Tag: holiday cookies

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies

When you combine cranberry orange crumb cake with white chocolate chip cookies, you get these delicious, unique cookies that are perfect for the holiday season. They make a festive addition to your holiday cookie platter. I came up with these delightful cookies when I was looking for a way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. If your family is like mine, it’s rare for us to have leftover cranberry sauce because we love it so much. Click here to view my Cranberry Sauce recipe. Don’t worry, you can certainly use store bought whole berry cranberry sauce for this recipe and the cookies will be just as delicious.

Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies

Orange scented vanilla cookies with white chocolate chips, topped with cranberry sauce, crumb topping and orange icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients
  

Crumb Topping

  • ¾ cup (96g) all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 ½ tablespoons (64g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cookies

  • 2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of 1 medium orange
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanila extract
  • ¾ cup (128g) white chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (113g) whole berry cranberry sauce, purchased or homemade

Icing

  • â…” cup (80g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 ½ tablespoons (15-38ml) orange juice

Instructions
 

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks sandy with no large pieces of butter. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.

Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
  • Form the cookie dough into sixteen 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Press a 1-inch wide indentation into each cookie using your thumb or a pastry tamper. Fill each indentation with a generous teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Top each one generously with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping into the cookies.
  • Bake until the topping and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of orange juice until well combined. Add additional orange juice as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.
Keyword cookies, cranberry orange

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

My fascination with Christmas cookies started as a child when my elderly neighbor used to bring over a tray of her homemade Christmas cookies every year. I loved the moment where I got to choose a cookie from the beautiful, interesting selection. In my humble opinion, I think a holiday cookie should be something special. It should be something that you don’t eat on a regular basis, maybe because it seems fancy or requires a little extra work to make. Or maybe it has a special meaning or a fond memory. These Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets check all the boxes for me. They have that something special a cookie needs to be the star of the holiday cookie tray…tender jam-filled chocolate dough, dipped in shiny chocolate with a pretty pop of red.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Print Recipe
Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) powdered sugar
  • â…“ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (5 ounces) raspberry jam or or fruit spread
  • 4 ounces melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil or vegetable shortening
  • crushed freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles of your choice Optional

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
  • Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
  • On low speed, beat in flour just until combined.
  • Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and form into disks. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. If dough becomes too soft at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes then continue with recipe.
  • Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Top each round with a teaspoon of jam.
  • With a small food safe brush or with your finger, apply a small amount of water to the edge of half of each round. Fold over and press edges to seal.
  • Bake until tops of cookies look set, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
  • In a small bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth.
  • Dip cookies about 1/3 of the way into melted chocolate. Top with freeze dried fruit or sprinkles.

Notes

*To find freeze dried raspberries, click here.
To find the cookie cutter I used, click here.
To find food safe brushes, click here.
Keyword chocolate raspberry, cookies

Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are traditional holiday cookies, probably because of the pretty, crackly powdered sugar covered exterior that reminds us of snow. They always seem to show up on cookie trays at Christmas time and I’ve loved them since I was a child. I decided to take my old favorites to another level by adding a surprise inside! Two years ago, I made some cookies with fudge filling that my family and friends raved over. They’re my Marshmallow Mudslide Cookies. To view the recipe, click here. I used the same concept for these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I filled them with a simple, smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature. The results were absolutely delicious!

Fudge Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies with a smooth fudge filling that stays soft at room temperature
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients
  

Fudge Filling

  • ¾ cup (4 1/2 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (6 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  • 1 â…“ cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (9 5/8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted and divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Instructions
 

Fudge Filling

  • In a double boiler or in the microwave*, melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth. Set aside to cool while preparing cookie dough.
  • Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Gradually beat in 2 cups (7 3/4 ounces) of powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
  • Beat in eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, until smooth. Stop to scrape bowl as needed.
  • Beat in melted chocolate until combined. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Don't skip this step.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll dough into 15 2-inch balls, 1 1/4 ounce each. Flatten each ball into a 3-inch disk. Place a fudge ball in the center of each disk and wrap dough around it, pinching edges together to seal. Roll dough balls generously in remaining powdered sugar.
  • Place dough balls three inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies puff up and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Notes

*To melt fudge filling in microwave, heat for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted.
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: To make cookie dough one day ahead, prepare cookie dough. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate in a covered container up to 24 hours. To make fudge filling one day ahead, prepare filling and chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Roll filling into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. 
Keyword chocolate, cookies

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Soft Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I never imagined that I’d ever be posting a peanut butter cookie recipe. There are already crunchy peanut butter cookies, soft ones, chewy ones, and those peanut shaped store bought ones out there. I mean, do we even need another peanut butter cookie recipe? After I tasted this one, it’s a resounding YES! These soft, tender cookies combined with a silky, smooth filling are a new peanut butter experience that I had to share.

The key to getting the soft texture in the cookie, without being dry, is cake flour. So don’t substitute it, because it’s vital to achieve the correct texture. Make sure to weigh your flour for the most accurate results. The second important ingredient is heavy whipping cream. Just a little added to the filling gives it a luxurious, silky texture.

This recipe makes sixteen medium size peanut butter cookies, which will give you eight sandwiches. If you want more, you can double the recipe or make the cookies smaller. Smaller cookies will have a shorter baking time.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 8 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients
  

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1 cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (2 oz or (57g) cake flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (6 3/4 oz or 191g) creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 57g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup (1 5/8 or 47g) vegetable shortening
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling

  • ½ cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) creamy peanut butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (2 oz or 57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 ½ tablespoons (1 1/4 oz or 37ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Instructions
 

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter and shortening until smooth.
  • Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
  • Set aside 1/4 cup (50g) of the granulated sugar. Beat the peanut butter mixture with brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  • Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  • Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch (3.8cm) diameter balls (about 1 1/4 oz or 35g each). Roll the dough balls in the reserved granulated sugar.
  • Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with a fork, making a criss cross pattern.
  • Bake until the cookies are puffy and start to crack around the edges, about 9-11 minutes.
  • Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. The cookies will be fragile, but they will firm up as they cool.
  • Place a spoonful of filling on the bottoms of half of the cooled cookies. Top with remaining the remaining cookies.

Peanut Butter Filling

  • In medium bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together until smooth.
  • Beat in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Notes

To find my favorite cookie sheet, click here.
Keyword cookies, peanut butter