Can you believe it? Baking Mischief is officially one year old today! Last year on December 1st, I posted my first recipe, Butterscotch Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies , and before I knew it, an entire year flew by.
Just for fun, here are a few Baking Mischief stats from its first year:
- The most popular recipe on the site is the Butter and Garlic Green Beans . People on Pinterest love this recipe, and I don’t blame them. It’s one of my faves too.
- Speaking of Pinterest, the first Baking Mischief recipe to reach the 100k repin mark was my S’mores Cupcakes , which totally makes sense, because they are exactly the sort of recipe I would have pinned before starting a food blog.
- And, the recipe on the blog I love most that gets the least traffic is Hannibal’s Lomo Saltado . I totally understand why people don’t want to try a recipe from a (fictional) cannibal’s kitchen, but I totally wish they would, because french fries + beef & rice = AMAZING. 😉
Something New is Coming…
Thank you to everyone who has journeyed with me this far. I can’t wait to see what year two will bring!
This Small-batch Giant Christmas Cookies recipe makes six perfect and sprinkle-covered sugar cookies.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! How were your Thanksgivings and Black Fridays? Was your turkey excellent? Did you buy anything fun?
I spent Thanksgiving with the people in this world I’m most thankful for and skipped shopping on Friday to go see Moana with the family, so mine were both A++.
And now that Thanksgiving is over, that means we are squarely in Christmas territory! I already started posting Christmas recipes last week with my Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream , but this week we are really kicking things off with some small-batch Christmas cookies!
This week and next, I’ll be posting some small-batch Christmas cookies for those of us who aren’t baking for a crowd this holiday season. Each of these recipes makes just half a dozen, which is just perfect for you and Santa. 🙂
First up Small-batch Giant Christmas Cookies, and oh man, my taste testers went crazy over these (and I’m pretty fond of them too).
The base ingredients are nearly identical to my Chai Sugar Cookies With Eggnog Glaze , but by changing the way they are mixed, you get a completely different cookie.
For this recipe, all the wet ingredients and the sugar get creamed so they are nice and smooth before you add in the flour and other dry ingredients. This means that the cookie comes out of the oven with a craggy texture and slightly crunchy exterior that just melts in your mouth when you bite into it.
Add the extra crunch of sugary sprinkles, and these are the ultimate Christmas sugar cookie experience!
More Cozy Recipes
- Easy Hot Chocolate
- White Hot Chocolate
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies
Small-batch Giant Christmas Cookies Notes
- Chilling time is not optional. If you don’t chill your dough, you will have cookie puddles, not cookies!
- Make sure to space the cookies out as far as you can. These are big cookies, and they spread when baked.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 2 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50 g) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
- ▢ 1 cup ( 120 g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ Sprinkles for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until completely incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt and mix until just combined. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, up to 24, until dough is firm enough to handle.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Divide dough into 6 evenly sized balls. Roll in sprinkles and place on prepared baking sheet spaced evenly apart. Gently press dough so it is slightly flattened, about 3/4 inch. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes until cookies look set. Cool completely on baking sheet.
Notes
Giant Christmas Cookies Nutritional Information
This rich and warming White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha gets its peppermint flavor from crushed candy canes. No peppermint extract needed.
Today’s recipe is a combo of two coffee house favorites: a White Chocolate Mocha and Peppermint Mocha . Let’s make a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha!
You get the rich, smooth and creamy white chocolate mocha base with a warming peppermint kick. It’s just the sort of thing you want to wake up with around this time of year.
Usually in a drink like this, you would use peppermint extract, but I know that’s not something everyone keeps stocked. So instead of an extract to flavor our mocha, I used something we all have around this time of year: candy canes!
Just crush up a candy cane and let it steep while you heat your milk. It adds sweetness and peppermint flavor and you have one less candy cane to throw away on December 26th. 😉
Ingredients
- Full-size candy cane: Since all of the peppermint flavor in this coffee comes from a candy cane, you’ll want to use a large one. If you only have mini candy canes, 1 large candy cane = about 4 minis.
- Milk: Use any percentage you’d like. For an extra rich and creamy drink, replace some of the milk with half and half or heavy cream.
- Strong coffee or espresso: You can use espresso or coffee brewed at double strength in this recipe (or just regular old coffee for a more mild coffee flavor–it’s still delicious). Instant espresso powder is a handy thing to keep stocked in your pantry for coffee and for baking in general (it will give your chocolate desserts a nice kick). You can order it online and also find it in a little jar in the coffee aisle at most grocery stores.
- White chocolate: Be sure to use high-quality white chocolate that you enjoy the taste of. I find that cheap chips that I’m happy to eat in cookies are not ideal for flavoring white-chocolate drinks.
- Sugar: The amount of white chocolate in this recipe doesn’t provide quite enough sweetness, so we’ll add just a bit of sugar.
How to Make a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha
- Place your candy cane in a bag and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush it into small pieces —it doesn’t need to be powder, but the smaller the pieces, the more easily they will melt into the mocha.
- Heat milk and candy cane pieces together in a small pot or butter warmer until the milk begins to steam. Don’t let the milk come to a boil as it can curdle if it gets too hot!
- Turn off the heat and add the white chocolate and whisk until chocolate and candy cane pieces have melted. For foamy milk, vigorously whisk the milk until frothy or use a handheld milk frother
- Pour your coffee into a 12-ounce mug and pour the milk over the coffee. Add sugar to taste.
Can I make this without coffee?
Sure. But if you’re going to omit the coffee flavor, I’d go a bit heavier on the white chocolate. Go make my White Hot Chocolate and add your crushed candy cane to it.
Can I make this with peppermint extract instead of candy canes?
Absolutely. Skip the candy cane and make the recipe as written. After adding the sugar, add peppermint extract to taste—peppermint extract is STRONG, so you’ll only need a couple drops.
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
- Homemade Mocha
- Iced Mocha
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Caramel Latte
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Chai Latte
- Dulce de Leche Latte
As written, this recipe makes 1 12-ounce drink. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Large candy cane
- ▢ 1 cup milk any percentage
- ▢ ⅓ cup strong coffee or espresso
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 1.5oz ) chopped white chocolate (high-quality chips are fine*)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 4g ) granulated sugar or to taste
Optional Toppings
- ▢ Whipped cream
- ▢ Crushed candy cane for sprinkling
Instructions
- Place candy cane in a plastic bag and use the bottom of a cup, rolling pin, or meat mallet to crush it into small pieces.
- In a small saucepan, combine milk and crushed candy cane. Heat milk, whisking occasionally until milk begins to steam.
- Remove from heat, stir in chocolate, and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted and candy cane pieces dissolved.
- Add coffee or espresso to a 12-ounce mug. Whisk the milk and chocolate mixture vigorously (or use a milk frother to whisk) until frothy. Pour over coffee. Add sugar to taste.
- Top with whipped cream and more crushed candy cane if desired and enjoy!
Notes
Classic shortbread thumbprint cookies with delicious homemade butterscotch filling.
Photos have been updated. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. :)
I’m so excited to hit publish on my very first blog post today!
I wanted the inaugural post to be something that reflected the spirit of the blog to come, one that was representative of my passion for healthy recipes, eating your veggies, and branching out of your culinary comfort zone. But honestly, it’s December. It’s pretty much all cookies all the time coming out of my kitchen right now (stay tuned for salad in January).
So instead, I’m starting today with a classic cookie, my current obsession, shortbread thumbprint cookies with homemade butterscotch filling.
This is going to sound crazy, but I wasn’t a shortbread fan for most of my life. Beyond a few tried-and-true family recipes, we weren’t really bakers in my house growing up, nor were we cookie people.
I know I ate shortbread. I vaguely remember turning my nose up at those shiny blue tins of the stuff every year at Christmas, and I’d used it as a base in bars, but I didn’t understand the sweet and buttery goodness that was the homemade shortbread cookie until my sister baked up a batch for me.
My immediate reaction was, This is amazing. I never want to not be eating these. And then, Hey, World, what other wonders have you been holding out on me?!!!
Since that day, I’ve made this recipe waaaaay too many times in way too many variations (rolled in sugar, rolled in sprinkles, icing, no icing, chocolate drizzles, etc.) and have finally settled on my perfect variation: rolled in sanding sugar * or turbinado sugar *, turned into a thumbprint cookie and filled with butterscotch.
The butterscotch is the perfect, creamy complement to the buttery cookie and the sugar gives it a crunch to keep things interesting. These cookies are so good you’ll never want to let your shortbread go naked again!
Ingredients
Cookies
- ▢ 1 cup ( 8 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60 g) powdered sugar sifted
- ▢ 2 cups ( 280 g) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup sanding sugar optional
Butterscotch
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1 oz) unsalted butter
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50 g) packed brown sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Cookies
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in flour and salt, mixing until just combined, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator until it is firm enough to handle, about 15-30 minutes. You should be able to shape scoops of it into a ball without it being too sticky or cracking. If it is over-chilled and difficult to work with, leave it out on the counter for a few minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop dough and roll into balls (slightly under 1 ounce each). If desired, roll balls in sanding sugar until completely covered. Place dough cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done when their bottoms are lightly browned.
- As soon as they come out of the oven, use a round teaspoon or the back of a wooden spoon to create shallow wells in the center of each cookie. Be careful not to press too hard or you can cause the cookies to crack. Set aside.
Butterscotch
- Melt butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add brown sugar, salt, and cream. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook on medium for 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in the vanilla. Use a teaspoon to spoon butterscotch into the thumbprints. Allow the butterscotch to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Butterscotch Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies Nutritional Information Adapted From: In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita Butterscotch Filling Adapted From: Smitten Kitchen
Small-batch Instructions: This cookie recipe halves cleanly, just use a pinch of salt instead of 1/8 teaspoon. For the butterscotch, simmer for 4 minutes instead of 5 in a 1-quart pot, and use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Original iPhone Photography, Circa 2015
