Mike Devlin's Christmas Cookies DWC Weekly Issue 106

Step 1

For all these recipes, you want soft unsalted butter — if you're just pulling it out of the fridge … Ha! Cream the unsalted butter and sugars together (confectioners may need sifting, actually, it probably will) well. We need it soft and fluffy like a teddy bear. It will turn a whiter shade of pale (one for the music aficionados there).

Step 2

Next, add your egg and vanilla extract (No! Not essence! Never essence!), and mix in well. Yes, it becomes sloppy to begin with, but it will mix in properly.

Step 3

Sift your plain flour, baking powder, and salt into the mix and slowly incorporate it all together. Over-mixing will result in a tough cookie (not that kind of 'tough cookie') and will ruin it.

Step 4

Divide the dough into two, wrap well, and shove in the fridge for an hour to firm up.

Step 5

With a floured surface, roll out the dough to ½cm thick. With a cookie cutter, press them out and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake at 180°C for about 8 minutes.

Step 6

They can be decorated afterwards if you wish — that'll keep the kids happy, although you undoubtedly have to clean up their unholy mess afterwards.

Step 1

Beat the living daylights out of the unsalted butter and sugar. You are using a mixer, yes?

Step 2

Next, we will add the molasses and the egg. Molasses is sticky, really sticky, so you will want a spatula to get it all in the bowl and to make sure it's all incorporated. We need a uniform colour, not some pretty marbling thing.

Step 3

Now we sift all the dry ingredients into it — basically the rest of the ingredient list. Combine gently (remember, no over-mixing; when done, it's done).

Step 4

Split and wrap into two, and put into the fridge; it goes for an hour.

Step 5

A little sprinkling of plain flour (it's okay, so long as you don't go over the top; the plain flour will dissolve into the cookies), and cut them out using a medium-sized cutter.

Step 6

Parchment. Tray. 180°C. Eight minutes, give or take. Cookies are always soft when they come out of the oven but harden as they cool.

Step 7

Put them on a rack to expedite cooling.

Step 1

This cookie is done slightly differently due to the absence of butter. In a large bowl, whisk up the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Given enough time, it will get a little thicker. If we used caster sugar, it would not dissolve, which is why we use powdered (clever, huh?), but to be sure, sieve it in. Keep whisking until it becomes slightly pale and there are no signs of the additions.

Step 2

Now sieve in all the dry ingredients and combine gently, mixing until nice and smooth (like me!).

Step 3

Wrap the whole thing up and place in the fridge for … nope, 2 hours minimum.

Step 4

Ugh, more rolling. Nope, wrong again. Make small balls in your hands (slightly smaller than a golf ball) and roll the balls in confectioners' sugar before placing them on a parchment-lined tray. Sprinkle some more confectioners' sugar on them. Give them room, as they will spread out, and you'll end up with a mega-cookie (actually, it doesn't sound too bad that).

Step 5

180°C and will take upwards of 12 minutes. Wire rack them. No, you can't have one now! Stop it, hands off!

Step 1

We are back to beating the hell out of the unsalted butter and sugar again, so have at it, I'll wait. Ooh, is that a cold beer I see? I'll be right back …

Step 2

Oh, you're done. Add the egg and extract, and beat well. Sift all the dry ingredients into the mix, folding it all together.

Step 3

Yup, refrigerate for an hour in two bits. Roll out on a floured surface, cut out cookies, parchment, tray, 180°C, up to 12 minutes, then rack 'em. This is easy.

Step 4

When cool, dip each cookie into melted dark chocolate and then sprinkle smashed-up peppermint candy canes. The best way to smash them up would be to lay down a towel, spread them out, place another towel on top, and smash those little … umm … just break them up by hitting them with a rolling pin. Yes, bits will stick to the towels, so please make sure they are clean.

Step 5

Place on a piece of parchment until the chocolate sets. Now let's go find some more candy canes because I swear I heard something emanating from under the tree …

Step 1

Unsalted butter. Sugar. You know the score.

Step 2

Ooh! We have two extracts in this one. Splendid. Drop them in and your egg, and beat well. Now sift in your two flours and gently combine.

Step 3

Divide in half, wrap up, refrigerate for at least an hour, and then roll out and cut with the cutter.

Step 4

But! With half of the cookies, you want a tiny cutter to remove the centre. If you don't have a cutter that small, you could use a thimble or maybe a bottle cap. You will have more dough left over than normal, so make more cookies (actually, you should have been doing this anyway).

Step 5

Parchment. Tray. 180°C. About 12 minutes. Rack. Cool. Fantastic.

Step 6

With the solid cookies, spread/pipe a small amount of raspberry jam on it, then with a holy cookie (I am sure there is a joke in there somewhere, particularly if it's Christmas), place on top. Make sure there is only a little jam, as we don't want it splurging out of the sides.

Step 7

Dust with powdered sugar, and we are all done.

Step 1

Yay! More unsalted butter/sugar beating and egg/extract beating! Awesome!

Step 2

Sieve in all the dry ingredients (no, not the rolling ones; this is why it says 'for rolling'), wrap up and chill for … nope, wrong again, 30 minutes (you are terrible at this game).

Step 3

The cinnamon and sugar need to be mixed well together and put on a plate. With the dough, make balls (again slightly smaller than a golf ball), and roll them in the mix before placing — spaced apart — on a lined tray.

Step 4

180°C. About 8 minutes. Rack. Cool.

Step 1

Unsalted butter. Sugar. Egg. Extract. Easy peasy. You have this covered because you are a Cookie Pro by now, but soon you will ascend to being a Cookie Veteran. The glamour, the parades, the fame, the … okay, I'll calm down.

Step 2

Plain flour and salt sifted, and gently mix it all together.

Step 3

Wrap up well, and … nope, again! 30 minutes. This is why you are not a Cookie Veteran yet.

Step 4

We need to roll the dough into balls again and place them on a parchment-lined tray. This time, however, as the name implies, we need to press in the centre with your thumb to make a slight indent. You can go a bit deeper than that. Inside each dent, put a small amount of jam in it.

Step 5

180°C. About 10–12 minutes. Rack 'em, and stack 'em.

Step 1

We need both butters and both sugars creaming up. Thanks so much. Then, the egg and extract are beaten in. Ah, but creamy or chunky. Decisions, decisions.

Step 2

All the dry stuff needs to be sifted in and gently folded together.

Step 3

30 minutes wrapped up in the fridge (I've stopped asking because you keep getting it wrong). Once back out, roll into balls and space out on the lined tray at 180°C for about 8 minutes or so.

Step 4

As soon as they come out, press a kiss (or button, preferably a large one) into the centre and allow to cool on a rack.

Step 1

Beat the unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy (y'know, like every other cookie), and then add your egg, ricotta, extract, and the zest. Give that all a really good beating.

Step 2

Sift in your remaining dry ingredients and combine. The mix will be wetter than usual, but this is fine. Everything's fine. I'm fine. You're fine.

Step 3

Grab two tablespoons and drop cookie batter onto a pre-lined baking sheet; these things will spread in the oven, so give 'em space.

Step 4

180°C. Up to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Step 5

When cool, dust with powdered sugar, or if you wish, drizzle with a lemon glaze (lemon juice and confectioners' sugar, mix well, and keep adding the sugar until it is umm … drizzable).

Step 1

See all of that (minus the chocolate)? Put all of it in a bowl and mix well to combine. Yeah, that's it. Honestly.

Step 2

Using two tbsps, drop some mixture onto a lined tray (space them out!), and bake at, wait for it, 160°C! And up to 18 minutes, too!

Step 3

These things must cool right down before you dip the bottoms of them into the melted chocolate.

Step 1

Beat the unsalted butter and sugar well. Then add the zest, juice, and extract, and beat it some more.

Step 2

Sift the plain flour in and gently combine. The dough will be soft.

Step 3

Make balls (easier if your hands are cold), and space out on a lined tray at 160°C for about 10–12 minutes.

Step 4

Once cooled on a rack, dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Step 1

Beat unsalted butter and both sugars until creamy. Then, yep, the egg and extract (glad you're paying attention).

Step 2

Sift the dry stuff (obviously not the oats) into the bowl, and then add the oats and mix well but gently.

Step 3

Just as it is coming together, throw in the cranberries and finish off bringing it all together.

Step 4

Use a tablespoon to drop some of the cookie batter onto the lined tray, and bake for up to 12 minutes at 180°C.

Step 5

Wait until cooled. I don't know, lick the bowl out whilst you're waiting?

Step 1

What are we doing first? Yep, unsalted butter and sugar, followed by the egg and extract. Gold star for you.

Step 2

Now everything else has to be sifted into the batter and folded in — you didn't skip the Cayenne, did you? Be honest!

Step 3

This is another spoon job, so dollop it onto your lined tray before going into the oven at 180°C for about 10–12 minutes.

Step 4

Cool, and try one. I know, right? Just a slight kick, but nothing unsettling.

Step 1

Beat the unsalted butter and sugar together. The complete absence of regular sugar will give a very light, melty cookie, and we like that. Oh, you can add both extracts here, too.

Step 2

Both flours can now be sifted in and combined gently.

Step 3

Now we need to get arty. Make a small ball, and then roll it with your hand to make a very short sausage shape. At either end, roll gently to slightly taper them off (no pointy bits; it just needs tapering just a little bit). Now, bend it on itself to create a tight crescent. Repeat with all.

Step 4

Bake at 160°C for up to 18 minutes, then dust when cooled.

Step 1

Unsalted butter, sugar, and extract, but you already knew this. That just leaves us with the plain flour and cherries.

Step 2

Now, your cherries may come in a jar, a tub, or a can; they may come in a liquid syrup, or they might be sticky. However they come, they need chopping up into bits. You know how big these cookies are, and you know we can't have giant cherry boulders in our cookies.

Step 3

Throw the cherries into the plain flour (after sifting it into another bowl) and coat them liberally. This gives the cherries a little more stability and soaks up any unwanted liquid — shortbread hates liquid, which is why it's called 'short'.

Step 4

Now, you can add it all to the buttery bowl and gently combine. Only this time, we are combining into a long, thick log! Will wonders ever cease? Wrap it up and refrigerate for … finally! You got it right! 1 hour.

Step 5

When hardened up, unwrap and begin slicing down the log. Place each round onto a lined tray for about 12–15 minutes at 160°C.