The 12 days of cookies
The traditional song "The 12 Days of Christmas" recounts geese a-laying, lords a-leaping, gold rings, hens, swans and a partridge in a pear tree. Celebrate with 12 different kinds of deilicious cookies: make-ahead and mellow cookies, snappy thins, voluptuous drop-and-mould cookies, glazed and sugar-coated treats, spicy nibbles and more. They're all easy to make, and perfect for entertaining, exchanging with pals, and giving as gifts of love and caring.
Measure for measure
Careful measuring of ingredients is the key to baking success. Follow either the imperial or metric system throughout a recipe -- never a combination.
Dry ingredients: Lightly spoon dry ingredient (for example, all-purpose flour and granulated sugar) into measure, filling until heaping. Level off by running straight edge of knife across top. Do not pack or tap measure when filling. Brown sugar, however, should be packed down until it holds the shape of the measure when turned out.
Liquid ingredients: Place liquid measure on counter; pour in liquid to desired level, bending down to check measurement at eye level and adjusting as necessary.
Fat ingredients: For soft fats, press firmly into dry measure, then level off top. For butter and other firm fats, use package markings as guides to slice off amount called for. No markings? Use the displacement method: If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, fill measure with 1/2 cup (125 mL) water; submerge enough butter to make water level rise to 1 cup (250 mL).
Recipes
-
Glazed Almond Spritz Rosettes Cookies
An almond-scented glaze adds shimmer to delicate, pretty, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Decorating with silver drag? or candied cherries adds a festive ... -
Tropical Coconut Macaroons
A holiday selection of cookies is all the more inviting when it includes a chewy one, and here it is: the ultimate macaroon, dense and colourful with ... -
Lebkuchen Cutout Cookies
These invitingly spicy glazed German cookies, which can be baked ahead, are what many holiday cooks like best. Roll and cut out rectangles, fun ginger... -
Java Cutouts
Coffee lovers, here's your cookie! Roll and cut the dough into festive shapes, or form into logs to slice when it's time to bake a fresh batch. -
Mini Chocolate Chunkies
In a season of plenty, small is good. But the small has to be excellent, as in this one-bite drop cookie with a huge hit of chocolate and a balancing ... -
Cinnamon Biscotti Bites
There are lots of occasions when a not-too-sweet, not-too-over-the-top cookie is in order. That's where these mini-biscotti come in. -
Pecan Sticks
Here's a cookie you can shape into sticks and dip voluptuously in chocolate or form into Viennese crescents or balls and dust with icing sugar. -
Hazelnut Rings
These are not made from gold, as the rings in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," but they are definitely rich and worth their weight in ... -
Swedish Tea Rings
Some things never lose their appeal, such as my mother's Christmas tea rings, which feature a dab of red currant jelly. So good are these little daint...
- Most recent
- Latest from the Food & Health Blogs
- Latest from the Life &
Style Blogs - Top 10 Recipes
- From the Magazine
Quiz: Do you know Swiss food?
New & Noteworthy
| Foster your inner foodie with the latest from The Food Blog. Plus find great nutrition and fitness info in The Health & Wellness Blog. | |
 |
The Food Blog |
 |
The Health & Wellness Blog |
| Learn how to live it up Canuck-style with the latest from The Life Blog. And add some style to your life with news from The Fashion & Beauty Blog. | |
 |
The Life Blog |
 |
The Fashion & Beauty Blog |
