It's that wonderful time of the year! '12 Days of Cookies'

It's the end of November and what does that mean? Clocks have gone back an hour. Days are getting shorter. The weather is getting colder. Winter tires are going on and holiday baking is hitting full steam!  Which means, the 6th annual, award winning, 12 Days of Cookies is coming to a library near you.

 For twelve days, the staff and friends will be baking and sharing recipes and cookies. Each recipe, along with pictures, will be shared online via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on this blog. All branches and the Bookmobile will be taking part in this cookie extravaganza, week days beginning Monday, December 5th and ending on December 20th.

There is also a contest to encourage public participation and a chance to win a "cookie gift bag'. Contest rules are available on the AVRL website.

This is a fun way to showcase the library's collection of cookbooks and magazines, especially during the holidays when many are baking.

In the coming days the staff of AVRL invite you to come see and taste what has been baked. Visit this blog to see which branch will have cookies that day for your tasting pleasure.

HAPPY BAKING!!

12 Days of Cookies Returns!

The cookies return! Once again, we will feature cookies on our blog for 12 days (Monday-Friday). You can see the photos of our cookies, get new recipes, and maybe find a new favourite to add to your baking repertoire.

This baking bonanza has been so popular that we couldn't stop -- in fact, our cookie recipes  have been some of the most viewed posts ever on our blog. We even won the APLA Library Advocacy Award for our cookie efforts! However, this year we have a bit of a staff shortage, and so instead of sending our cookies to each branch, we will just be baking and sharing our recipes. Some of our bakers will be sharing their cookies at their local libraries, so stay tuned each day for cookie updates! 


We invite you to join in-- we'll even award a gift card to one of our lucky patron bakers. We've loved your photos from years past, so we can't wait to see what you create this year. Here's how you can get in on the cookie fun. We've sent extra cookbooks out to all or our branches, so find one at your local library, and let the baking begin! 

Our staff cookie recipes will be posted here and on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest beginning December 1.

Day 11: APRICOT LINZER BARS

Ken Maher, from our Annapolis Royal branch baked these little treats, which will be making an appearance at the Berwick Library today. The recipe is from the book Cookies for Christmas by Jennifer Dorland Darling.

The traditional raspberry-and-almond flavour combination of the Viennese linzertorte is replaced here by apricots and hazelnuts. 

Prep: 25 minutes         Bake: 35-40 minutes

1.      Grease and lightly flour an 11 X 7-1/2-inch baking pan; set aside.

2.      Place nuts in blender; blend until nuts are finely ground. Stir flour into nut powder and set aside.

3.      For batter, in a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg until combined. Beat in as much of the flour-nut mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour-nut mixture.

4.      Evenly spread about 2 cups of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon apricot preserves over batter to within ½ inch of the edges. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over the preserves.

5.      Bake in 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top before cutting into bars. Store in refrigerator or freezer. Makes 15 to 24 bars.

Ingredients

1 cup hazelnuts (or almonds)

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup apricot preserves

Powdered sugar

Baker's NOTE: I substituted powdered almonds on my first batch, and I sprinkled a few finely-chopped dried apricots on the apricot jam layer.

Day 10: Espresso Thumbprint Cookies

Today's cookies are baked by Wendy Trimper, Head of Branch Services. Her cookies will be making an appearance at the Port Williams Library .

Espresso Thumbprint Cookies

(from the book Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies)

COOKIES:

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

FILLING:

¼ cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee granules

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon coffee-flavoured liqueur, if desired

TOPPING:

Crushed hard peppermint candies, if desired

1.       Heat oven to 350⁰ F. In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended.  Stir in flour, cocoa and salt until dough forms.

2.       Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 42 (1 inch) balls.  On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart.  Using thumb or end of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie, but do not press all the way to cookie sheet.

3.       Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm.  If necessary, quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon.  Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4.       Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, mix whipping cream and instant coffee.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally , until steaming and coffee is dissolved.  Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted.  Stir in liqueur.  Cool about 10 minutes or until thickened.

5.       Spoon rounded ½ teaspoon espresso filling into indentation in each cookie.  Top with crushed candies.

Day 9: Snowy White Chocolate Crescents

The recipe for these delicious cookies comes from the book Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book.  I chose this recipe with children in mind. They are simple to make and perfect for dipping in hot chocolate. These cookies were
baked and sugared by Wendy Kearnes in the Outreach Services Department, and they will be at the Kingston branch today.                                       

Ingredients:                                                             
  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
  1/2 cup salted butter, softened
  1 cup granulated sugar
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1 large egg
  1/2 cup powdered sugar

  Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

  Preheat oven to 325 F.

  In a small bowl, combine flour and cocoa. Mix well with a wire wisk and
set aside.

  In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on
medium speed. Add vanilla and egg, and beat until light and smooth. Scrape
down sides of bowl, then add flour and cocoa mixture. Blend on low speed
until fully incorporated. The dough will be dry and crumbly.

  Shape a level tablespoon of dough into a 3 1/2 - inch log. Slightly bend
the log to form a crescent shape. Form remaining dough into crescents, and
place on ungreased cookie sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes or
until the outside of cookie is hard but the center remains soft.

  Cool on cookie sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a flat surface
to cool a few minutes more. While still warm, roll the cookies in powdered
sugar until coated.

  Enjoy!
Wendy Kearnes
  Outreach Services Manager

Day 8: Candy Cookies

Lynn Manning baked these little treats from the  Busy Woman's Cookbook, 3 and 4 Ingredient Recipes by Sharon and Gene McFall. Lynn works at the Kentville branch, and her cookies will be out on the road today with the Bookmobile in Maitland Bridge and Cornwallis Park.

Candy Cookies
1     12 oz. can sweetened condensed milk              
16    Large marshmallows
1      6 oz. package chocolate chips
2      Cups crushed graham crackers

Put first 3 ingredients into top of double boiler.
Heat mixture until melted.
Remove from heat and add crushed graham crackers.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax papered cookie sheet.
Allow to set overnight. Makes 4 dozen.

Day 7: Norwegian Chocolate Cookies

A crisp cookie dipped in chocolate, baked by Patricia Milner, our Head of Reference Services. The cookies are from the book  Norwegian Cakes and Cookies by Sverre Saetre, and you can head over to the Lawrencetown Library today to sample one!


Recipe:                                                                      

1 orange
3 cups of flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup salted butter softened
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of brown sugar for decoration
7 oz (200 g) milk or dark chocolate for dipping

Wash the orange well in lukewarm water. Grate the peel (just the orange part) of the orange on a grater. Press the juice.

Cut the flour, baking powder,sugar, and butter in a bowl until crumbly either by hand or in a food processor.

Add the eggs and the orange juice and knead it into the dough, or quickly run the dough in a food processor.

Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F (160 degrees C).

Rol the dough to an approximately 1/8 in (3 mm) thick sheet. Sprinkle the grated orange peel over the dough. Sprinkle on brown sugar for decoration and roll it lightly down into the dough. Cut cookies of approximately 1 1/4 by 4 in (3 x 10 cm). Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake them for  12-15 minutes until they are golden.

Cool.

Melt the chocolate and dip the cookies in it. Place them on parchment paper until they harden.

Baker's  Notes - you might think it needs more liquid but keep kneading the dough, it will come around.  I did not roll it out as thin as the recipe asked for so I could  have a thicker cookie.  An extra 5 min cooking seemed to be okay.

Day 6: Orange Ginger Wafers

These crisp cookies were baked by Charlotte Janes, who is our Head of Systems and Administration.  Her cookies are from the book The Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies by Irma S. Rombauer. These cookies will start off the week of "Christmas Comes to Kentville" at the Kentville Library. Stop in and see if there's one left!

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly coat cookie sheets with non-stick spray (I used parchment paper).

Use a wire whisk, mix thoroughly, then set aside:            

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

Using an electric mixer, beat together until well blended and smooth:

1 cup sugar

2 ½ tsp finely grated orange zest

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

3 Tbls corn or canola oil

2 ½ Tbls unsalted butter, softened

Add and continue beating until well blended:

1 large egg

¼ cup molasses

2 ½ tsp vanilla

Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well blended and smooth.  Form dough into generous ¾ inch balls.  Space 2 ¼ inches apart on cookie sheets.  Lightly oil the bottom of a large flat-bottomed drinking glass.  Very lightly dip the glass into : 2 Tbls sugar.  Flatten balls until ¼ inch thick, dipping the glass into the sugar before flattening each cookie.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until wafers are just tinged with brown and slightly darker around the edges.  Cool in sheets for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  These will freeze well.

My family loves ginger cookies, these are a little special just for the holidays with the addition of the citrus.  – Charlotte Janes