As a kid, my favorite holiday cookies were among the sweetest. I always gravitated toward sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms, which I still love. But, my tastes have definitely matured since then. I now find myself reaching for cookies that aren’t quite as sweet during the holidays. My favorites are those that let simple, high-quality ingredients shine.

My mom started making this lemon pistachio biscotti when I was a kid. While it wasn’t my favorite cookie growing up, it definitely is as an adult. I’m a big fan of lemon in just about everything, and the addition of pistachios gives this biscotti a rich, nutty flavor. I like to dip the biscotti in white chocolate around the holidays, which makes for a beautiful presentation.

Biscotti is also among the easiest types of cookies to make. It’s supposed to be dry, which makes it foolproof. The cookies are also pretty durable, which makes them great hostess or office gifts.

I like to double this recipe, then throw half of the biscotti in the freezer to have on hand when we’re hosting guests. They’re great to pull out in the afternoon to enjoy with coffee.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup suggar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest (from about one lemon)
• 4 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice (from about one lemon)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup roasted pistachios, crushed
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add lemon mixture and pistachios to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until combined and a stiff dough forms.
4. Spread the powdered sugar on a clean work surface and place the dough on top. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll each piece into a log, about 1-inch in width. Place two logs each on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, making sure the logs are at least two inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cookies feel firm. Place the cookie sheets on a cooling rack and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
5. Once the cookie logs are cool to the touch, use a serrated knife to cut the logs into 1/2-inch thick, diagonal slices. Place the biscotti back on the cookie sheets and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes, until slightly browned and dry. Place on a cooling rack to bring down to room temperature.
6. While biscotti cools, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir chocolate chips, then continue microwaving at 15-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Dip each piece of biscotti in the white chocolate, so that half of each piece is covered.

[/directions]

The post Lemon Pistachio Biscotti appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

I’ve been baking nonstop the past few days in preparation for our annual cookie and craft beer exchange that’s coming up this weekend. Everyone brings a dozen cookies or a six pack of beer and we spend the night sampling everything. We look forward to it all year!

I like to bake all of my holiday cookies at once. That way I can throw them in the freezer and pull some out throughout the season, when we have guests or are headed to a party. It makes life so much easier! I’m nearing the end of my baking list and, while I love spending time in the kitchen, I’ll be so glad to be done with the dishes that come along with it.

This year I decided to add an old family recipe to my list of cookies to bake. My grandmother Barb was famous for the bourbon balls she made every Christmas. They were off limits as a kid, which meant I snuck a couple when the adults weren’t looking. I certainly couldn’t appreciate their taste back then! But, as a bourbon-loving adult, these are now among my favorite holiday treats.

I love how easily these cookies come together — you don’t even have to turn the oven on! That does mean they pack a punch, so be sure to warn your guests when you offer these up. The bourbon balls are pretty rich, thanks to the powdered sugar, cocoa and pecans.

You don’t have to use top-shelf liquor in this recipe. But, the higher-quality booze you choose, the better these will taste! If you’re not a bourbon fan, you can also substitute rum or brandy.

What are you baking for the holidays?

Bourbon Balls

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 cup crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup granualted sugar

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. In a large bowl, whisk together vanilla wafers, powdered sugar, pecans and cocoa until combined. Add corn syrup and bourbon to the mixture and mix well.
2. Wet your hands, then carefully roll the batter into 1-inch balls, rewetting your hands as needed. Roll each ball in granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
   [/directions]

The post Bourbon Balls appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

As I plow through my list of holiday baking, cookies keep disappearing from the freezer. And it’s these almond sugar cookies that James seems to like most. We made a batch for our Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange last week and stashed extras in the freezer to enjoy when our families come to visit later this month. I don’t know if these cookies will make it that long!

Christmas just isn’t the same without hand-decorated sugar cookies. My mom made them when we were growing up and my brother and I always had a blast helping decorate with frosting and sprinkles. That’s still my favorite part! James and I teamed up to frost these while watching Christmas Vacation and it definitely put us in the holiday spirit.

Unlike many of the recipes I gravitate towards during the holidays, this one didn’t come from my family. A friend gave me this recipe about five years ago and I haven’t made another sugar cookie since. I’ve never been a huge fan of how cut-out cookies taste, but these are amazing. I love any almond-flavored baked good and the extract helps give these cookies a richer flavor profile.

When I want the cookies to look perfect, I frost them using a classic royal icing. They always look impressive, but nothing tastes better than homemade buttercream. I’ve opted for taste over presentation the past couple of years and have absolutely no regrets.

If you bake a batch of these, I suggest asking your neighbor to stick the extras in their freezer — otherwise they’ll quickly disappear!

Almond Cut-out Cookies with Almond Buttercream Frosting

[ingredients title=”Cookies Ingredients”]

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  [/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Frosting Ingredients”]

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• gel food coloring of your choice

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and extracts and beat until just combined, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Slowly pour in half of the flour mixture and stir until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and stir until just combined and crumbly.
5. Pour dough out onto a clean, lightly-floured surface and knead with hands until dough bits come together. Use a lightly-floured rolling pin to roll dough out evenly until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies out using cookie cutters and transfer to the baking sheet, leaving about two inches between each cookie. Combine leftover dough and roll out to cut out more cookies. Repeat the process until you run out of dough.
6. Placing one cookie sheet in the oven at a time, bake cookies on the middle oven rack until the bottom edges just start to turn golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and let sit on baking sheet for two minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
7. To make frosting, combine butter, powdered sugar, milk and extracts in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium until smooth. Use a couple drops of gel food coloring to tint the frosting, stirring rapidly to make it easier to spread. Frost cookies using icing spatulas and decorative pastry tips.
   [/directions]

The post Almond Cut-Out Cookies with Buttercream Frosting appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Our weekend was spent preparing for and hosting our annual Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange, which has become our favorite event of the year. The tradition started with just a few girlfriends when I was living in South Bend and keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. It’s a great way to unwind and spend time with friends during the hectic holiday season.

Here’s how it works: everyone brings either a six-pack of craft beer or a dozen cookies to share. We spend the night sampling everyone’s creations and the person who baked the crowd favorite takes home a small prize.

We stocked our fridge with a variety of my dad’s homebrew, New Belgium and Upland beers before everyone arrived. We also got a growler of Krampus from Bloomington Brewing Company, which is our favorite seasonal beer. We had to make a beer run halfway through the party last year, so we wanted to make sure we had more than enough beer in case most guests decided to bring cookies. But, most people actually brought both! We still have dozens of beers in our fridge leftover from the party. Luckily, there’s no such thing as too much beer.

I made Doubletree cookies, Oreo truffles, pretzel cookies and almond cut-out cookies for the party. I also put out a cheese plate and some salty snacks to help balance out all of the sugar. That table quickly became covered in cookies when guests arrived. I think we’re going to need a bigger one for next year’s party!

There seriously wasn’t enough room for all of the delicious cookies people brought. What’s so fun about the party is somehow no two people ever bring the same cookies. We had everything from classic spritz cookies to ombre cookies. I only sampled a couple because I was so busy mingling — and I didn’t want an awful stomach ache this morning.

There were lots of favorites, but our friend Stacy won the cookie competition this year. She brought two kinds that were delicious, but the salted caramel cookies were the biggest hit. I also loved the coffee cheesecake tartlets and Snickers-stuffed snickerdoodles other friends brought. We tried to send everyone off with bags of cookies, but we still somehow ended up with the majority of the leftovers. I threw them in the freezer so we won’t be tempted to eat ourselves into cookie comas!

The party was an absolute blast and I’m kind of sad it’s already over. It’s become one of our favorite holiday traditions and it was especially fun being able to throw it in a home of our own this year. I’m already dreaming up cookie recipes for next year’s party!

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Chime in by posting a comment below!

The post 5th Annual Christmas Cookie And Craft Beer Exchange appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

We are gearing up for our annual Christmas cookie and craft beer exchange this weekend, so I’m baking nonstop all week in preparation. Every year I make a combination of new and old recipes for the party and I plan to share a few of them over the next couple of weeks. There’s something so cozy about baking during cold nights with holiday movies and music playing in the background. It’s my favorite part of the season!

I started making pretzel cookies for the holidays when I was just a kid. That’s what’s so great about this recipe — it’s ridiculously easy. Aside from a little help getting the cookies in and out of the oven, this is a project kids can tackle on their own. My niece and nephew get so excited when my mom asks them to help her make pretzel cookies. There’s something about quickly topping the cookies with M&Ms that makes it feel almost like a game. Plus, there are always extra M&Ms for the helpers to enjoy!

This recipe yields one, big batch of pretzel cookies, but leaves you with partial bags of M&Ms and pretzels. I usually double or triple the recipe until I run out of pretzels or M&Ms. I make all of the cookies at once and keep them in the freezer, taking them out as needed during the holiday season — or any time of year. These are also great for bridal showers and birthday parties. Just customize the cookies by choosing different M&M colors!

These cookies aren’t just easy to make, they’re always a hit with guests. There’s something about the size and salty-sweet taste that makes people eat them my the handful! Whether you’re hosting a party or attending one, these are the perfect, festive treats to share with friends.

What’s your favorite holiday cookie recipe? Tell me in the comments!

Pretzel Cookies

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 12 oz. bag Hershey’s hugs, unwrapped
• 70 to 75 waffled or ring pretzels
• 70 to 75 M&Ms

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread pretzels in a single layer on cookie sheet. Place on hug on top of each pretzel. Bake for two to three minutes, until hugs are shiny and soft.
3. Remove cookies from oven and carefully, but quickly, place an M&M in the middle of each hug, pressing down slightly to flatten the top of the chocolate.
4. Place cookies in freezer for ten minutes, until set. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

[/directions]

The post Pretzel Cookies appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Among the many things we need to accomplish, I have to finish up my holiday baking. I have a stockpile of Christmas cookies in our freezer that has slowly been whittled down to a nearly empty container. I’m going to whip up a couple batches of our favorites this afternoon so we have plenty of sweet treats for our holiday celebrations.

There’s one kind of cookie we go absolutely nuts for in this household — a Paula Deen Monster Cookie recipe I’ve tweaked slightly to include as much peanut butter goodness as possible. I’m one of those people who oftentimes occasionally eats peanut butter straight out of the container. That’s not the worst bad habit to have, right?

These cookies are perfect for peanut butter lovers. This recipe makes a large batch, so there’s plenty to share with your family, friends and neighbors.

Here’s hoping your holiday table is filled with plenty of delicious food and surrounded by those you love. Happy holidays!

Double Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Modified from Paula Deen’s Monster Cookies recipe.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups loosely-packed light brown sugar
•  3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 12 oz. creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick oats
• 2 cups peanut butter M&Ms

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine eggs and sugars in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth.
3. Add salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter and mix until smooth.
4. Add baking soda, oats and M&Ms and mix until just combined.
5. Using cookie scoop or large spoon, drop batter Tablespoon-at-a-time onto cookie sheets, leaving cookies about two inches apart.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes on middle oven rack, until cookies start to slightly brown at the edges.
7. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

[/directions]

The post Double Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

We kicked off the fun (and craziness) on Saturday with our annual craft beer + Christmas cookie exchange. We host a lot of parties, but this is my favorite event of the entire year! Everyone brings  a plate of cookies or some craft beer to share and we spend the evening sampling all of the treats. The party lasts until the wee hours of the morning, when everyone heads home and falls asleep in a carb-induced coma.

That picture is the spread before guests arrive. We had so many cookies they covered two entire tables. It took serious willpower not to try them all.

This year we decided to turn the baking into a competition (who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?) and had people vote for their favorites. It was a tough choice, but the winner hands down was my friend Kat. She made amazing soft Stout cookies that I need to try and recreate soon. We sent her home with a cookie ornament and some serious bragging rights.

I like to make a few holiday standbys and try some new recipes when baking each year. I love a cookie plate with lots of variety! I made several batches so I could freeze some for our family Christmas celebrations and be done with holiday baking. Here’s what I whipped up:

• Potato Chip Cookies (my brother’s favorite)
• Perfect Every Time Cut-Out Cookies
• Cream Wafer Cookies
  
• Peppermint Pattie Cookies
  
• Pretzel Cookies

I may make one more batch of sweets before we head to Nashville next weekend for an early Christmas celebration with my family. What’s on your holiday baking list?

The post Holiday Baking Marathon appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.