Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Star Cookies) Recipe

 I took German in high school, then the summer after my senior year was fortunate enough to visit Germany via a class trip. Ever since then, I have had a special place in my heart for German culture and cuisine. So it seemed appropriate to end this series with a traditional German Christmas cookie. 

originally found here

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
15 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Sift the powdered sugar. Put 1/2 cup of the sifted powdered sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.

2. Whip the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer on high speed (about speed 6) until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.

3. Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.

4. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with powdered sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off the top sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.

6. Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Reroll excess dough using process from step 5 until you have used all of it. 

7. Use a small spoon to spread the reserved meringue (about 1 tsp per cookies) over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. 

8. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue. 

9. Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Normally, I take care to get pictures of the entire process. I am a visual learner, and I appreciate when recipes show in-process photos so that I know what I'm doing looks right. This time, I did the recipe in two parts: I made the meringue and the dough, then went to pick E up from school, then finished the recipe. So I completely spaced on taking photos of the making of the meringue and the dough. I hope you can forgive me. ;) 

On the plus side, making this recipe in two parts is totally an option. You can make the meringue, then set aside what you'll need for the topping in an airtight container in the fridge. Then you make the dough, roll it out between the parchment paper, and store it in the fridge. It can stay that way for about 12 hours if need be. 

On the other plus side, these cookies are delicious-- sweet, but not too much, and very nutty and spicy. They are very different from anything I've ever made before, but remind me a bit of macaroons. Bonus: they're gluten-free!

I've had a lot of fun with this series, and I hope you have, too! My house is just the way I like it: completely overrun with delicious cookies. 

As always, don't forget to check I do deClaire for Laura's recipe, too! How amazing do these sound?

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Candy Cane Cookies

Happy Friday, and welcome to another weekly installment of Christmas Cookies with myself and Laura! This week, E helped me tackle candy cane cookies. It's sort of like playing with Play-Doh, but with cookie dough instead. Also more delicious.

originally found here

Ingredients

1 box (or bag) sugar cookie mix
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup softened cream cheese (which is 2 and 1/3 oz of a stick)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for surface
Red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. In a bowl (I, as always, used my stand mixer), combine sugar cookie mix, melted butter, egg, cream cheese, and flour; mix together to form dough. 

 

 

 

 

2. Separate dough into 2 equal portions and place in 2 different bowls. I divided the dough then put one of the halves back in the stand mixer bowl.

 

3. Add red food coloring gradually to one bowl of dough, kneading together until desired shade of red is created. I kneaded the red dough in my stand mixer (with the dough hook attachment) to keep the red food coloring from getting all over the place.

 

 

 

4. Add peppermint extract to uncolored dough and knead together. (This was E's job.) 

 

 

5. On a floured work surface, takes small chunks of each dough, and roll into 1/4-inch-wide ropes (or "worms," as E so charmingly called them), each about 6 inches long. For each cookie, carefully twist  the red and white ropes of dough together and shape into a candy cane. 

 

 

 

 

6. Spread candy canes out on cookie sheets and bake on the top shelf of the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool before serving.

 

 

can you guess which ones E made? :)

 

 

E had a lot of fun with this recipe, but it is NOT for the perfectionist. I had a hard time letting go of my need to make the candy canes look like candy canes and just having fun with it, but once I did, we had a blast. :) And then things got weird...

Once we got tired of making candy canes, we decided to use cookie cutters on the rest of the dough. The only cookie cutters I own are Star Wars (Yoda, R2D2, and Vader), however, so it looks like Santa is getting a candy cane, some nerd-dom, and a peppermint candy (or planet?) -shaped cookie for his snack this year. ;) It's okay, they're delicious no matter what form they take. 

Don't forget to check out I do deClaire for another Christmas cookie recipe! Looks like this week is mint themed! 

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Have you ever had Mexican hot chocolate before? That stuff is amazing. So when I stumbled across this recipe for Mexican hot chocolate cookies, I just knew they were the perfect option for this week's Christmas cookie recipe. It's like hot chocolate, with a kick, in cookie form. What's not to love?

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325. In a heatproof mixing bowl set over simmering water (or a double boiler, if you're fancy like that), melt the butter and baking chocolate together, whisking constantly until smooth. Set chocolate aside to cool.

2. While chocolate cools, mix together brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and eggs in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on low speed. Beat until well combined. 

3. Add cooled chocolate to bowl and continue beating until well combined.

 4. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using-- I opted to leave it out for the sake of my husband and daughter who are both afraid not big fans of spicy things). 

 5. Add dry ingredients to chocolate batter in stand mixer bowl and mix on low until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Scoop 1" balls of dough onto cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes. Cookies will be puffy and still slightly soft when done. 

 

5. Remove cookies from oven and immediately move parchment paper and cookies from baking sheet to cooling rack. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm. 

I had enough dough to make 2 dozen cookies, plus extra dough (enough for another 1-2 dozen) that I put into an airtight container to freeze and save for another day. Mine look a bit more like little poops than the original recipe's, but I promise they taste delicious. Super chocolatey, but with a little extra kick from the cinnamon and chili powder. They are amazing dunked in milk, or even better-- hot chocolate! The perfect cookie for curling up by a fire and snuggling up on a cold winter's night. 

Don't forget to head over to Laura's blog for her recipe, too! How cute do these look?

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Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Today, Laura of I do deClaire and I are bringing you something special... a Christmas cookie swap! Every Friday until Christmas we'll each share a Christmas cookie recipe. It's the perfect way to really get into the holiday season! Today I'm sharing a Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint cookie recipe.

adapted from here

Ingredients

for the cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
almond slices (optional)

for the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

3/4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp milk
green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in almond extract, then add flour and mix until dough comes together. 

2. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on cookie sheets fitted with parchment paper. Make a small crater in the center of each ball with your thumb, and fill each crater with preserves. Optional: add a slice or two of almonds on top of the preserves for a little something extra.

3. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until lightly brown. While cookies are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients.

4. When cookies are done, let cool for a minute on cookie sheet, then move parchment paper and cookies to a baking rack. Drizzle glaze over warm cookies.

5. Optional: for more festive cookies, add a drop or two of green food coloring to the glaze for red and green cookies!

J and I ate most of these last night as our Thanksgiving meal dessert, and they were a hit! I hope you and your family enjoy these this holiday season. 

Don't forget to check out Laura's lemon cookies, too!

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Pumpkin Risotto Recipe

Alright, guys. Awhile ago I promised you pumpkin risotto, and pumpkin risotto you shall have. Still working my way out of my cooking rut, but last night risotto just sounded so good, I had no choice but to get off my butt and make it. (I adapted from this recipe.)

Pumpkin Risotto (for 2)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 small onion

1 clove garlic, minced (or pressed-- I love my garlic press)

3/4 cup arborio rice

2-3 cups chicken stock

1/2-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, or 1/8 cup dried parsley

dash of thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pan, heat butter and oil together. Once butter is melted, sautee the onion and garlic together over medium high heat until onion becomes translucent and garlic becomes fragrant. Add rice, stir to coat, and sautee for about 1 minute.

2. Add first 1 cup of chicken stock, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. If you're using a non-stick pan, you don't have to stir constantly (until the end), but make sure you stir frequently.

3. Once liquid is mostly absorbed, add second 1 cup of stock, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. About halfway through the second cup of stock, add the pumpkin puree. This gives the pumpkin flavor some time to develop and soak into the rice. 

4. After the second cup of liquid is mostly absorbed, check the rice. If it's soft, it's done. If it's still crunchy, add another 1 cup of stock and repeat until rice is tender. (I ended up using 3 cups to get rice tender.) After adding the third cup, I did have to stir almost constantly to keep the rice from sticking, so just watch out for that.

5. Once rice is done, turn heat to low. Stir in your cheese, parsley and spices. Stir until cheese is melted and everything is combined. Remove from heat, and serve!

This is my new favorite comfort food. It's warm, filling, satisfying, and full of fall flavors! I just want to curl up in a bowl of it now that the weather has cooled off. I hope you like it as much as we do!

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Pumpkin Spice M&M Cookies

Hey guys, guess what? This is my 100th post! To celebrate, I'm sharing a recipe that I came up with yesterday after buying these bad boys at Target:

I took one bite and decided they would be delicious in some pumpkin spice cookies. This recipe is a slight modification of my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and halved for the sake of making a manageable amount.

Ingredients (makes about 16)

1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1  cup Pumpkin Spice M&Ms (I picked out all the green ones, and the orange and brown ones in the package ended up being exactly 1 cup. Green is not a pumpkin spice color.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon in small bowl. Combine melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl and beat until creamy. Add egg and beat well. Beat in flour mixture. 

 2. Stir in M&Ms.

3. Spoon dough onto cookie sheets fitted with parchment paper. Try to keep little hands from swiping the dough off the sheet.

4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

E said they "weren't too bad" (gee thanks), but J said they were delicious, and I'm with him. We let E have one, then set one more aside for her for the next day, and then sat down with the rest of the batch and gobbled them up with glasses of milk and some Castle after she went to bed. No regrets. I'm probably going to make these again this weekend for when we get back from the pumpkin patch, to snack on as we carve our pumpkins.

Here's to pumpkins, pumpkin spice, cookies, and another 100 posts! 

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Banana Pumpkin Bread Muffins with Cranberries

E loves to help me. She loves to help clean, do dishes, do laundry, and cook. It's awesome, and I hope it stays that way, but sometimes it's hard to find ways for her to actually help. When it comes to cooking/baking, she is now my official stir-er. I measure the ingredients, she dumps them in and whisks them together. It's a pretty great system, and I hope it instills in her a love for cooking. I didn't learn much growing up, and am mostly self-taught. Knowing that she will at least have a foundation for cooking and baking for herself, and an appreciation of food and ingredients, makes me all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside (I think it's a mom thing). Bonus: when she's old enough, it'll be a great way to teach her fractions! I love my little sous chef.

Yesterday, she and I made these muffins. The original recipe is for a loaf of bread, but muffins are just so much easier to grab in the morning, instead of having to slice off a piece. I have one muffin tin, and one cupcake tin, and the batter was enough to fill both.

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup craisins (other options: raisins or chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your muffin pans (I used cupcake liners for the cupcake tin, and baking spray on the muffin tin).

2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey, sugar, and brown sugar. (Fun fact: after she mashed the bananas, E informed me that they weren't bananas any more, they were soup.)

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and whisk together. 

4. Whisk the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the craisins. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

how full I filled my tins, for reference

5. Bake for 25 minutes for cupcake-sized muffins, and 35 minutes for muffin-sized muffins (ha), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Move pans to cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins from pans and complete cooling. 

mini-muffins

regular muffins

These are really moist, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast as they are not too sweet. Plus I hear bananas and pumpkin are good for energy! 

PS: I am creating a new label for the recipes E helps me with called "little helper recipes" so that, if anyone is interested, you can find recipes that are easy to do with your preschooler. I hope you find it helpful!

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