The Year of Living Audaciously

Former food blog, now travel blog - following my year as a Fulbright ETA in Indonesia

Christmas Cookies #3: Spritz Cookies

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If I had to pick one recipe that says “mackenzie”, that people get so excited over, that people know me by… This would be it.

I first tried spritz cookies when I was maybe 9 at our Christmas dinner with my grandparents. My aunt had made them and I took one bite and my destiny was sealed – my and spritz cookies would have a long history together…

I went out and bought a spritz cookie making gun (no idea what they are really called) and set to work. That year and every year after, I made a double batch right before school got out for Christmas break and gave a little bundle to all my friends and favorite teachers. 11 years later… I am STILL bringing spritz cookies back to a couple of those teachers and friends because they love these cookies so much. I have no idea what it is about these cookies, and why these people can’t make them the way I do (one teacher has tried for years!) but for whatever reason… this recipe and I are best friends.

True to tradition, I brought the spritzer out to school with me and Libby and I made them during out cookie baking extravaganza. So good. So so so good. Now I have a whole bunch of friends out here who I’ll need to be baking these cookies for for the next several years! Yay!

Spritz Cookies:

(Spritz “gun” from Crate and Barrel and the recipe is the one in the box :D)

1 ½ cups butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Sprinkles
Preheat the oven to 375°. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill. Place dough into Cookie Pro and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sprinkles (if you want!) Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies from sheet; cool on rack.
Makes 7-8 dozen (little) cookies.
A couple of tips:
– Silicone baking mats ensure that these little guys don’t burn and so I highly recommend using them!
– Don’t try to press the cookies onto a warm pan, it needs to be room temp for the cookies to stick
– I have certain pans that work a lot better than others with this recipe. Don’t get frusterated if a batch doesn’t turn out quite right, or burns easily… try a different pan.

Candy Cane Cookies

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I absolutely love Christmas cookies. I love baking them because they are a special kind of cookie that you only bake once a year… I love eating them because, well, they are just delicious!!! And I love all the memories I have making Christmas cookies with my family.

This is probably my favorite Christmas cookie recipe! Enjoy!

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Candy Cane Cookies

Makes about 20 cookies.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

Red food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, whisk the flour and the salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixtrue, in three additions, and beat until you have a smooth dough.

Remove half the dough from the mixing bowl. Add the red food coloring to the remaining half and beat on low speed until well blended. Refridgerate dough for 15 minutes.

Take a walnut sized piece of red dough and a walnut sized piece of white dough. Separately, roll each color on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-5 inch long rope. Place the two ropes side by side, gently press together and twist the two ropes to form a sprial. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apat. Shape each cookie into a cane shape by bending one end into a hook.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until set and the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet. Cover and store in an airtight container for about a week. These cookies can be frozen.

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Salted Caramel Cupcakes

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Moist chocolate cake filled with homemade caramel… topped with vanilla buttercream and seasalt? What could be better?

I am in love with salted caramel anything – chocolates, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, you name it! This is one of my favorite salted caramel concotions – they are my go-to “need to bring something to a party” cupcakes and they are always a hit!

I made them last weekend because I had told so many people here at school about them, but hadn’t yet made them! They are on the complicated side – with lots of ingredients and prep – so it’s been hard to find the time and all the ingredients! But with classes behind me and reading week ahead of me – I went for it! My floor and all my friends loved them!

The chocolate cake that I use is pretty incredible too. So if you’re just looking for a basic chocolate cupcake recipe – try these out!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Recipe from Marisa Loper but the caramel sauce is from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 36 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
2/3 cup melted chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Buttercream:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
Milk as needed

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Caramel sauce: melt sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat – about five minutes, stirring to break up chunks. Cook until it reaches a nice copper color. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then the cream and salt. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and cook over medium high heat, melting it fully and cooking until it is a shade darker. Pour into a glass jar and store in the fridge until the cupcakes are done and ready to be assembled.

2. Cupcakes: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffins tins with cupcake liners. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar together. Add the milk, butter, chocolate, vanilla, and sour cream. Beat in the dry ingredients, a cup at a time, to the wet ingredients. Beat until well combined. Pour batter in muffin tins 2/3 cup full. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Buttercream: in a large bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar in one cup increments and beat on high. Add a couple tablespoons of milk to reach desired thickness.

4. Assembly: once cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut a small circle in the tops of the cupcakes, about the size of a nickel. Use a teaspoon to take out a small hole of cake. Make sure to keep these intact and don’t eat them! Pour some caramel sauce into the hole, it will dissolve into the cake. Replace the top and then frost the cupcakes! Drizzle more caramel sauce over the top and sprinkle with sea salt!

A Look Back

5 EASY, Healthy Recipes for College Students!
This blog is not an official U.S. Department of State website and the views and opinions expressed here are entirely my own, and do not represent the U.S. Department of State or the Fulbright Program.