dressed in white lead a candlelight procession, and everyone in the group sings and pepparkakor, a gingery cookie with plenty of snap (you’ll find the recipe on page 88), is served. A lot of baking is done early in December, when breads, cakes, cookies, and confections are made and then stored for the upcoming celebrations. I remember eating many of these treats only during the holidays, so just making them would put you in the spirit of the season.

Praise

"Painstakingly written and rich in detail for even the seemingly simplest cookie. The payoff is big because her creative recipes have already started replacing my former tried-and-trues." —Melissa Clark, New York Times