Anna Olson Makes 3 Types of Holiday Cookies! | Baking Wisdom

Video Description

All recipes in the description below! Follow along and fill your holiday cookie tin with delectable chewy brownie cookies, walnut snowball cookies, and almond streusel jam squares. Get that glass of milk ready! Sponsored by LG Canada. #ad --------------- 00:00 Intro 00:55 Chewy Brownie Cookies These cookies have the lovely crackled satin surface, and intense chocolate flavour, of a well-made pan of chocolate brownies. • Information • Makes 24 cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling Cook Time: 10 minutes Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. • Ingredients • 8 oz (240g) dark baking/couverture chocolate, chopped ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, diced 2 large eggs ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup (75 g) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (30 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder ¼ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp fine salt ½ cup (85 g) chocolate chips (white, milk or semisweet) • Directions • 1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line 2 baking trays with parchment. 2. Melt chocolate and butter in a small metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, stirring gently until smooth. Set aside (but the chocolate can be used still warm). 3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla by hand for a minute, until paler in colour. Whisk in melted chocolate. 4. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. The batter will be fluid, but if you let it rest for a minute or two, it will thicken on its own. Scoop the cookies onto the trays, leaving 2 inches between them. 5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies appear crackled on the surface. Remove from the oven and cool on trays or cooling racks for 10 minutes. --------------- 06:53 Walnut Snowball Cookies Sometimes called Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, these tender, buttery shortbread cookies are shaped in balls and rolled in icing sugar, ensuring a sugary snowstorm with every bite. • Information • Makes 48 cookies Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling Cook Time: 20 minutes Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks. • Ingredients • 1⅔ cups (170 g) untoasted walnut halves 1⅔ cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, divided ½ cup (65 g) icing sugar, plus extra ½ tsp fine salt 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract • Directions • 1. Pulse walnuts with flour in a food processor or mini chopper until finely ground. 2. Add icing sugar and salt and pulse again. Add butter and vanilla, and pulse at first to start combining ingredients, then turn to high speed until the dough makes a ball. 3. Portion the cookies. Knead the dough into a ball on a work surface and flatten slightly. Cut into quarters, then divide each into 12 little pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place on a plate or tray. Chill for at least an hour before baking. 4. Preheat oven to 325°F and line 2 large baking trays with parchment. Arrange chilled cookies on trays, leaving an inch between them. 5. Bake for 20 minutes, until just a hint of browning on the bottom of the cookies. Let cool on baking trays or wire rack. 8. After completely cooled, roll cookies generously in icing sugar, using a wide shallow bowl. --------------- 12:16 Almond Streusel Jam Squares These delicious jam squares use streusel as a sturdy base and as a crumbly topping! • Information • Makes one 8-inch square pan (16 to 25 squares) Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling Cook Time: 45 minutes Squares will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. • Ingredients • 1 ½ cups (180 g) ground almonds 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour 2/3 cup (140 g) packed light brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 10 Tbsp (150 g) unsalted butter, cool and cut into pieces 1 ½ cups (375 mL) of any fruit jam Icing sugar • Directions • 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment so that the paper comes up the sides. 2. Mix streusel ingredients. Combine ground almonds, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If mixing by hand, use a pastry cutter to work in the butter until a fine crumble, or mix on low speed. Add rum or other spirit and continue to mix until the streusel begins to bind and hold in larger clumps. 3. Assemble the square. Spoon two-thirds of the almond streusel into the pan and press into the corners and the base. Spread jam over the base to cover evenly. Crumble remaining streusel overtop, covering jam completely. 4. Bake for about 45 minutes, until streusel is a light golden brown. 5. Cool the square in the pan on a rack completely, then chill for at least 2 hours before dusting with icing sugar and slicing the pan into 16 (4-inch) or 25 (5-inch) squares. --------------- 16:40 Final preparations 20:07 Let's see the results! #AnnaOlson #BakingWisdom