Baking Cookies

Today starts our week-long cookie bake-a-thon for our church's annual holiday bake sale. We'll bake four days this week, leaving room for skipping a day. We're making two new recipes--Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints and Peppernuts--and two old standards--Aunt J's Pressed Sugar Cookies and Jam Thumbprints.

Of course, that's just the beginning of our holiday baking. We'll make 5-7 different kinds of candies to give to teachers and then I'll make (maybe with help, maybe not) 6 dozen cookies for a cookie swap (probably almond bars, but I'm not sure yet). And then there's Christmas dinner (and not just the ham) . . . .

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints

from Cooking Light

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

1/3 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

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Peppernuts

from Wilton

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cloves (for more traditional--and spicier--cookie, uses 1 tablespoon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups firmly-packed brown sugar

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325F. Line cookie pan with parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and spices; set aside. In another bowl, combine sugar and eggs, mixing well. Add dry ingredients slowly to egg mixture, forming a soft dough. Roll dough into logs about 1/2" thick (like a pencil). Cut dough crosswise into 1/4" pieces (about the size of a peanut). Sprinkle dough pieces onto cookie pan; separate any that stick together.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Cookies will become crunchy as they cool. Break apart any cookies that have baked together.

Makes about 12 cups.