Triple Max Tons: holiday

Holiday Gift Guide: For Little Ones

babies and kiddos

9:30 AM
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Gotta Love A Slightly Tacky Christmas Tree

holiday

6:30 AM
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Holiday Gift Guide: For The Home

gift guide

6:30 AM
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Christmas Cookie Exchange + Recipes

food and recipes

To celebrate my sis and her hubby's December birthdays, the fam got together for dinner. My mom cooked up an impressive spread of roast (lamb, fingerling potatoes, carrots and Brussels spouts). The rest of us brought cookies to do a holiday cookie exchange, because nothing says "Don't make me wear anything but stretchy pants during the holidays" like a good ol' fashioned cookie swap. While my cookies aren't anything as festive as the impressive reindeer cookies my sis and nieces whipped up, they each have an element of classic Christmas tastes. Here are three confections I brought to the table.

Double Chocolate and Mint Cookies

Recipe by Giada De Laurentis for Food Network

Ingredients

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (60-percent) chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6oz package chocolate mint thins, such as Andes, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions

Position one rack in the center of the oven and one rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and place over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the sugar, eggs, 2 tablespoons water and vanilla to blend in a separate large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the cooled chocolate using a rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate mint pieces. Chill dough to firm slightly, 10 minutes.

Using a 1/4 cup to measure, drop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing apart. (Note: I used an ice cream scoop to divide the dough into smaller, even mounds since I wanted more than 6 cookies.) Put one sheet on the center rack in the oven, and one on the bottom rack.

Bake cookies 9 minutes. Switch the baking sheets (top to bottom) and bake the cookies until slightly puffed and dry looking with some small cracks on top, 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cool completely on the baking sheets (cookies may deflate slightly as they cool).

Note: I thought these cookies were a little fugly. I would recommend giving them a light dusting of powdered sugar to make them look a little more festive and cover up the cracked tops.

Italian Wedding Cookies

Recipe by Rocco DiSpirito for Food Network

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus 1/3 cup, for rolling
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds
5 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream butter in a bowl. Gradually add confectioners sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Shape into crescents using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.