Just over a week ago my coworker organized a cake sale to raise money for Mind. The idea was that the Explainer team would bring in treats (homemade or store bought) and then donate some money to the cause. Mind is a lovely charity that provides advice and support for people experience mental health problems and they work to promote awareness and understanding in society. And my colleagues and I are big fans of sweets, we will eat pretty much anything, so it’s a great idea to put our love for food towards a good cause. 

Since it’s autumn, I’m pumpkin crazy  and was originally going to make pumpkin bread. But then when I was in Baltimore I bought some sprinkles called “micro leaves” in autumn colors and I just had to use them. So it was going to be pumpkin and it was going to be cookies. In case you don’t have awesome colorful sprinkles you can easily do this recipe without the sprinkles – but I do think they add a nice flair.

People made all kinds of things for the cake sale though. There was cheesecake, an apple tart, brownies, cookies, savory pastries, and so much more. It was the best day of work ever. Usually where there are sweets on the table everything is gone before my first break. This day there were cakes all day. ALL DAY! And more kept appearing throughout the day. Best, sugariest, day ever. Even better we raised £170 for Mind. Yay team.

I was really pleased with these cookies because they have all the spicy warm flavors of pumpkin spice and they are so soft and cake like. I was also really pleased because at the end of the day I went home with an empty tin. Always a sign of a good treat.

This recipe is adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods. In that recipe they use cinnamon chips. I’d never heard of cinnamon chips. What’s even in those?! According to Hershey’s website it is chocolate (I assume white chocolate) and cinnamon flavoring. But I couldn’t find those but what I did find was butterscotch chips. Yum. They are so crazy sweet with a slight toffee flavor. It’s a nice addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg you put into the batter.

The other thing is the original recipe covered the cookies in cinnamon sugar – I used sprinkles instead. But I think if you don’t have sprinkles try out the cinnamon sugar. Just mix 1/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Roll dough into balls, roll through sugar mix, and put on the try to bake.

I found this batter extremely sticky so I put it in the fridge for 1 hour. I like this because it makes the batter easier to work with and it gives the cookies a thicker chewier texture which I like. If you’re pressed for time you can bake it right away but you’ll likely get a flatter crisper cookie (and messy fingers).

Finally, just to come back to the reason why I made these cookies – for the cake sale to raise money for Mind. If you, or someone you know needs support with mental health please consider reaching out to Mind. Click on the link for their website, or call 0300 123 3393, or text 86463. Mind works with people in the UK and I’m familiar with them because of the cake sale. I’m not  familiar with resources in the US, but if you know of good resources and things worth sharing please write them in the comments below. Anyway thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy these cookies!

Adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods.

Messy level: Making these cookies is similar to any other cookie recipe – add dry ingredients to wet and there you go. But this recipe is pretty sticky so you’ll get messy as you form the cookies. All in all, pretty easy. 

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

 

Serves: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2½ cups/ 312 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup/ 170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar
• ½ cup/ 110 grams packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup/ 175 grams pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup/ 170 grams butterscotch chips
• colorful sprinkles, optional

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined.
4. Stop the mixture and slowly fold in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips.
6. Put the batter in the fridge and let it chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
7. About 10-15 minutes before the batter is ready to come out of the fridge preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
9. Shape dough into balls about 1 inches in diameter. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles if using.
10. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just brown around the edges.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely (if you can resist).

3.3.3077

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When people find out I like to cook and that I write a blog they always ask me what is my favorite thing to cook. And I’m super eloquent and say things like, “um..erm…well… I don’t really know.” Super helpful, right? But when I really think about it, my favorite thing to make is cookies. I love that it’s a bunch of ingredients, and many of them you wouldn’t eat as they are, like flour, eggs, and baking soda; but then all together those ingredients become something delicious. I like that there are fancy looking cookies and simple drop cookies. And don’t get me started on cookie cutters. I would amass an even larger collection if I had the space.

Today’s cookies I really like because they are simple to make and have a really cool crackle look. And the best part is you don’t have to do a lot of work to acheive it. Seriously. You let science and baking do the work for you. In the interest of full disclosure, these cookies were supposed to be red velvet, but as you can see from the pictures they are more brown than red. The cookies didn’t end up red because I followed the recipe too closely and ignored my better judgement. In general, recipes are helpful, but sometimes your eye can tell you something is wrong even if the paper is saying it should be fine. I think most of the time, listen to your eye. That’s a weird sentence, and I hope you know what I mean.

Here’s where I think I lost the red color: first, I bought fancy eggs and their yolks were the deepest, most golden orange I had ever seen. These are the eggs that Brooklyn hipsters, organic farmers, and pro-locavore movement books tell you about. I’m only sorry I didn’t take a picture of how gorgeous the eggs were. Anyway, the recipe called for mixing 1 1/2 teaspoons of food coloring into the egg mixture. I did, and it looked decidedly maroon. I thought the dark eggs may have led to a dark color. But, no matter, I was going to add the flour and lighten things up.

Only, that was a dumb thought because the white flour was mixed with brown cocoa powder, which only made the whole thing darker. Now I was panicked, because it was clear this wasn’t going to be brilliant red like the magazine picture. So I tried throwing on a little more food coloring, but by the time the flour is in the batter, the whole thing is getting thick, and it’s much harder to mix in a liquid. In the end, I think my cookies achieved the burgundy color that only seems to appear in a men’s dress shoe. Appetizing, I know, but I do think that color is nice and special in its own way.

Don’t let my color mistakes dissuade you, these cookies are worth it at any color. They are impossibly moist and cake-like in consistency. The were so delicious I ate three as I was taking pictures of them and then two I was done. If you can get them to be bright red, I think they would be an amazing Valentine’s Day treat.

Adapted, ever so slightly, from Food Network Magazine, December 2014.

Messy level: Two spoons. Like most cookies, you need two bowls, some mixing utensils, and cookie sheets. You will need a third bowl for confectioner’s sugar so you can roll ball of dough in it. That’s the messy part because no matter how careful you are, you’re likely to inhale a confectioner’s sugar cloud.

Crackle Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

1 hour 20 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

1 hour 38 mins

 

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 oz white chocolate chips
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• red food coloring
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (in the UK I use caster sugar)
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar (you might not need this much)

Instructions

1. Put white chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. This took me 60 seconds.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, and food coloring. Start with 1½ teaspoons of food coloring and add more until you have the color you like.
4. Whisk the white chocolate and sugar into the egg mixture until smooth.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until it is smooth.
6. Transfer the batter to a large square of plastic wrap. Wrap it all up and pat it into a rectangle. Make sure it is tightly wrapped, then put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or up until over night.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
8. Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Start with ½ a cup, then add more as needed so you aren't wasting.
9. Roll tablespoon size pieces of dough into a ball. Dip them in the confectioners sugar and coat completely.
10. Flatten the balls slightly, then dip them in the confectioner's sugar again.
11. Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on your prepared sheet. Note: If you're going to bake 2 sheets at a time, swap the cookie sheets between top an bottom halfway through baking.
12. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed a bit and firm.
13. Let cool, then stuff your face.

3.2.2925

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Ryan and I are also really excited to be back in the US for an extended period of time. We’ve been making a list (and checking it twice) of all the American foods we want to eat – and most of them are pretty unhealthy. We want a cheeseburger, a bagel with cream cheese, a Philly cheese steak, a thick turkey club sandwich, and a chicken biscuit fast food breakfast sandwich. And as I’ve already mentioned, I can’t wait for refillable ice water.

Food is a big part of the holidays – although not usually including foods from our wish list. Still, cooking and sharing meals together is an important part of the holidays. I hope by this point you’ve got your Christmas dinner sorted, but maybe you still need some cookie recipes. Everyone bakes during the holidays therefore why not whip up an old favorite or try out a crazy new cookie? So, my gift to you is a Christmas Eve Cookie Round Up! Here’s a round up of 10 cookie recipes previously posted on Cooking is Messy. I hope you find something new, fun, and delicious! Happy baking and happy holidays!

1. Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies – So easy, only needs a few ingredients, and perfect for a gluten-free guest.
2. Brown Sugar Spice Cookies – A slightly different, but wonderful, take on classic sugar cookies. Perfect for using with your favorite cookie cutters.
3. Popcorn Cookies – Totally unusual cookies that are delightful tasting; adapted from a Smitten Kitchen recipe.
4. Sugar Cookies – The classic Christmas cookie, perfect for rolling out and turning into your favorite Christmas shapes.
5. Jam Thumbprint Cookies – If there was a cookie to have with breakfast, this is it. It’s light, buttery, and fruity.
6. Confetti Cookies – A bit of a challenging recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi. The effort is worth it, the cookies are beautiful and have a nice snicker doodle quality.
7. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Chocolate Chip – These cookies are hearty and have some really nice holiday flavors.
8. Gluten Free Chocolate Chip and Reese’s Pieces Cookies – Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies and this recipe will satisfy all your guests.
9. Bullseye Cookies – A mix of two classic Christmas cookies: gingerbread and sugar cookies. Together, they make lovely looking bullseye cookies.
10. Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies – Grapefruit might seem out of place during the holidays, but substitute in oranges and you’ve got a light citrus holiday cookie.

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My 29th  birthday was a little over a week ago! I went to New York to have a last hurrah. I actually hadn’t been to New York since my graduation, and I was excited to go back and see the city one more time. On Friday (the 20th) I went to Staten Island and stayed with my friend Inga (who also has the same birthday as me). It was so great to catch up with her. She and I were roommates years ago when we studied abroad in Rome. Visiting her, I got to see her new house, meet her  beautiful daughter, and celebrate our birthdays. We had sushi and cake and it was wonderful.

I then went into Manhattan and met up with my  friend Chris, from graduate school. We sat in Battery Park, talked, and looked at the Statue of Liberty. It reminded me of the times when we used to pretend to go for a run along the water, but really we’d just walk and gossip. Then, I met up with my parents and my brother and we had a blast! Seriously, we indulged in New York. We ate at a few of my favorite restaurants. Lunch at Ippudo, dinner at John’s of Bleecker, and dessert at Max Brenner’s. We also found a tiny place that only sold macaroons! We bought six and shared them all. There were amazing flavors like passion fruit and lavender-honey. We also went shopping on 5th Avenue and browsed books at the Strand. It was a great New York weekend with some touristy activity and some old favorites.

After New York I hopped on the train back to DC. I got dolled up in a fancy dress and went as my friend Anna’s date to the Ford’s Theatre Gala. I saw some great theater, had a tasty dinner in the beautiful courtyard at the Portrait Gallery, took pretty pictures with my friend, and said goodbye to some of old colleagues. Great night. I stayed out way too late, but loved it anyway.

Then Monday and Tuesday were my last two days at work. I don’t talk about my job very much on the blog but I have loved working with Live It Learn It. While at Live It Learn It, I’ve had a wonderful time. In this job I’ve been busy running all over DC, I’ve taught lessons, met great students, befriended some awesome coworkers, and led field trips throughout the city. I’ve eaten more Wendy’s than ever before, I’ve sent group texts of just emojis, and I’ve helped create hilarious and weird Mad Libs. And I’ve laughed so so much. Live it Learn It has been everything I was looking for in a job and even though I’m moving they can’t get rid of me yet. I’m hanging on even while abroad.

And today’s recipe is truly for them. In the last year, almost every dessert I’ve made has been shared with my Live It Learn It family – including this one. I decided to dabble in gluten-free baking because one of my coworkers keeps a gluten-free diet. Baking is fun for me because I like sharing the finished product with others – so it’s more fun if everyone is included. I have loved bringing in cookies and treats for them and it doesn’t hurt that they always say nice things and eat everything I bring. I will miss baking for them.

I then spent the rest of the week packing up my apartment. It was stressful and I had a hard time deciding what to ship, store, and pack. It might sound trivial but I had a hard time editing down and Ryan got more than one crazy phone call from me. My parents came down and helped me pack, trash things, and move out. Thank goodness for them because they helped me be decisive and keep from completely losing my marbles.  I could not have done everything so effectively without them! During this move weekend, we also went to my friend Lisa’s wedding. I have known Lisa for over 20 years and it was wonderful to see her get married. She looked amazing – and unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of her! Her wedding was at the Center Club and it has the most beautiful view of Baltimore I have ever seen. The wedding was a blast. I danced with my friend’s 1 year-old son, I chatted with old friends, I danced some more, and then I sobbed when I said goodbye to my girls. We group hugged, and I felt loved and lucky. All in all, a great night and a wonderful farewell from Baltimore.

Now I’m sitting in my friend Charlotte’s guest room while her cat snuggles up on me. For those of you who know me, you know I’m anti-cat, but I’m actually liking this. What’s happening to me? My flight leaves later tonight – but until then my plan is to go to the pool and then out for dinner.

It’s been a busy ten days or so, but it’s been great. I said goodbye to many of my old homes – New York, Baltimore, and DC. I am deeply going to miss my wonderful network of people here, but being farther away doesn’t mean we’re really separated. To get a bit emotional, I want to say thank you for all the celebrations, activities, and fun I’ve had as I prepared for the move.  I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

But now I’m ready. I’m ready to go to London. I’m ready for new adventures, new jobs, new restaurants, new friends. Mostly, I’m ready to be back with Ryan. Get ready London, here I come.

This recipe is adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, How Can It Be Gluten Free? This book is awesome with lots of really clear and helpful advice and suggestions. I’ve changed it by adding a bit more xantham gum than ATK recommended. I thought it helped hold the shape of the cookie a bit better. These cookies are great and the only difference between these and regular cookies are the thin and delicate structure and shape. The other change was that I used chips and Reese’s pieces instead of normal chips. Gotta spice things up now and then, and get a little creative with the cookie add-ins, right?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2/3 cup King Arthur All-purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 cup mini Reese’s pieces

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, xantham gum, and salt in a bowl.

2. Whisk melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.

3. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Add in the flour mixture.

5. Add in the chips and Reese’s pieces.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350°.

8. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two spoons to arrange 1.5 tbsp size rounds of dough onto the baking sheet. The two-spoons advice is important. The consistency of the batter is stickier and softer than a regular cookie. The spoons help make sure you can make normal looking cookies.

9. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through. As they cook, cookies will spread and they can get dark quickly, so be sure to check on them!

10. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cookies are more fragile than gluten-full cookies so let them rest!

Messy level: This recipe is easy – there are only two bowls for this recipe and you don’t even need an electric mixer.

The post Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Reese’s Pieces Cookies appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Meanwhile, back here in Virginia, the one thing I have made were these cookies. The recipe comes from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and was recommended to me by my aunt. These cookies are colorful and festive and I made them for my friend to celebrate that she got a new job. I had been wanting to make these, but it’s taken awhile because the recipe is a bit labor intensive and requires some obscure ingredients. For real, I had to order some ingredients online. This cookie is a labor of love. But, sugary sweet, happy, and worth it.

They are a bit like snicker doodles,which the author, Christina Tosi, says is because of the cream of tartar. In the book, Tosi also wrote that she wanted to create boxed Funfetti cake in a cookie. And I think she nailed it. The cookie is so sweet, indulgent, and so cheerful. Yes, I did just say a cookie could be cheerful. I love the colorful sprinkles – it makes them the perfect celebration cookie.

As I said this recipe is from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. This recipe requires a two step process – first you make “crumb” and then you make the cookie dough. Neither step is super challenging, but I thought you should be forewarned. If you get intimidated, just remember how wonderful and pretty sprinkles are and then you’ll be able to keep going.

Ingredients

Crumb:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tbsp brown sugar

3/8 cup cake flour (45 grams)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

1/8 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 tbsp Clear Vanilla Extract (clear or imitation extract is apparently important, makes it taste more like box Funfetti cake)

Cookie Dough:

16 tbsp butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp glucose

2 eggs

2 tsp clear vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of flour

2/3 cup milk powder

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 rainbow sprinkles

cake crumb recipe

Directions:

1. First we’re making the crumb. Preheat the oven to 300°.

2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, mix together the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles.

3. Add the oil and vanilla. Mix again until evenly mixed and small clusters start to form.

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour the clusters onto the parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Break them up occasionally as they cook. The crumbs should still be a bit moist when you take them out of the oven – they will dry out as they cool.

5. Let them cool completely before using them in the cookie dough. (I waited 1 hour)

6. Take the butter out of the fridge. You can let it come to room temperature while you wait for the crumb to cool.

7. Ok, now start on the cookies. In the stand mixer (which you’ve cleaned out from before), combine the butter, sugar, and glucose. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes.

8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 7-8 minutes. (Tosi says this is the key to her cookies being great – the butter is so fluffy and creamy this way).

9. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. Mix until the dough just comes together, no more than 1 minute. You do not want to over mix.

10. Add the crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds.

11. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Portion out the dough into large-ish balls (about 2-3 tbsp). Flatten the tops a bit with your fingers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

12. Put the cookies in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to 1 week.

13. When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°.

14. Arrange the cookies about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

15. Bake for 13-18 minutes. They are ready when the edges start to be gold and the center of the cookie is starting to get color. They will seem soft, but they harden as you let them cool.

16. Let cool before serving. Then share them with friends and feel happy!

Messy level: 3 spoons. To make this cookie, you are basically making two recipes and that means a lot of dishes and a lot of chances for flour to fly. Glucose is really sticky and messy, eggs are drippy, and butter is greasy. It’s not the worst mess you’ll ever make but there’s potential. Give yourself time and try to be organized and it won’t be so messy!

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This weekend Ryan was in his friend Tommy’s wedding in Atlanta. We left on Thursday and stayed overnight with our friends who live in North Carolina.  They just moved into a beautiful new house with the most amazing kitchen. (To digress a bit, their kitchen is truly a dream kitchen with a huge fridge, two ovens, and a beautiful gigantic island. I wish I had taken pictures).  Anyway, it was wonderful to see them, their new home, and to catch up. We parted and I was so sad to leave them. I asked Ryan if when we come back if we could be their neighbors (and so I could have an awesome kitchen too).

Ryan and his oldest friends. The groom is second from the right.

Then we drove on to Atlanta for the wedding and spent the weekend with Ryan’s childhood friends and their girlfriends. It was such a blast hanging out, overdosing on sugary soda at the World of Coke, dancing, and spending time together. They are like family, we spend a week with them every summer at the beach, and it doesn’t matter if we do nothing or something we always have a good time.  And again Ryan and I thought, “why don’t we live closer to them? Let’s be their neighbors.” Sigh. All the people we are going to miss when we move.

So Saturday night after the wedding, I went to bed a bit weepy thinking, “tomorrow is the day things change.” Ryan and I drove straight back to Virginia (10 surprisingly non-painful hours), hung out in the apartment for a bit, and then I drove him to the airport. After such a long travel weekend, Ryan flew to London. He probably needed a cookie himself.

I drove home sad and feeling bad that I wasn’t going with him yet. Then I watched Walking Dead  by myself and after that normal apartment noises started to sound scary. I was feeling tired from the travel, blue about moving away from friends, and stressed about all the packing and prep still to be done.

Me and Ryan in bubbles at the World of Coke

But then I woke up this morning with a snow day, which eased my stress because I had time to clean and pack. The best part though was that I got to talk to Ryan. He looked really happy and in good spirits. He showed me around our flat (tiny but very cute). And it all became real – in a great way. The adventure has begun!! It’s real, exciting, wonderful and I had tons of energy to start packing. I know the nerves and worries will come back, but I’m super excited for my flight in a few days.

So you see, cookies were a must. These cookies are really delicious. I adapted this recipe from the one on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip bag. I love these cookies because they are the right amount of chewy and firm. In the oven, the cookies spread a bit but still hold a little height which I think makes for a great bite. They are sweet, tasty, and addicting. So what’s going on in your life? Try to find a way to work some cookies into your day.

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt (I did not use table salt)

1 cup of butter (softened)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 brown sugar (I used light)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 12oz package of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. 20-30 minutes before you want to get baking, take the butter out of the fridge and leave it on your counter. Come back to it in 20-30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. This is going to make the butter really light and fluffy like whipped cream. You might think this is a long time, but I really like what the fluffy butter does to the cookies.

4. Add in the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time. Don’t add the second one in, until the first is already mixed in. Beat until both are well mixed.

6. Gradually pour the flour mixture into the butter/egg/sugar mixture. I did this in four batches. Pour a bit, mix until that bit is 70% incorporated, then repeat.

7.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

8. Make balls of dough that are about 1.5-2 tablespoon in size. Drop on a cookie sheet and flatten the top just a bit.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes (I did 8 minutes). You want the cookies to be golden and just a bit brown. Look how many cookies this recipe makes! It’s almost 4 dozen.

10. Dip in milk and be really happy.

Messy Level: One spoon. Cookies are so easy because you only need two bowls and one cookie sheet.

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Eric, Abraham, and me circa 2010

It’s the holiday season, and that often means cookies out the wazoo. Growing up, one of my favorite things about preparing for the holidays was making cookies with my brother, Eric, and my cousin, Abraham. As we got older, I often had to bully them away from their video games to come decorate cookies with me, but once we were there, we always had a blast together.

For us, and I suspect for most people, gingerbread and sugar cookies are holiday staples. So, this recipe is a new take on two cookies you might already be making. If you already have go-to cookie recipes then all you’ll need is a set of nesting cookie cutters. I have circle cutters, but I’ve seen snowflake ones too, which would be really cute. Basically, you make the dough for both cookies then use the cutters to alternate layers and you’ll get an awesome bullseye look. As another option, you could just make sugar cookie dough and then divide it in thirds. Dye one-third red, one-third green, and leave one third plain. You can then make the same bullseye using Christmas colors. Go crazy.

The other reason I like this recipe a lot is because it looks like art (to me, maybe not to you). I’m a fan of the blog Modern Art Desserts, which is basically about a kitchen in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the desserts they make that either look like or are inspired by the art in the museum. They’re stuff is really awesome, and now I can be awesome too because my cookies are art-inspired. Anyway as I was arranging my finished cookies it hit me that these cookies reminded me of a Wassily Kandinsky painting called Squares with Concentric Circles. What do you think? If you dyed the sugar cookie dough, these cookies could totally look like this art.

So there you have it, not only are these cookies holiday staples, they are also inspired by high-art. The people who you share these cookies with will be impressed… maybe.

Anyway, for real these cookies are worth the effort. The balance of butter-sugar and ginger spice is perfect. It’s literally two cookies in one. What’s better than that? Anyway, enjoy the holiday season. With this recipe, I know you’ll be ready to own that office-cookie-swap or holiday-bake-off.

The sugar cookie recipe I’ve already shared over the summer, but I’ll write again below. The sugar cookie recipe, gingerbread recipe, and bullseye idea are all adapted from my favorite cookie book, The Art of the Cookie. You’ll make about 2 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients:

Nesting cookie cutters

Sugar Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Gingerbread Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground all spice

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsbp molasses

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

Directions for Sugar Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low until completely mixed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mostly mixed in.

5. Add the milk and mix until totally incorporated.

6. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Gingerbread Cookies

1. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and all spice.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger and continue to beat on low speed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mixed.

5. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Cookie Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Flour your work surface and rolling pin.

3. Roll out a portion of the sugar cookie dough, and a portion of the gingerbread dough, until each is about 1/4 inch thick.

4. Using your largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from one dough. (In the picture, gingerbread)

5. Using your second largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from the second dough. Using the same cutter, cut out a hole from your first circle. Fit the second circle inside the first circle. (So here, put the sugar cookie circle, inside the hollowed out gingerbread circle)

6. Continue cutting out concentric circles. I used a straw for the smallest whole.

7. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. You want the cookies to be a little bit browner.

8. Serve and impress everyone who takes a bite!

Messy Level- This is definitely worthy of three spoons. You have to make two doughs, and so you use a lot of bowls and measuring spoons. Also, you have to use many cookie cutters and cookie sheets. It takes a lot of detail work and flour (as usual) gets everywhere.

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