Dec. 25—Have you started your holiday cookie baking yet? Not meaning to stress you out, but bakers it’s time to get serious about this annual ritual. Recipes gathered, all the necessary ingredients on the counter, ready to get at it?
One person who is already well into it is Julie Warner, a past Post Bulletin Holiday Cookie contest winner, who has just published a book of her favorite holiday cookie recipes, candies and breads. “Christmas Baking Traditions” is a collection of her family recipes.
“I wanted to pay tribute to my German heritage and this is how I chose to do that. Many go back decades but others are ones I’ve added over the years,” she says.
The book itself is in full-color with the actual finished cookie photographed so you know how it should look. Baking ingredients and specific instructions are very easy to follow.
In addition to the many cookies included there is a section on holiday breads and candies. It could well end up being the only holiday baking book you’ll need or at least a great addition.
Among the many recipes included is the one she won the PB contest with in 2012, Swedish Chocolate Balls. It turned out to be so popular that markets ran out of Swedish Pearl Sugar, one of the ingredients.
With so many family recipes and favorites does she ever add new cookies?
“I will if I see one that especially appeals to me,” she says. “It has to add something special to the cookie platter — a little color, another sweet dimension, flavor and it has to look like a Christmas cookie.”
The newest addition is Chocolate Mint Creams.
The number of cookies she bakes is impressive. It all starts the beginning of December and goes until she’s finished, days before the holiday. At the end Warner will have baked 30 different varieties, 4-5 dozen per batch. Do the math: That’s a lot of cookies, not even counting the numbers of fruitcakes, candies and stollen.
She stores them in tins in a cold attic where they keep perfectly. A majority of these will go on her coveted cookie plates which she gives to friends and family.
In addition to the cookies she adds fruitcakes, German stollen and nut rolls.
Baking is something she has done since she was a little girl, around 8 years old.
“I loved being in the kitchen when my mother was baking and there were times i was even allowed to do it by myself. Sometimes it turned out, other times not so well,” she says.
While she is known for her cookies, she is also an excellent baker of cakes, pies, breads, you name it. In fact as a young 4-H member, she won ribbons for bread at both the Ohio State Fair and her local county fair.
What was impressive to me is how she keeps the many hundreds of recipes she has. Rather than scrambled in a drawer they are all neatly organized in notebooks. I saw at least five, not just baked goods but other foods as well.
I had to ask: Does she have another book in the works? Yes, this one dealing with cakes, pes and desserts. It’s already underway but right now she has a lot of cookie baking to get to.
To get a copy of her Christmas Baking Traditions email her at warner.jul@gmail.com.
This was her winning recipe in 2012.
4 cups regular rolled oats
1-1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons strong black coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
Swedish Pearl Sugar for garnish
Mini muffin paper cups
In mixing bowl combine the oats, sugar and cocoa powder together. Add butter and mix well. Add coffee, vanilla and melted chocolate. Combine thoroughly (a little tackiness in the dough will help pearl sugar to adhere. Add splash of coffee if necessary.) Shape dough into 1 to 1-1/2 inch balls and roll in the pearl sugar, pushing the sugar into the ball if necessary. Serve n the mini paper cups. Store in airtight container. A good recipe to make with children.
This is her newest cookie addition.
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
6-oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
Sparkling sugar
Pastel cream mint kisses
In a bowl mix together flour and baking soda. Set aside. In medium saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and water. Stir over low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate. Stir until melted. Pour into a separate bowl and cool 10 minutes. Stir egg into cooled chocolate mixture, then stir flour mixture in to chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator 2 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, remove dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sparkling sugar. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Then place mint kiss on top of each cookie and bake 2 more minutes or until edges are set. Remove cookies to cooling rack. Cool until mint kisses are firm. Store in airtight container. Recipe from friend Janine Yanisch.
3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
Silver dragées
In medium bowl mix flour and salt together. Set aside. In mixer, mix together butter and sugar until just combined. Add vanilla. Add four mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Place dough onto countertop, shape into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake remove from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie trays with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1/4-inch thickness and cut with a 3-inch fluted round cookie cutter. Place onto trays. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool completely on racks. To make the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and water to make a very thin glaze. Spread evenly onto top of cookies. Garnish with 3-5 dragées. Allow glaze to dry. Store in airtight container.
Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what’s cookin’. Send comments or story tips to life@postbulletin.com.