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Cookie party!
By Ann | December 14, 2009
I’ve tried to ignore the signs, but even someone as faintly Scrooge-like as myself can’t deny it: Christmas is here. With pine boughs decorating shop windows, and stores open on Sunday (they’re allowed special dispensation during the month of December), bells are jingling and so are cash registers. Two things that make me thankful to live in France: 1) The holiday season starts in December, not October, and 2) There is a blessed paucity of Christmas carols.
But before I get carried away counting my piles of money and stealing legs of ham out of the mitts of Tiny Tim, I have to admit that I did feel a twinge of the Christmas spirit this past weekend at my friend, Erin’s, Christmas cookie party. Five of us gathered to bake and swap cookies, nibble on hot artichoke dip, and sip apple cider. What did we make?
Ginger snaps, so chewy and spicy that I cannot. Stop. Eating. Them.
Oatmeal chocolate chunk — a classic, with 80% cacao chocolate adding a sophisticated edge.
Iced sugar cookies, which look like they’ve been attacked by the hand of a 3-year-old. Actually, I take full credit for that unsteady pool of green frosting, and, no, I hadn’t been hitting the egg nog. Frosting is harder than it looks!
I made savory cookies, essentially cheese straw dough rolled out and cut into pretty shapes, brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds. I was inspired by this website, though I used Comté (like Gruyère) instead of cheddar (my recipe follows).
At the end of the party, Erin sent us home with a box filled with a selection of cookies. My box was long, slim, and elegant, perfect for displaying the fruits of our labor, including the fifth treat, delicious maple-milk-chocolate toffee. It was afternoon designed to sweeten anyone’s mood, even this Scrooge.
Savory Scrooge Cookies
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup grated hard cheese (e.g. Gruyère, comté, cheddar)
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon mustard
1-2 tablespoons water
Poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds for decoration
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix together the flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Cut the cubes of cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the cheese. Add half the egg mixture and stir to combine. Drizzle the water over the mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until a dough forms. Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes as desired. Brush with the remaining egg mixture and sprinkle with seeds. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until golden brown.
Topics: Sur ma table, Uncategorized |
8 Responses to “Cookie party!”
Comments
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December 14th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Dizzy with hunger now. Ginger snaps are a true favorite, especially if they’re slightly moist. PS — The iced sugar cookie in the center foreground looks like Wisconsin minus the Door Peninsula.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Oh the cookies look sooooo good. Hmmm, maple-milk-chocolate toffee, gnom gnom gnom.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Wish I had been there! Looks wonderful.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Those look delicious! Yum. But, what did Christmas carols ever do to you, Ms. Scroogie? A well done Silent Night or White Christmas makes me misty eyed.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
The ginger snaps look great. Sugar cookies, too, despite the icing.
Funny to read this post as I was invited to something similar this coming weekend, as I’ve never heard of a cookie bake and swap party until now.
Happy holidays, Ann!
December 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Chris, I was actually leaning more towards Minnesota! Ann, I never would have taken you for the Scrooge-type, but you were very brave to listen all of that Christmas music!
December 17th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Yum! I hope you’re bringing samples home!
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 am
Hi Ann!
Happy Holiday!
I so want to try baking the Scrooge cookie.I can’t never get the hang of the ginger and sugar together(ginger with soy sauce I can do haha).
I wish you the best and Happy new year!!