This is the perfect time of year to share a holiday story or two, share traditions and also make cookies.  For several years we hosted a LoveFeast Table Holiday Cookie Exchange here at our table.

Grab yourself a cup of tea and follow the link to the LoveFeast Holiday Cookie Page to peruse the stories and recipes swapped over the years.

We’re sure you’ll find some good ones and be inspired to bake some favorites as well.

Still shopping for holiday gifts?  Visit our online boutique ~ LoveFeast Shop ~ for artful, unique, and inspiring hostess, party and holiday gifts!

We don’t know about you, but this week we are beginning to create our Christmas Cookie list and scouring the internet for yummy, homemade cookie recipes. We wanted to create a quick resource for you to take a look at our past year’s Cookie Exchange.

2012 LoveFeast Cookie Exchange Guest Bloggers:

Elizabeth, Asian in America ~ Mocha Shortbread With Dulce De Leche

Bree, Baked Bree ~ Pecan Pie Bars

Laura, LB’s Good Spoon ~Hermit Bars

Sabrina, The Tomato Tart ~ Gluten Free Citrus Sugar Cookies

Theresa, Blooming on Bainbridge ~Traditional Christmas Cookies

Amy, Poor Girl Gourmet ~Gingersnaps with Crystallized Ginger

Michelle, Gluten Free Fix ~ Pecan Tassies ~ Gluten Free

Traci, Beneath My Heart ~ Christmas Buckeyes

Kacia, Kacia + Robot ~ Chocolate Double Delights

Shari, Tickled Red ~ Pineapple Cream Cheese Cookies

Rachel, Southern Fairytale ~ Dark Chocolate Cookies with a Candy Cane Swirl

Kristin, Kristin Schell ~ St. Lucia Day Cookies

2011 LoveFeast Cookie Exchange Guest Bloggers
Shari, Tickled Red ~ Walnut Wafers

Kelli, I Had A Delicious Time ~ Loretta’s Thumbprint Cookies

Heather, Heather Christo ~ Chocolate, Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

Adryon, Adryon’s Kitchen ~ Rum and Orange Scented Pumpkin

Rachel, A Southern Fairytale ~ Candy Cane Christmas Butter Cookies

Elle, All Things Bright And Beautiful – Walnut Cups

Cindy, Skip To My Lou – Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Kelly, According To Kelly – Santa Nutter Butters

Heather, Whipperberry – Pazookie

Amy Beth, ABCD Design – Rum Cookies

Kamille, Redeeming the Table – Apricot Rosemary Bars

Shaina, Food For My Family – Chocolate Crack Cookies

2010 LoveFeast Cookie Exchange Guest Bloggers

Brenda, A Farm Girl’s Dabbles ~Caramel Heavenlies Cookies

Michelle, Gluten Free Fix ~ Almond Lace Cookies*

Jaimie, Life’s A Feast ~ Italian Christmas Biscotti & Baci Di Nama Cookies

Kate, Kate In The Kitchen ~Sugar Plum Cookies*

Deeba, Passionate About Baking ~ Chocolate Chip & Strawberry Shortbread Streusel Bars

Rosa, Rosa’s Yummy Yums ~ Coffee Kisses Cookies

Heidi’s, Heidi’s Recipes ~ Aunt Ethel’s Sugar Cookies

Stephanie, Fresh Tart ~ Almond Triangle Cookies*

Natalie, Bake And Destroy ~ German Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Rachael, Tokyo Terrace ~ Russian Tea Cake Cookies

Ria, Ria’s Collection ~ Nancuts~Nankatai Cookies

Kristen, High Heels And A Hammer ~ Holiday Nutmeg Stick Cookies

(*Gluten Free)

We’re changing things up a bit this year and thought we’d try something new! In the past we have invited 12 guests to join us at the table to share their favorite holiday memory along with their favorite Christmas cookie recipe. This year we want to hear from you!

On December 10th, we will be hosting a “Christmas Cookie Story” link up.

We want to hear your favorite memories of baking in the kitchen over the holidays and taste a sample of your favorite Christmas Cookie.

Would you join us?

In FEAST you will find inspiration for parties, tablescaping, baking and creating a atmosphere for entertaining.   Below is a recap of some of our favorite posts from FEAST.

Image above from Lime Wafer Recipe.

More delicious cookie recipes and stories to go with them can be found at our LoveFeast Table Cookie Exchange.

Holiday Breakfast Buffet

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Perfected

Vintage Americana BBQ For Graduation Party

Inspiration For Grilling & Entertaining

Grilled Lime & Cilantro Cauliflowers

Grilled Lemony Ginger Sweet Potatoes

What are your goals  for entertaining or feasting this year?

We hope you join us here as often as you can!  We always have a chair to pull up for you at our table!  Wishing you all the best in 2013 ~Chris Ann & Kristin, owners/curators/writers/editors of LoveFeast Table and LoveFeast Shop!

Join us on Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook or sign up for our Newsletter HERE!

Our next guest, Kristin Schell, shares a similar passion…gathering people at her table. In fact, she comes from a rich heritage of gathering folks starting with her husband’s grandfather who ran The Schell Cafe in the early 1900’s. We would’ve loved to meet him. He seems like our kinda guy. Following in tradition, Kristin has baked up a delicious cookie and is sharing it with you, our guests, today at LoveFeast Table.

Tradition. Family. Food. All key ingredients this time of year as we celebrate the holidays. The word holiday is derived from ‘holy day’ and means to set apart and make special.

Our family enjoys learning about other cultures and different holiday traditions from around the world. We love to celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th and each year Tony chooses a culinary theme for our Christmas Eve dinner.

As we cook the feast for family and often friends, we learn as much as we can about Christmas traditions from around the world. Aromas, tastes, and stories from Italy to New Orleans have delighted all generations gathered around our table over the years.

For our family, the point of learning about other traditions isn’t to add more ‘to do’ in an overstuffed season. It’s just the opposite. Rather, it’s a way for our family to pause from the hustle and bustle during this expectant, hope-filled season and remember the holy in holiday.

Today is St. Lucia Day. Lucia is the patron saint of light in Sweden today is celebrated throughout Europe. Born in Italy in the third century AD to a noble Greek family, Lucia was brought up a in a time of severe persecution for those of the Christian faith. Devastated by plans for an arranged marriage to a pagan man, Lucia renounced the wedding and chose to dedicate her life to God and give her share of the family fortune—her dowry—to the poor. Her behavior was viewed as so strange she was thought to be possessed with evil spirits. Lucia steadfastly clung to her faith and was martyred on December 13, 304.

In Sweden, St. Lucia Day is one of the most cherished Advent celebrations. Early in the morning on Dec. 13th the eldest daughter (with help from her mother, if she needs) portrays Lucia. Dressed in white with a crown of lighted candles on her head, she awakens the rest of the family with a tray of freshly baked bread, cookies, pastries, coffee, and hot chocolate. As she serves the sweet treats, she reminds her family the reason we celebrate Christmas is the Light of the World, Jesus.

Our oldest daughter loves making these traditional Christmas cookies. She made a batch yesterday to share with the rest of the family this morning on St. Lucia Day.

Merry Christmas!

St. Lucia Day Cookies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

Author: Kristin Schell, Kristin Schell

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup pecans, finely ground

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Continue to beat until well combined.
3. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt. Beat until combined.
4. Roll approximately a tablespoon of dough with the palm of your hands.
5. Press to flatten on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Brush each flattened cookie with egg white and sprinkle with pecans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown.

3.1.09

Kristin Schell is a writer in Austin, Texas where she lives with her husband, Tony, and their four children. Kristin is a storytelling cook and you can find her at www.kristinschell.com where she shares family recipes, faith, and life’s adventures one story at a time.

Head over to LoveFeast Shop. Pick your favorite cover of our new Cookbook Journal. Then leave a comment on Kristin’s post today, HERE…letting her know which one you like. You’ll be entered to win your own LoveFeast Cookbook Journal.

You may have met our next guest before. If you remember, she brought the delicious Candy Cane Butter Cookies to our table last year. Rachel from A Southern Fairytale is just as sweet as can be! She married a good ‘ole Texas boy and they are raising two adorable children. You’ll often find her baking up something delicious in her kitchen or capturing moments with her camera. Please join us in welcoming her to our table today! 

I’m so excited to participating in the Holiday Cookie Exchange for the SECOND year in a row! I feel honored to have been asked back.

Last year I shared my very favorite candy cane inspired sugar cookies.
This year’s cookie is a twist on one of my favorite cookies – the Dark Chocolate Cookies with a Candy Cane Swirl

There’s something magical to me about the combination of dark chocolate and candy canes.

The first bite of these cookies had my husband’s eyes lighting up and he quickly snagged 3 more before he walked out of the kitchen… only to return a couple minutes later asking for more.

The rich dark chocolate paired with creamy white chocolate and crunchy crushed candy canes…

These cookies embody holidays and magic and whimsy and joy in every bite.

The chocolate cookie base of these cookies is the same as my Dark Chocolate Cookies with a Candy Cane Swirl, but these cookies gain a whole new depth with creamy white chocolate and crunchy candy cane pieces.

I love giving gifts from my kitchen at Christmas, I especially love giving gifts from my kitchen that cause people to stop in their tracks and just enjoy, to revel in taste and flavors and textures and the magic that is wonderful food created out of the love of sharing and giving.

These cookies fill all those requirements.

Really, how can you go wrong with real butter and dark brown sugar

Add to that dark chocolate chips, sugar and flour with a touch of salt…

awwww are you already done with my step by step and ready to scroll on?

It’s okay, I understand

Therefore, without further ado….

Thank you to the wonderful women from LoveFeast, Table for having me back again.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with a Candy Cane Swirl

 

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Prep time

90 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

1 hour 37 mins

 

Author: Rachel, A Southern Fairytale

Recipe type: Cookie

Serves: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• ¾ C ( 1½ Sticks) butter
• 1½ C packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2¼ C dark chocolate chips
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 eggs
• 2½ C sifted all purpose flour
• 1¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

For the Dip

• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 12 candy canes

Instructions

For the Cookies:

1. Put butter, dark brown sugar and water in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until melted.
2. Add dark chocolate chips and stir until most of the chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Add in ½ tsp vanilla bean paste and mix well.
4. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to sit and cool for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times to help cooling.
5. Carefully measure 2½ C of sifted all purpose flour into a large bowl; add in baking soda and salt - sift together
6. When the chocolate is cooler, add in one egg at a time beating each on high speed until completely blended.
7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in dry ingredients, don't forget to scrape the sides and bottom, until blended.
8. Chill the dough for about an hour - while it's chilling - unwrap the Candy Cane Kiss candies
9. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
10. Roll dough into ½" to 1" balls and place on un-greased or parchment lined baking sheet about 1½" apart.
11. Bake about 7 minutes (could be as long as 9 minutes - do NOT overbake)

For the Dip

1. Crush 1 dozen candy canes in your most favorite way possible. Mine is to give my kids my mallett and let them beat the tar out of some candy canes, it's just fun - and shouldn't holiday baking be about fun and memories.
2. Follow the Instructions from the Dark Chocolate Cookies with the candy cane swirl up to the baking part - bake the cookies and let them all rest and cool
3. While the cookies are cooling, melt the bag of white chocolate chips (about 2 cups) with 1 Tbsp coconut oil (or crisco), stir frequently until melted.
4. Dip half of each cookie into the white chocolate and hold above the dish for a minute to let the excess white chocolate drip off, then lightly dip and roll into the crushed candy canes.
5. Place the cookies onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, once the cookie sheet is full - place it into the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to firm up the cookies and chocolate
6. Serve and bask in the ooo's - aaaah's and oh-my-word-please-I-must-have-this-recipe's

3.1.09

Hi y’all, I’m Rachel. I’m a deep-fried Southern belle, married to a cowboy boot wearin’, Harley ridin’ Texan Prince Charming. I am the always proud and frequently exhausted mom to two 8th generation Texans My childhood was spent at my Granny’s side learning to cook with cast iron, butter and that special southern ingredient — love Today, I share my passion for food, family and photography with thousands of monthly readers on my blog, A Southern Fairytale. I love cute boots, my Canon camera, belly laughs with friends, the beach, my family and ellipses…”

Whenever the cold, snowy, grey winter weather gets us down, we head on over to our next guest’s table. Shari, from Tickled Red is always giving us a glimpse of sand and waves and capturing her laid back lifestyle with her surfer husband and her two monkeys boys. Shari’s outlook on life and the food that she serves is always full of sunshine and simple enjoyments. She’s creative, funny and well, we just like having her at our table. 

Who said Christmas cookies always have to be chocolate or peppermint?

No one which is why the boys and I treat the holidays as an opportunity to experiment with exciting new cookie flavors for our family and friends. These sweet tropical cookies are in homage to our dear Surferboy who is still stuck working in the Caribbean for another week.

Their hint of pineapple and coconut allow us to pretend that we are strolling down white powder beaches along side clear turquoise waters with dad.

Once topped with decadent cream cheese frosting and bites of pineapple there’s no turning back. These cookies are not only kid friendly but can be enjoyed during any special occasion.


Enjoy and happy holidays from our Family to yours!
Shari, Surferboy and The Monkeys

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cookies

 

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Author: Shari, Tickled Red

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter (room temperature)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pineapples (crushed and drained)
• 1 cup coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room  temperature
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Cookie

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3. Cream together with an electric mix on medium speed the butter and sugar, adding each egg separately until combined.  Add the pineapple. Begin to add the flour mixture in one cup at a time until well blended. Mix in the coconut.
4. Drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet by spoonfuls approx. one inch apart.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
6. Frost with cream cheese and top with fresh pineapple or dried pineapple.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the butter and continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes more. Incorporate the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth until no lumps of sugar are visible. Add the vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined.

#version#

Head over to LoveFeast Shop. Pick your favorite cover of our new Cookbook Journal. Then leave a comment on

“I always want to dream.” (Kacia from Kacia+Robot)  That pretty much sums up our next guest’s outlook on life. She’s a dreamer, a creative, a nurturer of the soul. She knits, she loves big and She Reads Truth. She also bakes! So, we invited her to join our 3rd Annual Cookie Exchange and we were so excited to receive her positive reply! Please welcome Kacia to the table. 

I have an admission to make.

I’m not a big sweets person. I’m just more of a salt-snack girl.

But.
Yes, there is a but…

I will always make cookies with my family. Because for me?

Making them together is the most important part.

It’s about making memories. It’s about breaking the rules for a day and eating too much sugar. It’s about passing on recipes from generation to generation: passing along the tradition and love.

I remember making these cookies each and every year. Usually we’d take turns each year choosing the frosting color and flavor–I mean, what kids can agree on something important as that??

After my mom had the frosting ready to go, she’d frost half of them as we’d look for a matching cookie–finding two cookies about the same size to sandwich together became an activity my sisters and I looked forward to every year.

Chocolate Double Delights

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Kacia, Coconut Robot

Recipe type: Cookie

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup butter
• 1 package (2 cups) chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Frosting:
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup soft butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon peppermint or vanilla extract
• ¼ cup milk – use only as needed
• food coloring

Instructions

1. Melt butter and brown sugar in pan, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and water, stirring until melted.
3. Beat in eggs, add dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Chill.
5. Roll into small balls and flatten (roughly the size of a quarter) and place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake 350° F for 8-10 minutes.
7. Put 2 cookies together and frost with frosting.
8. Then eat, eat, eat! I personally love to freeze these cookies and enjoy 1 or 2
9. (or 3 or 4...) with a cup of coffee. I hope you love them!

3.1.09

TO ENTER COOKBOOK JOURNAL GIVEAWAY:

Traci from Beneath My Heart, is the real deal! We met her a couple of years ago when we were in Kentucky for a blogger event. She is kind, gracious, smart and the friend you want next door. In spite of being a mama to many boys, she keeps a beautiful home where creative projects always abound. She is an amazing source of inspiration for both your heart and your home. Please pull up a chair, grab a hot mug of something warm and welcome our guest!

Mom wrote about the story behind our “buckeye tradition” in an article she wrote in 1991 for her weekly food column for our local newspaper. Here is what she wrote…”

“On a cold, winter day before Christmas, when Traci (now 21) was seven years old, she came bursting in the house clutching a margarine tub in both hands. Through her happy smile she exclaimed, “Mom, look what Michelle’s mother gave us!” We opened it up and inside were buckeyes (candy). They were so cold and tasty that I asked Traci to go back to Michelle’s house and get the recipe. She did, and these buckeyes have become another family tradition in our family. All the children help make them. Last week, my 4 year old grandson, Cory, and my 5 year old granddaughter, Courtney, helped. (That was an experience – but we had a ball!)”

Well, now ya’ll know how old I am!

Yes…I have been making these buckeyes EVERY single year for 35 years!!! And I hope I can make them for 35 more!

My boys absolutely love making buckeyes. When I started making them the other night, they were smiling from ear to ear, and my son, Luke, said, “Aw, Mom….it really IS Christmas!”

So I am very excited to share this recipe with you!

It is so simple!

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of peanut butter

1 stick of butter (margarine works best)

1 box of confectioner’s sugar

Put the above ingredients in a large bowl.

It works best to mix them together by hand. (My boys LOVE this part! And it was my favorite part when I was a kid too.)

Mix the ingredients together until they form a ball.

Then roll the dough into small “buckeye-sized” balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Place a toothpick in each ball and then place in the freezer for them to harden.

Here is what you need to make the chocolate coating:

1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 stick of paraffin wax (Gulf Wax)

Melt the bag of chocolate chips and paraffin wax together in the top of a double broiler. (If you don’t have a double-boiler, use a smaller pan in a larger pan that’s half-way filled with water. That’s what I do.)

Mix together well.

Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and dip in chocolate mixture.

Be sure to leave the top open to resemble a buckeye.

Place the dipped “buckeye” back on the cookie tray.

Remove the toothpicks…

Let them sit for a few minutes so the peanut butter will soften, then use your fingers to close the (toothpick) hole.

And like magic, they look like buckeyes!

And boy are they delicious!!!!!

My friends and family are always asking me to make these. And believe me…they won’t last long!

But if you have a few left over, store them in the refrigerator. I think they are best when they are cold.

Merry Christmas!

You can print or save the recipe below:

Christmas Buckeyes

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

2 hours 10 mins

 

Author: Tracy, Beneath My Heart

Recipe type: Cookie, Candy

Serves: 24

Ingredients

Buckeyes:

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 stick of butter (margarine works best)
• 1 box of confectioner’s sugar

Chocolate Coating:

• 1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ⅓ stick of paraffin wax (Gulf Wax)

Instructions

Buckeyes

1. Put the above ingredients in a large bowl.
2. It works best to mix them together by hand.
3. Mix the ingredients together until they form a ball.
4. Then roll the dough into small “buckeye-sized” balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
5. Place a toothpick in each ball and then place in the freezer for them to harden.

Chocolate Coating

1. Melt the bag of chocolate chips and paraffin wax together in the top of a double broiler. (If you don’t have a double-boiler, use a smaller pan in a larger pan that’s half-way filled with water. That’s what I do.)
2. Mix together well.

How to Dip the Buckeyes:

1. Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and dip in chocolate mixture.
2. Be sure to leave the top open to resemble a buckeye.
3. Place the dipped “buckeye” back on the cookie tray.
4. Remove the toothpicks…
5. Let them sit for a few minutes so the peanut butter will soften, then use your fingers to close the (toothpick) hole.
6. And like magic, they look like buckeyes!
7. And boy are they delicious!!!!!
8. Store them in the refrigerator. I think they are best when they are cold.

3.1.09

Hi! I’m Traci!

I am a girl living in a house full of boys. The Lord has blessed my husband and I with four wonderful sons, and we spend our days as a family DIY’ing our home. We are currently renovating and adding “old house” charm and character to our 1970’s ranch. I share the process on my blog, Beneath My Heart, along with crafts, recipes, and everything else that makes me smile. I would love for you to come and see me sometime!

Head over to LoveFeast Shop. Pick your favorite cover of our new Cookbook Journal. Then leave a comment on

We’ve known our next guest for almost as long as we’ve known each other. Michelle was a little girl at our church that we had the privilege of watching grow into a beautiful and very talented young lady. She is now a mama with a full crew in tow and we have to confess a slight obsession at looking at their pictures. They are so stinkin’ adorable, it meets a need! Michelle also is a pastry chef by training and what she brings to her gluten free recipes is magical. You should try her coconut whipped cream (visit Gluten Free Fix)…oh my! We love having her and her baked confections at our table.

My mom and I have many things in common: we love to sing, bake and thoroughly enjoy eating almost burnt cookies, we love to make art of any kind, and no matter the time of day, we eat sweets. Most importantly anything with caramel, nuts or chocolate. This especially rings true in the holiday season.

Holidays evoke childhood memories of running around the Christmas tree, playing with ornaments with my sisters and hearing the angelic voice of Amy Grant in the background. It was that time of year, when my mother spent hours in the kitchen baking cookies and other delightful treats. There was always a certain dessert, a mini pie/tart- like creation that was so beautiful, I honestly didn’t know how my mom made them so perfect every time! It wasn’t until many years later that she shared her secret to her Perfect Pecan Tassies, the mini-tart shaper… and with this knowledge, this handy, wooden little tool, has now become a staple in my baking drawer. I will most definitely be passing down this tool to my girls!

So what are these delectable treats I speak of? Pecan Tassies, the perfect combination of nuts, caramel, crunch and chew. After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease several years ago, I changed my diet drastically to naturally keep my disease under control. That meant no gluten for me! It has been challenging, but fun at the same time trying to re-create childhood favorites. This particular recipe has even impressed my father, one of my toughest critics. After taking a few bites, he shockingly asked ” You can eat this?!?” That was the ultimate compliment.

I have kept this gluten free recipe fairly simple to make, with ingredients you can now find easily at your local grocery or health food store. So please, don’t be turned away by the thought of gluten free, because honestly you won’t be missing anything! These are beautiful little morsels that will spruce up any holiday gathering or cookie spread.

Thank you so much for hosting this virtual cookie exchange Kristin and Chris Ann. I am honored to have a place at your LoveFeast Table. You ladies are simply the best!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Pecan Tassies ~ Gluten Free

 

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Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

22 mins

Total time

57 mins

 

Author: Michelle, Gluten Free Fix

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 24

Ingredients

Crust

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey/maple syrup
• 1 egg white (reserve yolk for filling)
• 1½ cups almond flour or meal, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

• ¾ cup chopped pecans
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Combine crust ingredients and drop by the tablespoon-full into greased mini muffin tins. (I find that a cookie scooper works perfectly for this)
3. Gently push dough up the sides or if you have one, use a lightly floured mini tart shaper. (Honestly, they come out just fine if you don't have the tool)
4. Fill each cup with pecans, dispersing evenly between all 24 of them. (filling about ¾ full)
5. Prepare filling: whisk together ingredients until fully combined and smooth. Pour into mini muffin tins carefully.
6. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Allow them to cool down about 5 minutes and gently remove them from pan onto a cooling rack.
8. *Yields 24 pecan tassies. Keeps in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. They also freeze well, up to 1 month.

3.1.09

Michelle is first and foremost a busy mother of five children, stay at home wife turned blogger and recipe creator of Gluten Free Fix. She enjoys spreading awareness of how a gluten free diet can treat Crohn’s disease, along with other auto immune disorders and autism. Michelle is passionate about helping others and sharing recipes for those looking to follow a healthier lifestyle. She is inspired by whole, real foods and creating delicious recipes from them.

Some friends, we live vicariously through. Our next guest, Amy from Poor Girl Gourmet, is one such person. Oh what we wouldn’t give to follow her around her garden and help feed her pigs. We’d love to sit at a table and talk to her about her cookbook, gleaning her tips for low budget gourmet meals, especially if that table was in Montepulciano, Italy where her and her husband host culinary tours. Yup, we want to be her! Please welcome Amy…

When it comes to holiday baking, I’m more cake-baker and bread maker than cookie maven, with the exception of these gingersnaps.

I suspect that this is because of the promise of eating crystallized ginger, as it is among my favorite baking ingredients – I love it in pumpkin scones, apple crisp, sweet potato bread, even oatmeal, which I do realize is not a baked good.

And one cannot gift oatmeal. No, definitely not.

These cookies – which absolutely are giftable – strike me as quite well suited to adult tastes, not too sweet, with a little extra spice kick from that crystallized ginger.

All this from a recipe that came from the side of a tin of crystallized ginger. A tin that then lived in my pantry, even while empty, from 1999 until 2008. That’s a pretty good run for an empty container to hang around, isn’t it?

See, my pack rat rationale was that I always knew where to find the recipe. It was on the top shelf, right there next to the coffee grinder, tucked behind the mini food processor. And I definitely couldn’t take a chance that I might lose it. This is my favorite holiday cookie.

Hmmmm…if only I had had a place to keep this recipe written down.*

Every December, when the first batch of these cookies is underway, the scent of cloves, ginger, and cinnamon immediately sets the holiday mood for my husband and me, and with each sheet of cookies emerging from the oven, I wonder why I’m always so focused on cakes and bread.

“More cookies,” I think, “Yeah. Definitely. Must make more cookies more often.”

This may also have a little to do with the bits of raw dough that I sneak before baking. It’s not at all cloying, like some raw cookie dough can be. Not that I condone eating raw cookie dough, of course. But eating raw cake batter and bread dough really doesn’t bring that same, childlike glee as does snacking on cookie dough straight out of the mixing bowl.

These cookies are also fabulous for gifting, particularly stacked in jars with a handwritten label – and a copy of the recipe (more cookies for all!). And, hey, maybe even a little container of gift-wrapped crystallized ginger as well.

Gingersnaps with Crystallized Ginger

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

adapted slightly from the original Ginger People recipe

Author: Amy, Poor Girl Gourmet

Recipe type: Cookie

Serves: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup diced crystallized ginger
• approximately ⅓ cup turbinado sugar for coating the cookies

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Line a 10 by 15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter.
5. Pour the molasses into the creamed sugar and butter and mix until the molasses is fully incorporated.
6. Add the egg to the sugar mixture and beat it in until it is just combined.
7. Pour the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture, and mix together well.
8. Stir in the crystallized ginger, then refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
9. Roll the dough into approximately 1-inch diameter balls, then toss the dough balls in the turbinado sugar to coat.
10. Place the dough on the baking sheet, allowing at least 2 inches between each cookie.
11. Bake until the cookies are dark brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Your colder dough (the batch that goes into the oven just after the dough comes out of the refrigerator) will take closer to 10 minutes, later batches tend to be done closer to the 8-minute mark.
12. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
13. If packing cookies in jars for gift giving, allow the cookies to cool completely before placing them into the jars.

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