One of my family’s traditions is a post-Christmas cookie party. While I don’t participate in the actual baking, I certainly reap the benefits. A bag of cookies, a big glass of milk, and you can call me a happy camper. I’d go on record to say that every family probably has a signature baked item that appears every Yuletide. With holiday brunches and dinners right around the corner, we checked in with a few COOK veteran chefs to see what they’ll be serving up at their holiday gatherings.
Monica Mannion
“I love this Christmas recipe. The smell of ginger all over the house and my mother baking this sweet bread while singing Christmas Carols.”
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat the oven at 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the dark brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add one egg, molasses, milk and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
In a separate glass bowl add the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix together to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, one cup at a time and mix well until well combined. The dough should pull away from the mixing bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 3/8 inch thickness, or little less than 1/2 an inch. Use a pig-shaped cookie cutter to cut the dough. Place pigs 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the top of the pigs using a pastry brush.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly brown but the center is still soft. Transfer the pigs to a cooling rack. Enjoy while they are warm.
Malik Ali: Red Velvet Cake
“I love this dessert. It reminds me of the first cake I tried baking as a surprise for my mom when I was 9 and forgot the eggs. So it got really big but immediately collapsed after I took it out of the oven. Mom was just happy I didn’t burn the house down.”
Cake:
2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (room temp)
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk eggs and sugar together until fully incorporated. Add buttermilk, vinegar, red color and mix. Slowly whisk in cocoa powder and flour a little at a time. Lastly, add oil. Make sure the batter is completely mixed throughout. Pour into a greased and floured baking pan and bake at 350 about 20-25 minutes or until cake passes the toothpick test. Let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 boxes cream cheese
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugars
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Whisk cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until sugar is dissolved and incorporated. Add cream and continue to whisk until light and fluffy.
Carly Zimmerman of Challah for Hunger
Molly Yeh’s Potato Challah Recipe
makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
8 oz peeled potatoes, cut into 1” cubes
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp + 2 tbsp sugar
4 cups (504g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (66g) flavorless oil, like canola or vegetable
2 tbsp (42g) honey
Egg wash & Topping
1 beaten egg
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, other seeds, optional
Place the chopped potato in a large pot and cover it with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until a fork pokes easily into the potato, begin checking for doneness at about 10 minutes. Drain the potato, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Let the potato cool, mash it, and set it aside.
Once the cooking water has cooled to be warm (about 105º-110ºf), add the yeast and the 1 teaspoon of sugar. Give it a little swirl and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy on top. Meanwhile, in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and honey. When the yeast mixture is foamy, add it to the dry mixture, followed by the egg mixture and mashed potatoes. Stir to form a shaggy dough and then either knead it on a clean surface or in the stand mixer, adding flour if it gets too sticky to handle. Knead until the dough is smooth and just slightly sticky, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, divide it into two equal parts, and shape. Braiding the challah is actually not as hard as it seems! Watch Molly Yeh’s video tutorial for help.
Transfer the loaves to the baking sheets. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes. Brush the loaves with a light coating of egg wash and sprinkle with seeds, if using. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and have an internal temp of about 190ºf. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes.
Let cool until it is jusssst cool enough that it won’t burn your mouth, then smother it with butter and hope that there will be some left for dinner that night!
Shannon Roche & Meagan Benz of Crust Vegan Bakery
Almond Crescent Cookies
Approximately 30 medium-sized cookies
8 oz Earth Balance
1 cup sugar
2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1/3 cup almonds, ground into small pieces
1/2-1 cup powdered sugar, for coating the cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the margarine and sugar together. Add extracts and beat until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add flour and almond meal and beat until dough forms. Fold in the ground almonds. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when squeezed in your palm.
Taking roughly 1 tablespoon of dough, roll it in your hands to form a log while applying more pressure to the ends so they are slightly tapered. Curve the dough into an exaggerated crescent moon shape, as it will be less apparent after the cookies are
baked.
Bake on parchment or Silpat covered trays for 14-16 minutes until the edges are slightly golden but the middle of the cookies are
still soft to the touch. Allow to cool before rolling in powdered sugar.
Becca O’Brien of Two Birds Catering & Canning
If you’re looking for a non-traditional entry for dessert time, here’s a crowd pleaser.
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Crust:
3 cups crushed pretzels
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 melted butter
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine ingredients and press into the bottom of a large, greased, springform pan. Bake 5
minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Filling:
4 8-oz blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet morsels
1 cup mini Reese’s cups
Cream the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar. Add eggs and lightly beaten eggs until fully combined. Fold in morsels and candy. Pour over the crust and bake for 50 minutes. Pour topping over the cheesecake and bake another 10 minutes. Cool cheesecake minimum 4 hour, preferably overnight.
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup crushed peanut
Combine sugar and cocoa thoroughly to remove any lumps. Add to sour cream, peanut butter and peanuts.
Sweet & Salty Pretzels:
2 cups small pretzel twists
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Heat oven to 300. Melt together all ingredients, except pretzels, in the microwave, or on the stovetop until bubbling. Layer the pretzels evenly on parchment and drizzle with the sugar mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes checking every 3-4 minutes to be sure they do not burn. Allow to cool fully for crunchiness. IF YOU TRY THESE BEFORE THEY COOL, THEY WILL BURN YOU!
Happy Holidays to all you bakers out there!
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