We wish you a Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year
Happy Baking... Happy Cooking... Enjoy the food :)

* We'll be out of town for Xmas Holiday (15/12/06 - 06/01/07)

Xmas Cookie 4 : Ginger Shortbread

Sejak punya anak tiap natalan sy pasti bikin gingerbread cookies. Gak cuma anak2 yg suka, papahnya pun biasanya sy bekelin 1 toples u/ ditaroh di ruang kerjanya. Tahun ini sy mutusin u/ gak bikin gingerbreadmen yg udah jadi tradisi tiap tahun. Krn masih jatoh hati ama shortbread maka tahun ini sy bikin ginger shortbread-men.

Hasilnya,... nah ini masalah selera aja deh.
Sy sendiri lebih doyan jenis shortbread ini, dibandingkan dgn gingerbread, terutama dari segi rasa. Lebih gurih.
Tapi... kadar lemaknya kemungkinan lebih tinggi krn shortbread komposisi butternya cukup byk :).
Sekedar pembanding, u/ resep gingerbread perbandingan butter dan terigunya 1 : 4 (cup) sedang u/ ginger shortbread ini perbandingannya 1 : 2 (cup). Gimana gak gurih coba?
Untuk resep ini, sy tambahkan 1 oz coklat parut dlm adonan... masih kebayang ama nikmatnya Espresso Delight :D, yg pake coklat spt itu. Enak deh jadinya.

Source : Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of ground cloves pinch of freshly ground pepper ~sy gak pake
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

All purpose flour, for work surface Crystal sugar

1. Sift together flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and pepper into a small bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, and continue beating until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.
2. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat until just combined and dough sticks together when squeezed.
Form into a flat disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm at least 1 hour.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut out ginger shortbread with a 3-inch cookie cutter and springkle with crystal sugar; place shapes on baking sheets and chill 30 minutes, rotating sheets half-way through. Bake until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Xmas Cookie 3 : Sugar Cookie Christmas Tree Cutouts

Sugar Cookie...
cookie favorite sepanjang masa. Cookie simple tapi rasanya selalu mengingatkan gw dgn homemade cookie.
Ini salah satu cookie yg sempet gw bawa diacara Cookie Fest di sekolahnya Patris. Sekalipun pihak 'dapur sekolah' nyediain bejibun sugar cookie... oh... homemade sugar cookie gak ada tandingannya deh.

Tahapan simple rolled cookies;
Mix the cookie dough, chill it well, then roll, chill, cut, bake, and decorate it
(Martha Stewart Living Magazine - page 74, Dec 2005).

Nah menyesuaikan dengan moment natal, pakelah cookie cutter bentuk pohon natal, dan cookie hias pake campuran melted white chocolate + unsalted butter, plus sprinkles.
Source : Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Dec 2006.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour,
plus more for work surface
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing -sy ganti pake melted WCC+butter

White non pareils, for springkling

Makes about 2 dozen
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attactment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Trasfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick. Using a tree-shape cookie cutter, cut out cookies, and space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
3. Bake until goldern, 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Drizzle cookies with icing; springkle with nonpareils. Let set.
Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Xmas Cookie 2 : Chocolate-Drizzled Spice Cookies

Rasanya Natal gak lengkap tapi wangi rempah2.

Spices emang kayag magical powder. Wangi yg selalu mengangenkan di bulan December. Wangi yg mengingatkan kita pada pada masa kecil menjelang natal... saat nyokap sibuk baking di dapur :D.
Kebetulan sekali, swamiku suka bgt cake atau cookie yg pake bahan rempah ini. Cookie ini bakal sy bawain ke Jkt besok.
Sy sangat merekomendasiin cookie ini u/ natalan. Rasanya lebih rich dibandingkan gingerbread cookies. Belom lagi pake coklat diatasnya... komplit deh! enak bgt.
Resep dibawah ini menghasilkan cookies dlm jumlah yg cukup byk. Sy cuma bikin 1/2 resep aja jadinya byk lho.
Source: Holiday Party Food, Martha Stewart 'Special Issue' Magazine, 2003

Makes about 9 1/2 dozen
Cookies can be stored in airtight containers, layered with pieces of waxed or parchment paper, for up to three days at room temperature.
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar ~sy pake 50% sugar:50% palm sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses ~sy pake maple flavor syrup :)
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar. Starting on low speed and increasing to high, beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 2 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl once with a rubber spatula.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add molasses; mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl; add flour mixture. Starting on low speed and increasing to medium-high, beat until just combined.
3. Transfer dough to a clean work surface. Divide into four equal pieces, and roll each into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap each log in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove logs from refrigerator, and unwrap. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill in freezer or refrigerator until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Bake cookies until slightly cracked on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag. Snip the tip off one corner of the bag to make a very small opening. Place the wire rack with the cookies on a sheet of parchment paper or a rimmed baking sheet. Holding bag about 5 inches above cookies, drizzle chocolate in a zigzag motion until cookies are covered. Let stand until chocolate has set, 2 to 3 hours.

Xmas Cookie 1 : Cappucino Crinkles

Ini cookies pertama yg gw bikin menjelang Natal. Hari Minggu sore (stelah sempet2nya bobo siang :D, stelah kekenyangan lunch homemade Soto Bandung) gw mulai bikin cookie ini. Rasanya bikin cookie itu gak ada susahnya, cuma kudu rela berlama2 bikin bola2 satu persatu. Belom lagi oven gw mungil bgt, alhasil kudu masukin 5 batch baru kelar (total 53 cookies). Tapi stelah batch pertama keluar dari oven, dari meja makan tempat gw berkutat... gw pun menikmati moment2 khas 'Christmas Baking'...

Wangi kopi bertiup semerbak dari dapur ke seluruh sudut rumah, Xmas songs ngalun merdu, anak2 mulai sibuk bolak-balik mampir ngambilin cookies anget dari atas wirerack, papahnya yg asyik maen Xbox juga minta diambilin cookies, komentar ttg betapa yummy-nya cookies bikinan mamah :P, sampe keinginan u/ dibekelin cookie ke sekolah.
...what a beautiful and memorable moment...

Akhirnya 1 toples (gak penuh) udah keisi cookies. Lega...
dan keesokan harinya toples ini pun dibawa ama suamiku ke kantor :)
Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Makes about 32.
• 1/3 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
Add the brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee granules, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally.
Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined.
Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.
Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

2. Place granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons into sugar and roll into balls.
Roll again in sugar.
Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm.
Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool.
Make-Ahead Tip: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.