Whenever I get a spare minute on the weekends, my brain always finds its way to baking. I mean, not a terrible thing to love doing, right? It’s relaxing, fun, and a great excuse to eat all of your homemade treats before they go bad. And with the holidays right around the corner – whether referring to Thanksgiving or, if you’re like me, skipping right over to Christmas – it’s time to think about what desserts will make the cut this year!
Let’s dive in…
I am usually delegated to being the ultimate assistant in all areas of holiday entertaining (dessert creation included), so having something quick, easy, and a huge crowd pleaser is a must for me. The recipes below are some of my recent favorites to have graced my oven. All three are straightforward, contain minimal ingredients…and obviously, are insanely delicious. One, a salted peanut butter cookie, the other, a classic gingersnap, and finally, an old-fashioned, soft pumpkin cookie.
I’ve had a diverse audience test these three options (aka my family and roommate) and, in the end, both groups were left wondering how long they’d have to wait until they could snag another.
The peanut butter cookies were my latest bake (and the cookie to basically inspire this entire post), and to say that they were game-changing wouldn’t be complimentary enough.
Here’s what Deb Perelman of the Smitten Kitchen had to say about them – which I think sums it up perfectly:
If the recipe dictated that I had to render lard, then roast and blend my own peanuts while standing on my head and singing in tune to make them, I’d probably consider it. They’re that good.
Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen
In other words, you can trust from the reviews that these cookies are better than just great – they’re event worthy! Pair them with some vanilla ice cream or hot cappuccinos to make it extra special and you’re ready for any holiday entertaining that comes your way.
The Classic Crowd-Pleaser:
Salted Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
- coarse-grained sea salt, to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the light brown sugar and eggs until incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter and mix with a spatula until smooth and completely incorporated, and until no ribbons of peanut butter can be seen. You know the dough is ready when it has thickened and looks fully mixed.
- Using a scoop or a spoon, form the dough into 12 approximately 2-inch (2- to 2 1/4-ounce) balls and place them on the prepared rimmed sheet pan. For smaller cookies, use a heaping tablespoon.
- Sprinkle the dough balls lightly with coarse-grained sea salt just before baking. You can bake these cookies as soon as the dough is prepared, but they will retain their shape better if you freeze them for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, turning the rimmed sheet pan once halfway through baking (for smaller cookies, bake for 16 to 18 minutes). When finished, the cookies will be lightly golden and cracked on top. Let cool completely before serving.
Perfect for Christmas:
Tess’ Favorite Chewy Gingersnaps
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 4 tbsp molasses
- 1 organic brown egg
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 2 cups gluten-free Cup-4-Cup flour
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- extra sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry (the dough will be crumbly)
- Add the extra sugar for rolling to a small bowl.
- Using your hands, roll the batter into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll each ball in the sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the exterior starts to crack (they will still appear soft – be careful not to overcook if you like them chewy).
- Pull out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
A Thanksgiving Dream:
Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour (or Cup4Cup if GF)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
