The holidays aren’t only the most wonderful time of the year because of pretty decorations, presents, and parties. If you’re anything like us, one of the things you’ve been looking forward to the most are the endless goodies and treats you get to enjoy guilt-free, well… because it’s the holidays!  Baking holiday cookies is an essential part of getting in the holiday spirit. They are an easy dessert to enjoy at family gatherings, a way to add a festive touch at tea time and they are great for giving as delicious gifts to your friends. And remember, if you have little ones don’t forget that you’ll need some cookies to leave out for a particular cookie aficionado on Christmas Eve!

This season, why not get festive by baking a favorite holiday cookie with a twist.  Here we will share with you a few recipe ideas that have fun, colorful and tasty spins on festive classics that will be sure to please your loved ones year after year.

One thing we can promise, these cookies will make a tasty surprise and have everyone feeling the joy of the holiday season! As always, we have everything you need for all your Holiday baking needs.

Let the baking begin!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

The irresistible buttery taste of melt in your mouth shortbread cookies are a holiday baking staple. This delectable spin on a classic shortbread brings out the best in the most festive fruits; cranberry and oranges. The tang of citrus and touch of bitter-sweet berries will bring your enjoyment of this charming holiday classic to the next level.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of dried cranberries
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 2½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, cold and cubed
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 tablespoons of orange zest, grated
• 1- 2 tablespoon of fresh orange juice (optional)
• 1 cup additional sugar to coat cookies before baking (optional)

Preparation

1. Line the cookie pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine cranberries and ¼ cup of sugar in the food chopper. Processes until the cranberries are broken down into smaller pieces. Set aside.
3. Combine flour and remaining ½ cup of sugar in a deep mixing bowl (5L).
4. Use a blender (available in store only) to cut in butter.
5. Stir in the almond extract, cranberry-sugar mixture, orange zest and orange juice.
6. Use your hands to knead the dough until it is smooth and holds its shape.
7. Shape dough into a log about two inches in a diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours or up to 72 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
9. Cut slices of cookie dough about ¼ inches thick.
10. Place half a cup of sugar in a bowl and coat the cookie slices with sugar (optional).
11. Place cookies on the cookie pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
12. Let cookies cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Caramel Stuffed Soft Gingerbread cookies

Give your cookie lovers a surprise when they bite into your mouth-wateringly warm caramel stuffed soft gingerbread cookies. This chewy new take on the molasses and ginger holiday tradition will leave your loved ones speechless, while they munch on the caramel-filled delight. Add this recipe to your Christmas cookie platter and watch them disappear.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 24 Kraft caramels

Preparation

1. In the bowl of your thinkkitchen Promix Stand Mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the molasses and mix thoroughly.
3. Crack in the eggs, mixing in one at a time, scraping down the sides as you go with a spatula.
4. Mix in the vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
5. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, and mix until combined.
6. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
7. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
8. Taking about 1/2-1 tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball.
9. Place two balls of dough on either side of a caramel, press them together and pinch the edges firmly to cover the caramel completely, and then roll into a ball. Repeat.
10. Set balls of dough on cookie pan 2 inches apart.
11. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until flattened, but puffy.
12. Allow to cool for 5 min on the baking sheet before removing, to avoid having the caramels melt through the bottom on the cooling racks.
13. Serve while the cookies are still warm to be sure the caramel does not harden, or warm in the microwave before serving.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are the official cookie of merry cut-outs and festive frosting. Give this authentic holiday cookie a taste of excitement by adding crushed peppermint candy to the equation. Crunching into this enticing take on a sweet classic will bring a burst of flavor into the season of giving.

Ingredients

• 3¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup finely ground candy canes or round peppermint candies
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Preparation

1. Mix together flour and salt in a deep mixing bowl (5L).
2. Using food processor grind peppermint candy to fine sugar consistency.
3. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, beat butter, sugar, and ground peppermint together until blended.
4. Add eggs and vanilla extract, use hand mixer to mix thoroughly.
5. Add the flour and salt mixture gradually to the combined butter, sugar and ground peppermint.
6. Separate into 2 pieces, wrap in plastic and let chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
8. Spread flour on your work surface, and roll dough with our non-stick rolling pin to ¼ inch thickness.
9. Flour your cookie cutters before cutting shapes from dough.
10. Place on cookie pan and bake at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
11. Let cool completely before decorating.

Once your cookie tray is filled and your cookies are ready to be gobbled up, brew yourself a hot cocoa or tea, and use our milk frother to make it extra special. Your warm drink will be extra jolly in our Festive Mug.

Helping you make sure you and your loved ones enjoy every bite of the holiday season this year,

Here is Joelle’s recipes for how to make the perfect gingerbread cookies:

Ingredients:

Cookies:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Cookies:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a  stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Add in egg, molasses and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the dough into two equal portions, and form them each into a ball.  Then gently use your hands to flatten each ball into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or so, or until the dough is chilled yet still somewhat pliable.  

Once you are ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Unwrap the dough and place it on a large, lightly-floured hard surface.  Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough evenly until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick.  Then use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes, re-rolling the dough as needed to cut out more.  Transfer to parchment-covered baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp around the edges and on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once the cookies are room temperature, here’s where you can have fun with the  icing, or add any sprinkles or candies. 

Icing:

Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth.  If your icing is too thin, add in a little more powdered sugar.

Use a piping bag to pipe the icing onto the cookies. Marvel at their beauty and enjoy!

You can never go wrong with gingerbread cookies during the Holiday season! If you make this recipe and want to share with us, tag us on Instagram @stokesstores and use the hashtag #StokesMoments. 

Get in the holiday spirit with this amazingly fun family project. The true joy of this project is making the house and watching it all come together as you build it from scratch. There are no rules when it comes to decorating your gingerbread house, so just have fun!

Homemade Goodness

Gingerbread cookies are usually soft in the center and crispy on the edges, but for the gingerbread house shapes the cookies are much more solid and sturdy. The key is to use a small amount of baking soda, less butter, less molasses, and adding water. Chilling the dough is an important part to ensuring that the house pieces properly keep their shape.

Splitting your dough into two discs will make it easier to roll out. 

Building Your House

Find a standard gingerbread house template, we’re building a house that is approximately 7 inches tall and 6 inches wide. 

Print out the template and cut out all the shapes. You will be using these shapes twice; 2 roofs, 2 sides, etc. You can use a pizza cutter or small knife to cut out the shapes.

The Icing

It’s the “glue” that holds it all together! It’s also what’s used to adhere any decorations or candies to the walls and roof.

Buttercream for Decoration

Buttercream is much easier to use for decorating your gingerbread house than icing because it’s both thick and sturdy. The buttercream “sets” and does not remain sticky as it’s made with both shortening and butter. This makes it perfect for decorating cookies and gingerbread houses. 

Candies for Decorating

Some suggestions of candies to use to decorating your gingerbread house:

• M&Ms
• Mini candy canes
• Peppermint swirl candies
• Gumdrops
• Sprinkles
• Edible metallic beads
• Coconut for “snow”
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate chips
• Icing decorations

***

What you will need:

• thinkkitchen Promix Plus Stand Mixer
• thinkkitchen Icing Bag with 10 assorted tips
• Icing spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Squeeze bottle
• Baking sheets
• Rolling pin

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tbsps water
• Icing
• Assorted candies for decoration

Icing

• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 3 tbsps meringue powder
• 9-10 tbsps water, at room temperature
• Food colouring (optional)

Buttercream

• ½ cup shortening, at room temperature
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsps milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt

Instructions:

1 – Print out your Gingerbread House template and cut out all the shapes. Temporarily set aside until step 6.

2 – Make the cookie dough by whisking the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

3 – In the large bowl of your thinkkitchen Promix Plus Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses, and water on high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat until well-combined. On low speed, slowly mix in the dry ingredients until well-combined. The cookie dough batter should be very thick.

4 – Divide the cookie dough into 2 portions, flatten into discs (approximately 4-5 inches in diameter), and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

5 – Preheat your oven to 350°F/177°C. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

6 – Remove each disc from the refrigerator and roll each out in-between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to approximately ¼ inches thick. Remember that you need thick pieces for your gingerbread house. Lightly flour the underside of the gingerbread house template shapes. Carefully cut the dough into the gingerbread house template shapes, using a pizza cutter or small knife. You need to cut out two pieces of each shape. You can re-roll the dough scraps in order to have enough to cut out all the shapes of the house. You can use any extra dough to cut out cookie shapes like trees or snowflakes.

7 – Arrange the gingerbread house shapes into the prepared baking sheets, approximately 3 inches apart. 

8 – Bake the house pieces for approximately 18-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Bake the chimney pieces for approximately 12-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow shapes to cool completely on the baking sheets. A flat surface is needed for cooling or the gingerbread house edges will slightly curl up.

9 – Choose a base for your gingerbread house. Start with the front of the house and one side piece. Use a squeeze bottle to run a thick line of icing along one long edge and one short edge of the side of the house piece. Stick it to your base. You can keep the piece upright by propping it up with a tall glass, water bottle, etc. Run a line of icing along the bottom of the front of the house piece. Hold the two pieces in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set, keeping them upright. Repeat these same steps with the 2nd side of the house piece and the back of the house piece. Pipe the icing inside any seams, both inside and outside the house, to fill any gaps. Add extra icing to allow it to leak over the edges downwards, so that when it dries it looks like snow. Let it set at room temperature for approximately 1 hour before adding the roof pieces.

10 – Run a thick line of icing along the inside edges of one of the roof pieces and adhere it to the base. Hold it in place for a few minutes. Repeat this with the second roof piece. Run a thick line of icing where the two roof pieces meet at the top of the house. Hold in place for a few minutes.

11 – Put the chimney together separately, then adhere it to the roof. It’s simpler to glue the chimney pieces together upside-down. Use thick lines of icing to assemble the chimney the same way you put together the base of the house. Allow the icing to set. 

12 – Before starting to decorate, the icing on the entire house has to completely set. Let the house set at room temperature for at least 4-6 hours or overnight. Cover and store the leftover icing in the refrigerator during this time. 

13 – With the thinkkitchen Promix Plus stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and butter together on medium speed until creamy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the confectioner’s sugar milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for approximately 3 minutes. The frosting has to be very thick. 

14 – Use the buttercream, leftover icing, and candies for decorating. Now get creative, have fun, and enjoy!

Icing Instructions:

1 – In a large bowl using the Promix Plus stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for approximately 2 minutes.

2 – The icing dries in approximately 2 hours at room temperature.

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

December has arrived and that means it’s officially acceptable to bring out all things holiday in full force! For us at Stokes and thinkkitchen, nothing gets us into a festive mood more than starting to make all of our most delicious holiday goodies. Bringing out cookie recipes reserved specially for the holidays and starting to mix up your favourite ingredients is a magical moment and just another reason to love this time of year. Taking that first bite of mouthwatering chocolate, ginger, or sugar cookie can immediately bring you back to some of your favourite yuletide memories. It’s a mood like no other; you start to hum carols in your head and you can’t wait for what’s to come (fun family time, more seasonal food to indulge in and lots of presents!). It’s the season of cheer, and holiday baking can be a great family activity, a way to gift in an affordable way, or the perfect finishing touch for the biggest feast of the season!

There’s always a good reason to eat a cookie, and during the holidays that couldn’t be more true. So guess what? We have two more for you to bake! This week we have absolutely mouthwatering recipes for you to add to your holiday cookie tin: Easy Chocolate Shortbread Cookies (made with only 4 ingredients!) and healthy Gingerbread Cookies with blackstrap molasses and coconut oil. Easy for amateur bakers, and dreamed up by blogger and youtuber JoJo Boisverts for her own cookie tin, these dazzling treats are sure to please your loved ones–and Santa won’t be complaining either! Before getting started on turning your kitchen into a production center that could rival the North Pole, make sure you have all the baking tools you need! Jojo used the thinkkitchen Icing Set, the new Remy Olivier Diamond Baking Sheet, and our cute Bric-à-Brac Container to keep it all fresh!

Get ready to fill your home with the sweet scents of the season and spread some holiday cheer!

Helping you savour and share every bite during this season of giving,

@jojoboiverts

From behind a desk as an administrative assistant to a dietary technician in the kitchen, my new profession let’s me test, invent and share recipes.

My website, jojo dans le frigo, is for all the foodies of the world. You’ll find ideas for simple recipes, nutritional guidance, as well as articles related diet. My primary goal in relation to my occupation is to prove to you that health and pleasure go hand-in-hand. I am convinced that eating healthy is a form of self-respect and self-care. Cooking nurtures the soul and I hope to pass on this passion to you through my website.

Happy exploring! I hope it inspires you to cook a little bit more each day.