West by Midwest

Recipes and thoughts from the West by Midwest kitchen

Cookies, Cookies and more Cookies

Starting at upper left, I LOVE SPICY GINGERs, Choco-Mint Crinkles, SnickerDoodles

 

I’m not that talented decorating cutout cookies…maybe I don’t have the right recipe for the cutouts to begin with, but I LOVE lots of flavor in my cookies. Here are a few of the cookies that I made for Christmas this year:  I love spicy ginger cookies so I made I LOVE SPICY GINGERS! that have not three but FOUR types of ginger in them. I also made Chocolate Crinkles and then chopped up some Ghirardelli peppermint bark and stirred them in for Choco-Mint Crinkles.SnickerDoodles are my other favorite and they are perfect in every way, so I just added some green to half the batter and red to the other half to make them even more Christmas like. I spend an afternoon making the dough, put it in the fridge and then start baking a day or two later.

I LOVE SPICY GINGERS! cookies

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 cup Molasses (see tips)
  • 2 1/4 cups Flour
  • 2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated fresh Ginger
  • 1/2 cup Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped
  • Cookie Butter (optional to take it to the 4th dimension!)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt; stir into the molasses mixture using a wooden spoon. Mix in the fresh and crystallized gingers. Cover, and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place about 2 inches apart onto un-greased cookie sheet or use parchment paper.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

To take these to the next level, spread cookie butter (I find it at Trader Joe’s) and make a sandwich out of them.  I made the cookies a lot smaller, baked for 6 minutes and then had little sandwiches.

*warm the molasses jar to make pouring quicker
*spray a little bit of Pam or Crisco in the measuring cup so molasses comes out easier

Choco-Mint Crinkles

These are great with or without the peppermint bark, but they do need some planning as the dough needs to chill for a long time before baking.
Ingredients:
  • 2 Cups granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa or special dark cocoa
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla
  • 2 1/3 cup all purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 cup Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar for rolling
Steps:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine granulated sugar and oil in large bowl; add cocoa, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to cocoa mixture, beating well. Stir in the Peppermint Bark pieces.

Cover; refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle, at least 6 hours.

Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly and tops are crackled. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

SnickerDoodles

Love these. Nuff said.
Ingredients:
  • 3 3/4 cup Flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Butter or Margarine
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • Red and Green Food Coloring (optional)
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground Cinnamon
Steps:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Stir together flour, soda, cream of tartar and salt. Beat butter for 30 seconds, add the 2 cups of sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture , beat until well blended.
If adding food coloring, split dough in half and add food coloring to each and mix well.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in mixture of sugar and cinnamon.  Place balls on greased cookie sheet (or lined with parchment paper) and flatten slightly with bottom of drinking glass.
Bake for 8 minutes or until light golden. Makes about 66 cookies.

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