TheCompanySheKeeps

Every year I like to try out a selection of new Christmas cookies and I’ve had my mind on creating this one for quite some time because I had an inkling this would be my favorite and it was. Admittedly, Tiramisu isn’t necessarily something everyone likes, but if you do, oh boy, this one’s a winner. I sampled one of each of the new cookies I’d made, but this one, I had two and a bit of the extra filling that was left over. I’m definitely making these again. As I mentioned, in another post, I brought all the cookies to work to share and I received this e-mail from a coworker about this cookie:

“Mmm mmm.  The tiramisu cookies are delicious!!” I wholly agree!

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar for rolling dough balls in
• sweetened ground chocolate powder (Ghirardelli)

For the filling:

• 1 8oz container of mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• 2 tbsp. amaretto liquor
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation:

For the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Using a stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Reduce the speed to low and slowly incorporate the flour mixture, stir until combined. Using a small cookie scoop, make balls, and toss in the sugar, and using the rounded bottom of a glass, press lightly on each dough ball allowing at least an inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden. Transfer to cooling rack.

For the filling:

In a small glass, whisk together the espresso powder and amaretto liquor; set aside. Beat together the mascarpone cheese and butter on high speed. Stir in the espresso/ amaretto mixture and then add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat until light and fluffy.

Match up the cookies according to similar sizes. Using a butter knife, spread about 1 tbsp. of filling on the bottom side of the cookie and press the bottom side of another cookie together creating a sandwich. Once finished, sift a small amount of ground sweetened chocolate onto the tops of each cookie.

I’m surprised I had many of these left. Every time I looked over, Chris was snacking on another one. At one point, with evidence of crumbs on the corners of his mouth, and cookie in hand, he looked at me and said, “These are awful!” If he was a winking kind of guy, this would have been the prime opportunity to implement one. I knew right away he’d like this cookie and it didn’t even have the frosting on it yet, not that it stopped him once it did.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted & finely chopped
• 36 pecan halves, or chopped pecans

For the frosting:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preparation

For the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On another smaller baking sheet, toast the 1/2 cup of pecans for 3-5 minutes. Once cool, chop.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add in flour, baking soda, salt, & beat until combined. Stir in chopped, toasted pecans. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Preheat oven to 350. Shape into 1 inch balls and place a couple of inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set (not glossy in the middle) and lightly browned at the edges. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

Combine brown sugar and milk in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Stir in powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. The frosting will firm up dramatically within a few minutes. Spread each cookie with about 1 tbsp. frosting and then top with pecans. At about the halfway mark, I had to stir in a bit more of milk to smooth out the frosting. Allow the frosting to set before storing.

Source: http://www.thereciperebel.com/brown-sugar-pecan-cookies/

Note: One of the e-mail thank you’s I received about this cookie: “YUMMO!!!  The cookies with the carmel(?) and pecan on top are to die for!!”

This is the 2nd cookie I baked yesterday. These are little and pack a big chocolate-y punch. They’re a soft cookie that have a fudgy brownie like center. Of course, the peppermint adds that touch of Christmas season and can be easily omitted if that’s not your thing. Either way these are mighty good.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup dark chocolate (65% cacao) chips
• 2 tbsps. unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder; set aside. In a medium sized sauce pan over low-medium heat, add the chocolate, butter, and Nutella (no, the Nutella doesn’t alter the taste of the cookies, but rather provides moisture)  and stir until ingredients are melted and combined; remove from heat and set aside. Place the eggs, egg white, and sugar in a bowl and beat until the mixture is light in color and thick and fluffy in appearance with large bubbles (mixture will resemble pancake batter). Add in the peppermint extract and beat to combine. Gradually fold in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and beat on low to combine. Slowly incorporate flour mixture until no streaks appear. Chill dough for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place the confectioner sugar in large bowl. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and using a tablespoon, form into balls. Add the dough balls into the confectioner sugar and roll around to coat heavily. Place balls on prepared baking sheet approximately one inch apart (these don’t spread much while baking). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minute. The cookies will form a dome on top, use a spatula to press down lightly on the tops of each cookie. Transfer to cooling rack.

Source: http://www.bakersroyale.com/cookies/peppermint-crinkle-cookies/

The 2015 Christmas cookie extravaganza commenced yesterday. I had no plans other than to be in the kitchen baking and that is exactly what I did. I made 4 different batches of cookies, sampled one of each and brought them all into work.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, divided
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 box (3.4 oz) of pistachio instant pudding mix
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl cream the butter and gradually add in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract. In a medium bowl combine flour, pudding mix, and salt. Gradually mix flour mixture into wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Divide dough in half, wrap in saran wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from the plastic wrap and roll into small balls. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and press down on the balls slightly spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Don’t over bake. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, remove from baking sheet and toss in remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and set on wire rack until completely cooled.

Source: http://www.motherthyme.com/2012/11/pistachio-wedding-cookies.html