Santa Bait: Holiday cookie recipes

Chewy chocolate chip cookies

Makes 18 large cookies

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. Sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt, set this aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream melted butter (tip: melting the butter is my secret to making chewy cookies), brown sugar and white sugar until blended. Beat in vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk until light. Mix in dry ingredients.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, depending on your oven.

Chewy double chocolate chip cookies

Makes 36 medium cookies

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups of cocoa powder

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 cup of butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the salt and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until fluffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Shortbread

Makes 20 small cookies

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
2. In a separate bowl, cream butter until smooth, add sugar, beat until smooth, beat in vanilla extract, gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatter the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, chill dough for at least an hour or even up to 24 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F.
4. Defrost the dough until malleable, then roll out into 1.4 thick, and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. When cookies are cut, refrigerate the cookies for 15 minutes before placing them in the oven for baking. This will firm up the dough and help the cookies maintain their shape while baking.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Coconut Macaroons

Makes 15 small macaroons

1 1/3 cups of flaked coconut

1/3 cup of white sugar

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoons salt

2 egg whites (I like to save the egg whites from the chewy chocolate chip recipe above)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. In a small bowl, mix together coconut, sugar, flour and salt.
3. Stir in egg whites and vanilla extract. Mix well.
4. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper, and drop mixture by the rounded teaspoon onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Serve all of the above with an ice cold glass of milk and a dash of Christmas cheer.