Holiday Baking with McCormick

There couldn’t be a better time than the holiday season to share your most prized recipes with families and friends, especially for those homemade deserts that everyone can’t wait to get their hands on! This holiday season, McCormick has partnered up with Kim Ima, a cookie expert and author of the new The Treats Truck Baking Book, to provide recipes for the most delicious cookies for the holidays. In addition to her holiday favorites, Kim’s book includes an array of other goodies like brownies, cakes, pies, frostings, and much more.

Below are McCormick and Kim’s recipes for the perfect holiday cookies this season, and don’t forget to visit the McCormick website and Facebook page for more holiday baking recipes!

Little Peppermint Crispy Rice Squares
The perfect minty twist on a favorite recipe!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 10 ounces mini marshmallows
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 3 coarsely crushed candy canes

Directions

1. Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to grease an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch pan.
2. Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a big pot over low heat. When the butter has melted enough to coat the bottom of the pot, add the marshmallows. Stir often until melted, then remove from the heat. Add peppermint extract and stir well.
3. Pour the rice cereal, white chocolate chips and 2 crushed candy canes into the pot and stir until the marshmallows and other ingredients are mixed together.
4. Use a bowl scraper or spatula to get the mixture into the greased pan. Pat into place. Use buttered hands or buttered spatula to press into the pan.
5. Garnish with 1 crushed candy cane to create a festive look.
6. Let mixture set for at least 15 minutes. Cut into five rows of five, and once removing from the pan, also slice the pieces to half the thickness to make little peppermint squares the ideal size for including in holiday cookie gift baskets or boxes.

Makes 50 servings.

Sugar Cookie Thumbprints with Spiced Jam Centers
While this sugar cookie recipe is great for rolling out and cutting into holiday-shaped cookies, it also serves as a good dough for thumbprint cookies with jam centers – the perfect addition to any cookie platter!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 – 12 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 30 minutes or overnight

Ingredients

• 1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3 cups flour
• 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Assorted Spiced Jam Centers  

• 1/2 cup Blueberry Jam with 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Ginger
• 1/2 cup Strawberry or Apricot Jam with 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Boysenberry Jam with 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.
2. Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well.
3. In a measuring cup, combine the cream and vanilla.
4. Mix in the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in three parts, alternating with the cream and vanilla mixture, starting and ending with the flour.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in plastic or put in a container. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour and up to overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In three small bowls, mix the cinnamon or ginger with the appropriate jams.
7. Roll a small scoop of dough between your hands to form a ball and place it on the cookie sheet. Pat the ball to flatten a bit, and then use your thumb to make a small indent in the center. Fill the center with the spiced jam of your choice.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden at the edges.

Makes about 2 to 3 dozen.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a set of McCormick baking spices and a copy of Kim Ima’s The Treats Truck Baking Book to facilitate this review.

Mom Central