Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Whimsical Cookery!

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Holiday Sugar Cookies w/ Egg-Free (faux) Royal Icing

I adore spending far too long decorating each individual cookie.  Luckily, this year I had some help from my mom!  The beautiful boot and left Christmas tree are her handiwork.

Here is my simple recipe for sugar cookies and frosting, so you can spend less time baking and more time decorating!

You will need:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (solid stick) margarine or 3/4 cup butter

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream margarine and sugar until completely combined.

2. Add eggs and vanilla to mixture and combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Slowly add and mix dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

5. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until stiff.

6. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.  About 1/4 inch thick (or slightly thicker, your preference).

7. Bake at 400F/200C (or at a slightly lower temperature in a fan assisted/convection oven).  I'm adding this note, as sugar cookies burn easily, in my opinion.

8. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Less for smaller/thinner cookies.  

9. Allow to cool before frosting!

Egg-Free (Faux) Royal Icing Recipe:

3 cups icing sugar/powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

2-3 Tbsp light corn syrup (add more if too dry)

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Assorted food dyes and sprinkles/toppings for decoration

1. Combine all ingredients by whisking gently.

2. Separate frosting into separate bowls to create different colors (by adding food dye).  The higher quality food dye you have, the more brilliant your colors will be.  I have been burned by store brand food dye before.

3.  Add frosting to piping bags with thin tips or plastic bags with a corner cut off (be sure not to cut too large of a hole o you will have a mess).

Note: To get the whimsical pulled-colors look to your frosting, simply flood your cookie with frosting and pipe lines of contrasting frosting over.  Then drag a toothpick in the direction you want your frosting to be pulled.

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Hot Orange Spice Mocha Drink

Hot Orange Spice Mocha drinks are a nice way to keep warm when the temperatures are below freezing!  Last night it was snowing so hard and so beautifully, it looked like a snow globe outside.  What choice did I have but to make some sort of seasonal hot drink?  This recipe is quite easy to make, though cleanup is a bit of hassle if you do not have a dish washer.

You will need:
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 orange
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 cup hot chocolate mix
1-2 Tbsp instant coffee granules (to taste)

1. In a saucepan, combine water, milk, cloves, cinnamon stick, hot chocolate mix, and coffee granules.

2. Grate the zest of 1 orange into the pan and then squeeze the juice from the orange into the mixture.

3. Bring to a gentle boil for 5-8 minutes and stir constantly on a low heat to prevent scorching.

4. Serve by pouring drink through a sieve.

5. Remove any milk skin that forms as it cools, as I would imagine most people don't enjoy drinking globby milk.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have cheesecloth, you may find it easier to put the cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange zest in the cheese cloth and make a little baggy out of it for easy removal (instead of serving it through a sieve).

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Mint Chocolate Snowball Cookies (Egg-free and Original Nestle recipe)

This is officially my favorite cookie recipe of all time.  And I am in no way exaggerating.  My mom and I have made these cookies every year since I was very very young, I can't actually remember when we first started making them.  I was just that young.  Each year we have to make a double or even triple batch, as everyone snaps them up so greedily! 

This year, in addition to making the original recipe with my mom while on vacation in America, I perfected an egg-free recipe about 2 weeks ago while still in the UK so that I could share them with my boyfriend's family.  I also omitted the vanilla extract from the recipe, as it contains a tiny amount of alcohol.  However, there is the option of leaving it in if you prefer, OR substituting the extract for real vanilla.  Since vanilla pods are so expensive, that option was not an option for me.  For the record, the cookies are nearly identical in taste and texture as the original recipe.

Egg-Free Mint Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

You will need:

2.5 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk (add an additional 1 Tbsp milk at a time before Step 8 if necessary until dough is not crumbly  
      and is able to hold a sphere/ball shape)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 10oz package Mint Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and vegetale oil.  Mix.

4. Beat in milk and (optional) vanilla extract.

5. Gradually add flour mixture.

6. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

8. Roll drops into balls and roll balls in a small bowl of remaining sugar.

9. Place sugar-covered dough balls back on the cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yield 5 1/2 dozen (small) cookies


Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookie Drops (Original Recipe)

You will need:
2.5 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 10oz package Mint Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and vegetale oil.  Mix.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.

5. Gradually add flour mixture.

6. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

8. Roll drops into balls and roll balls in a small bowl of remaining sugar.

9. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Yield 5 1/2 dozen (small) cookies

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Tips for Picky Eaters: Your Favorites

 Courgette/Zucchini fries at Byron by su-lin (flickr)

It may be useful to think about or list all of the healthier things you do eat in order to expand upon or combine them.
For example, I do eat apples.
Apples can be eaten many different ways in order to keep some variety in your routine while not becoming sick and tired of the same damn food.
Apple-related ideas:

• Whole, peeled or unpeeled
• Chopped into quarters or very thin slices, peeled or unpeeled
• Covered in cinnamon
• Dipped in peanut butter
• Or dipped in caramel or a candied apple if you're feeling a bit more sinful
• Others may like baked or apple pies, though I'm not a fan

Combinations:
I'll use potatoes because it's really simple to incorporate potatoes into things.  Though the health benefits of a potato are somewhat limited.
This site uses potatoes in:
Fries on a burger
As a soup thickener
Loaded twice-baked potatoes
(Again, some of these options are more sinful than others).

I've also made mashed potato sandwiches with leftovers as well as a with a variety of other dishes to bulk out the meal.
But you may also consider making your own healthy baked french fries, mashed potatoes, or any other way you can imagine creatively preparing this (or any other) vegetable.

My favourite new creative vegetable creation:
The courgette/zucchini fries, which I first tried at my favorite burger place in London, Byron.

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