I’m trying hard to keep my holiday baking interesting this year, and my strategy is to integrate unexpected, fun pieces into my cookie presentations. Gingerbread men, rum balls, and peppermint sandwich cookies all have their place, indeed it wouldn’t feel like the holidays without them. But, as your second, or third, or tenth holiday party rolls around, you might start to get a little tired of sampling them.

That’s why I’ve decided to offer up some different ideas for hand-held holiday treats. They may not be the first ideas that come to mind when you think about seasonal indulgence, but you’ll also notice that they tend to disappear first from the dessert table.

Having grown up with whoopie pies as a New England kid, I had no idea that they were a regional delicacy until Oprah caused a stir about them, as she is wont to do, by featuring ones from this Maine-based company on her list of favorite things two years in a row. Even with this much-deserved publicity, I’ve still encountered many New Yorkers who have never heard of them.

This recipe puts a fun spin on the classic whoopie pie. The two cakes are sort of how I remember them from my childhood, only better; moist, with an unbelievably light and tender crumb and intense cocoa flavor. The real surprise here is that the classic fluffy marshmallow frosting is replaced by a whipped, peanut butter filling, raising this whoopie pie to new heights. Peanut butter cup fans, eat your hearts out.

I made these in a minature, three-bite size (or two, if the bites are ambitious), perfect for grazing party-goers. The inclusion of chunky peanut better in the filling was the result of the simple fact that its the kind that I enjoy, and I discovered that it lent a pleasing contrast of crunchy texture inside all of that creamy smoothness, and I’d never consider doing it any other way.  4 out of 5 holiday revelers agreed.

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Filling:
1 1/3 cups natural, chunky peanut butter (or creamy, if you prefer, just be sure you are buying natural peanut butter, the kind that you need to mix before using)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Coarse salt

Make cookies:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl; set aside.

Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and beat until well combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Pipe (or you can drop using a tablespoon) rounded 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. (when the top of the cookie is gently touched, it should feel soft, but not wet.) Let cool on sheets on wire racks 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.
Make filling:

Put peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add confectioners’ sugar; mix until combined. Raise speed to high, and mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if desired.
Assemble cookies:

Spread 1 scant tablespoon filling on the bottom of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

During a week full of small, annoying setbacks, it feels extra-nice when something comes together in a completely perfect, hassle-free way. 

After a long week away from home and an abbreviated weekend, last Monday arrived too soon and I just wasn’t prepared. As the week wore on, I was still a step behind, writing bills and forgetting to send them, spending ten extra minutes getting ready (not sure why), resulting in perpetual lateness, and buying groceries for meals that I had run out of time to prepare.

All the while, my suitcase sat out next to the couch, ransacked and half-packed. I was running around like a mad woman at work, preparing for yet another conference and by Wednesday I no longer considered unpacking, because, I rationalized, it would only need to be repacked for this week’s trip.

Quitting this type of slovenly behavior is something I’ve forever assigned to the “when I grow up” category.
And as my 30^th birthday approaches, one would think that I’d be getting it together. Instead my day-to-day life suffers from my own world-class disorganization, causing last minute scrambling that makes me late, forgetful, and stressed as I fumble with the small potatoes.

But when I’m in the kitchen, things are different. I’m clean and efficient, I multi-task with ease and grace. I happily hit pause to make these delectable cookies for a big weekend to-do (plenty more on that to come) and enjoyed a moment of brilliant and perfect control, resulting in crumbly, delicious, buttery shortbread accented with tart, and chewy stripes of cherry.  

These are just a bit more complicated than your average slice and bake – there are two turns in the freezer, one to freeze each of the cookie layers (otherwise, they will be sticky and too hard to work with), and then another to firm up the layers before slicing.  When I rolled out my dough I got wider parts toward the center, so I cut these slices in half before placing them on the sheet. I also trimmed the ends of some of them to make them more neat and even.  They were exactly the right sort of project for indulging my kitchen OCD and restoring order to my world in chaos, if only for a little while.

Striped Icebox Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

For the filling:

¾ cup dried cherries

1/3 cup cherry jam

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

(Note: I omitted 1 tablespoon of sugar as I wanted tart stripes)

For the dough:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Parchment paper

Make filling: Process cherries and jam in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Let cool completely.

Make dough: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Transfer dough to a work surface (it helped to put a piece of parchment down on the surface first). Divide into four equal pieces. Roll one piece of dough between two sheets of parchment paper  to a 3 ½ by 9 inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Transfer with parchment to a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies: Remove top piece of parchment. Spread one-third of the filling evenly over one rectangle. Top with another rectangle and remove parchment. Repeat with remaining filling and rectangles, leaving the top layer uncoated. Wrap in plastic and freeze for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the dough to a 3 ¼  by 8 ¼ inch brick (or, if you are less concerned with perfectly uniform sizes, leave as is and trim edges or cut larger pieces in half as you go) and cut into ¼ inch slices. Space 2 ½ inches apart on baking sheets lined with silicone liners or parchment. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until the edges are pale golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Three weeks ago, my friend Eric sent around an invite to a scotch tasting party. Then, the week of the party, he and Brian found themselves on a flight bound for an impromptu work week in Ireland and the party was postponed until this weekend. For obvious reasons, the party morphed into a scotch and Irish whiskey tasting party, but I didn’t hear anyone complaining.

I had fun expanding my Irish whiskey repertoire beyond the bounds of Jamesons (although I’ll admit, it’s going to take a little more time for me to acquire a taste for Connemara peated single malt), and with the Michel Couvreur 12 year scotch, it was love at first sip.

When Eric requested cookies for the party, I began thinking about flavors and textures that would pair well with the booze. Chocolate is an obvious choice, and Eric had requested the double chocolate cookies specifically, but I wanted to bring something else along with those chocolate monsters. 

These cookies, with their tender crumble, subtle salty-sweetness, and intense butter flavor, with just a hint of sage were the perfect accompaniment to the scotch and provided a nice contrast to the array of chocolate treats. 

I made them a bit chunkier than they were intended, as they were finger food for a party and it’s hard to commit to one large cookie when there are so many others to try (so many cookies, so little time…sigh). I was pleased when one guest asked to take some with her as she was leaving. Having brought all of the cookies to Eric’s, I’m now wishing I had saved just one for an afternoon tea snack. Guess I’ll have to make these again.

Sage-Scented Shortbread
adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2007 

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves (this is doubled from the original recipe, but I think does a better job of providing the “scent” of sage without it being overpowering)

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, room temperature

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until dough comes together. Divide in half. Shape each dough piece into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (I shaped  the dough using a piece of waxed paper to squeeze and roll it into logs before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap). Chill until firm enough to slice, about 30 minutes.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut each dough log into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rounds; place on sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Reverse sheets so bottom sheet is on top rack of oven and top sheet is on bottom rack. Bake until cookies are golden, about 15 minutes longer. Cool on racks.

When facing life’s difficult choices, it’s always awesome when you are presented with the option of not having to decide. This week, as I went back and forth on which chocolate-y treat to bake as a thank you to some colleagues who went above and beyond and saved my butt, I couldn’t decide between fudge brownies or chocolate chip cookies. 

Then, I discovered a cookie that embodies everything I love about both these baked goods, all rolled into one (once again, proving that Martha is a genius).

For your consideration, a rich chocolate cookie, chewy-gooey on the inside, like a brownie, with a cracked outer layer, providing just a hint of crunch, like a cookie. It has the sweet and salty thing going on in a big way, thanks to a generous pinch of kosher salt, just the way I do it with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Oh, and did I mention that these cookies are studded with a  combination of dark and milk chocolate chunks?

It’s pretty much like going to delicious, chewy, chocolate-salted heaven.

When scooping these cookies onto your parchment (or silicone mat) lined pans, remember that less is more. These cookies spread far as they bake.

Also, smaller scoops work great for this – just a little dab will do ya.

I thought that the first batch was missing something in the aesthetics department, and opted to sprinkle some coarsely chopped dark chocolate over the top before baking.

It produced beautiful results and deserves to be added to the top shelf list of favorite cookie recipes. I will be baking these again (and again, and again…)

Double Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Makes about 3 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 pound good-quality milk chocolate, 4 ounces coarsely chopped and 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch chunks

2 oz. good-quality dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt 4 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.

Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with chopped dark chocolate. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft). Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Get yourself a hat and hold the heck onto it! When messing around tonight in my kitchen experimenting with entry ideas for my office Iron Chef: Holiday Cookie Battle, I finally got around to this recipe, and I don’t care what Gourmet says, this is actually the best cookie of 2008.  

These cookies are nearly flourless and rely on a buttery, caramel-y, coconut-y glue to hold them together. They are crispy all over and just beautiful – and that’s just the cookie – I haven’t even started to talk about the chocolate.

No worries if you do not have the official equipment, as you can see I make double-broilers out of my pots and bowls just fine. Just be careful and remember, there is near-boiling water under those top bowls (yes, I speak from experience – youch!)

Melt the butter, salt, and brown sugar in a bowl over a pot of hot water on low heat.

Mix the coconut, oatmeal, and flour into the melted butter mixture.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto a large cookie sheet. I found that these came out best when I flattened the drops a bit. Also make sure to keep these at least two inches apart.

These took about 17 minutes to fully caramelize in my oven. Watch them carefully as they may take less or more in yours. Let them cool throughly before decorating. The smell of these is just intoxicating.

Chop your chocolate into small pieces.

Melt the chocolates in separate double broiler setups.

Stir the chocolate to keep it from burning.

(I couldn’t decide which chocolate I liked better, so I had to show both – gratuitous chocolate scene)

I used a nifty silicone drizzler tool that was a gift from Brian’s sister to drizzle the chocolate, and it worked great. If you do not have one of these, Gourmet recommends using a heavy duty ziploc bag with the corner cut off. 

In case you couldn’t tell, this part is a whole lot of fun!

Freeze these to set the chocolate. These cookies are so delicious I cannot even describe – you just need to make them yourself. They are my new favorite cookie ever. Ever. EVER! 

Coconut Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2008 

For cookies:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For decorating:

3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped and melted

3 ounces fine-quality white chocolate, finely chopped and melted

Equipment: 2 (17-by 11-inch) nonstick bakeware liners such as Silpats; 2 heavy-duty sealable bags

Make cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with nonstick liners.

Melt butter with brown sugar and salt in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Stir in coconut, oats, and flour until just combined. Remove pot from heat but keep batter warm over pot (so batter is easier to spread).

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter at least 3 1/2 inches apart on 1 baking sheet and spread each to about 2 inches with an offset spatula or back of a spoon (This blogger flattened each drop for more even cooking). Bake until cookies are bubbling and golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack until firm, 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack to cool completely. Form and bake more cookies on second baking sheet (wipe liners clean and cool between batches).

Decorate with chocolate
Cool melted chocolates slightly. Transfer each to a sealable bag and snip a 1/16-inch opening at a corner of each bag. Put some of cooled cookies on a parchment-lined tray that will fit in freezer, then pipe chocolates decoratively over cookies. Freeze 2 to 3 minutes to set chocolate, then carefully remove cookies from parchment.

Cooks’ note:

Cookies keep, layered between parchment in an airtight container, at cool room temperature 1 week.