Gingerbread/Vanilla Duo with Orange Jameson Frosting & Ginger-Pecan Sprinkle

Marianne Baseheart of Milwaukee was inspired to combine classic gingerbread with another favorite, snickerdoodles. Both have a little “bite,” and she liked the pattern created with the doughs are rolled together.

Orange in the frosting complements the ginger, while whiskey adds its own kick and buttery pecans soften ginger’s bite. The cookie won in Gingerbread-Inspired.

Makes 26 dozen small cookies (see note)

Vanilla dough: 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 1⁄2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon double-strength vanilla extract (Penzeys carries it)

2 3⁄4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon salt Gingerbread dough: 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1⁄4 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 1⁄4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves Cinnamon sugar: 1⁄2 cup sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Orange/Jameson frosting: 5 tablespoons softened butter

3 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon orange extract

5 tablespoons Jameson whiskey Topping: 1 cup finely chopped pecans

1⁄2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make bowl, beat vanilla butter dough: with In a sugar in vanilla until and creamy. eggs. Mix Add remaining ingredients and mix to blend. Roll dough into 1⁄2-teaspoon balls (about the size of a shelled hazelnut). Make gingerbread dough: In a bowl, beat butter and vegetable shortening until creamy. Add brown sugar, molasses and egg; mix until combined. Combine flour with remaining ingredients and mix into dough until blended. Roll dough into 1⁄2-teaspoon balls. Create and bake the duo balls: Take one ball of the vanilla dough and one ball of the gingerbread dough. Roll the two balls into one ball in your palm. They will look marbled, and each one will have its own pattern.

Roll each combined ball in the cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven 8 to 9 minutes or until set and tops look crackled. Remove to wire racks to cool. Make orange/Jameson frosting: Beat butter and

powdered sugar until creamy.

Add extract and whiskey until smooth and combined.

Frost cooled cookies and sprinkle pecans and crystallized ginger (amount of ginger is to your taste).

Note: If you don’t want to meticulously shape and decorate 26 dozen of these cookies, you can either a) cut both dough recipes in half or b) make as many of these small “duo” cookies as you like, and then use the remainder of the two doughs to make either larger duo cookies (they’re good as is, even without frosting and toppings) or separate gingerbread and snickerdoodle cookies. Extra dough also can be frozen.