Edible Holiday Gift guide 2015
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Hi guys! I wasn't planning on posting my holiday treats this year, but lots of you fine people asked for the recipe for the pistachio shortbread with cardamom and cacao nibs that I posted on Instagram (the second photo above) so here I am! I got pretty serious with my edible gifts this year because I had to make up for a so-so 2014. Links and recipes are below!
Pistachio Shortbread with Cardamom and Cacao Nibs (recipe below)
My favorite Gingerbread with Royal Icing (recipe below)
Tartine's Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies
Alice Medrich's Buckwhat Cookies with Cacao Nibs
Soft Salted Caramels (shown with Shop ILA's Black Lava Salt)
Violet Bakery's Rye and Chocolate Brownies (inspired by Tartine's Cookies!)
Follow me on instagram for more holiday baking fun @yossyarefi and check out Melissa's post for even more edible gift ideas!
Pistachio Shortbread with Cardamom and Cacao Nibs
makes about 30 cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup cacao nibs
Combine the flour, pistachios, sugar, cardamom, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks damp and crumbly. Drizzle in the vanilla extract, then add the cacao nibs. Pulse a few more times until the dough begins to just hold together.
Remove the dough from the food processor and knead a few times until the dough is evenly mixed and holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes as desired. Place the cut cookies onto the prepared sheets 1-inch apart. Reroll the dough scraps until all of the dough is used. Chill the cut cookies for 10 minutes before baking. If at anytime the dough gets warm and is difficult to work with, transfer it to the fridge for a few minutes.
Bake the cookies until light golden around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Let cookies cool on the pans for a few minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together.
In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, then the molasses and mix until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time roll the dough 1/8-1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin roll. Use a cookie cutter or stencil to cut out desired shapes then place them on the prepared baking sheets. For cookie ornaments, use a skewer to poke a hole through the top of the cookies before baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies have just barely begun to brown. For cookie ornaments bake the cookies until they are lightly browned all over and firm to the touch. Cool the cookies on the sheet pans for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Royal Icing
1 egg white
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 3⁄4 cup confectioners sugar
Combine all of the ingredients and beat with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form. If the icing seems too thick, add a few drops of water or lemon juice. If it seems runny, add a few table- spoons of confectioner’s sugar.
Use a pastry bag fitted with a #2 or #3 round tip and the stiff icing to add lines, shapes and dots to your cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar, sprinkles or nonpareils if desired, just make sure to do it while the icing is still wet.
To make the cookies into ornaments, thread a string through the hole and tie it to make a loop.
