Best with a glass of milk

Many children leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.  The big man needs to fuel up as he delivers gifts on that long night.  I found two great recipes for cookies, not necessarily just for Santa, but to eat yourselves.  Heaven certainly knows that I helped myself to the cookies.  I can't give out cookies as gifts if I don't know what they taste like. 

These cookies are fantastically rich.  The first is a recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumprints that taste just like a PB&J sandwich.  The second is a recipe for Chocolate Cookie Cutouts.  These guys taste like a deliciously rich and chocolately brownie.  I suppose my few years in Hershey have rubbed off on me.  I would absolutely recommend a glass of milk with these cookies.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

(adapted from Cooking Light, December 2007)

printable recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (Note: recipe calls for chunky, but I used creamy and it was fine)

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

7 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour and salt, stirring well with a whisk; set aside.
2. Place sugars, peanut butter, and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just until combined.
3. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray.  Shape dough into 36 balls (about 2.5 teaspoons each).  Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with either a Silpat or parchment paper.   Press thumb into center of each dough ball, leaving an indentation.  Cover and chill 1 hour.  
4. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
5. Uncover dough.  Bake at 350F for 14 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove cookies from pans, and cool on a wire rack.
6. Place preserves into a small microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 20 seconds, stirring once.  Add juice, stirring until smooth.  Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon preserves mixture into the center of each cookie.

Yield: 3 dozen wonderful cookies

Chocolate Cookies
(from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook)
printable recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture; mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.  Divide the dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour.  
4. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into shapes.  Transfer to ungreased baking sheets (I lined mine with the Silpat), chill until firm, about 30 minutes.  Bake until crisp, 8-10 minutes.  Cook on wire racks.  

Yield: Martha says this gives you 16 large cookies, but I got a lot more.  Maybe her definition and my definition of large is different.

Both cookies are new favorites in our household.  I also made Snickerdoodles.  Yikes, we have a lot of sugar, butter, and egg baked goods in our house!