Cinnamon & Ginger Thumbprint Cookies

J-23 guys! 23 more days til the most wonderful time of the year and I cannot wait! And really, what better way to get in the festive mood than a plate of spicy, cinnamon-ey cookies?

Cinnamon & ginger thumbprint cookies | Cake + Whisky

Nothing. My point exactly.

Cinnamon & ginger thumbprint cookies | Cake + Whisky

For me, that first bite of something sweet, crumbly and unmistakably cinnamon-ey is what marks the official start of the festive season.

Cinnamon & ginger thumbprint cookies | Cake + Whisky

Most years, mince pies are the way this happens (and I absolutely love it that way!).

But this year was different. This year, that ‘first bite’ was one of these gorgeous, homemade Cinnamon & Ginger Curd Thumbprint Cookies.

Cinnamon & ginger thumbprint cookies | Cake + Whisky

Flavoured with the warm aromas of cinnamon and ginger, they are the super Christmas-sy version of the already quite Christmas-sy jam thumbprint cookies.

They’re super easy to make (absolutely no need to be a smart cookie!) and with all these spices, they definitely make for the perfect seasons’ greetings!

Cinnamon & ginger thumbprint cookies | Cake + Whisky

Cinnamon & Ginger Thumbprint Cookies (makes 30)

For the cookie dough:

  • 200g flour + some for dusting
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 125g soft unsalted butter
  • 4 egg yolks
  • a small pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

To garnish: 

1. In a big bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until it becomes fluffy and doubles in volume.

2. Add in the flour and cinnamon and mix. You should get a crumbly texture, not dissimilar to that of crumble, only much finer.

3. Incorporate the butter and knead lightly until the dough comes together, adding more flour as you go if necessary.

4. Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 min.

5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the dough out of the fridge and shape into balls the size of a large cherry.

6. Place the balls about 5cm apart on prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1 cm deep.

7. Bake for 15 min.

8. Let the cookies cool entirely. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 tsp ginger curd, then dust the cookies with ground cinnamon.

 

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Cinnamon & Ginger Thumbprint Cookies

Halloween Monster Brookies

Sure you can buy them in the stores, but there’s something special and fun about making your own Halloween treats.

Halloween Monster Brookies | Cake + Whisky

As far as I’m concerned the spookiest day of the year is as good an excuse as any to bake a batch of favourite sweet treats… And everybody knows that brownies are the way to my heart.

Halloween Monster Brookies | Cake + Whisky

Now, I’m a big fan of the traditional recipe, but trust me when I say Brookies, the genius crossing between brownies and cookies, are next level good.

Halloween Monster Brookies | Cake + Whisky

Chewy, crumbly, super chocolate-y and just a tiny bit spooky, these Monster Brookies are the ultimate Halloween-win treat, and you definitely want a batch (or three) of those in your life ASAP!

Halloween Monster Brookies | Cake + Whisky

Halloween Monster Brookies (makes 6 monster-sized cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 120g 70% dark chocolate
  • 15g butter
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 30g cornflour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 15g chocolate chips
  • 30g Smarties
  • a few drops dark food coloring (or, even better, a food-safe black pencil)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and combined, then remove from the heat.

3. In the meantime, combine the sugar, cornflour, baking powder and egg and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate-butter mixture and mix until well combined.

4. Spoon tablespoons of mixture onto baking trays lined with baking paper, making sure you leave enough space inbetween them (they spread A LOT while baking). Dot the top of the cookies with the chocolate chips and Smarties.

5. Bake for 12-13 min in the preheated oven, then set aside to cool before drawing eyes using the black food colouring.

Halloween Monster Brookies

Rustic Peanut Butter Cookies

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas.

There are so many things to love this time of the year it’s hard for me to choose a favourite.

But Christmas cookies are definitely amongst my favourite traditions and I always bake a few of them in case anyone is still hungry after the festive feasts (nobody is but the cookies still get eaten…).

12 Biscuits of Christmas | Rustic Peanut Butter Cookies

And this year, those rustic but rather wonderful Peanut Butter Cookies will definitely be part of my selection! Continue reading “Rustic Peanut Butter Cookies”

Rustic Peanut Butter Cookies