CONCORD, N.H. – The cookie swap party pressure is mounting.
The weekend before Christmas my wife and I are hosting our second annual holiday cookie swap party. The drinks and savory items already have been sorted out. But since the cookies are the stars, they require a bit more thought.
For those unfamiliar, the basic gist is that guests bake and bring several dozen cookies – enough for all to indulge while partying, as well as for everyone to bring home a variety box at the end.
Of course, this can trigger the competitive streak in some.
Last year my wife took a cookie decorating class in which she learned to create gorgeously decorated specimens. For the party she baked up pairs of mittens laced together with ribbon and glazed with a fondant-style frosting dotted with edible silver balls.
Kind of hard to top that.
Our guests’ cookies ran the gamut, from a massive chocolate chip cookie decorated to resemble a pizza (even delivered in a pizza box) to deep, rich chocolate-cherry bombs that had everyone asking for the recipe.
Me? I wanted to surprise everyone with cookies they had never heard of. I thought I’d be creative and use recipes from some antique cookbooks I’d picked up at a yard sale. Some were more than 100 years old.
It was a nice thought. But have you ever tried cooking from such recipes? Not exactly modern kitchen-friendly. How do you measure an egg-sized piece of butter? How much milk is “enough”? And I just didn’t find “cook in a warm oven” all that helpful.
But I gave it a shot. The first was a powdered sugar-ground almond cookie. They were supposed to be light and puffy, almost meringue-like. Mine not only completely flattened, they also all ran together as they cooked.
The only way to save them was to use a cookie cutter and cut rounds out of the baked, now baking sheet-sized cookie. People were polite, taking a few bites here and there. They ended up in the compost pile.
The second batch was a sheet bishop’s bread, a doughy confection that is cut into squares and dusted with powdered sugar. Not bad, but – and I only realized this after they were baked and it was too late to make something else – not really a cookie.
So this year I have decided to skip fancy and go back to my roots. I will make my childhood favorite, the cookie my Mom made every Christmas – oatmeal-raisin chocolate chip cookies.
I love these cookies because they are sweet without being overwhelming, they are chewy and they are packed with chocolate chips, raisins and oatmeal, all of which provide texture as well as taste.
When I was testing Mom’s old recipe, I also decided to tinker.
Since my wife hates raisins, I tried a batch with dried cranberries instead. Delicious (and perhaps even a bit more festive). Try this variation with white chocolate chips, too.
For vegans, these cookies can be made with powdered egg substitutes (usually made from some combination of starches).
Follow package directions and add the substitute at the same time as the milk, which can be soy or rice.
For my second batch (my wife and I always try to make two each to round out the party offerings), I reached back to when I was about 2 and Mom made me stained glass cookies in the shape of Sesame Street characters.
I consider these by far the most beautiful cookies. Crushed hard candies are used to fill the centers of cookies. During cooking, the candy melts, then hardens again as the cookies cool, forming a beautifully tinted “window.”
My mother’s recipe for these cookies has disappeared, but I found a similar one on Martha Stewart’s Web site. They are easy to make and are a great holiday project for children.
So, whether you are baking for a party or for yourself, forget the diet for a bit this season and bake up some of Mom’s (mine or yours) cookies. It’s just that time of year.
Oatmeal-Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Start to finish 30 minutes)
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ground cloves. Set aside.
Using a standing mixer or a hand mixer and a medium bowl, beat the shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until well mixed. With the mixer on, add the milk and lemon juice.
Add the oats, raisins and chocolate chips and mix well.
Drop teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches all around. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool the cookies 1 minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.
