By: Kaliya Williams

With Christmas around the corner, my mind goes to the festive and delicious desserts that have become an annual tradition in my home and many others. Since the season of giving is coming up I will be sharing a couple of recipes that I personally love to make and award my friends and family with.

Let’s keep it simple and traditional for our first recipe. We will be making decorated Gingerbread cookies! Whether or not you’re a fan of the actual gingerbread they’re very fun to make and result in a festive decoration. The recipe I will be sharing is one of my favorites from Sally’s Baking Addiction. 

To start, we can organize our ingredients:

• 10 Tablespoons (2/3 cup; 145g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (160ml) unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract3 and 1/2 cups (438g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger (yes, 1 full Tablespoon!)
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions are as followed:

1. In a large bowl using either a hand-held mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy-looking. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes. If the butter separates that’s ok.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined. At low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
4. Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface. Roll out disc until 1/4-inch thick. Tips for rolling– the dough may crack and be crumbly as you roll. Picking it up and rotating it as you go may be helpful. Additionally, you can use your fingers to help meld the cracking edges back together. The first few rolls are the hardest since the dough is so stiff, but re-rolling the scraps is much easier. Cut into shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with remaining disc of dough.
5. Bake cookies for about 9-10 minutes. If your cookie cutters are smaller than 4 inches, bake for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutters are larger than 4 inches, bake for about 11 minutes. My oven has hot spots and yours may too- so be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time. Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they’ll be. 
6. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

For my second recipe, I will be sharing how to make Peppermint Bark. This holiday treat contains only 4 ingredients making it the perfect recipe if you’re looking for a simple yet delicious dessert. This recipe is inspired by a recipe from delish:

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 12 oz. white chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 8 candy canes, crushed 

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill the bottom of a large pot with 3” water and bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, then place a large heatproof bowl on top. Add semi-sweet chocolate and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted. Stir in extract. Pour into prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
2. Over the same pot of barely simmering water, place another large heatproof bowl. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over set semi-sweet chocolate then top immediately with candy canes. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes. 

Hopefully, these recipes are helpful for you in the upcoming season. Take this opportunity to give back to your friends, family, or even teachers! Enjoy decorating your holiday treats and Happy Holidays!