We all have that favorite holiday cookie or dessert. Whether it’s one you remember making with your grandmother, or something you always brought when visiting family for the holidays. Between now and the end of December, we will be sharing some favorites from our “KAMily”. We hope you enjoy!
To start, we’ll re-share one of Chef Linda’s family favorites...
PFEFFERNUSSE
These cookies, also known as peppernuts, are deliciously warming, sweet, and complex spiced cookies. If you love gingerbread or molasses cookies, give them a try.
Makes 50+ cookies depending on their size.
INGREDIENTS
For the Cookie:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 teaspoons Lebkuchengewürz
Homemade Lebkuchengewürz
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup pure honey
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
For the Glaze:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons hot water (less water will result in a thicker & whiter glaze)
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, Lebkuchengewuerz, white pepper and almond meal. Set aside. Combine the brown sugar, honey, butter, and cream in a medium saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, until melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture. Once incorporated stir in the egg until thoroughly combined. The dough will have a nice glossy sheen. It will be very sticky. Turn the mixture out onto some plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly. Refrigerate overnight or for up to two days.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and immediately roll it into two strands, each 3/4 inch thick. Slice the rolls into 3/4 inch thick rounds and roll each round into a ball. Work quickly while the dough is still chilled. Place the cookie balls on a line cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let the cookies cool completely.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and water until smooth. Dip each cookie in the glaze, letting the excess drip off, and place them on a wire rack positioned over a cookie sheet (to catch the drips) and let them sit until the glaze is fully hardened. Store the cookies in airtight container in a cool place. Will keep for at least 2 weeks (they're usually stored longer) and the flavor only gets better over time.
Kent, from our Hanover store, shared his favorite...
MINI CHEESECAKES WITH VANILLA WAFER CRUST
INGREDIENTS
24 vanilla wafer cookies or ginger snaps
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (not whipped or fat-free)
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (21 ounce) cherry pie filling, or homemade cherry pie filling
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375°F and line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners (or foil & paper for a more festive look).
Place one vanilla wafer, flat side down, in the bottom of each liner. In a large bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Spoon mixture evenly into prepared muffin cups (will be about 2/3 full).
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on rack about 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving.
Before serving, top each cheesecake with a bit of cherry pie filling.
Lilian, the greeter in our Hyannis showroom, loves a good gingerbread cookie. And so do we. There are so many recipes out there, but Chef Linda loves this one for cookies as well as for gingerbread houses (or maybe ovens….).
GINGERBREAD COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
2 cups light corn syrup
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ¼ cups butter
9 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
DIRECTIONS
Before you begin the actual recipe, print out a pattern. Cut it out and transfer to light cardboard and cut again. (Or cut with cookie cutters.) In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine until the margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. Stir until smooth. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add the syrup-sugar-margarine mixture, making sure it's cool enough for the kids to squish the dough until it's smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Don't skip this step. The dough needs to relax so it's easier to roll. This is a good time to wash up the dishes and get your baking pans, rolling pin, and pattern pieces ready. If the dough is too hard or unmanageable, you can microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds.
Heat the oven to 350 F. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking pan. Edgeless pans or those with only one edge are the best. Lightly flour the cardboard patterns and place them, floured-side down, on the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch space between pieces. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. For clean edges, cut with a pizza wheel. Remove and reserve excess dough. Re-roll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces. Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper and transfer to the baking sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely before removing from pans. Assemble and decorate your gingerbread house as you see fit.
Finally, we wanted to share a recipe for Roczky, a family favorite of Brian’s from our Hyannis store.
ROCZKY
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough:
½ lb butter, softened
½ lb cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour
For the Nut Filling:
2 cups ground walnut meats
1 cup sugar or ½ cup pineapple preserves
Enough hot milk to moisten
DIRECTIONS
To make the Dough:
Cream butter & cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Sift flour into creamed butter & cheese mixture and mis with hands 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and blended. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To make the Filling:
Combine nuts & pineapple preserves. Add just enough liquid to moisten and keep together.
To make the Cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll small amount of dough paper thin. Cut the dough into 2 ½ inch squares. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the nut filling onto center of each square. Fold over and press edges together and shape into crescents. Bake for 20 minutes. Dust cookies with powdered sugar.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.
