Gingerbread Ice Trees

The best smells of Christmas?  Gingerbread, pine trees and mulled wine round out my top three.
This morning we woke up to a world covered in ice - trees, fences, buildings, roads, cars - while it looks pretty, it was definitely a stay-at-home kind of day.  We were lucky to have power - so what better way to spend part of the day than baking gingerbread cookies?

The view inspired me - ice covered trees!

What intrigued me about this recipe was the addition of black pepper. It makes a not-too-sweet, not-too-spicy cookie - a crowd-pleaser.  If you like the gingerbread flavour to really slap you in the face, this recipe isn't for you - try Smitten Kitchen's Spicy Gingerbread.

Gingerbread Cookies

slightly adapted from Baking Bites

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses*
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper in a medium sized bowl.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses, egg and vanilla, then gradually add in flour mixture until a soft dough can be formed into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.

Using extra flour, roll out dough to desired thickness and cut into shapes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. 

 *Note: I only added 1/4 cup of molasses, as that was all I could coax out of the container. The original recipe calls for a 1/2 cup.  

Chip Butterballs

Chip butterballs are one of our Christmas family traditions - at least as far back as the 2nd grade.  In fact, it's a bit of a shameful but funny memory - my mom packed up a bunch of chip butterballs in foil and sent them with me to school on the last day before Christmas holidays for our class Christmas party. All the kids brought home made treats to share with the class.  But that year, I was a naughty child.  I loved those butterballs so much, that I didn't share them with the class - I ate them ALL by MYSELF.  Yep - I was a greedy little cookie monster.

These are really just balls of shortbread with chocolate chips - but Chip Butterballs sounds so much better.  This recipe comes originally from a Robin Hood flour recipe booklet from 1985.  The original calls for the addition of 1 cup of finely chopped pecans - so throw those in if you like, we never did.

Chip Butterballs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cold water

Combine flour, salt, and chocolate chips.  In a separate bowl, cream butter.  Gradually add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and water.  Blend well.
Gradually stir in flour mixture.  Mix well, as you don't want pockets of butter - or the cookies will lose their shape during baking.
Shape into 3/4 inch balls - the dough won't seem like it will hold together - don't worry.  The butter will do its job.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 18-20 minutes, until edges just begin to brown.
Makes about 40 cookies.

Cranberry Pistachio and Chocolate Candy Cane Biscotti

I am finding it hard to make time to bake this year - I don't know, the Christmas season seems to be flying by - so last night I set out to start my holiday baking, just in time for holiday gift giving.

I know I lectured about the proper name for this type of cookie a week or so ago, but just to keep things simple, let's call these biscotti.  

Using the recipe below but dividing the dough in roughly half, I added a half cup of chopped pistachios and a half cup of chopped dried cranberries to one half of the dough.  Enough "half"s in that sentence for you? 

The other half I rolled out into the prescribed log plain jane style.  Bake (twice) as per the directions and allow cookies to cool. Melt 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl over simmering water on the stove, or in the microwave.  Dip the cookie in the chocolate, then sprinkle chopped candy cane on top of the melted chocolate.  Place on waxed paper to set.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pistachios
1 cup chopped dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine flour with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream butter with sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then add vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in pistachios and cranberries.
Gather dough together in a large ball and divide in half. Shape each half into a 2-in.-wide and 3/4-in.-high log. Place logs 3 in. apart as they will spread.
Bake in centre of oven until tops are almost firm but still golden, 30 to 35 min. Remove from oven and let stand until loaves are cool enough to touch, about 10 min. Cut each diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. Place a rack on baking sheet. Arrange sliced biscotti on rack, cut-side down. Continue baking until very firm and golden brown, about 20 more min.
Store in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

Recipe slightly adapted from Chatelaine.

Cantuccini

Cantuccini - twice baked almond biscotti - originates in Tuscany.  The word biscotti comes from the Latin word biscoctus, which translates as "twice cooked/baked".  Baking the biscuits twice creates an extra dry biscuit that stores well for long periods of time, which was useful for long journeys or for Roman soldiers on campaign.

In North America, biscotti are sold at coffee shops and cafes and often consumed after dunking them into a coffee or espresso beverage to soften.  While I was visiting Italy a couple of years ago, I learned that the traditional Tuscan way to eat cantuccini is by dipping into a sweet dessert wine.

I have this idea of making a couple different varieties of biscotti and giving as gifts to friends, colleagues and neighbours - so I thought I better try out the traditional version first, and see how it turned out, which was very well!  The only change I would make is to add less salt, by at least a 1/4 tsp., to 3/4 tsp total.  Overall, it was a success, so stay tuned for what holiday themed flavours I decide on!

Cantuccini

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt**
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
100g chopped whole almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine flour with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream butter with sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla.
Stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in almonds.
Gather dough together in a large ball and divide in half. Shape each half into a 2-in.-wide and 3/4-in.-high log. Place logs 3 in. apart as they will spread.
Bake in centre of oven until tops are almost firm but still golden, 30 to 35 min. Remove from oven and let stand until loaves are cool enough to touch, about 10 min. Cut each diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. Place a rack on baking sheet. Arrange sliced biscotti on rack, cut-side down. Continue baking until very firm and golden brown, 20 to 30 more min. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

Recipe slightly adapted from Chatelaine.