What better way to get in the holiday spirit than with a cookie party?
Cookbook authors and cookie-loving recipe developers Dan Pelosi, Samantha Seneviratne, and Casey Elsass joined "Good Morning America" on Wednesday with their favorite festive baked goods that would be a welcome confection to any upcoming holiday festivities.
Plus, they shared their top tips, from how to set up a cookie party to baking tricks to try at home.
Pelosi, "Let's Party" author and the creator of Grossy Pelosi, is no stranger to cookie parties and even dedicated a whole chapter of his book to the seasonal affair, which he said he hosts every year with friends.
An Italian classic, the pignoli cookie, is Pelosi's personal favorite to bring, and he suggests hosts use craft paper to label and line up the treats for guests to easily grab and enjoy.
Elsass, author of "What Can I Bring?", shared her so-called "subway cookie" recipe and said a tiered cooling rack is the must-use tool for cooling the cookies fresh off the baking sheet, as well as to stack desserts for sharing with friends.
Seneviratne, a New York Times Food recipe developer and author of "Bake Smart," shared her coconut cookie recipe, and said her top tip is to shape the dough into a square to cut the cookies into even pieces rather than using a scoop, which she said takes more time.
Check out the full recipes below.
Makes 50 cookies
Ingredients
24 ounces almond paste, refrigerated
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg whites
16 ounces pine nuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed sheet pan (or two or three) with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and egg whites. Beat on medium speed until just combined into a sticky dough, about 2 minutes.
Pour the pine nuts into a small bowl. Scoop up 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, then roll through the pine nuts, pressing to adhere. Set on the prepared sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing them 1 inch apart.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before serving.
Tip: The pignoli dough can be tightly wrapped with cling wrap and refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month, then thawed overnight in the fridge.
Makes 12 Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup black cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and set a rack in the center. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, combine the butter and peanut butter. Set over low heat and whisk occasionally as the butter and peanut butter melt together. When they're about 50 percent melted, remove from the stove and let the residual heat finish the job. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt; whisk into a thick, soft paste. Add the vanilla and egg and immediately whisk. The mixture will seize up but keep whisking until it's nice and light.
Add the black cocoa, baking soda and baking powder. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold until completely combined into a glossy mixture. Add the flour and chocolate chips and fold, really getting around the sides and bottom, until it's just combined but not overly mixed.
Use a cookie scoop to portion five scoops of dough -- scraping on the side of the bowl so it's a packed scoop -- onto one of the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each scoop. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and set a timer for 12 minutes, turning the sheet around at 6 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and slightly spread. While that first batch bakes, scoop the second batch on the other baking sheet and slide it in as soon as the first one comes out. (Remember to set your timer!)
Elsass also shared her milk and cookies recipe later on "GMA3."
Makes 12 Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons milk powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
Half gallon milk, very cold (not optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and set a rack in the center. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, set the butter over low heat to start melting. When it's about 50 percent melted, remove from the stove and let the residual heat finish the job. Add the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and salt; whisk into a thick, soft paste. Add the milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and eggs, and immediately whisk. Keep whisking until it's nice and light.
Add the flour and chocolate chips. Switch to the rubber spatula and fold, really getting around the sides and bottom, until it's just combined but not overly mixed.
Use a cookie scoop to portion 6 generously rounded scoops of dough onto one of the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each scoop. Slide it into the oven and set a timer for 16 minutes, turning the sheet around at 8 minutes, until the edges are brown but the centers are just barely set. While that first batch bakes, scoop the second batch on the other baking sheet and slide it in as soon as the first one comes out. (And remember to set your timer!)
Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet, about 1 hour. You can serve the cookies at room temp, but I really think they should be warmed up.
To warm: Arrange half of the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide into a 300 F oven for 5 minutes. (As always, ask your host if you can borrow a baking sheet, parchment and oven space ahead of time!) Serve those cookies with tall glasses of cold milk for dunking, then warm up the second half.
Seneviratne's holiday cookies evoke the same qualities of a towering coconut cake, shrunken down to a cute, tiny treat.
Total Time: 1 hour, plus about 1 1/2 hours freezing and cooling
Yield: About 40 cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
3/4 cup/64 grams toasted sweetened, shredded coconut
3/4 cup/72 grams almond flour
3/4 cup/87 grams powdered sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
3/4 cup/170 grams salted butter, preferably European, cut into pieces and at room temperature
1/4 cup/57 grams unrefined coconut oil, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
3 cups/255 grams sweetened, shredded coconut (untoasted)
2 to 3 drops gel food coloring
4 ounces/113 grams full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups/369 grams powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons/90 grams whole milk
Directions
Prepare the cookies: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, coconut, almond flour, powdered sugar and salt, and process until well mixed and the coconut is finely ground, about 1 minute.
Add the butter, coconut oil and vanilla, and process until a dough forms, about 1 minute.
Portion the dough into 1-tablespoon/15-gram scoops and roll into balls. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and wrap well with plastic. Freeze the balls until firm, at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the frozen balls onto the prepared sheets about 1-inch apart. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans on the oven racks halfway through, until they are golden brown and set, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer the sheets to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining frozen dough, if necessary.
While cookies cool, prepare the coconut topping: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the coconut and the food coloring. (You can also do this in batches, dyeing the coconut in multiple colors.) Pulse until the coconut is finely ground and the color is evenly dispersed. Transfer the coconut to a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and salt until smooth, scraping after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in the whole milk.
To finish the cookies, dip each into the glaze, dome side down and shake off the excess glaze. Immediately dip the glazed side into the colored coconut. Set the cookies on a large plate, flat side down, and wait for glaze to set before serving, about 30 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge. (Baked, unglazed cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
Tip: For a nice even coating on your cookies, dry out the coconut on a sheet pan for at least 6 hours, then proceed with Step 5.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
Ingredients
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 overripe banana)
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cup chopped good-quality milk or dark chocolate
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Stir in the egg, the banana mash and the vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the oats and the chocolate.
On two parchment-lined sheets, drop the cookies in 2-tablespoon scoops, at least 2 inches apart. With the back of a spatula, flatten each scoop slightly. Bake until golden brown and set, rotating the sheets halfway through, 8 to 11 minutes. Transfer the sheets to racks and let the cookies cool for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
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