Indulge In {White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread}

Oh cookie season, how I adore you! However, my diet does not. Either way, my taste buds are quite please with what's been baking up in the kitchen lately. This week I've attempted something bright in color and full of flavor, white chocolate cherry shortbread cookies. Soft, crumbly and delicious these cookies make quite the impression at your cookie swap. After baked, they are dipped in white chocolate and rolled in gold edible glitter adding just the pizzaz any holiday should have. Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::

½ cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped

½ teaspoon almond extract

2 drops red food coloring 

2 teaspoons shortening

Edible Gold Glitter

:: Directions::

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain.

In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball.

Shape dough into ¾ inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1 ½ inch rounds.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until centers are set. Cook for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 8 ounces of white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate mixture, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set.

Indulge In {Southern Gingerbread Men}

Tis the season! As I write today's post, I'm enjoying the Rockefeller Center lighting of the Christmas tree and it really has me in the spirit. One of my favorite parts of the season is the excuse to over indulge in holiday treats, like these bow tie clad gingerbread men. I featured this recipe last year and can't wait to make them again. I wanted to share it with you again today as a kickoff to the cookie series. Every Thursday between now and Christmas, I plan on sharing another delicious cookie recipe. If you have any you would love the recipe for, let me know and I'd be happy to showcase them! While you contemplate all the yummy treats to come, here's my gingerbread recipe. Enjoy!

*Makes about 2 dozen gingerbread men*

:: Ingredients ::
3 cups (15 ounces) flour
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces) dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature (but not warm!), cut into 12 pieces
¾ cup light or dark molasses
2 tablespoons milk

:: Directions ::
With an electric mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk; mix until the dough is evenly moistened about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough ¼ inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment or wax paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment or wax paper, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

Remove one dough sheet from the freezer and place on the counter. Peel off the top parchment or wax paper sheet. Gently cut the dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheets with a wide metal spatula and spacing them ¾ inch apart. Set the scraps aside. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full. Because flour is not added during rolling, dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as necessary.

Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake!! Cool the cookies on the sheets 2 minutes, then remove the cookies with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Gather the scraps; repeat the rolling, cutting and baking. Frost as desired (I used a ziploc bag filled with simple white icing).

Store soft gingerbread in a wide, shallow airtight container or tin with a sheet of parchment paper between the cookie layers. These cookies are best eaten within one week.