Double Delights

Christmas Cookie Countdown Day 4 – Double Delights 

I know I’ve told you I collect Christmas magazines, but I’m not sure I mentioned I buy and collect every Christmas cookie magazine I can find every year. I love cookie magazines. I usually start looking at my cookie magazine collection and planning what I’m going to bake around Thanksgiving weekend, and I keep the magazines out all season long.

Better Homes and Gardens has been putting out cookie magazines for years, and I love looking through their yearly Christmas cookie issues. Taste of Home also started putting out Christmas cookie issues in the last three years, and I have been gravitating toward those recipes more and more. The recipes are creative and fun since they come from subscribers. It must be satisfying to see your cookie recipe published.

Double Delight cookies are in the 2015 Taste of Home Ultimate Cookie Swap issue, and it is my favorite cookie recipe of 2015. The recipe makes a large batch of cookies. The original recipes says it makes 15 dozen, but I can’t seem to slice my cookies thin enough to achieve that yield. The cookies are deliciously rich and chocolaty, but the vanilla side keeps them from being too rich.

Christmas Cookie Countdown Day 1 - Norwegian Chocolate Chip Cookies
Christmas Cookie Countdown Day 2 - Gingerbread Bark
Christmas Cookie Countdown Day 3 - Russian Tea Cakes 

Double Delights 
Adapted From Taste of Home Ultimate Cookie Swap
Printable Recipe

Chocolate Dough
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
4 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

Vanilla Dough
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped

Chocolate Dough
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, and beat in vanilla. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. Stir in pecans and white chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Vanilla Dough
In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, and beat in vanilla. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until combined. Stir in pecans and German chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Both Doughs
Divide both doughs in half, and shape each portion into a 12-inch roll. Wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.

Unwrap and cut each roll in half lengthwise. Place a chocolate half and vanilla half together pressing to form a log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough holds together when cut.

Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into ¼ inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 9 dozen

Chocolate-Orange Crackles

Cookie Countdown – Day 2 Chocolate-Orange Crackles 

The second cookie in my cookie countdown is a new cookie for me.  Food Network Magazine has some interesting cookies in their December issues, and when I saw the Chocolate-Orange Crackles, I knew I had to try them. I love chocolate and orange together.

Chocolate-Orange Crackles have a chewy texture, and rich chocolate flavor with a subtle orange finish. They are also pretty with their powdered sugar coating.

I loaded up a platter with different cookies, and took them to work with me, and the Chocolate-Orange Crackles were the first cookies to go.

Chocolate-Orange Crackles 
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Printable Recipe
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
2 cups granulated sugar, separated
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

Heat the butter, chocolate and 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until the mixture is melted. Let cool slightly, and then add the Grand Marnier and eggs, and stir until combined. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Transfer to a bowl, and cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the remaining granulated sugar and the powdered sugar into 2 separate shallow bowls. From the dough into 1-inch balls, and dredge the balls first into the granulated sugar and then into the powdered sugar. Arrange the balls about 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake until the cookies are puffed and cracked, about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer the cookies to cooling racks, cool completely.