Good Morning Lovelies!
It is beautiful Christmas cookie time!
I love baking my gifts and this is a classic in my gift giving sets, they are so delicious and the cookie dough is super versatile. You and your loved one's are going to love them!
I am posting some holiday cookies recipes over the coming days, for your baking and gift giving pleasure.
These are recipes from my kitchen to yours, some I have created, converted from other sources- that I will give their due, and some are family traditions that I tweaked to make gluten-free.
I wanted to give you something you could use to get a leg-up on your holiday baking. In my home I give these as gifts in cookie tins, a tradition that started 17 years ago when I was a very broke single parent.
Ingredients were much less expensive than today, I was on a super tight budget, and having gone to culinary school I thought it best to put those talents to use.
So, I baked my Christmas gifts that year and they were a huge hit!
The next year Christmas came and I was better able to afford gifts, so I gave store bought items. Well, everyone was disappointed and asked where the cookies were and why didn't I give those again?
I loved that because it was heart warming, people I knew and loved or who were just acquaintances truly preferred something homemade with love over store bought prezzies. Never underestimate the homemade gift, it shows you care, is different than what everybody else is doing, & will give both the giver and receiver that warm, tingly, happy feeling we all like during the holidays. It will also cost less if you plan ahead and budget yourself accordingly, I know ingredients have gone up in price but I have a few suggestions for that which will help to ease the financial burden. I will also add some professional Chef tips that are used in the industry and really work.
I will list them now and right after the tips the recipe will follow, with a break-down in pictures.
Tips to Save Money on Homemade Holiday Gift Giving Treats :
- Make lists of the following, it's uber important so you stick to budget and stay sane:
- The people you want to give cookie tins to.
- The cookie recipes you want to bake to give to friends, family, co-workers, anybody else that is special. Remember to add notes to that list of special dietary needs and considerations. Do they have allergies to eggs? Are all nuts a problem or only certain kinds? Are they diabetic or suffer an autoimmune disorder that requires no refined sugars? Are they on a diet? Be sure to ask yourself these questions and know the answers before hand, then you can decide if it's appropriate or not to give your cookie gift. For allergy or illness sufferers, I will give said individual fewer items that are special tailored to them and make those recipes before baking anything else. Then I wrap them and tuck away those well-marked gift tins so there is no mistake made that could cause illness or death-yes, allergies and health difficulties are that serious for sufferers so be thoughtful and respectful.
- Figure out your budget and then hack away at your list to keep it on point. Your recipes will dictate ingredients and equipment you need, be realistic as to your talent level in baking when choosing recipes. There is nothing wrong with basic, easy level choices, even us professionally trained Chefs started as newbies. Keep it simple. Choose recipes you can actually afford the ingredients for and that will please those you are giving to. You are trying to save money not end up broke to the point of feeling suicidal.
- Remember, these are hand-made, slaved-in-a-kitchen, gourmet, real ingredients gifts. You can choose to give them to people who really care and that you really care about. I prefer to give a surprise tin to the maintenance person that nobody ever pays attention to than the douche who isn't going to appreciate it and just piss and moan. (Yes, we all know someone like that)
- Go to places like Costco or if you have a place that caters wholesale to smaller businesses, buy your ingredients there. Here in Montreal we have places like Aubut and Provigo Entrepot that sell in bigger quantities and you really notice the difference.
- Bulk Stores are awesome, the one's with the bins. Just be careful to make sure there is no cross contamination of ingredients if you are a gluten illness sufferer, like yours truly. We have this wonderful place called Bulk Barn and they have dedicated gluten-free sections and it makes life so much easier. It's also much less expensive and better for the environment on a global scale. The reason being is that you are not paying for fancy, expensive packaging, and the marketing that went into selling what's on the inside in super small quantities. That lack of packaging also reduces your personal ecological footprint and you get to choose the exact amounts you need for a recipe without waste on extra ingredients that get thrown out because they have gotten stale.
- Try to buy local from those little Mom & Pop shops in your neighborhood that sell stuff with great prices, I know some local fruit and vegetable shops that specialize in dried fruits and nuts/seeds, their prices are great and they often have specials, plus they will give a 10-15% discount if you buy items in bigger quantities. They want your business, be appreciative that local can work in your favor and theirs.
- Choose good quality bakeware and equipment the first time around, you will see that these are what you will use for YEARS! Cheap bakeware also end in poor results for baking, burned cookie bottoms and damaged pans will be in your future if you don't heed this warning. Can't afford new ones? Ask mom or other family or friends if you can borrow their bakeware for a special holiday surprise. Treat it like gold and return it beautifully spic and span clean. If you get really stuck, sometimes second-hand shops sell bakeware that needs a good cleaning and parchment paper to give it new life. I also find that thinking ahead when I see sales in say, April or July, yields in fantastic culinary equipment and sometimes ingredient hauls.
- Get your gift tins at the dollar store and when you give the tins, let people know that you want them to be a part of helping our environment by keeping those tins and returning them for next years delicious wonders you have planned. Trust me, they want the cookies and eatable treats. They always keep the tin and give them back. I have never ever had a problem with this.
- Lastly, do what Chef's do. Read the recipe thoroughly, follow the directions and don't make changes to the recipe until after the first time you try it out the way it has been given. Soften your butter, use real ingredients-no artificial yuckies that are dangerous to people and the planet.Besides, real ingredients make for the best end product. Use fresh ingredients, wash your hands, keep your work space clean and organized. Prepare everything you need before you begin your baking adventure. That means, preheat your oven, make sure you have all the ingredients you need and equipment, do your M.E.P-culinary term for Mise-En-Place=measure out and weigh all your ingredients in seperate bowls and containers and have them laid out in front of you before you begin. Also, invest in some parchment papers, Chefs know that these save a load of dinero because greasing with butter gets expensive and parchment can be reused over and over again, once the paper has become a VERY dark brown you need to replace it with a new one.I bought a big box for around $78 and have had it for 3 years now, very economical and I use it every time I bake or cook. Versatile and money saving-double win!
- Wash your hands before you begin any recipe and in the kitchen, and when baking take your time. Baking is actually science, you can't cut corners, you must respect weighing, measuring, and recipe instructions properly, if you want to succeed and not waste all your hard earned money on failed attempts.
- Lastly, remember to have fun, get messy, and make mistakes in the kitchen. Even the top Chefs in the world have had their fair share of culinary disasters. Don't get discouraged, ask for help when you need it, and laugh mistakes off. Then have a cup of tea and a cookie before you head back to the drawing board. You'll have a story or two to tell on Christmas day when you give your gifts to eager hands.
Without further ado, your cookie recipe!
HOLIDAY JAM THUMBPRINT aka SWEDISH PASTRY COOKIES
Difficulty: Medium
Cost Range: Medium to High
Time: Prep-60 mins (includes chill time) Bake-20-25mins
Yields: 30-36 Cookies depending on size you make them
Freeze: Beautifully, last 1-3 months (everyone eats them way before that)
Preheat Oven to 350° F
(I double this recipe because this is a holiday favourite amongst gift receivers)
Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Butter, unsalted and softened
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Sea salt
2 Egg yolks
1 tsp Real Vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups #1.5 G.F Flour mix (mix recipe follows after this recipe)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (optional, I never use it for this recipe & have never had a problem but if you are worried about crumbly cookies, by all means add it in.)
4 Egg whites
2 Cups Walnuts, ground
1/2 Cup Jam-I prefer black currant, raspberry, and apricot. Use what you like.
Method:
-In a standing mixer with paddle attachment or using a small hand mixer, in the bowl beat butter for about 1 minute.
-Add sugar and salt, beat for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
-Add yolks-NOT THE WHITES! And add the vanilla, beat for 1 minute until well combined.
-Gradually add flour mixture on a low setting so flour does not go flying everywhere, beat until well mixed.
-Cover and chill dough for 1/2 hour until firm but not rock hard. If you over chill it, just let it sit on the counter for a bit until it softens to a firm state. (Don't panic)
-Shape dough into 1 inch balls, I like to use a scooper I bought that is the perfect size and then give them a slight roll into perfectly shaped ballzinies! Place on cookie sheet that has been prepped with parchment paper-not greased! You don't need to grease anything when you use parchment paper and remember you can reuse parchment paper sheets several times. I lay out the cookies 3 down and 4 across because they do spread, on a slightly larger tray I will do 5 across.
-Set up a bowl with half the egg whites (I keep the other half in case any goopy egg white threads sully my bowl of ground nuts, forcing me to throw away and start again-ugh!)
-Set up another bowl with half the ground walnuts (I keep the other half so I don't lose expensive nuts thanks to goopy egg white glob threads sneaking into my nut bowl, causing major stickage that forces you to toss the nuts)
-Roll each dough ball in beaten egg white, one at a time, and then roll in the ground walnuts to coat. Use one hand for rolling in egg goop and the other hand only for rolling in nuts. Place back on baking tray. Same as before 3 down, 4 across.
-Make sure the cookies are 2 inches apart, gently, use your thumb to press down the center of each dough ball-not too deep, you are making a well not digging a hole to the center of the earth! Gentle.
Adjust with your finger if needed.
-Add in about 1/2 tsp of jam to each cookie well, (take a selfie with your magnificent dough triumph and post wherever you like) and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. I bake for 15 minutes and turn the tray around then add the last 5-10 minutes. This is to ensure even baking and colour, I find this helps a lot with gluten-free baking.
-The cookies should be very pale, a light brown on the bottom. Allow to cool on the tray for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Bonne Appetit & Share a taste tester with the one you love!
GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR MIX #1.5 RECIPE
(Makes 3 Cups)
1 1/2 Cups White Rice Flour (fine ground but not sweet white rice flour, it's too fine for this recipe)
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour (fine ground, not gritty big grainy)
1/3 Cup Tapioca Starch
2/3 Cup Potato Starch (not potato flour)
Method:
-In a bowl, very carefully measure and blend all ingredients together.
So, this a base recipe for many cookies. I need to let you know that if you do not take extra care in how you measure these ingredients out it will spell disaster for your recipes. They will taste floury, have a weird silky mouth feel if the wrong flours are used or if too much of a starch is used by accident, and will crumble to crummy sadness. Nothing is worse than doing several batches of cookies with horrible results because you can't figure out that the base flour recipe is to blame before it's too late. Trust me, the extra care you take will show in the wonderful positive results you baked.
Leave a comment below, I would love to know about how this recipe worked out for you.
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