Cookies for Christmas
Seven new recipes to try during the holidays
The merriment of the holidays is built on many things: Cheerful wishes of happiness and goodwill from strangers. Cultural memories of sleigh rides across fields of sparkling snow. Even the joy to be found in giving gifts to friends and loved ones.
But really, what makes the holidays merry and bright are all the cookies. How could they not? Cookies are the ornaments that we hang on the Christmas tree of life.
This season, I made seven batches of cookies (so far). That’s a lot of sugar and butter, some of which ended up on the floor, but it was worth it.
Note: Some of recipes call for superfine sugar. To make it, place granulated sugar in a blender and process on high for about 15 seconds, until almost powdery.
FRENCH BISCOTTI (CROQUETS DE CARCASSONNE)
Yield: About 36
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting 4 medium eggs, divided
½ cup superfine sugar Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Generous 1 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with additional butter. Pile the flour in a mound on the counter and make a well in the center. Beat 3 of the eggs in a small bowl. Place the sugar, beaten eggs and lemon zest in the flour well and stir with your handheld like a paddle, gradually incorporating a little of the flour. Stir in the softened butter and almonds and, finally, incorporate the rest of the flour. Work the dough briefly. You can also accomplish this process with an electric mixer on its lowest speed.
Turn the dough onto a floured counter and use a large, heavy kitchen knife to roughly “chop” it until you have broken up the almonds. Knead the dough until it is thoroughly combined; divide in half, and shape it into two thick cylinders. Place these on the prepared sheet and flatten slightly. Beat the remaining egg and use to glaze the dough.
Bake 15 minutes, then raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Using a sharp, serrated knife, immediately cut both “loaves” into ½-inch-thick slices. Carefully lay the slices flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven for a few more minutes, turning them once so that they brown lightly on both sides.
PER PIECE: 76 calories; 4 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 22 mg cholesterol; 2 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 7 mg sodium; 15 mg calcium Recipe from “The Art of French
Baking” by Ginette Mathiot
SALTED BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHUNK SHORTBREAD
Yield: About 32 cookies
18 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) salted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 8 ounces semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (do not chop too fine) 1 large egg, beaten Demerara or turbinado sugar, for rolling
Flaky sea salt, or kosher salt
Line one or two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high until it’s very light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.
Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough (this will protect your hands from getting sticky). Use your hands to form the dough into a log shape about 2 to 2½ inches in diameter. Rolling it on the counter will help smooth it out; it does not have to be perfect. Refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the demerara or turbinado sugar.
Slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds, place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart and sprinkle with flaky or kosher salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack.
PER COOKIE: 147 calories; 9 g fat; 5 g saturated fat; 23 mg cholesterol; 1 g protein; 17 g carbohydrate; 9 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 55 mg sodium; 8 mg calcium Recipe from “Dining In” by Alison Roman
SWEET SLICES (TRANCHES SUCRÉES)
Yield: About 36 cookies
7 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced
1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ cup superfine sugar 2 eggs, divided
½ teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons sanding sugar (decorating sugar)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or grease it with additional butter.
Place the chilled butter and flour in a mixing bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar, 1 egg and the baking soda. Do not add water, because the dough should be firm. Knead the dough briefly until it all comes together.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of
inch. Beat the remaining egg and brush over the dough to glaze. Cut into rectangles, approximately 2½-by-1¼ inches. Sprinkle generously with the sanding sugar, then place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes (watch carefully, because they quickly burn).
PER COOKIE: 58 calories; 3 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 16 mg cholesterol; 1 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; no fiber; 22 mg sodium; 3 mg calcium Recipe from “The Art of French
Baking” by Ginette Mathiot
BERLIN RINGS (COURONNES DE BERLIN)
Yield: About 18 cookies 4 eggs, divided
½ cup superfine sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons sanding sugar (decorating sugar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or grease with additional butter.
Hard cook 2 of the eggs. Remove their yolks and mix these thoroughly with the yolks of the 2 remaining raw eggs, retaining the raw egg whites. Discard the cooked egg whites. Stir the superfine sugar into the yolk mixture, and then, adding a little at a time, the flour and butter. Knead the dough until it is smooth.
Break off large, walnut-sized pieces and roll these out, using the palms of your hands, to form cylinders. Join their ends to form rings and place on the prepared sheet. Whisk the remaining raw egg whites until they form soft peaks and brush over the cookies to glaze. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
PER COOKIE: 164 calories; 10 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 65 mg cholesterol; 3 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 5 g sugar; 0 g fiber; 17 mg sodium; 11 mg calcium Recipe from “The Art of French
Baking” by Ginette Mathiot
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Yield: 6 enormous cookies or 12 large cookies
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt 1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup plus 3½ tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup (beaten eggs 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract or paste 2 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup raisins or mix of black and golden raisins
Place the flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the cinnamon and baking soda, add the salt and whisk together. Whisk together the granulated and brown sugars in a small bowl, breaking up any lumps.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn to medium-low speed and cream the butter until it is the consistency of mayonnaise and holds a peak when the paddle is lifted. Add the sugars and mix for 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just combined. The mixture may look broken, but that is fine (overwhipping the eggs could cause the cookies to expand too much during baking and then deflate).
Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, until just combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there. Stir in the oats and raisins until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
For gigantic cookies, use a 2½-inch ice-cream scoop to divide the dough into 6 equal portions. For large cookies, divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball between your hands.
For gigantic cookies, place 3 of these dough balls on each prepared baking sheet, placing each one as far away from the others and the sides as possible. For large cookies, place 6 balls on each prepared sheet.
Bake until golden brown, 21 to 23 minutes for gigantic cookies (15 to 17 minutes in a convection oven) or 18 to 20 minutes for large cookies (14 to 16 minutes in a convection oven). Reverse the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
The cookies are best the day they are baked, but can be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.
PER COOKIE (BASED ON 12): 301 calories; 12 g fat; 7 g saturated fat; 47 mg cholesterol; 4 g protein; 46 g carbohydrate; 26 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 257 mg sodium; 38 mg calcium Recipe from “Bouchon Bakery” by Thomas Keller and
Sebastien Rouxel