The Holiday Kitchen: Sweet Treats- Seasonal Flavors

 With December and the holiday season come all things baking. I have tried out a couple new cookie recipes for an upcoming party. Both are not ones I would gravitate to normally, but both turned out pretty well. The first cookie is a Candy Cane Chocolate Chip and the second is an Eggnog cookie. 

Candy Cane Chocolate Chip

1/2 C butter softened

1 egg

1.5 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1/3 C brown sugar

1.5 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 C white chocolate chips

3/4 C dark chocolate chips

5 candy canes crushed finely (1/4 C + 1 TBSP apprx)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cream butter and sugars in mixer until creamy at least 3-4 minutes. Add in vanilla and egg and beat until combined. 

In separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients into wet until well combined. 

Stir in chocolate chips and candy canes. 

Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes. 

Roll dough into balls or use cookie scoop and place on parchment lined baking sheet. 

Bake 9-12 minutes or until slightly golden. 

Cool for several minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (plus 1/4 tsp in sugar mix)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (plus 1/4 tsp in sugar mix)

1/4 tsp salt

1 C sugar (plus 1/4 C in sugar mix)

3/4 C butter softened

1/4 C eggnog

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg (minus the amounts needed for sugar mix) in a small bowl and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for approx. 5 minutes. 

Add the eggnog, vanilla, and egg and beat on medium until smooth. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat on low until just blended. 

In small bowl add the extra sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for sugar mix to roll dough in.

Create balls of dough and roll in the sugar mixture to coat. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet and gently press down. 

Leave 1 in between each cookie. 

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until bottoms slightly brown. 

Allow to cool before transferring to a wire rack. 

Stay tuned for more baking adventures! I hope this holiday season you are able to try something new as well as your old faithful recipes.