Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Jam Thumbprint Cookies
(recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)

Our son adores these cookies. Just when I thought I might be nearly finished my Christmas baking, he called from university with a few requests, including these delicious little treats.

I watched Ina Garten make these on her show ("Barefoot Contessa") a few years ago, and they've been a regular in our home during the holidays ever since. These cookies pack really well in a cellophane bag tied with a beautiful ribbon. They make perfect hostess gifts and stocking stuffers.

You can probably use any kind of jam you like to fill the "thumbprints". I usually use seedless raspberry and apricot or mango. The cookies freeze well for a month and will last a couple of weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 lb (1 1/2 c.) butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot and/or mango jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until combined; add vanilla. Sift together salt and flour, and add slowly to butter mixture. Mix until dough comes together. Turn out on floured board and roll with hands into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

Roll dough in your hands into 1 1/4 inch balls (about 1 oz each). Dip each ball in the egg wash, then in coconut (press coconut a bit to help it stick to ball). Place ball on parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet. Press a small indentation at the top of each ball with finger, and fill with 1/4 tsp. jam. Bake 20-25 minutes, until coconut is golden brown and cookie is cooked through. Cool completely and store or serve.

Holiday Biscotti

Holiday Biscotti
(adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentis)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter (room temperature)
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c. pistachios or pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1 c. white chocolate chips (to add to dough)
12 oz. white chocolate, melted (for dipping)
Coloured sugar crystals for decoration


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour and baking powder to blend. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended. Gently mix in cranberries, nuts and white chocolate chips.

Form dough into a log about 12" long and 3" wide on the baking sheet. Bake until light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place the log on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, carefully cut into 1/2" to 3/4" thick slices. Place slices flat on baking sheet. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.

Melt chocolate gently in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Dip half the biscotti in the chocolate, removing excess. Place on rack set over a baking sheet to catch the drips. Sprinkle with coloured sugar crystals. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.

Enjoy with hot chocolate, tea or coffee.

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

I invented this recipe a few years ago as a Christmas treat for my son, who loves white chocolate. Mom always named recipes after the people who shared them to her, and this recipe is based on one called Dorothy's Crispies, a wonderfully crunchy oatmeal cookie made for her long ago by a dear family friend.

These cookies are dense and delicious, and chock full of complimentary flavours and textures. I add pecans to mine because I like the nutty crunch, and the cranberries are chewy, tangy and sweet next to the smooth, rich white chocolate.

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar together in mixer. Add egg, vanilla and salt. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula. Add flour, oatmeal, baking powder and soda, and mix till just blended. Scrape bowl again. Add chocolate, cranberries and pecans, and mix gently until well combined.

Using a medium ice cream scoop, drop balls of batter on cookie sheet, spacing an inch or two apart. Using the palm of your hand, press down gently on the top of each cookie to flatten slightly.

Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies can be frozen for up to a month.

Patty's Birthday Gift

Patty (the birthday girl in orange) & Clarke

Anyone who knows me knows I love to bake cookies. I've discovered that I can make countless types of cookies from about 3 basic recipes, simply by adding different ingredients. One of my favourite basics comes from an old family recipe for Dorothy's Crispies, in honour of Dorothy Allen, a well loved friend of my grandmother's.

I forgot to take a photo of these yummy little babies before I delivered them to my friend, Patty, for her birthday today. She's my neighbour, a gorgeous diva who has always been happy to try out my food experiments. One day, she requested cookies with coconut, butterscotch and pecans, so I invented this recipe for her. Now I always make her a batch for special occasions, and for her birthday today I also tucked in some Parisian tea...and a few cute bracelets.

Butter Pecan Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until well blended; add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, mixing until combined (do not overmix or cookies will be tough). Add oats, coconut, pecans and chips and mix gently just until combined.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Using a medium ice cream scoop, form balls of dough and place on sheets, keeping a couple of inches apart. Press tops of cookies to flatten lightly. Bake for about 12 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Serve:
Package in food-safe cellophane bags and tie with beautiful ribbon. These cookies also freeze well and are nice to keep on hand for hostess gifts or to thaw before friends drop by for coffee.

Care Package

The women in my family were big on care packages. We never left anyone's house without an armload of treats to take home with us, and Mom would have been embarrassed to send anyone home without lots of goodies. I remember receiving packages in the mail from my Aunt Connie, for no special occasion, stuffed with things like an antique pillow case, a silver spoon and a roll of pretty ribbon. I think this has inspired my delight in sending care packages to people I love, to cheer them up, wish them a happy birthday, etc.

This has turned into a little business venture I call Jinjah Cookie. In my spare time (i.e., not as often as I'd like) I bake delicious treats and deliver them to people's homes (sometimes still warm) or send them by courier. I love to see and hear how special people feel when they receive a gorgeous delivery of freshly baked goodies.

Our son recently started university in a different province, and I have been sending him weekly care packages. He loves them! This week's surprise is White Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Cookies, and I also tucked in a box of his favourite peppermint tea.

White Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
3/4 c. chopped macadamia nuts
1 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars, then add 1 egg at a time, then vanilla, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl. Add flour, salt and soda and mix just till combined. Add nuts and chocolate, mixing gently until incorporated.

Using a medium ice cream scoop (or two spoons) drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, a couple of inches apart. These cookies will spread while cooking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven, allow cookies to cool a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To package:
Stack 6-8 cookies and place in a clear, cellophane bag (food safe). Tie with a ribbon and a little tag to label the cookies (this is very important for any cookies that contain nuts). I put these little bundles in a sturdy box with a handwritten note, seal it up well and entrust Canada Post to deliver them quickly to their destination (Express service usually gets them there the next day).