‘Tis the Season for Cookies

Eat, Featured, Recipes, Winter 2024 - Issue 46

Cookies — the quintessential holiday treat. We gathered some tasty recipes from Edible publications across North America to kick off the cookie swap season. You’ll find us snacking on these with our morning coffee, or we love them as an after-dinner delight.

Mint Chocolate Icebox Cookies

Reprinted from Edible Vancouver Island

Recipe and Photography by Heidi Richter

Makes 40 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Granulated sugar for rolling

PREPARATION

Step 1

In medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Add granulated sugar and mint leaves to food processor and blend until mint is finely chopped and sugar turns a green hue. In large bowl, beat together butter and mint sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until combined. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low speed until dough comes together and no flour streaks remain.

Step 2

Turn out dough onto a large piece of parchment paper. Using hands, shape and roll dough into smooth cylinder shape, approximately 2 inches in diameter and 14 inches long. Roll dough tightly in parchment, making sure to maintain shape, then twist ends like a candy wrapper. Place in refrigerator for minimum 2 hours or overnight. After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 3

On large cutting board, unwrap dough and sprinkle granulated sugar (for rolling) on parchment wrapper, then roll dough in sugar to coat evenly. Slice dough into rounds a little wider than ¼ inch. Place rounds on prepared baking tray about one inch apart. Gently reshape any rounds if needed. Bake in preheated oven for 12–14 minutes or until centers have some resistance when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Maple Pecan Tassies

Reprinted from Edible Northeast Florida

Recipe by Kelly Weaver

Photography by Cole LoCurto

Makes 36 cookies

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

1 cup butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon orange blossom water
Zest of 2 oranges
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling:

2 medium eggs, room temperature
1½ cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon maple extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon orange blossom water
Zest of 1 orange
teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups pecans, finely chopped, reserving ¼ cup for topping

PREPARATION

Step 1

To make crust, combine butter and cream cheese. Follow with adding remaining crust ingredients. Work mixture with hands until it forms a shaggy dough. Mound onto plastic wrap, form into a circle, seal and place in refrigerator to chill.

Step 2

To make filling, beat eggs with brown sugar until thick and foamy. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Stir in remaining filling ingredients.

Step 3

To assemble cookies, spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray, or use silicone pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll crust dough out onto lightly floured surface until approximately ¾-inch thick. Cut dough into approximately 1½ x 1-inch squares, about the size of a large postage stamp – it doesn’t have to be exact but all cookie bases should be similar in size. Roll each piece into a ball and place into mini muffin pan. With fingers create a cup shape, making sure dough goes all the way up sides. Place approximately one teaspoon of filling into each cookie base, taking care not to overfill. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate pans. Sprinkle reserved pecans on top of each cookie. Bake about 15 minutes more until cookie crust is golden brown. After baking, allow to cool in pan five more minutes. Carefully remove from pan to wire rack and continue cooling. Store at room temperature.

Tiramisu Cookies

Reprinted from Edible Michiana

Recipe and Photography by Ashley Swartzendruber

Makes 32 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons Kahlúa coffee liqueur

For the mascarpone frosting:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, chilled
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoon Kahlúa coffee liqueur
1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting

PREPARATION

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder and set aside. In large bowl, use electric mixer on high speed to beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add eggs and coffee liqueur and mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Step 2

Use medium cookie scoop (about two tablespoons) to measure out balls of dough and place on lined baking sheets with roughly two inches between each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, switching sheets halfway through, until edges just begin to brown. Remove from oven and leave cookies on pans for 3 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Step 3

To make frosting, in large bowl beat mascarpone cheese on high speed with electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. While whisking, add powdered sugar, espresso powder and vanilla extract. Whisk for 15 seconds. Scrape down sides and whisk for 15 more seconds. Do not overmix. With mixer running, slowly add heavy cream and coffee liqueur and whisk for one to three minutes. Frosting should be light and fluffy. Be careful not to overmix or frosting may curdle. Add frosting to a large piping bag and pipe onto each cooled cookie. Lightly dust with cocoa powder and serve. Cookies will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days.