Cookie Butter Balls (with video link)

Watch out--these are seriously amazingly yummy! # 15 in the Christmas Countdown of 2024, great for anytime of the year, though :) And so beyond easy!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/0pa8npRdx0k

Original recipe credit: https://www.cuisineathome.com/recipes/desserts/no-bake-cookie-butter-balls/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. finely crushed Biscoff cookies (I think I used 7 or 8), plus a little extra for topping

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/3 c. Biscoff cookie butter

1/4 c. softened unsalted butter

10 oz. bag of Ghirardelli Vanilla Flavored Melting Wafers

Directions:

1. Line a rimmed small baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, crushed Biscoffs, and kosher salt.

3. Add the cookie butter and unsalted butter. Stir to combine as much as you can, will likely have to finish fully incorporating using your hands to press/knead to a cohesive, uniform dough.

4. Shape dough into 1" balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer for at least 15 min (I went slightly over an hour).

5. Once the freezing time is up, heat/melt the vanilla melting wafers according to the package directions (I used microwave). Dip the dough balls individually in the melted wafers, being sure to coat all over.

6. Place coated balls back on the baking sheet and sprinkle (if desired) with a bit of crushed Biscoffs.

7. Place the coated balls in the fridge for 15 min to set the coating before serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate Topped Pistachio Pound Cake (with video link)

#17 in the Christmas Countdown this year is this very delicious cake!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/Gym2P-fhbx0

Original recipe credit: https://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/chocolate-covered-pistachio-pound-cake

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

240g (2 c.) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. pistachios, roasted and finely ground

1 c. extra fine granulated sugar

2 T. honey

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 T. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

for the topping--

3 T. cocoa

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. powdered sugar

2-3 T. hot water

1/4 c. chopped pistachios, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan, then dust with flour.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and pistachios. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugar, honey, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract until creamy and fluffy.

4. Mix in the eggs one at a time.

5. Mix in the flour mixture and sour cream in alternations.

6. Once well combines, pour batter and spread into the prepared loaf pan. Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour (possibly more--until it passes the 'toothpick' test).

7. Let cake cool completely in pan.

8. For the topping: in a small mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, butter, and powdered sugar. Stir in the hot water 1 T. at a time until desired consistency is reached.

9. Spread or drizzle the chocolate topping over the top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle the chopped pistachios atop. 

10. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Gingerbread Custard-Style Ice Cream (with video link)

# 18 in the Christmas Countdown is here! It was going to be # 19, but as explained in the video, I foolishly tried to rush, didn't cool the mixture enough, and caused a significant delay to the process. Anyway, it's finally done and it's delicious!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/KVRvwatrH2k

Original recipe credit: https://www.cookiedoughandovenmitt.com/gingerbread-ice-cream-3/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

5 egg yolks

1 c. light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3 c. heavy cream

1 c. whole milk

3 T. molasses

3 Little Debbie soft gingerbread cookies, finely chopped

sprinkles

Directions:

1. Make sure your ice cream maker/machine is ready for when you will need it in step 9.

2. Place egg yolks in a large, heatproof bowl and set aside.

3. Add the brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to a medium saucepan. Whisk/stir to combine.

4. Place saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the heavy cream, milk, and molasses. Whisk to combine and keep whisking occasionally, until mixture just begins to simmer/barely boil.

5. Remove pan from heat. Take a ladle-full of the hot mixture and slowly stream it into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you do so. Repeat with a second ladle-full of the hot mixture.

6. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the hot mixture. Return to the stove over medium-low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon near constantly (not vigorously, just enough to keep bottom of pan from scorching). Cook until mixture has thickened to the point that it "coats" the back of the wooden spoon (this was around 6 min for me). Remove from heat.

7. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a large, heatproof bowl. Let cool to room temperature on the counter (or better yet, a cooling rack), stirring occasionally to make sure the top does not form a 'skin'.

8. Once the mixture has reached room temperature, cover with plastic wrap (I push it down into the bowl to just cling to the surface, but you don't have to), and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

9. When it is completely chilled, pour into your ice cream maker/machine freezer bowl and turn it on. For mine (Cuisinart ICE 21P1), I ran it for 15 min.

10. At the 15 min mark, add the chopped gingerbread cookies and sprinkles. Let run for 2-3 additional minutes, then pour mixture into a freezer container.

11. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving (I went overnight). Enjoy!

Flourless Almond Butter Cookies (with video link)

#20 in the Christmas Countdown is this quick recipe for a small batch of yummy cookies: flourless almond butter cookies...dipped in melted chocolate...with some flaky salt and sprinkles...mmm!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/ba4aRJmFIGA

Original recipe credit: https://crisco.com/recipes/flourless-almond-butter-cookies/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 c. almond butter

1 c. light brown sugar (packed)

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

~1 T. butter flavored shortening

flaky/coarse sea salt

sprinkles

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together almond butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.

3. Use a cookie scoop (3 T size if you have such) to portion out dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing portions 2" apart.

4. Bake for 10-12 min (I went the full 12), until edges are starting to get a tiny bit browned.

5. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.

6. When the cookies have cooled, place the chocolate chips and shortening in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in small bursts (around 15-20 sec, depending on your model), stirring after each, until chocolate is melted completely and smooth.

7. Dip each cookie about halfway into the chocolate, then place on a rack. Top with a small amount of the flaky salt and some sprinkles. Enjoy!

Christmas Dice / Shortbread Bites (with video link)

Happy National Dice Day! And Happy National Cookie Day! At #22 in the Christmas Countdown, these cute little cookies are a great treat, especially because you can make a small batch and don't need any eggs (a bonus right now with the high prices). As you can see, I only made a few dice--which turned out okay, apart from the nonpareil color bleed into the dough lol.

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/ScxZGnYBQUA

Original recipe credit: https://www.landolakes.com/recipe/6705/christmas-shortbread-tidbits/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodles (with video link)

Christmas Countdown #23 -- these are soooooo good!!! I love snickerdoodles already, but these are a whole new level! Definitely will be making these again (and again).

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/vqjreMjvzZk

In the video, I express concern about the ratio of the cinnamon to sugar in the original recipe and added more sugar. This is a good choice in my opinion, but the original would also work fine. I am listing my recommended amounts below.

Enjoy!

Original recipe credit: https://www.hersheyland.com/recipes/cinnamon-chip-snickerdoodles.html

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

330g (2 3/4 c.) all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter-flavored (or regular) shortening

1 stick (1/2 c.) salted butter, softened

1 1/2 sugar

2 eggs

10 oz. cinnamon chips

for the coating--

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

Directions:

Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies (with video link)

Welcome to this year's Christmas countdown! First one (#24) are these tasty gems. They are delightfully chocolatey and minty--excellent balance of both. Plus a gently crispy outside and chewy inside--mmm!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/tjz31gUhaT0

Original recipe is from the Easy Everyday Cooking card collection.

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

6 T. butter (I used salted, think you could sub unsalted)

1 T. water

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1 1/2 c. (180g) all-purpose flour

5/8 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. mint extract (could sub peppermint extract)

powdered sugar, for coating

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

2. Add the dark brown sugar, butter, water, and chocolate chips to a large, microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in short bursts (15-20 sec, possibly more or less depending on your model) and stir after each burst, until melted and smooth.

3. Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes, then add the egg. Using an electric mixer, beat in the egg until well combined.

4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add this dry mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat with electric mixer until just combined.

5. Beat in the mint extract.

6. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Form 1" balls of the chocolate dough and roll in the powdered sugar to coat.

7. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the balls around 2" apart.

8. Bake for 10 min, then remove and let rest on the sheet for around 4-5 min before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!