1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in peppermint and vanilla extracts. Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).
Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using plastic as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap dough; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs. Cut logs crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely.
Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly in zigzag pattern. Chill cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Chill in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.
This unusual cookie starts with a deep amber-colored homemade caramel. Brown sugar and flour are then added to form the dough. Once the dough is prepared, it needs to chill overnight before it’s sliced and baked, so be sure to begin making these crisp cookies a day ahead. Makes about 4 dozen
¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup water
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, sifted (measured, then sifted)
Combine sugar and ⅓ cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard vanilla bean. Pour in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); add butter and whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and salt. Add flour and stir until well blended and dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured work surface; divide dough in half. Form each dough half into 9-inch-long log; wrap in plastic and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough logs crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until firm to touch and slightly darker in color, about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.
DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 3 days ahead. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.
This is a wonderful cookie to bake with children—it’s basically a spiced sugar cookie with a pretty dusting of powdered sugar. You can have the kids cut out their own snowflake stencils, then let the powdered sugar fly. Lace doilies also work well as stencils. Of course, the holiday design options are endless: cutout hearts for Valentine’s Day, pumpkins for Halloween … just use your imagination. The dough log needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly. Makes about 2 dozen
1½ cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extractPowdered sugar
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. If dough is too soft to mold, chill until firm.
Spoon dough onto large sheet of plastic wrap. Roll into 7-inch-long, 2¼-inch diameter log. Wrap tightly and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets. Unwrap dough and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place on baking sheets, spacing slices 1 inch apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool.
DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Place doilies or snowflake stencils atop cookies. Sift powdered sugar over. Carefully remove doilies or stencils and serve.
Decorating Cookies: After Baking
Cool cookies completely before decorating. This is especially important if topping with frosting, chocolate, or royal icing (the decorative icing that hardens when it dries), so that the topping doesn’t melt or drip. If using white icing or frosting, or melted white chocolate, you can add a few drops of vegetable food coloring, if you like—or even divide the topping among a few bowls and create several different colors.
Frosting can be spread on cookies with an offset spatula or piped through a pastry bag (see page 38 for tips on piping). Do a few practice rounds on a plate; then just scoop the frosting back into the bag and move on to the cookies.
Icing and melted chocolate can be drizzled over cookies (using a fork makes it easy) or piped from a pastry bag. Or simply dip the cookies into the icing or chocolate.
To design with icing, first pipe a thin line of icing around the border of the cookie or in the pattern of your choice; give the icing a few minutes to set, then fill in the design with additional icing. The border will help the icing stay in place.
Before the frosting, icing, or chocolate becomes firm, press in any decorations you like, including any that might otherwise melt during baking, such as crushed candy canes and chocolate chips. You don’t need to ice the whole cookie to apply decorations; use icing as the glue to hold each decoration in place.