Gingerbread Drops

 

This recipes comes from a booklet: Better Homes and Gardens “Cookies for Santa”. It's great if you're looking for a Christmas cookie recipe that doesn't need rolling and cutting and frosting (and don't have room for that as I didn't for many years). But I might make the cookies a bit bigger than suggested because I've never gotten 90 cookies - more like 4 1/2 dozen. Last night I got 50. Also, I've always used butter and not shortening and last night I used dark brown sugar as that's what I had open - I don't think it matters.

1 cup shortening

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

⅓ cup molasses

2 eggs

1 Tbsp milk

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  Beat till well combined.  Beat in molasses, eggs, and milk till combined.  Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer.  Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

2.  Bake in a 375* oven about 8 minutes or till bottoms are lightly browned.  Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool.  Makes about 90.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 A number of years ago the boyfriend found a page with about a dozen cookie recipes on it.  This recipe came from Serious Eats, however the site no longer has this recipe (at least not when I looked this holiday season to send it to a friend).  I'm so glad I had it printed out so I could make it again the day after new year's.   Anyhow, if you're looking for a new way to make oatmeal raisin cookies, these could be for you.  Chai spices in the dry ingredients and the raisins steep in chai tea before being added to the dough.  So I'm adding the recipe here so it can be found again.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Abt 4 dozen cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup raisins

1 chai teabag

2 cups boiling water

Let chai tea steep in boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard teabag. Let raisins steep in chai tea for 15 minutes, then drain.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. And flour mixture to sugar mixture in two additions, beating until just combined. Stir in oats and raisins. Let dough chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350oF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough in rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.