Category Archives: Cookies

Gingersnaps

Updated 12/3/2018: this post was edited to add better photos and a minute to the baking time.For whatever reason, I associate gingersnaps with watching TV with my dad when I was five. After dinner, he’d grab a few and make himself a cup of decaf, park Eliot and me next to him on the couch, and flip on the TV. I think we watched CSPAN and Star Trek, but I don’t remember (probably because I was bored…CSPAN is a snoozefest). What I do recall is that he would dip each gingersnap in his coffee and share them with us. I just loved eating those coffee-soaked cookies and hanging out with my dad.Now anytime I eat a gingersnap, I go back to those days for just a second. I’m not sure if those memories took place around the holidays, but who cares. This is the time of year for ginger, cinnamon, cookies, and nostalgia. I’m not sure if most people consider gingersnaps a holiday cookie, but I do.
These gingersnaps, y’all. They’re amazing–way better than the storebought variety I grew up eating. Crispy, crunchy, and full of that classic ginger-molasses flavor, they’re guaranteed to be hit at all your holiday parties! The best part? They’re super easy. Once your butter has softened to room temperature, this recipe comes together in under an hour. Gingersnaps The dough is very straightforward. Flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper (don’t skip it!), baking soda, and salt are whisked together. Use an electric mixer to beat together your softened butter, a cup of sugar, an egg, and some molasses. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet, and then scoop the dough by the tablespoon. No need for a chill or anything. Roll the dough into balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets before sliding them into the oven for 12-14 minutes. The cookies will spread a bit, but still be nice and puffy when they’re ready. They may feel a bit soft immediately after baking, but will harden as they cool.Once these gingersnaps are cool, good luck restraining yourselves. They’re delightfully crispy and the ginger-cinnamon flavor is just…everything. I can usually restrain myself around all my baked goods, but I’ve been snacking on these all day! Throw these gingersnaps on your to-bake list this holiday season.
Looking for more holiday treats? Check out my Hot Chocolate Mix (perfect for gifting!), Chai Whipped Shortbread, and Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms!

Gingersnaps
makes 3.5 dozen cookies

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

In a medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Mix in sugar, followed by egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients in two installments, mixing completely after each addition.

Scoop dough in 1 tablespoon increments and roll into balls. Place dough balls at least 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Bake 13-15 minutes, rotating the pans from the top to bottom racks at the 7 minute mark. Gingersnaps will still feel soft in the middles, but harden as they cool. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Gingersnaps will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms

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I spent this past weekend working on a huge tea party. I made vegetarian Cornish pasties, three kinds of pie (including this one), and two flavors of scones for 100 guests. I’ve done parties for 300+, but this event was my Everest. Note to bakers everywhere: if you’re making pastry for 100, spring for a sous chef. It’s been three full days since that party, and I still haven’t fully recovered.

Since I’m all pastried out, I’m keeping it simple today with these Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms. That’s right, classic Peanut Butter Blossoms are dressed up with milk chocolate Lindt Lindor Truffles!

The cookie base is rich, chewy, and chock-full of peanut butter flavor. And did I mention that it just happens to be gluten-free? That’s right–there’s no wheat flour in these little cookies 😊 The structure comes from a combination of creamy peanut butter, eggs, and cornstarch. Add a little baking powder, and the resulting cookies come out super soft and puffy.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part–these peanut butter cookies come together in less than half an hour and don’t require a chill!

While you could certainly serve the peanut butter cookies by their lonesome, it’s the holidays, so they are just screaming for a little something extra! Peanut Butter Blossoms are traditionally made with Hershey’s Kisses–and you may certainly go that route here–but why not try something a little more decadent? Lindt Lindor Truffles are everywhere this time of year. I’m not a huge candy person, but I can’t resist their chocolate shells and creamy ganache centers. Here, they’re pressed into the tops of our warm peanut butter cookies, making every bite creamy and luxurious. I prefer the milk chocolate variety, but you may use dark chocolate or any other flavor you like. A warning, however, that Lindor Truffles do contain gluten (a fact which I somehow overlooked until right before I hit publish today). If you or one of your guests must be gluten-free, I suggest using the traditional Hershey’s Kisses or any other gluten-free chocolate you enjoy.

Seriously, y’all. These little cookies are so good–perfect for all your holiday parties and cookie swaps. Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms are guaranteed holiday crowd pleaser ❤️💚

Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms
makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups creamy-style peanut butter* (almost an entire 16.3 ounce jar; I used Skippy)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/8 teaspoon baking powder
24-25 Lindt Lindor Truffles (I use the Milk Chocolate variety), unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat peanut butter and light brown sugar until combined. Mix in egg and yolk, followed by vanilla. Beat in cornstarch and baking powder.

Scoop dough in 2 tablespoon increments and roll into balls. Place dough balls at least 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Bake 8-9 minutes, until no longer shiny. Let cool five minutes on the pans before pressing one Lindt Lindor Truffle into the top of each cookie. Let cool and additional ten minutes before removing to a rack or serving plate.

Truffles will re-solidify after several hours at room temperature. They are best eaten with a napkin handy to catch any drips from the ganache centers. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Note:

Do not use natural peanut butter here. These cookies need the homogenous texture of creamy-style peanut butter.

Chai Shortbread Snowballs

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Sometimes I make a recipe and like it enough to post it, but then, when I go to make it again, I am disappointed. I feel that way about a few recipes on this site and will be posting better alternatives as we move into 2017.

One that I am out to fix? My Whipped Shortbread Snowballs. They are super buttery and delicious as written, but they are also incredibly fragile. So fragile that coating them in confectioner’s sugar is near impossible. Forget about stacking them in a container or putting them on a cookie tray–they’ll all break. There’s nothing wrong with delicate cookies (I love these Apple Cider Snaps), but I don’t want to make cookies that fall apart the second I go to eat one.

So, how am I going to fix that recipe? Like I do most cookies: I’ll add cornstarch. I love cornstarch. It keeps chewy cookies soft, gives my cakes a tender crumb, and it makes my Chocolate Cream Pie nice and sliceable. Here, it adds just enough structure to these cookies to keep them from crumbling without fundamentally altering the crispy, melty texture. Cornstarch is magic, I tell you. If you want to make a better, sturdier version of my Whipped Shortbread Snowballs, add 1/4 cup of cornstarch when you add the confectioner’s sugar, then follow the recipe as written. Voilà! They’ll still melt in your mouth, but they won’t crumble all over your floors.

I could leave it at that, basically posting the same recipe twice in a year, but that’s not really my style. Today’s shortbread take that classic recipe and turn it up a bit with the addition of chai. Black tea leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper (yes, black pepper!) are blitzed into the flour before its mixed with the whipped butter, confectioner’s sugar, and cornstarch. The resulting cookies have all the flavors of your favorite chai tea latte. Coat them in more confectioner’s sugar for that signature holiday cookie look and watch them disappear at your next holiday party!

Chai Shortbread Snowballs
makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon black tea leaves (I use PG Tips)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Coating:
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 275F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine flour, tea leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and salt. Process about 15-20 seconds, until tea leaves are broken down. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and cornstarch, and mix for 1 minute. Turn mixer to high and beat for 6 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in two installments.

Scoop dough in 2 tablespoon increments and place them at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 14 minutes before rotating pans from top to bottom racks. Bake an additional 12-14 minutes.

Let cookies cool on pans for 5 minutes. Place confectioner’s sugar in a small-medium mixing bowl. Gently coat each cookie in confectioner’s sugar before placing it on a rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

My Favorite Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

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Naming these cookies was difficult. I know how dumb that sounds, but it seriously took me two days to come up with a name for this recipe. Job hazard, I suppose.

I mean, these pumpkin oatmeal cookies are soft-centered and chewy-edged, perfectly spiced and full of pumpkin flavor. And then there are the add-ins: chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts. As someone who’s not much for fruit with their chocolate, I have to say that I love this creamy, tangy, nutty combination. Looooove it.

But what on earth was I going to call them? Chocolate-Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies isn’t exactly a great name. No cookie really needs a six word name after all. That’s ridiculous. But Autumnal Oatmeal Cookies didn’t sound much better–so bland! And so, after spending entirely too long thinking about naming a recipe, I realized it was right in front of me the whole time. These are My Favorite Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. Maybe they’ll be your favorite, too.

My Favorite Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
makes 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Place dried cranberries and boiling water in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in light brown sugar, followed by egg yolk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients followed by oats.

Strain cranberries and press out any excess water. Add them to the dough, followed by chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Scoop dough in 2 tablespoon increments* and drop 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10-11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look just a tad underbaked. Let cool on the pans for ten minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Note:

I use this medium cookie scoop.

Pumpkin Wafers & Pumpkin Icebox Cake

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It’s finally fall! And you know what that means–pumpkin everything! I have tons of pumpkin recipes on the docket for the next couple of months, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

I’m starting the best baking season of the year with a twofer: Pumpkin Wafers and Pumpkin Icebox Cake! Because the only thing better than pumpkin cookies is a cake made out of them, right?!

These recipes couldn’t be easier. The Pumpkin Wafers are a seasonal adaptation of my recipe for Vanilla Wafers (make those–way better than the box). The dough has tons of pumpkin pie spice and a good dose of pumpkin purée in addition to the usual suspects. If you’re looking for a great cookie to have with tea or coffee this season, this is the one!

These wafers are completely eggless. If there were eggs and pumpkin in this recipe, there would be too much moisture; the resulting wafers would be soft and cakey. By replacing the volume of eggs with pumpkin purée, the dough bakes into crispy, crunchy little wafers, ideal for dunking in coffee or layering in an icebox cake. And speaking of icebox cake…

This cake, y’all. It’s so easy and so good, it’s ridiculous. Arrange pumpkin wafers in a layer on the bottom of a springform pan (or on a cake plate), and top them with a layer of cream cheese-infused whipped cream. Continue alternating layers until there are four of each.

Then chill the cake for 24 hours. Yes, a whole day. This is where the real magic happens–the moisture from the cream softens the wafers until they’re soft and cake-like. Where icebox cakes made with storebought wafers or graham crackers are ready after an overnight chill, homemade wafers are sturdier and require more time. So this cake does require some advanced planning, but between mixing the dough, baking and cooling the wafers, and assembling the cake, the active work time is only about 90 minutes.

Sliced after 12 hours

Sliced after 24 hours

I cannot over-stress the importance of chilling this cake. See the broken off piece on the end of this slice? I cut this cake after only 12 hours because I was chasing daylight. MISTAKE! Don’t be like me. When I went back for more cake later that night, the wafers had softened completely and the cake was much easier to slice. Even if you do slice it too soon though, this cake will still be absolutely delicious.

Let me know if you make one (or both!) of these recipes on Instagram @e2bakesbrooklyn!

Pumpkin Wafers
makes about 12 dozen small cookies

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

In a medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in light brown and granulated sugar, followed by pumpkin and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in two installments, mixing completely.

Scoop dough by the teaspoon and roll into balls. Place dough balls about 1 1/2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 11-13 minutes, until golden at the edges and a bit soft. Let cool on the baking sheets for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Repeat baking process with any remaining dough. Wafers should harden as they cool. If they don’t, pop them back in the oven for an additional minute.

Wafers will keep in an airtight container for at least a week.

Pumpkin Icebox Cake
makes one 9-inch round cake

12 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened for 30 minutes
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups heavy cream, cold
1 recipe Pumpkin Wafers

Place cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing on low until incorporated. Once all cream cheese has been added, beat mixture on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Arrange some Pumpkin Wafers in an even layer in the bottom of a springform pan.* Top with 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture. Top with another layer of wafers, followed by another layer of whipped cream. Continue until there are four layers each of wafers and cream. Cover pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 24-30 hours.

Run a small, thin knife around the edge of the cake and release the cake from the pan. Serve cold.

Cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Note:

If you do not have a springform pan, cake may be assembled on a cake plate or cake stand. Arrange cookies in a 9-inch circle, and layer with the whipped cream mixture, as written.

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Category Archives: Cookies

Gingersnaps

Lindor Truffle Peanut Butter Blossoms

Chai Shortbread Snowballs

My Favorite Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Wafers & Pumpkin Icebox Cake