Tag: Cookie Recipes

Festive Foodie: Gingerbread Snaps with Cream Cheese Filling

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Festive Foodie: Gingerbread Snaps with Cream Cheese Filling

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I’m in a lovely mood. Not only did I take today off from work to prepare for tonight’s Boston Music Awards (and got to sleep in a little later than usual in the process,) but last night I had the most fun taking ugly Christmas sweater photos with my favorite person in the world for my 2019 holiday cards- and somehow my little town successfully managed to dodge an impending overnight snowstorm- getting by with only a little bit of rain in the early morning hours today!

So while I sit here, sipping a coffee and planning on doing some errands and Christmas shopping this morning and early afternoon before it’s time to make my way into Boston- I thought I’d share a baking endeavor I undertook earlier this week when a craving for gingerbread hit me.

Despite not being 95 years old, I actually love ginger snap cookies- and I knew of a way to make them a bit more festive for this time of year.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

FOR THE COOKIES:

  • 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup molasses

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and molasses.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture about ½ at a time.
  5. Form the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons in size. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press the dough balls flat to increase crispiness.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are set.
  7. In a large bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together using an electric mixer.
  8. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the powdered sugar about ½ – 1 cup at a time until you’ve mixed in 2 cups.
  9. Beat in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, alternating with a little extra powdered sugar until the desired sweetness and consistency.
  10. Frost the cooled cookies using a flat knife and apply another flattened cookie on top to form the sandwich shape.

From there, I usually stick the completed cookies in the refrigerator for an hour or so to harden up the cream cheese and make them prime for dunking in cocoa- but you can indulge however you’d like!

I’m off to get some errands done and make myself look presentable for tonight- but I’ll be back on Friday morning with more festive content as the holidays creep closer and closer!

Wish Indie617 luck for the BMAs- and enjoy your “Hump Day,” everybody!

xx

– Ashley –

Easter Eats: Cookies-and-Cream Shortbread Cookies

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Easter Eats: Cookies-and-Cream Shortbread Cookies

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

In my family, both immediate and extended- making the time to have occasional big, family dinners with lots of food and conversation is really important. The older everyone gets, and the more responsibilities and other commitments/engagements that come up- the harder it is to get everyone together.

We all know and understand that- which is why we treasure holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter (and sometimes the 4th of July or Memorial Day during the Summer!) It’s when everyone can be together and eat, drink and be merry.

My mother hosts Easter at her home every year- and while she typically enjoys taking charge and putting together the menu- she never says no to any dishes anyone wants to bring with them to share. When I bring food, I typically gravitate towards appetizers (they’re so much fun!) and side dishes- but I’m also known to whip up some pretty good desserts, too.

This year, in lieu of my usual “safe desserts” like thumbprint cookies or my experimental cakes and pies- I thought I’d bring this fun spin on shortbread cookies, instead- which is a chocolate lover’s dream!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

FOR THE COOKIES:

  • 15 chocolate sandwich cookies
  • ½ cup (56g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup (226g) cubed unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups (241g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • 1 cup (113g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. MAKE THE COOKIES: Preheat the oven to 300°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until they form fine crumbs, about 1 minute. Remove 2 tablespoons of the cookie crumbs and reserve in a small bowl.
  3. Add the confectioners’ sugar to the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl of the food processor well.
  4. Add the flour and salt, and pulse until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and process until combined.
  5. Divide the dough in half and then form each piece into an inch-thick disk. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ⅓ inch thick. Cut the dough into circles using a round fluted cookie cutter and then transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
  6. Bake until the cookies start to brown at the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool completely.
  7. MAKE THE GLAZE: In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cream until a thick glaze forms. Working one at a time, spoon 1 teaspoon of glaze on top of each cookie. Let the glaze set for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the reserved cookie crumbs on top of each cookie. The glaze will fully set in another 10 to 15 minutes and then the cookies are ready to serve.

I had opted to sprinkle crumbled up sandwich cookie chunks on top of the still-setting glaze as opposed to the finely pulsed cookie crumbs I’d initially used to create the dough- since I thought it gave these a more fun look- but you can do it by the book if desired!

The result is a sweet, decadent dessert that serves as the perfect finale to a great meal! I can’t wait for my mother to see (and eat) these when I bring the next batch to her house.

And with that being said- there are lots of big changes happening at my job this week, which I’ll discuss at a later time when I have a free moment- and I’m here bright and early to get the jump on them and stay on top of things!

I’m off- but here’s wishing you all an easy start to your day and your work week!

xx

– Ashley –

Festive Foodie: No-Bake Sugar Cookie Truffles

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Festive Foodie: No-Bake Sugar Cookie Truffles

Good Morning and Happy Friday, everyone!

Today’s post is coming at you all a little later on in the day than usual- since this morning and mid-afternoon were pretty busy for me. For starters, I was live on-air for “Morning Glory” at Indie617 bright and early this A.M. talking about some of my favorite albums, shows and indie music headlines from 2018. There was a lot of good music and a lot of laughs. If you missed the action or want to hear the audio- CLICK HERE.

Following the segment, I headed back towards Central Massachusetts to have a pre-holiday luncheon with some of my friends/co-workers from the office, where we had a mini gift exchange and got a chance to talk about normal, non-work related things.

Now that I’m home and able to catch up on some e-mails (and touch up my makeup) before I get together with my family to have a little Tree Trimming party- I thought I’d share one of the bites I’m preparing for tonight. With limited ingredients and no baking required for this quick, easy dessert- these truffles are a go-to during the hectic holiday season.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 2 cups sugar-cookie crumbs (from about 15 medium cookies)
  • 6 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 cups white chocolate chips
  • Sprinkles, for finishing

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese and mix well to combine. The mixture should hold together when pressed.
  2. Scoop the mixture into heaping tablespoon-size portions and roll into balls. Transfer the balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  3. Add the white chocolate chips to a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is smooth and melted.
  4. Dip the cookie truffles into the melted white chocolate to coat fully, returning to the baking sheet as you go. Before the chocolate sets, decorate with sprinkles.
  5. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator until the chocolate is set. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

These truffles are delicious- and can be tweaked a bit for those with different tastes (using dark chocolate instead of white chocolate, for example)– but the’re festive and fun- and no hassle at all!

This coming weekend is going to be filled with time with family and friends (and a long overdue touchup of my hair for the season) as Christmas continues to draw closer.

On Sunday, I’ll be heading out to Easthampton to catch a holiday performance from one of my favorite theater groups- Paintbox Theatre– who will be putting on their annual ‘Santa Show’ for adults and kids alike! Tonight’s first performance is at 7:30 PM, while Saturday and Sundays’ performances are at 10:30 AM and 1 PM.

You can purchase tickets directly through Paintbox’s website or at the Williston Theater- but be sure to get there early to snag a good seat!

And be prepared to sing along to a lot of holiday classics and laugh along to a lot of crazy antics!

But for now- I’m off to prepare for tonight. Here’s wishing you all a wonderful and safe weekend. I’ll be back on Monday!

xx

– Ashley –