For most of us this will be on of the strangest Holiday Seasons we have ever experienced. There has been so much change this year and we’re all tired of it! No more change, please.
One thing that can stay the same this season is having fun baking cookies. My daughter and I have been making cookies on the weekends for the last few weeks. We haven’t had any intentions in mind for where these delicious morsels might end up (other than our tummies!). Of course, here at OFPL we have loads of books with great cookies recipes that will make your season bright!
The main book we have been using for our weekend baking is The Magnolia Bakery Handbook. This cookbook is gorgeous to say the least; the cover showcases a beautifully decorated cake that is textured to the touch. When I see a book like this I often feel intimidated, thinking that the recipes insides will be too sophisticated or difficult. I expected it to be a stuffy book strict on rules with difficult-to-find ingredients. But the recipes could not be further from stuffy and strict. They were simple and delicious.
These are the recipes we have tried and they have all come out wonderfully:
- Page 106 Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Page 117 Ginger Snap Cookies
- Page 118 Snickerdoodles
- Page 129 Crinkle Cookies
Like many of you, we have made Chocolate Chip cookies a thousand times, but we actually learned something new in making this tried and true recipe. First make sure the dough is cold before dropping it on the baking pan, and then lower the oven temperature and bake a few minutes longer. These simple tips made the cookies come out lighter, fluffier, and chewier.
The last cookie we made were Ginger Snaps. Yum! They were spicy but like, not too spicy; crispy but with a soft center and just what you want your kitchen to smell like this time of the year.
It’s easy to get down thinking about all that we can’t do this time of year, but take my word if you get in the kitchen and have some fun baking cookies it will feel like nothing has changed.
And…if that doesn’t work just remember 2021 is just around the corner!
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The O'Fallon Public Library News 