Italian Lemon Knots

Day 9 in the Control Freak's 12 Days of Treats

A staple in many Italian households, I was searching for a recipe and stumbled upon this blog and decided to give it a whirl. Although they are not exactly like Grandma's cookies, they are still delicious. Added to the slightly cakey, slightly crumbly cookie is a lemon glaze made with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Italian Knot Cookies

Adapted from Proud Italian Cook

Ingredients:

5 cups unbleached flour

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 bottle of pure lemon extract or,( 1 oz.)

Grated lemon rind

5 teaspoons of baking powder

1 Cup of sugar

1 3/4 cup of shortening

Directions:
Mix together flour, eggs, milk, lemon extract and rind, sugar, and baking powder, in large bowl. Add shortening till it forms a dough. You might need to add some more milk or more flour to get the right consistency (I added an entire additional cup), but after doing so, take golf ball size pieces and shape them into balls or roll them like a log and tie them in a bow, or make a horseshoe shape and twist them over like I did. Bake at 350 degrees for exactly 15 minutes.

When they cool dip them in the icing and place them on wax paper untill they set.

Candy Cane Cookies

Day 8 of the 12 Days of Treats from the Control Freak

I make a version of this cookie every year, but did not have one ingredient (mine uses the sugar cookie packets) so decided to go with Katie's recipe and I am so glad I did! The girls had a blast making these, and even though they were not very uniform in size, they were great!

Candy Cane Cookies

From Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. butter
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 ½ c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp red food color (plus more to the color you desire)

Directions:
- Cream together sugar and butter
- Add egg, then milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract.
- Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
- Divide dough in half.
- Stir food color into one half.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- For each candy cane, shape one rounded tsp dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on clean surface. (don’t use flour or it won’t stick to the other half)
- Place one red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist.
- Place on prepared cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.
- Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown.
- Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool completely.

Orange Almond Biscotti

REALLY LATE Day 7 of 12 Days of Treats from the Control Freak

Orange Almond Biscotti

America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 c. almonds, toasted, cooled and chopped coarse
2 Tbsp minced zest from an orange

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl and set aside.
-Cream the butter and sugar until light and smooth, about 2 min.
-Beat in eggs then the extracts.
-Stir in almonds and zest.
-Fold dry ingredients into wet until dough is just mixed.
-Halve the dough and turn portions onto prepared baking sheet.
-Stretch each portion into a rough 13 by 2 in. loaf and pat smooth.
-Bake about 35 minutes or until the loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top.
-Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
-Lower oven temp to 325 degrees and cut each loaf diagonally into 3/4 in. slices.
-Lay each slice cut-side up on baking sheet and return to oven.
-Bake, turning each cookie half way through baking for about 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on both sides.
-Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

(Optional - dip one side in melted chocolate!)

Holiday Spice Biscotti

Day 8 or...Another REALLY delayed installment of

12 Days of Treats from The Control Freak

These were a REALLY interesting combination and thoroughly enjoyed by all! I did not have brandy, so soaked my raisins in some freshly squeezed OJ, and it seemed to work out great!

Spiced Holiday Biscotti
adapted from ATK recipe, as seen on Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp sat
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c. mixed raisins (golden and regular) soaked in 1/4 c. brandy for 1 hour
1/4 c. pecans, chopped

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
-In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt to combine thoroughly; set aside.
-In large bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar until light in color.
-Whisk in vanilla.
-Sprinkle dry ingredients over wet and fold in, add raisins and pecans and fold until just combined.
-Halve the mixture, pat into a ball and turn onto baking sheet.
-Pat and stretch into about 13x3 inch loaf and repeat with remaining mixture, placing loaves about 3 inches apart.
-Place baking sheet in oven and cook until beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
-Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
-Using wide spatula to transfer to cutting board, with a serrated knife, carefully slice laves diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.
-Lay slices about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets (you will need a second to fit them all), cut side up.
-Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, flipping biscotti half way through cooking time.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire racks.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Day 6 of The Control Freak's 12 Days of Treats

• Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:

• 48 Hershey's Kisses
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Thumbprints

Day 5 of the Control Freak's 12 Days of Treats

You can't go wrong with this classic! After trying several recipes, this was my favorite! Plus, I love the sides rolled in nuts!

Thumbprints

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1/4 C packed brown sugar

1/4 C shortening

1/4 C butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg, separated

1 C flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C finely chopped nuts

Jelly

Directions

-Heat oven to 350

-Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla, and egg yolk in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together

-Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each.

-Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Fill thumbprints with jelly.

Grandma's Do-Do's

Day 4 of The Control Freak's 12 Days of Treats

A story: When I first started baking Christmas cookies several years ago, I asked my mom for Grandma's do-do recipe. I have no idea if this is what they are really called, or if it is the wrong name, but it is always what Grandma called them. My mom dug up the recipe and I got to work. As soon as they were finished baking, before even glazing them, I tried one and was transported instantly back to my childhood and Christmas at Grandma's. She passed away when I was a freshman in college, so this was almost like she was actually with us. It was amazing.

I have made them every year since, and it is always the first cookie that my mom goes for, and in this family, the first to be completely gone.

I halved the original recipe because it was completely overwhelming the first year I made them. So I am bringing you the recipe I follow.

Grandma's Do-Do's

Ingredients:

4 C flour

1 C Crisco

1/2 C cocoa

1 C sugar

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix ingredients like a pie crust. Then add:

3 eggs

1/4 C cold water

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 C chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients and form a giant ball. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from fridge and kneed like bread. Form into walnut-sized balls.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes-be sure to watch the bottoms so they don't burn!

When cookies are cool, coat with a powdered sugar-water glaze. It may take a few coats of the glaze until it looks thick enough.

Do you have a family recipe that takes you back in time to your childhood? Post it for us!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Day 3 of 12 Days of Treats

Chocolate Mint Cookies

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3/4 C butter

1 1/2 C packed brown sugar

2 C semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

36 chocolate mint wafer candies (which means Andes mints)

Directions:

-In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.

-At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.

-Preheat oven to 350.

-Roll dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put half a mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then swirl it using the back of a spoon to spread the mint on the cookie.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

After several failed attempts at sugar cookie cutouts, it was not until I came across Ashlee's recipe that I could claim success! It is the PERFECT sugar cookie: soft and delicious, with a hint of lemon. I have found that the trick is to not skimp while rolling them out, and the thicker the cookie the better!

Day 2 of 12 Days of Treats

Ashlee's Famous Sugar Cookies

as seen on A Year in the Kitchen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. lemon zest
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar, for rolling

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars in a mixer for 5 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Add in vanilla, almond, and lemon zest. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt a little at a time. Do not over mix, this process should take about one minute.
Chill dough for up to a week in the fridge, or roll out and cut right away.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for approx. 11 minutes (usually 9 in my new oven). Let cool and decorate!

Soft and Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

Like many of us who consider ourselves "food bloggers," I will be doing a 12 Days of Treats, and including some of my favorite holiday sweets! I will be doing lots of cookies, but will try and squeeze in a few other surprises!

Day 1 of 12 Days of Treats from The Control Freak

Soft and Spicy GingerbreadCookies

adapted from allrecipes, as seen on Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
1 c. butter 1 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 egg
4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
-In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
-Stir in molasses and egg.
-Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. -Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line with parchment.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.
-Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
-Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
-Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm.
-Let cool for 10 minutes on pan.
-Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
-Frost or decorate when cool.