Holiday Cookie Competition

December 2013

Winning Cookie Recipes

Raspberry-Loganberry Sugar Cut-out Cookies

(First Place in Decorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Hilary Ungaro of Cheektowaga, NY

Ingredients: (makes 4 dozen cookies)

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup margarine, softened 1 ½ cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons loganberry syrup 1 teaspoon raspberry extract Directions:

1.) Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the magarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the loganberry syrup and raspberry extract. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough and chill for 2 hours.

2.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.

3.) Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are barley brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Frosting Recipe: (Royal Icing)

Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons meringue powder 4 cups (about 1lb.) confectioner’s sugar 6 Tablespoons warm water Directions:

1.) Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks about 7-10 minutes with heavy duty mixer and 10-12 minutes with a hand held mixer.

Peanut Butter Cutouts

(Second Place in Decorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Christine Enser of Springville, NY

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened 1 cup creamy peanut butter ¾ cup sugar ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed 2 large eggs ⅓ cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions: 1.) In a large mixing bowl cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. 2.) Cover and refrigerate overnight. 3.) On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to ⅛ - ¼ inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters

and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. 4.) Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are brown. 5.) Put on wire racks to cool.

Icing

Ingredients:

3 cups sifted 10x sugar ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoon milk or enough to make icing desired consistency ½ to 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

Directions: 1.) Combine sugar, vanilla and milk in medium bowl. Mix with rubber scraper until smooth.

Reserve some frosting for coloring. 2.) To the remainder stir in enough chocolate to achieve desired darkness. 3.) Using #1 and 2 decorating tips, pipe chocolate icing onto cookies. Use food coloring to tint

reserved white icing and finish decorating cookies. 4.) Allow to dry thoroughly before handling.

2nd

Cream Cheese Cut-out Cookies

(Third Place in Decorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Dawn Fleming of Orchard Park, NY

Ingredients:

1 cup butter 3 oz. cream cheese 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 ½ cups flour

Directions: 1.) Pre-heat oven to 325 2.) Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and blend together. Add egg and vanilla.

Add baking soda. 3.) Slowly add flour one cup at a time. Feel and add more flour if still sticky. 4.) Refrigerate at least for 3 hours or overnight. 5.) Roll out and cut with favorite cookie cutters. 6.) Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

2 cups confectionary sugar 3 tablespoons meringue powder 6 tablespoons water

Directions: 1.) Blend all together. Add more water a small amount at a time if too stiff 2.) Store in a sealed tight container

3rd

Decadent Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

(First Place in Undecorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Anne Marie Johnson of Cheektowaga, NY

Ingredients:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar ½ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup peanut butter chips 1 cup chocolate chips (either semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Granulated Sugar Melted chocolate (either semi-sweet or milk chocolate) for dipping

Directions: 1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl beat dark brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg

with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips.

2.) Shape dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Dip tops of balls into granulated sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets place balls sugared side up about 3 inches apart.

3.) Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

4.) As a sweetened addition, cookies may be dipped into melted chocolate for extra flavor.

Scandinavian Almond Bars

(Second Place in Undecorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Maura Murphy of West Seneca, NY

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 teapsoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 egg ½ teaspoon almond extract Milk ½ cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped Almond Icing

Directions: 1.) Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixer bowl beat butter or margarine till

softened. Add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg and almond extract and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat until well mixed.

2.) Divide dough into fourths. Form each into 12 inch roll. Place two rolls 4 to 5 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten until 3 inches wide. Repeat with remaining rolls.

3.) Brush flattened rolls with milk and sprinkle with almonds. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. While cookies are still warm, cut them crosswise at a diagonal into 1 inch strips. Drizzle with almond icing. Makes 48 cookies.

Almond Icing:

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted powdered sugar ¼ teaspoon almond extract 3 to 4 teaspoons milk

Directions: 1.) Stir together sifted powdered sugar, almond extract and enough milk to make icing of drizzling

consistency. Cutting the bars: While the bars are still warm and soft on the cookie sheet, use a sharp knife to cut the baked dough diagonally into 1 inch strips. Cool the strips on a wire rack before drizzling with icing.

2nd

Nutella Cookies stuffed with Chocolate Ganache

(Third Place in Undecorated Category)

From the Kitchen of: Laura Wiltse-Tibbetts of Hamburg, NY

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt (if you only have regular salt add under a teaspoon) ½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella) ½ cup butter, softened ½ sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Sugar for rolling cookies in

Directions: 1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside. In another bowl place the

chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella), butter and both sugars. On medium-low speed cream together for about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

3.) Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape the cookie dough into 1 inch, about 1 teaspoon sized round balls. Roll the cookie balls in sugar and place cookies on a heavy cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Place in oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For Ganache:

⅓ cup heavy cream 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 1.) In a medium heavy duty sauce pan heat heavy cream just to the boiling point. Remove from

heat and add in chocolate chips. Allow to stand for 2 minutes. With a whisk, mix until smooth. 2.) Allow to cool to just about room temperature. Spoon a small amount of the ganache onto the

bottom of one cooled cookie. Top off with another cookie and allow to set.

3rd