Christmas Cookies

One of my earliest baking memories was making Christmas cookies every year with my family.  We've used the same recipe for as long as I can remember, from the same old cookbook that continues to reside in my parents' kitchen cupboard (and that I've already claimed as part of my inheritance someday).  We've had a few fun stories and odd traditions evolve over the years as my siblings and I get older, but the cookies always stay the same.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it uses almond extract.  It gives these cookies a little bit more of a kick than most sugar cut out cookies.  It also makes them slightly addictive (at least to me!)!  Hopefully you enjoy them just as much as me and my family have over the years!

Betty Crocker's Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter (I use unsalted), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix together powdered sugar and butter until well blended.  Add in extracts and egg.  Mix in the remaining ingredients. Once the dough has been mixed together, shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  After dough has chilled, roll out on a floured (or powdered sugar-ed) surface and cut out shapes as desired.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 5-6 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.

For icing, I use a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze.  It's very sweet, but it hardens well and takes far less time than royal icing.  It isn't as easy to decorate with as royal icing, so don't expect intricate designs if you take this icing route!  But...it's our tradition, so we always make the best decorations we can with our powdered sugar glaze!

That's it for today.  I hope you all have an excellent holiday season whatever holiday you celebrate!

Merry Christmas Eve...and Merry Baking :)

Riley

Cheddar Beer Bread

So, today while reading through BakeBakeBake (one of my favorite sources for new recipes and ideas...it's a Livejournal community and arguably the only reason I'm still on LJ), I found a recipe for Alton Brown's Beer Cheese Bread.

Cheddar Beer Bread (adapted from Alton Brown's Beer Cheese Bread)

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
5 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout (I used Budweiser)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9in x 5in loaf pan and set aside. Mix together the flours, baking powder, sea salt, sugar, and dill in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in the grated cheddar cheese. Slowly pour in the beer until it is all mixed together (do not overmix or it will get too tough!). Put it in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes.

My sister/sous chef and I attacked it right out of the oven and both thoroughly enjoyed it. The cheddar and beer flavors balance one another out perfectly! One thing I might change for next time, though, is baking it slightly longer. I only baked it for 46 minutes this time and, while it was still tasty, I think the middle could've used a few more minutes to be all the way finished. It might also be fun to experiment with the flavor when using other beers...I used Budweiser because it was all I had on hand (and you can't buy alcohol on Sunday in Indiana), but it might be fun to see how it tastes with a stout. I'd imagine you could get quite a range of flavors just from changing up the beer!

Happy baking!

Riley