Working at a high-end chocolate shop during the holidays is an epic social study. Perched on my stool at the cash register, I get to observe hundreds of people come and go as they buy bonbons and bars and brittle. I’m accumulating amusing anecdotes for another day, but one observation in particular keeps tickling my fancy: the JOY that chocolate brings. Whether a 5-year-old kid or a couple in their 80s enters the shop, upon seeing the smooth truffles and shiny paper, people emanate a child-like glee. Even the fanciest finance curmudgeons might pull out their airpods and show a glint of wonder. And whether people are buying for their coworker, cardiologist, 101-year-old grandma, or themselves, the experience of sorting out the perfect chocolate sparks a very tender thoughtfulness.
I’m infected with chocolate shop energy. Each day, I find myself coming home craving a way to share it with my friends and neighbors. Which brings me back to my roots—baking. Holiday baking is simply the best. It feels like, for ONCE every year, it is socially acceptable to make and eat entire trays of cookies and wash them down with a cold glass of half & half (tell me it’s not just me?). It seems the guilt around enjoying desserts that we’re usually flooded with is somewhat lifted. We can revel in the joy of baking and eating sweet things like chocolate truffles, or even maybe gluten-free tahini gingersnaps. (All this revelry may mean I ate all the cookies myself and forgot to share with neighborhoods, as was originally intended… oops.) But no matter who inevitably gets to down the tray of cookies, I hope you can do some baking this month set to A Charlie Brown Christmas because it might just spark some child-like glee.
To me, the magic of holiday baking is sweetened when it involves some level of improvisation and whimsy. So, join me as I make cookies by pouring random flours into bowls and adjust according to nothing but intuition. Promise it turns out good.
The Cookies
These are really very delicious. The molasses and spices are bright and festive, the nutty tahini glides through, and they have the perfect buttery snap.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
INGREDIENTS
6 Tbsp salted grass-fed butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (could sub brown sugar)
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 cup tahini (try to get a creamy, not gritty kind - I love the one pictured here)
1 1/3 cups blanched almond flour
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour (blue label)
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda (yes, 2!!)
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup demerara sugar, for rolling
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine the butter, coconut sugar and molasses. Blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Crack in the eggs and blend briefly again.
Add the tahini and fold gently using a rubber spatula. No over-mixing tahini!!! Add the flours, spices and baking soda. Mix just until combined.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls about 1.5 Tbsp in size. If the dough is too sticky you can let it rest a couple minutes. Using wetted hands helps. If desired, roll the balls in the demerara sugar. Place dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Flatten out a tiny bit with your palm.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until they’re crisp to the touch. Once done, set the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool while you bake the second cookie sheet.
For maximum snap, let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 hour before eating (or as long as you can wait!). Store leftovers in a tupperware with the lid not fully sealed. These will be snappiest the first day though. ENJOY!!
With Love,
Sadie
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