This recipe for ginger molasses crinkles makes 24 cookies and can be dressed up with optional orange zest or candied ginger. Level of effort: 🍪
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The best Christmas recipes to make for the 2020 holiday season
The Globe's annual holiday baking bonanza starts with five quick and easy recipes for cookies and squares, plus a few dressed-up treats. Part of our 24 Treats of Christmas: https://tgam.ca/24treats
This easy recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies and only takes about and hour to make Level of effort: 🍪
This recipe for jam squares yields 9 squares. You can use any kind of jam, compote or preserves you have in the pantry. Level of effort: 🍪
These butter tart squares deliver all the flavour of a traditional butter tart – in a fraction of the time Level of effort: 🍪
These simple sandwich cookies can be dressed up with chopped chocolate, nuts or dried fruit. The recipe makes about 18 sandwich cookies. Level of effort: 🍪🍪 Level of effort: 🍪🍪
These marshmallow kiss cookies take a bit of effort – you'll need a candy thermometer and a double boiler – but the final result is a perfect, pink holiday treat. Level of effort: 🍪🍪🍪
Christmas cookie recipes
Cookies made with dough you drop by the spoonful onto a baking sheet are among the simplest to make – chocolate chunk are the most familiar, but you could add just about anything to that soft, buttery brown sugar dough.
Spelt is often mistaken as gluten-free. It is not, though it has less gluten than modern wheat. The gluten it has is water soluble and much more fragile. Some with gluten sensitivities thus find it easier to digest, but it is not an option for those with intolerance or celiac.
These crackled, sturdy cookies take well to adaptation. If you keep the general volume of add-ins, feel free to swap and adapt the spices, nuts, dried fruit or chocolate as desired. Coconut or candied ginger are especially good in place of the toffee. For a brown-butter version, brown the butter then cool until firm before blending with sugars and adding 2 tablespoons water.
Homemade truffles are superior but the secret is the quality of chocolate. Buy the best you can afford, at least 64-per-cent to 70-per-cent cocoa for dark, and 40-per-cent to 45-per-cent for milk. If you like white chocolate, buy a good-quality bar, preferably European.
You could replace the crushed ladyfingers with the same volume of other fillings such as mini marshmallows, finely chopped candied ginger, dried fruit, or crushed graham crackers or digestive cookies.
This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current. We’ve reached the third edition of The Globe and Mail’s 24 Treats of Christmas. Between Dec. 1 and 24, we’re publishing recipes for cookies and squares, chocolate desserts and holiday favourites along with …
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