Chocolate Crinkles from Boston Globe

 Chocolate Crinkles from Boston Globe December 2008  

These freeze well and look great on a cookie plate.  They are so yummy!  

Makes 3 dozen

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped  

2 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C canola oil 

2 C granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C powdered sugar 

Melt chocolate.  

Combine flour, baking powder, salt in small bowl.  

With a mixer, beat the oil and sugar for 1 minute.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Beat in vanilla, then chocolate, until the batter is smooth.  Beat in the flour on low speed until just combined.  

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

Have on hand a bowl of cold water.  Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.  Wet your palms and shape heaping teaspoons of dough into balls.  Roll the balls in the xxx sugar to coat them all over.  Place on cookie sheets. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops crack.  Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Store in an airtight container, layered with waxed paper, for up to a week, or freeze for up to a month. 

Spritz - Mary Lou version

 This is the Spritz recipe Grandma Mary Lou used.  In her notes she said "excellent" and "fills 2 lb coffee can".  Mom (Janis) remembered that they would cover coffee cans with wrapping paper, fill the cans with cookies, as gifts for church people. 

Spritz 

1 C butter, room temperature 

1/2 C superfine sugar (we just use regular sugar) 

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp almond extract 

1 3/4 C all purpose flour 

Cream sugar and butter until smooth.  Add sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and almond extract.  Gradually stir in flour.  Use a cookie press to form cookies.  Sprinkle with colored sugars. 

Bake at 375 degrees, 10-12 minutes (9 minutes for me in Meadow Beauty oven)

2022 - Kaela has the Kuhn Rikon cookie press; Cynthia just started using the Oxo Good Grips cookie press. 

2023 with Charlotte:  

Two's Sugar Jumbles

Two's and Tommy's Sugar Jumbles 

Simple, buttery, cakey, old fashioned, yummy.  My great-grandmother "Two"'s favorite cookie.  Tommy's favorite at Christmas and good any time of year! 

Makes 24. 

Ingredients: 

1 C butter

1 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Any flavor jelly or jam, or apricot puree. 

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Use parchment paper or lightly grease two cookie sheets. 

2.  Cream butter, sugar in mixer.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well. 

3.  Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. 

4.  The dough will be quite soft and sticky. 

5.  Drop heaping spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.  

6.  Make a well or thumbprint in each one, and add a bit of jelly. 

7.  Bake til lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

8.  Remove and let cool on wire racks. 

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

Best Ever Sugar Cookies 
light and crispy 

1/3 C butter, softened 
1/3 C shortening
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar.  Beat in salt and baking powder, then egg and vanilla.  Stir in flour. 

Divide dough in half and press into two disks.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 3 hours or until easy to handle. 

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut out shapes.  Sprinkle with colored sugar (or wait and frost the cookies). 

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes til edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.  Cool cookies on wire rack.  

Makes about 2 dozen.  Kaela loves these. 

Gingerbread PEOPLE

Gingerbread PEOPLE
This is the recipe I've used for 20 years.... soft and delicious.
Makes about 16 large men.  Dough needs to be chilled before rolling out

3 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves 
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened 
3/4 C light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed 
1 large egg
1/2 C molasses 


Whisk together flour, salt, and spices. 

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and molasses; beat until smooth.  Stir in flour mixture.  Do not overmix. 

Form dough into 2 large disks - wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or longer. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, on floured surface.  You will use a lot of flour to prevent the dough from sticking.  Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. 

Bake 8-10 minutes until set.  The cookies will appear puffy but the edges will be firm. 

Cool completely, then frost and decorate.  

Simple icing for gingerbread PEOPLE: 
Juice of one lemon
1 egg white
enough powdered sugar to make a good icing.  

Pecan Butter Balls

David, Kaela, and I really love these at Christmastime.  You don't need a mixer.  This recipe makes a small batch.  They are so good.  They can be frozen but be sure to bring to room temp before eating.  The recipe is from Lisa Yockelson in the Boston Globe 2005.  

edited 12/22 - Important to not make them too big, or they will taste of raw flour.   These are so yummy and easy.  

Pecan Butter Balls - makes 2 1/2 dozen, maybe 3 dozen if very small -

2 1/4  C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
large pinch salt
1 C butter, melted and cooled to tepid  (227 grams)
9 T powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 T very finely chopped pecans 

1. Set oven to 350F (160C in Japan).  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt
3. In large bowl, stir butter and sugar until well mixed.  (I just melt the butter in a pyrex bowl in the microwave, and then add everything else to that same bowl.)  Blend in vanilla and pecans.
4. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing to form a firm, moist dough. 
5. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.  Set them on baking sheets. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are set and golden brown on the bottom.  
7. Transfer cookies, still on the parchment paper, to cooling racks.  Cool 5 minutes. 

COATING: 

2 C powdered sugar

1/4 C finely chopped pecans. 

1. In a large shallow bowl or pie plate, combine powdered sugar and nuts.  Carefully toss/roll the warm cookies in the sugar, one by one.  
2. Set the cookies on the parchment again to cool.  Then dredge again in the sugar mixture.