Christmas cookies made simple
Baking cookies is a holiday
tradition for many families.
Come the holiday
season, many homes are fi lled
with the inviting scents of vanilla,
cinnamon, and melting
chocolate.
Baking cookies can be a social
occasion in which family
members and friends gather
to create recipes passed down
through generations. Or, baking
can be a solitary venture
in which cookies are prepared
and packaged as holiday gifts.
Either way, people who bake
during the holiday season understand
that making Christmas
cookies can be a timeconsuming,
yet rewarding,
process.
This year, holiday bakers
can embrace a number of timesaving
tips and tricks to reduce
the amount of time they spend
in the kitchen and possibly even
improve on existing recipes.
Use a cookie mix. Who
says you have to toil and make
cookies from scratch? It’s the
thought that counts, and any
number of creative recipes can
begin by utilizing a premade
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Holiday bakers can embrace a number of time-saving tips and tricks to reduce the amount of time they spend
in the kitchen.
baking mix. These mixes already
have most of the dry
cookie ingredients sifted together,
including fl our, baking
soda, baking powder, salt, and
sugar. All you have to do is add
the wet ingredients and any extra
embellishments to make the
mix your own. If mixes are too
much work, purchase refrigerated
or frozen cookie dough.
Prepare ahead. Many
cookie dough recipes can be
made and stored for later use.
In fact, refrigerating a log of
cookie dough can make it easier
to cut or handle later on.
Spread out the bulk of your
baking over two days and you
might feel less taxed.
Try a no-bake recipe. Creative
culinary experts continually
reveal their clever tricks,
and many of these include nobake
versions of favorite desserts.
No-bake cookies come together
in a matter of minutes,
but still employ a host of delicious
ingredients. Recipes frequently
feature similar ingredients
to traditional cookies,
but rely on chocolate, honey,
or peanut butter as the setting
agent to keep them together.
Bakers may also like not having
to turn on their ovens.
Recycle leftover cookies.
If you have a fair amount of
cookies remaining or several
that broke apart or do not look
good enough to serve, never
fear. Such cookies can be used
as part of another delicious dessert.
Grind cookies into crumbs
that can serve as a pie crust for
pudding pies or no-bake cheesecakes,
or mix cookie crumbs
with cake frosting or a nut butter
and roll into balls. Dunk the
balls into melted chocolate, add
a lollipop stick, and make delicious
cookie pops.
Cookies may be holiday
traditions, but there are ways
to reduce the amount of work
and time required of holiday
baking.
HOLIDAY GUIDE
A recipe for the Festival of Lights
The celebration of Hanukkah has
a deep history. Upon conquering
Syria, Egypt, and Palestine, Alexander
the Great allowed residents of
these lands to observe their own religions.
However, more than 100 years
later, Antiochus IV, a less tolerant successor,
began to oppress the Jewish people
under his control, desecrating their
temples and ordering the massacre of
many Jews. This treatment eventually
sparked a revolt led by Mattathias the
Hasmonean and his son, Judah Maccabee.
The revolt was successful, and
the temple was rededicated. But at the
time of rededication, oil needed to light
the menorah was very low, roughly
enough to keep the menorah lit for just
one night. However, the oil stunningly
lasted for eight days. An eight-day festival
was then declared to celebrate, and
that festival is now known as Hanukkah,
often referred to as the “Festival
of Lights.”
To celebrate the holiday, many Jewish
people cook potato latkes. Try the
following recipe for your Festival of
Lights celebration:
Potato latkes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup fi nely chopped shallots
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fl our
1 1/2 teaspoons salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, grate the potatoes.
Line a sieve with cheesecloth
and transfer the potatoes to the sieve.
Set the sieve over a bowl and twist the
cheesecloth into a pouch, squeezing out
some moisture. Let the mixture drain
for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour
off liquid from the bowl but leave the
white potato starch.
To that starch add shallots, eggs,
fl our, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
Return drained potatoes to this mixture
and toss to combine.
When you are ready to eat, in a large
skillet heat 1/4 inch of oil over mediumhigh
heat until hot. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls
of potato mixture and cook
for 3 to 4 minutes a side; latkes should
be golden and crisp on both sides. Eat
right away or keep warm in oven. Serve
with applesauce, sour cream or cottage
cheese mixed with sour cream.
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