December Project: What's Cooking

There is a lot to love about this time of year- parties, presents, White Christmas showing all weekend long on AMC. There is however, one thing the fat kid in me looks forward to more than anything else... COOKIES. More specifically, holiday cookies! 

This year, I decided to take my holiday baking up a notch and make holiday cookies for all my friends and relations, both in LA and Singapore.  Phew! 

Leading up to the big event, I a) tested potential recipes, 2) ate A LOT of cookies, all in the name of research and subsequently) OD on sweets. At the end of the process, I settled upon these 4 treats to delight the kids-- Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies, Hungarian Apricot Bars, Cranberry Coins, and Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. 

Back off Santa, those ain't for you! (clockwise) Baking, baking!; Cranberry Coins; Cookies in their boxes; Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies. 

Personally, I loved the Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies the best! The savory aspect of the bacon lends itself well to the sweet ginger cookie and made for a more elevated "foodie" type offering. Meanwhile, Mama T's favorite were the Hungarian Apricot bars, she went so far as to hoard a batch for herself. 

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed bake, bake, baking and hope my yums helped to spread some holiday cheer to those I hold dear. 

Here is the recipe for the Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies. Happy Holidays! 

Smokey Bacon Ginger Cookies
Ingredients 
8 oz. thick0cut smoked bacon (about 6 slices) cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger 
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp plus 2 tsp unsalted butter, softened 
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup sorghum syrup ( I used unsulfured molasses instead) 
1/2 cup raw sugar, like turbinado 
Sea salt for sprinkling 

Directions 
1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crisp, about 14 minutes. Pour off the fat and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp fat and 3/4 cup bacon); transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Let bacon and reserved fat cool. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk to combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. 

3. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Beat in reserved bacon fat. Add egg and mix until blended, scrapping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add sorghum syrup and mix until blended. Reduce speed to low and add in flour mixture. Mix until blended. Mix in reserved bacon. 

4. Shape dough into 1 inch-balls. Roll balls in raw sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets or jelly roll pans. Flatten balls using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. 

5. Bake sheets, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and tops are cracked but centers are still soft, about 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. Cookies can be store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days. 

Makes 5 dozen cookies.