Bready or Not Original: Honey Spritz Cookies
These Honey Spritz Cookies are perfectly sweet, and with some added sanding sugar, will make cookie plates bright this holiday season!
I have a love and hate relationship with my cookie press. Sometimes I try to use it for recipes and it is a disaster. Not so with this recipe!
This dough was soft and dreamy to work with. I can only hope that you have a similar experience.
As I used a tree-shaped disc to make my cookies, I added some green sanding sugar. The fun thing about this recipe is that you can make it any time of year and customize it to the season.
Really, the most difficult thing about this recipe was rearranging my fridge to fit in the cookie sheets for their chill time.
Bready or Not Original: Honey Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- cookie press
- 2 large cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sanding sugar or coarse sugar or other edible decorations
Instructions
- Place two cookie sheets in fridge to completely chill.
- Arrange oven racks at top and bottom of oven, then set to preheat at 350-degrees.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, honey, and vanilla. Gradually add in the dry mixture until just combined. Dough will be super-soft.
- Cookie presses vary in how they work–fill the device with dough, however required, and add decorative disk or nozzle. Press out cookie dough directly onto the cold cookie sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.
- If desired, add colorful sanding sugar or other decorations. Bake for 7 minutes. Switch placement of cookie sheets within oven. Bake for another 7 minutes, until set. Let cool on pans for about 5 minutes then transfer to racks to completely cool.
- Store in sealed containers at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Noel Cookies
We made it to December! Let’s celebrate with these Noel Cookies.
These cookies are a fun mixture of textures and flavors. Chopped nuts crust a soft cookie, everything complemented by a zing of jam.
I used good ol’ Smuckers strawberry preserves for this recipe and avoided large chunks of fruit. Really, use whatever jam you like!
I was a bit concerned about how these cookies would travel to my husband’s work. I didn’t want jam to get everywhere and make a sticky mess. I found, though, that the dabs of jam stayed put and that waxed paper between the stacked cookies kept everything from going sticky.
These cookies will keep for at least 3 days in sealed containers. They might last longer, but you’ll need to test your restraint to find out!
Recipe modified from Taste of Home Best Holiday Recipes 2008.
Bready or Not: Noel Cookies
Equipment
- teaspoon scoop
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter half stick
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup finely-chopped nuts
- 1/3 cup seedless fruit jam or preserves, avoid big chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a big bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture while also intermittently adding in the sour cream.
- Use a teaspoon scoop to measure the dough. Roll into balls, then roll each ball in the chopped walnuts. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Use the end of a wooden spoon or another kitchen tool to create a deep indentation in the middle of each cookie. Add a dollop of jam to fill each well.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set. Let cool on cookies sheet for a few minutes, then move to rack. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between the layers. Keeps for at least 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Hard Maple Candy
This Hard Maple Candy garnered the name “Canadian meth” at my husband’s work. By that nickname, I take it that they 1) liked it, and 2) kept eating it.
On a more personal note, this candy could also work as a shiv, because this stuff is like GLASS. Trust me when I say that if you decide to break this into pieces with your hands, you will get little cuts all over. Ow.
So maybe tap the candy gently with the butt of a butter knife or use a little mallet, whatever you have that will break the candy apart without harming your pan, counter, or you.
Once you survive that stage, though, wow will you have a lot of candy to enjoy. Definitely make this to share with a crowd, or you just might go into diabetic shock.
It’d be a delicious way to go, but seriously, I don’t recommend going at all. We’ve made it this far in 2020. Hold on a while longer.
Bready or Not Original: Hard Maple Candy
Equipment
- 15x10x1-inch pan (jelly roll pan)
- candy thermometer
Ingredients
- nonstick spray
- 3 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons maple flavor
Instructions
- Heavily apply nonstick spray to the jelly roll pan.
- In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Start heating up. Set up candy thermometer and stir frequently as the heat rises to 300-degrees, which is hard-crack stage.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir in maple flavoring. Immediately pour candy into the prepared pan. Cool completely, which won’t take long.
- Carefully break into pieces. Note that this stuff is like candy glass, and if breaking with hands, it can and will cut the skin.
- Pack into individual bags or tins for gift-giving, or stack it in a large sealed container with waxed paper between layers. Can keep for weeks.
OM NOM NOM!
Out Today: Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology
Today’s the release date for Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology, a book that celebrates Escape Pod’s 15th anniversary with a range of diverse science fiction stories. I’m somehow mixed in there with a who’s-who of authors. Here’s the official description; buy the book wherever books are sold, in print and in ebook!
The fifteenth anniversary of the Hugo-nominated science fiction podcast Escape Pod, featuring new and exclusive stories from today’s bestselling writers.
Finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.Celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of cutting-edge science fiction from the hit podcast, Escape Pod. Escape Pod has been bringing the finest short fiction to millions of ears all over the world, at the forefront of a new fiction revolution.
This anthology gathers together fifteen stories, including new and exclusive work from writers such as from Cory Doctorow, Ken Liu, Mary Robinette Kowal, T. Kingfisher and more. From editors Mur Laffterty and S.B. Divya comes the science fiction collection of the year, bringing together bestselling authors in celebration of the publishing phenomenon that is, Escape Pod.
Available at Amazon [affiliate link] | Bookshop.org [support indies] | Barnes & Noble
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not Original: English Toffee
English Toffee is a classic, timeless candy for a reason: IT IS DELICIOUS. With this recipe, you’ll have a whole bunch of candy made in as fast as 15 minutes!
Make this to feed a crowd or to assemble for gifts. The recipe makes a lot, and trust me, you don’t want to be home alone with this temptation.
There is nothing healthy about this candy. It is pure indulgence. It’s also a cheap indulgence–you’d pay a lot of money at the store to get this much candy of quality!
And homemade is always better, right?
Bready or Not Original: English Toffee
Equipment
- 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan
- candy thermometer
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
- nonstick spray
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups almonds slivered or sliced, divided
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips use medium-sized chips, not gigantic gourmet ones
- Maldon sea salt or other fancy salt for top, optional
Instructions
- Apply a generous amount of nonstick spray to a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. Measure out the almonds and the chocolate and set them aside in separate dishes.
- In a large saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar, water, and salt, and continue to stir it as the sugar cooks and dissolves. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce temperature to simmer. Continue to stir frequently for the next 5 to 6 minutes as the mix darkens to the color of a brown paper bag; on a candy thermometer, it should be 300-degrees.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup of the almonds (meaning there is still 1/2 cup reserved for later). Pour the toffee onto the prepared pan. Use a greased uneven spatula or tilt the pan to carefully spread the candy into an even layer.
- Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top. Let them sit for a minute or two to soften, then use an uneven spatula to spread the chocolate across the toffee. Promptly sprinkle the remaining almonds over the top. Add Maldon or other fancy flaky salt, if desired.
- Cool to room temperature, then chill for a while to completely set. Use hands to break toffee into pieces. Some nuts and chocolate will fall off, but it’s all good.
- Store between layers of waxed paper in sealed containers. Keeps for at least 2 weeks.
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not Original: Snickerdoodle Quick Fudge
Last year I shared my recipe for Cookies and Milk Quick Fudge. This new version builds on that with a holiday twist: I used Voortman Bakery’s holiday special Snickerdoodles plus caramel chips!
Old-fashioned stovetop fudge is great. It’s also fussy, prone to crystallize or not set. Quick fudges are no-fuss and just as delicious.
Any time of year, make this using crisp cookies like many from Keebler. For this holiday take, I used Voortman’s Snickerdoodles, but you could also use gingersnaps or other classic favorites and switch out the kind of sweet chips.
Prep the cookies by chopping up a cup and a half. Freeze those bits; it won’t take long. From there, it takes just a few minutes to mix up the fudge.
The hardest part is waiting for the fudge to set for the next few hours. This recipe makes a lot of fudge, but it’s easy to portion out. Slice it small, and keep it sealed and stored in the fridge!
Bready or Not Original: Snickerdoodle Quick Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups store-bought holiday Snickerdoodle cookies chopped and frozen
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup caramel chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in 30 second increments, stirring well after each bout, until it is melted and smoothed. Watch it closely!
- Quickly stir in the frozen cookies, and pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle caramel chips on top and tap them into place.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Use foil to lift fudge onto a cutting board to slice into small squares. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Keeps for weeks.
