Gingerbread Cookies Duff Goldman Recipes

ELVIS COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking sheet or sheets with cooking spray.
• In a big bowl, mix the sugar, butter, peanut butter, molasses, vanilla, baking powder and salt until it's all one color. Add the bananas and mash them up real good in there.
• Add the flour and gently mix until incorporated, with no lumps.
• Fold in the chocolate chips, pretzel pieces and bacon.
• Using two spoons, form balls about the size of a large walnut and drop them on the prepared baking sheet(s) at least 2 inches apart. Place the sheet(s) in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
• Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden on the outside and super gooey in the middle, just like the King would want them. Let cool on a wire rack off the baking sheet.
• Find this recipe and more in Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home ($27.50, William Morrow).

GINGERBREAD PLATTER AND BOWL WITH CANDIED WALNUT MOUSSE AND CINNAMON SUGAR CHIPS

Steps:

• For the gingerbread platter and bowl:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a large, oven-safe platter and oven-safe bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
• Mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, cloves and salt in a medium bowl. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix in the molasses and egg, and then stir in the flour mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Carefully cover the platter and bowl with the dough, trimming the excess. Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Place the platter and bowl on a sheet tray and bake until just golden at the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the candied walnut maple mousse: Lower the oven to 325 degrees F. Toss the walnuts, egg whites, confectioners' sugar, cayenne, salt and 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder in a bowl until evenly coated. Spread on a parchment-lined sheet tray and bake until crispy and brown, about 20 minutes. Place in a food processor and process until finely ground.
• Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder. Add the gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold in the maple syrup mixture and ground walnuts, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
• For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix slowly until stiff enough to form peaks; keep beating until the icing is pure white, fluffy and shiny. Use a silicone spatula to transfer the icing to a pastry piping bag and hold it at room temperature until ready to decorate the gingerbread.
• For the cinnamon sugar tortilla chips: Preheat the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F. Alternatively, heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees F in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot.
• Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Cut the tortillas lengthwise and then widthwise, creating small chips.
• Carefully lower the tortillas into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your fryer or pot, you maybe have to make 2 batches. Remove to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and then toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated.
• To assemble: Using a knife or small offset spatula, remove the gingerbread from the platter and bowl. Fill the bowl with the chilled candied walnut maple mousse and arrange the cinnamon sugar tortilla chips around the bowl. Cut the tip off the pastry piping bag of royal icing and pipe festive designs around the outside of the bowl and platter, adding candies as desired. Serve and enjoy!

GINGERBREAD COOKIES-DUFF GOLDMAN RECIPE

Steps:

• For the cookies: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, cloves and salt. In a big bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or a hand mixer. Mix in the molasses and egg until smooth, then add the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze it flat on a baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly spray the paper with cooking spray. Use your preferred cookie cutters to stamp out shapes (or use a paring knife and architect the gingerbread home of your dreams), then transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the dough no longer looks shiny, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. For the royal icing: Using a stand mixer and the whisk attachment, whip most of the powdered sugar with the egg whites and most of the lemon juice. Whip until the icing holds its shape and is bright white (not translucent), 5 to 8 minutes. If it is too soft, add more powdered sugar. If it is too stiff, add a bit more lemon juice, drop by drop. If you are using color, add a few drops of it at this point and keep whipping until you have a shade you want. Pipe the royal icing onto the cooled cookies to decorate. To store royal icing: The ideal way is to scrape it out of the bowl and into a plastic, disposable piping bag, then leave it at room temperature. Don't cut the bag until you're ready to use the royal icing and don't overfill the bag--you want enough room to tie the back of the bag off to keep the icing airtight. If any air comes into contact with the icing, it gets hard and that part of the icing is useless. Never attempt to mix hard bits back into the royal icing--you'll ruin the whole batch. The other accepted method of storing the icing is to scrape it into a plastic or ceramic bowl, and cover it with a wet paper towel. This method works, but it wastes both paper towels and royal icing. It's also just annoying. When you're piping small designs, you want to use very small parchment piping bags. It's easy to stick the nose of a large piping bag into a small one and extract exactly how much you need. When the icing is in a bowl, you have to use a spoon to get it out. The spoon is difficult to get into a piping bag, and you keep using spoons and wasting royal icing. Cook's Note You can also make the royal icing with meringue powder instead of egg whites. Use 4 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons meringue powder and 5 to 7 tablespoons water. Using a stand mixer and the whisk attachment, whip most of the powdered sugar with the meringue powder and most of the water. Whip until the icing holds its shape and is bright white (not translucent), 5 to 8 minutes. If it is too soft, add more powdered sugar. If it is too stiff, add a bit more water, drop by drop. You can also substitute royal icing powder. CK Products brand is my favorite.