Happy National Cookie Day 2025!

Today is National Cookie Day! It is no coincidence that it falls in December, just in time for holiday cookies!

My first clear memory of winter is connected to our house on West Main Street, in a picturesque village on the Oatka Creek in upstate New York. My mother hung wreaths of red, crinkled cellophane with a single tiny red bulb in the front windows. We had a fireplace and my mother and father helped me make a long chain of loops cut from colored construction paper to hang from the mantle. Mom made her Christmas butter cookies and I associate their warm, safe smell and luscious, enveloping taste exclusively with Christmas. We mixed white frosting with food coloring to make red and green and I got to frost a few cookies, and then sprinkle on the multi-colored decorations. I ate several before bed each night with a glass of milk and it was heaven. And of course, Santa had to have some on Christmas Eve so my mom and I would leave a little plate for him—and a carrot for the reindeer.

Mom’s Christmas Butter Cookies
Sift together three cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder and half of a teaspoon of salt. Then cream together one cup of butter and three quarters of a cup of sugar; stir in one unbeaten egg, two tablespoons of milk and one and a half teaspoons of fine vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a third at a time. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll the dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll to one-eighth of an inch thickness. Cut with holiday cookie cutters and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake them five to eight minutes at 350*, watching carefully. Frost and decorate. Enjoy.

Christmas Cakes 2024

Candy Cane Christmas Cake from Curly Girl Kitchen

Gold and Green Christmas Tree Cake from Curly Girl Kitchen

Sugared Cranberry Orange Rosemary Cake from Must Love Herbs

Happy National Cookie Day 2024!

Today is National Cookie Day! It is no coincidence that it falls in December, just in time for holiday cookies!

My first clear memory of winter is connected to our house on West Main Street, in a picturesque village on the Oatka Creek in upstate New York. My mother hung wreaths of red, crinkled cellophane with a single tiny red bulb in the front windows. We had a fireplace and my mother and father helped me make a long chain of loops cut from colored construction paper to hang from the mantle. Mom made her Christmas butter cookies and I associate their warm, safe smell and luscious, enveloping taste exclusively with Christmas. We mixed white frosting with food coloring to make red and green and I got to frost a few cookies, and then sprinkle on the multi-colored decorations. I ate several before bed each night with a glass of milk and it was heaven. And of course, Santa had to have some on Christmas Eve so my mom and I would leave a little plate for him—and a carrot for the reindeer.

Mom’s Christmas Butter Cookies
Sift together three cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder and half of a teaspoon of salt. Then cream together one cup of butter and three quarters of a cup of sugar; stir in one unbeaten egg, two tablespoons of milk and one and a half teaspoons of fine vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a third at a time. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll the dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll to one-eighth of an inch thickness. Cut with holiday cookie cutters and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake them five to eight minutes at 350*, watching carefully. Frost and decorate. Enjoy.

Holiday Treats 2023

Cakesicles from Marrie's Custom Desserts, Perth, Australia

Cakes by Ella's Creamy Creations, Pretoria, South Africa

Gingerbread Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
by Lindsay and Lauren at Pallas and Parchment

Gingerbread Sheet Cake with Frosted Maple Syrup Cookies
by Jenn Davis of Two Cups Flour

White Christmas Cake with Cranberry Orange Filling and
Whipped White Chocolate Ganache Frosting from
Traci and Caylie Crossland at Baker's Table

Happy National Cookie Day 2023!

Today is National Cookie Day! It is no coincidence that it falls in December, just in time for holiday cookies!

My first clear memory of winter is connected to our house on West Main Street, in a picturesque village on the Oatka Creek in upstate New York. My mother hung wreaths of red, crinkled cellophane with a single tiny red bulb in the front windows. We had a fireplace and my mother and father helped me make a long chain of loops cut from colored construction paper to hang from the mantle. Mom made her Christmas butter cookies and I associate their warm, safe smell and luscious, enveloping taste exclusively with Christmas. We mixed white frosting with food coloring to make red and green and I got to frost a few cookies, and then sprinkle on the multi-colored decorations. I ate several before bed each night with a glass of milk and it was heaven. And of course, Santa had to have some on Christmas Eve so my mom and I would leave a little plate for him—and a carrot for the reindeer.

Mom’s Christmas Butter Cookies
Sift together three cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder and half of a teaspoon of salt. Then cream together one cup of butter and three quarters of a cup of sugar; stir in one unbeaten egg, two tablespoons of milk and one and a half teaspoons of fine vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a third at a time. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll the dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll to one-eighth of an inch thickness. Cut with holiday cookie cutters and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake them five to eight minutes at 350*, watching carefully. Frost and decorate. Enjoy.

Maple Glazed Pecan Shortbread Cookies

I came across this delicious-looking recipe for Maple Glazed Pecan Shortbread Cookies from recipe developer, food stylist, and photographer Emma Duckworth. I am going to gather my ingredients and make these for our cooler autumn nights here in Northern California...her instructions and notes seem so clear and easy to follow.

INGREDIENTS

Pecan Shortbread Cookies
--Butter- I recommend unsalted butter, as when adding the candied pecans or bacon, the additional salt is enough. Ensure the butter is at room temperature so it can be creamed well.
--Sugar - Granulated or caster sugar is used. The recipe states granulated as its mainstream, but either can be used.
--Flour - Plain (all-purpose) flour creates the perfect structure for the cookies to maintain their shape.
--Pecans - I recommend toasting the pecans before adding them to the shortbread. This isn't a pre-requisite, but I find the toasty, nutty flavour shines through. Note: Chop the pecans finely. Larger pieces will create rough, uneven edges on the cookies. Smaller pieces also distribute throughout the dough.
--Maple syrup - Just enough to add more flavour to the cookies; use proper maple syrup rather than the flavouring. Alternatively, add in vanilla extract.

Maple Glaze
--Powdered icing sugar- Sift well to remove any lumps
--Maple syrup - For the ultimate maple flavour, quite a bit of maple syrup of used to create a thick maple glaze.
--Butter - A small amount of butter added to the glaze creates a lovely gloss and helps the glaze set as the butter solidifies.

STEP 1. Cream together the butter, sugar and maple syrup. Cream until the butter is pale. Add the maple syrup in and give it a quick mix together. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl (Images 1 & 2).
STEP 2. Add in flour and pecans and beat them together. Add the flour and pecans into the creamed butter and, on low speed, mix them all together until they just combine. The dough will look quite raggedy (Images 3 & 4).

STEP 3. Form a dough and roll it out. With your hands, squeeze the cookie dough together, making a ball. Press it into a rough disc. Then on a lightly floured surface, roll it out (Images 5 & 6).

STEP 4. Cut out cookie shapes and chill. Use a floured cookie cutter, I have my leaf-shaped one here, and stamp out as many shapes as you can fit in the dough. Lay shortbread cutouts onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bring together any scraps, re-roll and stamp out more cookies. And then again, if needs be. When you re-form the dough, it pulls flour from the benchtop and may dry out the dough. A couple of drops of water to the dough helps (Images 7 & 8).

STEP 5. Bake. The cookies are baked until they're just turning golden on the edges. I like my shortbread soft and buttery. But if you'd prefer yours on the crisper side, leave them in the oven for a couple of minutes longer.

Maple Glaze

STEP 1. Make the Maple Glaze. Pop all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until smooth and lump-free. It's a thick glaze, but you can pop it in the microwave for ten seconds to loosen it up (Images 13 & 14).
STEP 2. Dip Pecan Shortbread Cookies into the glaze and decorate. Dip the top of each shortbread into the glaze and let any excess glaze drip off. Sprinkle the candied pecans.

For more recipes--and mouth-watering photos of desserts--visit Emma's website!
https://emmaduckworthbakes.com/

Advanced Gingerbreadology

Manor house by Shelby Bowers of The Sugar Scoop

Country house by Shelby Bowers of The Sugar Scoop

Log cabin by Three Pixie Lane

Log cabin by Three Pixie Lane

Gingerbread candy Fallingwater

NYC brownstone by Kitchen Table Scraps

Gingerbread Japanese temple

Mid-century house by Judy Kim for epicurious

Bavarian chalet by Sprinkle Bakes

Greenhouse by Merja Erkstrom at Silverödlan

Happy National Cookie Day 2022!

Today is National Cookie Day! It is no coincidence that it falls in December, just in time for holiday cookies!

My first clear memory of winter is connected to our house on West Main Street, in a picturesque village on the Oatka Creek in upstate New York. My mother hung wreaths of red, crinkled cellophane with a single tiny red bulb in the front windows. We had a fireplace and my mother and father helped me make a long chain of loops cut from colored construction paper to hang from the mantle. Mom made her Christmas butter cookies and I associate their warm, safe smell and luscious, enveloping taste exclusively with Christmas. We mixed white frosting with food coloring to make red and green and I got to frost a few cookies, and then sprinkle on the multi-colored decorations. I ate several before bed each night with a glass of milk and it was heaven. And of course, Santa had to have some on Christmas Eve so my mom and I would leave a little plate for him—and a carrot for the reindeer.

Mom’s Christmas Butter Cookies
Sift together three cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder and half of a teaspoon of salt. Then cream together one cup of butter and three quarters of a cup of sugar; stir in one unbeaten egg, two tablespoons of milk and one and a half teaspoons of fine vanilla extract and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a third at a time. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll the dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Roll to one-eighth of an inch thickness. Cut with holiday cookie cutters and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake them five to eight minutes at 350*, watching carefully. Frost and decorate. Enjoy.