Mom&Daughter

• Marble Slabs

  Makes about 24 cookies

  • All-purpose flour for dusting
  • Dough for Vanilla Sugar Cookies (page 17, The Art of the Cookie)
  • Royal Icing
  • Green gel-paste food coloring
  • Tools Needed:
  • Pizza wheel
  • 3 paper cones or pastry bags with ¼-inch round tips
  • Toothpicks

  1. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to about ¼-in thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut pieces of various sizes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets, grouping like-sized cookies together and spacing them 1 inch apart. Press the dough scraps together, roll out, and cut more shapes. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes.

  3. Bake the cookies for 16-19 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

  4. Spoon ¼ cup of the icing into a small bowl and another ¼ cup into another small bowl. Add a very small amount of food coloring to color each a shade of green, one lighter than the other. Spoon into separate paper cones or pastry bags, each with a ¼-inch round tip. Spoon the remaining white icing into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain round tip.

  5. Pipe the white icing around the edge of each cookie to form a border. Then pipe the icing into the middle of the cookie, letting it run to the edges of the border. While the icing is still wet, pipe various sizes of dots and lines in the 2 shades of green on top of the white icing. Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, quickly swirl the colors together, making only 8 to 10 figure-eight motions and stopping before the colors are completely combined. Gently tap each cookie once or twice to settle the icing. Let the cookies dry completely, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

  6. Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of parchment paper, at room temperature for up to 30 days.

• Gingerbread Trees

  Makes about 24 cookies

  • Dough for Gingerbread Cookies, (page 22, The Art of the Cookie), cut into trees
  • Royal icing
  • ¼ teaspoon green powdered food coloring
  • Orange or almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Tools Needed:
  • Tree-shaped cookie cutters
  • Paper cone or pastry back with a ¼ inch round tip
  • Paintbrush

  1. Bake the cookies according to the Gingerbread Cookies recipe for 12–15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

  2. Spoon the icing into a paper cone or pastry bag with a ¼-inch plain round tip. Pipe the icing around the edge of each cooking to form a boarder. Pipe the icing into the middle of the cookie, letting it run to the edges of the boarder. Gently tap the cookie twice to settle the icing. Set the cookies aside to dry, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

  3. In a small bowl, combine the green food coloring and 1 or 2 drops orange extract. Using a clean small paintbrush, stir until the mixture forms a paste as thick as honey. Brush the mixture on a paper towel or a piece of parchment paper to test the darkness of color. Using the delicate strokes, paint diagonal lines of green on each cookie using the tip of the tree to the trunk, working from both sides of the cookie. Clean the brush. In another small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and 1 or 2 drops extract. Stir with the brush until a thick past forms. Paint thin vertical lines on the trunk of each tree to simulate bark. Let the cookies dry completely, at least 1 hour.

  4. Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of parchment paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Christmas Tree Spritz Cookies

Servings: 75-100

• Ingredients:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces
• ½ tsp. salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp. water
• 1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
• green gel-based food coloring (liquid is fine, but gel delivers a deeper color using a minimal amount)
• Small bag cinnamon imperials

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Put flour, sugar, butter and salt into food processor bowl and pulse. Or put into large mixing bowl and rub mixture between fingers until coarse crumbs form.

3. In medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks (not whites) with vanilla. Add to running food processor mixture or incorporate into mixing bowl crumbs until dough forms. Mix until consistency is like soft clay dough.

4. Add food coloring drop by drop until desired color is achieved. You may also add tiny drops of blue and/or yellow to create a perfect shade of green.

5. Fill cookie press. Use tree-shaped cutter and form cookies on baking sheets.

If adding sprinkles, beat egg white with water, brush lightly over cookies and add sprinkles as desired. Next, press cinnamon imperials at treetops and bake until edges are firm (not brown), approximately 10–15 minutes.

6. Cool for a couple of minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Warm up to this rich cocoa, laced with a hint of heat

• Servings: 2
• Kitchen Tips:
• * For the richest cup of cocoa, use spices that are fresh and fragrant.
• * Make this treat even more decadent by purchasing homemade marshmallows or make your own.
• Ingredients:
• 2 cups whole milk
• 5 oz. best quality bittersweet chocolate
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
• ⅛ tsp. cayenne or chili powder
• ⅛ tsp. ground or grated nutmeg
• 8 store-bought marshmallows or 4 homemade (preferable)
• Cocoa powder for dusting (optional)
• Cayenne or chili powder for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1. Place milk in small heavy pan with 1 cinnamon stick and spices. Heat until just below boiling point. Meanwhile, finely chop chocolate with chef’s knife.

2. Remove milk from heat, remove cinnamon stick and stir in chocolate with whisk; whisk until chocolate is melted and layer of foam forms on top.

Pour into serving bowls or mugs, top with marshmallows, replace cinnamon sticks to use to stir in marshmallows. Dust with additional cocoa and/or chili, if desired. Enjoy.