What's up: Toffee Pecan Banana Bread Recipe
Only seven days until Christmas. Unbelievable how fast this month has flown by. If you haven’t hopped on the baking train yet, follow me for the next seven days as I bake up a storm of simple, but decadent and delicious Christmas treats. You can share them with your family and friends by wrapping them up in some cellophane, tossing them in a tin, or just keep them for yourself and eat them straight off the tray. Here’s what’s on the menu:
First up: Christmas cookies. What’s Christmas without Christmas cookies? If you’re not up for all that rolling, cutting out and icing and dough freezing and decorating, here are a few recipes for some fabulous, fancy, delicious but easy Christmas cookies you can serve at your next party, wrap up for gifts or bring to work. Cookies today include: Chocolate Sable and Traditional Shortbread Cookies.
I got this recipe for Chocolate Sable Cookies from UTryit. Not only are these delicious little melt-in-your-mouth cookies amazing to eat, but they’re beautiful to look at! They are chocolatey without being too sweet and the coffee really helps to bring out that cocoa flavour.
Makes: about 40-48
Oven: 350F
Rating: 5/5
2 cups all purpose flour
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant coffee granulate, dissolved in 1 tsp of hot water
4 tbsp lightly beaten egg whites (from around 2 extra large eggs)
Chocolate chips for decoration
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and cocoa powder, set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and salt until mixture is fluffy. Then, add in coffee/water and egg whites and beat until thoroughly combined.
Slowly add in the flour/cocoa mixture, make sure not to over beat, then scoop into a piping bag.
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
To pipe the cookies, I used a star tip and did meringue-like swirls. Nothing too fancy or difficult. You can also do the infinity shape (horizontal 8) for a little something extra.
Pipe the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.
Place a chocolate chip in the middle of each shape to decorate.
Bake the cookies for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you like them, then cool and enjoy!
I had a particularly difficult time piping the cookie dough. I found that warming up the dough a bit (I left mine on top of the oven for a bit to soften it up) helped with the piping.
Cookies should be firm to the touch when ready but soft enough that if you put pressure on it, it will crumble.
If packing these cookies, take care because they are very delicate (but good to the last crumb)!
Next up is Shortbread cookies, it’s not Christmas without your favourite butter-filled bites of heaven. Who knew four simple ingredients could yield such luscious results?
I got this Melt-in-Your-Mouth shortbread recipe from Allrecipes.com.
Makes: about 24
Oven: 375F
Rating: 4/5
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Preheat your oven to 375F and lay out a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Beat butter with an electric mixture until light and fluffy.
Slowly add in icing sugar, cornstarch and flour (start slow otherwise it’ll be a white Christmas in your kitchen).Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, kick up the speed and turn it on high for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Depending on what you want your shortbread cookies to look like, you can either roll out the mixture (after letting it sit in the fridge for about half an hour to solidify) and cut out shapes, or, simply do them drop-cookie style by scooping out a teaspoon full, rolling it into a ball and plopping them onto the baking sheet. Either way is fine.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, watch carefully, once the cookies begin to brown the slightest bit, take it out! Make sure to cookie before you serve to allow for the cookies to reach maximum crispiness.
Only seven days until Christmas. Unbelievable how fast this month has flown by. If you haven’t hopped on the baking train yet, follow me for the next seven days as I bake up a storm of simple, but decadent and delicious Christmas treats. You can share them with your family and friends by wrapping them up in some cellophane, tossing them in a tin, or just keep them for yourself and eat them straight off the tray. Here’s what’s on the menu:
Seven Days of Christmas Countdown
 |
| Chocolate Sable Cookies |
1. Christmas Cookies
2. English Toffee
3. Homemade Marshmallows
4. Caramel Popcorn
5. Cream puffs
6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins
7. Surprise!
2. English Toffee
3. Homemade Marshmallows
4. Caramel Popcorn
5. Cream puffs
6. Nut Brittle & Fruit and Nut Thins
7. Surprise!
First up: Christmas cookies. What’s Christmas without Christmas cookies? If you’re not up for all that rolling, cutting out and icing and dough freezing and decorating, here are a few recipes for some fabulous, fancy, delicious but easy Christmas cookies you can serve at your next party, wrap up for gifts or bring to work. Cookies today include: Chocolate Sable and Traditional Shortbread Cookies.
 |
| Piping Chocolate Sable Cookies |
I got this recipe for Chocolate Sable Cookies from UTryit. Not only are these delicious little melt-in-your-mouth cookies amazing to eat, but they’re beautiful to look at! They are chocolatey without being too sweet and the coffee really helps to bring out that cocoa flavour.
Chocolate Sable Cookies
Makes: about 40-48
Oven: 350F
Rating: 5/5
Ingredients
6 tbsp cocoa powder
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant coffee granulate, dissolved in 1 tsp of hot water
4 tbsp lightly beaten egg whites (from around 2 extra large eggs)
Chocolate chips for decoration
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and cocoa powder, set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and salt until mixture is fluffy. Then, add in coffee/water and egg whites and beat until thoroughly combined.
Slowly add in the flour/cocoa mixture, make sure not to over beat, then scoop into a piping bag.
Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
To pipe the cookies, I used a star tip and did meringue-like swirls. Nothing too fancy or difficult. You can also do the infinity shape (horizontal 8) for a little something extra.
Pipe the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.
Place a chocolate chip in the middle of each shape to decorate.
Bake the cookies for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you like them, then cool and enjoy!
Notes
I had a particularly difficult time piping the cookie dough. I found that warming up the dough a bit (I left mine on top of the oven for a bit to soften it up) helped with the piping.
Cookies should be firm to the touch when ready but soft enough that if you put pressure on it, it will crumble.
If packing these cookies, take care because they are very delicate (but good to the last crumb)!
 |
| Soft and delicious chocolate sable cookies |
I got this Melt-in-Your-Mouth shortbread recipe from Allrecipes.com.
 |
| Buttery Shortbread Cookies |
Shortbread Cookies
Makes: about 24
Oven: 375F
Rating: 4/5
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375F and lay out a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Beat butter with an electric mixture until light and fluffy.
Slowly add in icing sugar, cornstarch and flour (start slow otherwise it’ll be a white Christmas in your kitchen).Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, kick up the speed and turn it on high for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Depending on what you want your shortbread cookies to look like, you can either roll out the mixture (after letting it sit in the fridge for about half an hour to solidify) and cut out shapes, or, simply do them drop-cookie style by scooping out a teaspoon full, rolling it into a ball and plopping them onto the baking sheet. Either way is fine.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, watch carefully, once the cookies begin to brown the slightest bit, take it out! Make sure to cookie before you serve to allow for the cookies to reach maximum crispiness.
 |
| Whipping up butter, the foundation of a good shortbread cookie |
Notes
- For crisper cookies, make the cookies thinner, for softer ones, make them thicker.
- For a little extra decadence, melt a cup of chocolate chips and dip half the shortbread cookie into it and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts or almonds.
- Don't substitute margarine! Butter is best for shortbread cookies. Save the substitute for those lesser cookies...
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