Cookie Holiday

Thank you to all who participated in the 12 Days of Cookies -- our bakers, tasters, public entries, delivery guy, and staff. We hope you enjoyed this fun treat, and maybe you found a new recipe or new favourite cookbook to enjoy! We'll be taking a holiday from cookies, but we'll return with the blog in the New Year, so come back and visit us for book reviews, program reviews, and more! See you in 2012. Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year to all.

More from you!

We had a few more entries from our patrons, so we thought we'd show them to you! Ruth from Wolfville made these lovely Bizcochitos from the Gourmet Cookie Book:

Yes, upside down cookies.

 And the Whitman family of Annapolis Royal was inspired to make 2 batches of cookies!

Soft Spice Bars

Chocolate Snowballs

Thanks for entering -- they all look very yummy.

Day 12: Cranberry Orange Pinwheels

The 12th Day of Cookies! We hope you've been inspired to bake using our wide selection of cookbooks. Today's cookie is baked by Patricia Milner, Head of Reference Services. She's thinking healthy and cooked up a batch of  Cranberry Orange Pinwheels from the book, One Smart Cookie

Here's the recipe:

 

                 CRANBERRY ORANGE PINWHEELS

DOUGH

1/4  CUP  STICK MARGARINE OR BUTTER SOFTENED

2/3 CUP SUGAR

1 LARGE EGG WHITE

1 TSP VANILLA

1 ¼ CUPS FLOUR

¼ TSP BAKING SODA

¼  TSP SALT

FILLING

½ CUP WHOLE BERRY CRANBERRY SAUCE

2 TBSP ORANGE MARMALADE

2 TSP CORNSTARCH

·         *In a medium bowl, beat margarine and sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute, until well combined.  Beat in egg white and vanilla until smooth.

·         *In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to the sugar mixture and stir by hand just until you have a soft dough.

·         *Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a 12” square.  Place on a cookie sheet in the fridge for about 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes.

·        * In a small saucepan, combine cranberry sauce , marmalade and cornstarch. Bring to a full boil over medium heat set aside until cool.

·        * Remove the dough from the fridge and peel off the top layer of waxed paper.  Spread the dough evenly with the cranberry filling going right to the edges.  Gently roll into a log, peeling back the bottom paper as you go.  Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or up to 3 months.

·         *When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the log into ¼ “slices and place 1” apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. (Patricia says they are hard to cut this thin. She ended up cutting them about a half-inch thick.)  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until pale golden.  Let cool on a cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

·         Makes 3 dozen cookies. (Less if you cut them thicker)

Day 11: Candy Canes

Our 11th Day of Cookies features baker Tim Jackson, who works at our Headquarters location in Bridgetown. He's made Candy Canes from Better Homes and Gardens: Cookies for Christmas. Hang these on your tree for an edible decoration!

Here's the recipe:

·        1 cup butter or margarine

·        1 cup sifted powdered sugar

·        1 egg

·        ½ teaspoon vanilla

·        ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

·        Dash of salt

·        2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·        ½ teaspoon red food coloring

·        Peppermint Glaze

In a large mixer bowl beat butter or margarine till softened. Add powdered sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat well. Add flour and beat till well mixed. Divide dough in half. Stir red food coloring into one half. Cover each half and chill about 30 minutes or till easy to handle.  

                                                                                                   

For each cookie, on a lightly floured surface shape a teaspoonful of plain dough into a 4 inch rope. Repeat with a teaspoonful of red dough. Place ropes side by side and twist together. Pinch ends to seal. Form twisted ropes into canes. Place canes 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375⁰ oven for 8 to 10 minutes or till done. Remove and cool. If desired, brush with Peppermint Glaze. Makes  48.

 Peppermint Glaze: Stir together 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, and enough water (4 to 5 teaspoons) to make a brushing consistency.

Day 10: Chocolate Wows

Frances Newman, Regional Librarian, has baked Chocolate Wows from Cookies: Good Houskeeping favorite recipes. With that glass of milk standing by, you-know-who would enjoy a plate of these on Christmas Eve.  Her cookies are going to Port Williams Library today.

Here's the recipe:
 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

6 squares semisweet chocolate, chopped up

½ cup butter or margarine

2 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ tsps vanilla extract

2 cups pecans chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 F, Grease 2 large cookie sheets. 
2. In small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder & salt.
3. In heavy 2 quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth.  Remove from heat and cool.
4. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon colored, about 2 minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
5. Reduce speed to low.  Add cooled chocolate mixture, flour mixture, and vanilla; beat until just blended.  Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. 
6. With wooden spoon, stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
7. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, on greased cookie sheets.  With back of spoon spread batter into 2 inch rounds.  Bake for 13 mins until tops are shiny and cracked.  Cool 10 mins on cookie sheet.  With metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Day 9: New Year's Icy Shortbread

Angela Reynolds, Head of Youth Services, has delved into the children's cookbooks for this shortbread recipe. It is from the book Make and Bake Amazing Cookies, by Elizabeth MacCleod. How can you go wrong with shortbread and candy canes? These starry treats are making their way to the Wolfville Library today.

 Here's the recipe, with added notes from Angela:
 

You will need:

2 c. butter

2 c. lightly packed brown sugar

Peppermint flavouring (or vanilla)

4 c. all-purpose flour

½ c. crushed candy canes

Large mixing bowl, wooden spoon, wax paper, rolling pin, cookie cutters, lifter, baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

1.       Preheat oven to 315 degrees

2.       Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add 12 drops of peppermint flavouring (I used ¼ tsp of vanilla). Add the flour and mix thoroughly  (you’ll probably have to use your hands for this step).

3.       Roll out some of the dough until it is ¼ in thick. Cut out using cookie cutters. (Dip the cutter into flour each time to keep it from sticking to dough). Using lifter, transfer to cookie sheet. Sprinkle a little crushed candy cane on each cookie.

4.       Bake 12-15 minutes, until firm and very pale. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooking area. 

This is my first time to make shortbread, and it is quite tasty. I think these cookies would be fairly easy to make with kids. The book has some good tips for young bakers!

Day 8: Snickerdoodles

They must love to bake in Annapolis Royal, because today's cookies again hail from there. Dorothy McDonald, the Branch Manager, has made Snickerdoodles from Betty Crocker's Best Loved Recipes.

Here's the recipe for this fun-to-say cookie:

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. margarine or butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, shortening and eggs thoroughly. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until blended. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cinnamon, roll balls into mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Note: Watch these carefully. Definitely check at 8 minutes. They are a nice, light cookie - nothing fancy, but tasty. And so much fun to say Snickerdoodle!