Are you thinking about Christmas yet? I’m having one of those rare lucid moments when I realize that if I start doing something about it now, I might have accomplished Christmas by the time it gets here. I’d like to make something for people. I’m not sure what. Have any of you got any clever plans for gifts this year?
What to do?
I make jam in the summer and give it away for Xmas. One year I made soap
I like to give away chocolate covered pretzels and buckeyes.
Try these:
Oatmeal Cookies (including chocolate chips)
The challenge: When we considered doing a story on oatmeal cookies, the first place we went was the back of the Quaker Oats box, and the cookies the Quaker recipe produced were very good. Nonetheless, we wanted something more—more chewy, more moist, and more substantial. We were after a big, moist, chewy cookie with lots of real oat flavor.
The solution: After literally months of testing, our final recipe was in fact still very close to the Quaker Oats recipe that had gotten us started, but we had discovered four simple changes that made a significant difference in the end result. First, we substituted baking powder for baking soda. The baking powder gave the dough more lift, which in turn made the cookies less dense and a bit chewier. Second, we eliminated the cinnamon recommended not only in the Quaker Oats recipe but in lots of other recipes. By taking away the cinnamon, we revealed more oat flavor. Third, we made our cookies really big, doubling the amount of dough most recipes recommend dropping onto the cookie sheet. We had learned that small cookies tend to be dry; by increasing size, we got more moisture and more chewiness. Fourth, we increased the sugar in our cookies, and this made a huge difference in terms of texture and moistness. Sugar makes baked goods both more tender and more moist because it helps the end product retain water during baking. In addition, by encouraging exterior browning, sugar promotes crispness. In the end, we had gotten even more out of our new oatmeal cookie recipe than we’d hoped for.
BIG CHEWY OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES
Makes 16 to 20 large cookies
If you prefer a less sweet cookie, you can reduce the white sugar by one-quarter cup, but you will lose some crispness. Do not overbake these cookies. The edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should still be very light in color. Parchment makes for easy cookie removal and cleanup, but it’s not a necessity. If you don’t use parchment, let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened but still firm
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)
1. Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and optional raisins.
3. Form dough into sixteen to twenty 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
GINGER OATMEAL COOKIES
Omit raisins and add 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Substitute 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips for the raisins.
NUT OATMEAL COOKIES
Omit raisins, decrease flour to 1 1/3 cups, and add 1/4 cup ground almonds and 1 cup walnut pieces along with oats. Almonds can be ground in food processor or blender.
ORANGE AND ALMOND OATMEAL COOKIES
Omit raisins and add 2 tablespoons minced orange zest (remove zest with peeler, being careful to leave behind any white pith) and 1 cup toasted chopped almonds (toast almonds in 350-degree oven for 5 minutes) along with oats.
So far this year, I have prepared and stockpiled vanilla extract, pickled okra, sweet and spicy pickles, pickled carrots, pickled green tomatoes, pear preserves and champagne vinegar.
Damn. That’s impressive.
I just had the same realization! I would like to do food gifts-maybe fudge sauce and if I have time at the last minute I’m going to make the scones I posted a few weeks back.
The last several years I’ve made infused vodka, and then rebottled it in little decorative glass bottles from the Container Store. I put one in a gift bag with a can of mixer (i.e. club soda, ginger ale, etc.) to make an early morning Christmas cocktail.
There are several recipes for various flavors, mine is a Bloody Mary Vodka infused with horseradish, jalapeno, black peppercorns, fresh dill, celery. One of the cook books in my collection is about liquor infusions and has some very good tips about various fruits to maximize flavors – of course almost all of this info is also available online.
I like Amy’s idea!
I like Amy’s idea as well…but the only real thought I have had about Christmas is why is there already a tree up in the lobby.
Definitely thinking food gifts this year. The November issue of Bon Appetit had a recipe for gruyere crisps that sounded like a good option… though Gammy’s buckeyes sound pretty fantastic.
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