What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?
Spending time with family, gift-giving, and some time off of work probably rank high on your list. But what about the food?
The holidays are a time to indulge in deliciousness, and this post will help you do just that in the coming weeks. Read on for 1st Lake’s list of holiday baking ideas that will keep you, your family, and your friends full of cookies for the entire season!
Ingredients (Cookie Dough)
- 3 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp.
- pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. milk
Ingredients (Buttercream Frosting)
- 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 5 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Food coloring
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until combined, then add flour mixture gradually until totally combined.
- Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Cut out shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes (so your shapes hold while baking!).
- Meanwhile, make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar and beat until no lumps remain. Add cream, almond extract, and salt and beat until combined.
- Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Let cool, then frost and decorate as desired.
Cake Mix Cookies
What if you could eat cake AND cookies at the same time? Well, with Taste and Tell’s cake mix cookie recipe, you can!
Ingredients
- 1 cake mix* (dry ingredients only)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup mix-ins
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix together the cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs until combined. Stir in the mix ins.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake just until the cookies are set in the middle, 10-12 minutes.
- Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack or a sheet of waxed paper.
Gingerbread Cookies
Sally’s Baking Addiction describes these delectables as “perfectly spiced, molasses and brown sugar-sweetened holiday goodness.” Quite a review!
Complete your holiday baking vision with these iconic holiday cookies from Taste of Home.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Vanilla frosting of your choice
- Red and green paste food coloring
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Tint some of the frosting red and some green; leave remaining frosting plain. Decorate cookies.
Bake Your Holiday Treats in Your New 1st Lake Apartment!
Now that you’ve got the recipes that it takes to fill the holiday season with delicious snacks, let us help you find a beautiful apartment to bake them in! Contact us today for information on our private residential communities.
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