Holiday Treats to Share
The holidays are for enjoying the small pleasures that come once a year, and there are none sweeter than homemade goodies. Sharing your love for friends and family with a gift box of holiday treats is a great tradition to start. Whether left on a front porch or sent through the mail, they will brighten the holidays for your loved ones.
Marbled Cookies
Elegant cookies are easy when all you have to do is swirl and dip. These cookies are made with whole grain Einkorn flour. Known as the oldest variety of wheat, Einkorn has a unique nutty flavor that pairs wonderfully with the caramel notes in the dark brown sugar and browned butter.
To marbleize your cookies, spoon about a tablespoon of white glaze in the center of a small plate. Drizzle tinted glaze over the top and swirl together with a toothpick.
Gently press the top of a cookie into glaze, then lift up and allow excess glaze to drip back onto the plate. Using a toothpick, pop any air bubbles and swirl more if desired. Transfer to a wire rack set over a piece of parchment paper to set. Refresh glaze as needed with more white and tinted swirls. Let cookies sit until glaze is set, at least 2 hours.
Chocolate Treats
Make simple shortbread cookies extraordinary by dipping them in ruby chocolate—a lovely pink variety of chocolate made from ruby cocoa beans—and decorating with sugar pearls and coconut flakes.
Chocolate and peanut butter are a perfect pair, especially when made into these truffles. Creamy peanut candies are enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt. They are a quick and easy candy that make the perfect holiday gift.
Brown Butter Einkorn Cookies
Cook Time 10 minutes | 2 dozen cookies
For a sophisticated alternative to a sugar cookie try this Brown Butter Einkorn cookie. Whole grain einkorn flour and browned butter combined with dark brown sugar for a crisp and flavorful cookie. You can decorate with a marbled glaze or serve plain.
Cookie Ingredients
1 cup butter, browned and cooled
1 ½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ½ cups Einkorn flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Glaze Ingredients
4 cups powdered sugar
4-6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Gel food coloring (optional)
How to make it
Brown butter:
In a stainless pan, melt the butter over low heat. Continue cooking the butter, stirring often, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Check the color of the butter often to avoid burning it. Transfer to a glass bowl and cool.
Cookies:
In a large bowl beat brown butter until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar, beating well. Once sugar is fully incorporated, add egg and vanilla, beating well.
In a separate bowl, sift together Einkorn flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beating until just blended. Dough will be crumbly. Use hands to shape dough into a ball.
Working with about a quarter of the dough at a time, roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut out cookies into desired shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill cookies on baking sheets for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on cookie sheet for about a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze:
Sift powdered sugar into a medium sized bowl. Whisk in half the water and the corn syrup. Continue to add water, a few teaspoons at a time. Add enough water to make a thick paste which is spreadable, but not too runny. Tint with gel food coloring if desired.
Chef's Notes
Einkorn is known as the oldest variety of wheat. It has a unique flavor and a strong nutritional profile. Einkorn flour absorbs less liquid than all purpose flour. Browning the butter removes the water content from the butter making it perfect for this type of flour.
Ruby Chocolate Dipped Shortbread
Cook Time 1 hour | Servings 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 ounces ruby chocolate, chopped
Sugar pearls and shredded coconut for garnish, optional
How to make it
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest. In another bowl, combine the flour and salt, and add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Form dough into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll dough ½ inch thick and cut with a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature.
When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put half of the ruby chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Once melted, add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth.
Dip half of the cookie into the melted ruby chocolate. Lay on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and decorate with sugar pearls or coconut flakes. Chill cookies to set the ruby chocolate.
Chef's Notes
Ruby chocolate is a new variety of chocolate derived from ruby cocoa bean. Its distinctive pink hue is natural; it has no added colors or flavorings. Ruby chocolate has a sweet and fruity taste that is unique from other types of chocolates. You can find bars of ruby chocolate in specialty markets or online.
Dark Chocolate Salted Peanut Butter Truffles
Ingredients
1 cup 100% natural smooth peanut butter
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
6 tablespoons crisp rice cereal
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
½ tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
How to make it
Make sure your natural peanut butter is blended (the oil is not floating on top of the peanut butter) before using. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup. Mix with an electric mixer for 30-60 seconds. The mixture will begin to thicken up into a fudge-like texture.
Add the sea salt and stir in the cereal. Shape the mixture into 15-20 small balls.
Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until just melted.
Use a fork to dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Place the chocolate covered ball on a plate or cutting board lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in the freezer for around 6-8 minutes until mostly firm.
Dip a fork into the leftover melted chocolate and drizzle it on top of the balls to create swirl design and top with a few pieces of flaky sea salt.
Place the balls in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate is completely set.
Store the peanut butter truffles in an airtight container or in the refrigerator.
CONTRIBUTORS | INTERIOR STYLING & PHOTO
Gretchen Black
Gretchen is the owner of Greyhouse Design, an interior design firm in Louisville Kentucky. She and her husband Jason Black, builder of Artisan Signature Homes make a dynamic duo creating beautiful custom homes.
Carley Page Summers
Carley Page Summers is an interior and lifestyle photographer, an interior stylist, and a creative consultant who is based in North Carolina. Carley’s work is very much inspired by her world travels.