Christmas Cookie Double Play

With a few extra sets of hands (i.e. my mother) I got to pull a double on my cookie making last night...finishing Gingerbread (via Martha Stewart's Cookies Book) snowflakes and making Chocolate Truffle Cookies as posted by Savory Bites on Foodbuzz. Both smell amazing in the oven but the Chocolate Truffle Cookies are wwaaaayyy easier than the Gingerbread!

Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Recipe:

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molasses
Royal Icing
Fine sanding sugar for decorating

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. 3. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
5. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
6. Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. 7. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.


To see the recipe for the Chocolate Truffle Cookies, visit Chocolate Truffle Cookies as posted on Foodbuzz by Savory Bites.

We enjoyed putting these together and had more fun decorating them. Merry Christmas to All!