Keep Your Baking Spirits Bright With These Holiday Essentials

It’s mid-December – time to warm up the oven and dust off your mixing bowls. As we’re taking care of the visuals by decking the halls with seasonal decor, don’t forget the aroma of freshly-baked cookies, pies, and other holiday treats. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a first timer, we’ve got you covered with some baking essentials and a couple of delicious recipes. So, grab your apron, and let’s get started!

What You’ll Need in Your Pantry

Before we get to the fun part, let’s stock your pantry with these baking staples:

• All-purpose flour: The foundation of most baked goods.
• Baking powder & baking soda: For that perfect rise.
• Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves – the quintessential holiday flavors.
• Sugars: Brown, granulated, molasses.
• Butter: Unsalted, to control the flavor of your bakes. Some recipes call for margarine.
• Eggs: The binding magic in many recipes.
• Vanilla extract: A dash of this goes a long way.

Now you’re ready to tackle some holiday baking, including the two cookie recipes we have for you.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup margarine, softened
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste

Directions

1. Beat margarine and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until mostly incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk, then molasses.
2. Whisk sifted flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in a separate bowl until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture to the molasses mixture, beating until well blended and smooth.
3. Divide dough in half and form each into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 to 3 hours, or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Working with one disk at a time, and leaving remaining disk in the refrigerator, unwrap chilled dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Working from the center to the edges, roll dough with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
6. Cut dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters, dipping the cutters into flour as needed so they don’t stick to the dough. Fit the cookie cutters as closely together as possible to cut as many cookies as you can. This will minimize the number of times you have to re-roll the dough.
7. Transfer gingerbread cookies to ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gather any dough scraps into a ball, flatten, re-wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate to use for later batches.
8. Bake each sheet in the preheated oven until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool while you finish rolling, cutting, and baking the remaining cookies.
9. Frost or decorate cooled gingerbread cookies as desired.

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Mix together flour, butter, and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl with your hands until well combined. Press dough into an ungreased 11 ½ x 7 ½-inch sheet tray or jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are light brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Cut shortbread into squares in the pan while still warm. Cool completely before removing squares from the pan.

There you have it – two classic holiday recipes that are sure to be a hit with family and friends. Remember, holiday baking isn’t just about the delicious end product; it’s about the memories you create while mixing, rolling, and baking. So don’t do it alone! Turn up the Christmas tunes, get the family involved, and make this holiday season the most delicious one yet.