Welcome to El's Recipes!

Peppermint Snowballs
(aka meringues dipped with chocolate and candy canes)

4 large egg whites room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar 200g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6‐10 ounces chocolate chips, melted (estimated depending on how much chocolate you
want on each cookie)
8‐10 candy canes, crushed (estimated depending on how much peppermint you want on
each cookie)
Preheat oven to 225F (105C) and line a large cookie sheet (or two regular‐sized cookie
sheets — make sure they will fit in your oven together) with parchment paper. Set
aside.
Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large, completely clean, completely
grease‐free bowl.
Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer (with either the whisk or paddle attachment), stir
on low speed until mixture becomes foamy.
Increase speed to high.
With mixer on high, gradually add sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each
addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15‐20 seconds between each addition).
Beat until mixture is thick, shiny, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff
peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved (you can test this by rubbing a small
bit of the mixture between your fingers, if it feels gritty, the sugar isn’t dissolved).
Stir in vanilla extract and any other extract you may like to use. If using food coloring, add
the food coloring at this stage, too.
Fit a large disposable piping bag with a large star tip and transfer meringue to prepared
piping bag and pipe onto prepared cookie sheet. The meringue cookies can be pretty
close to each other as they won’t spread, and you will want to bake all of the
cookies at the same time, so make sure you make enough space.
Bake on 225F (105C) for 1 hour. Turn off the oven once the baking time has passed, and
do not open the oven. Leave the oven door closed and allow cookies to cool
completely in the oven (1‐2 hours) before removing.
Once completely cooled, melt chocolate chips until smooth. Dip each cookie into the
chocolate then the crushed candy cane.
Meringue cookies should be crisp and can be stored in an airtight container. Keep away
from heat and moisture as it can soften your meringues.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (from JL Langley)
3/4 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and sugars.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Bake for 8‐10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Biscotti
Makes 3 Dozen
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups All‐purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Roasted Salted Peanuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone pad or greased parchment paper.
In one bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. In another bowl beat together the
peanut butter, butter, and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each.
Add the vanilla and mix.
Add the dry ingredients and mix just until they are blended with the butter mixture.
Add the peanuts and stir them into the mixture.
Dump the dough onto your counter and knead by hand for just a minute or two to create a
smooth dough.
Shape the dough into one long log about 5 inches wide on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 1/2 inch slices.
Place the slices flat onto the baking sheet side by side.
Once they are all cut, return the tray to the oven for an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
The biscotti will crisp up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.
Cool at room temperature and store in an airtight container.

Gingerbread Men
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups Unbleached All‐Purpose Flour
In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt butter, then stir in the brown
sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.
Transfer the mixture to a medium‐sized mixing bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, and beat in
the egg.
Whisk the baking powder and soda into the flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into
the molasses mixture.
Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a thick rectangle. Wrap well, and
refrigerate for 1 hour or longer. The dough may be sticky and hard to roll if not
thoroughly chilled, so make sure it’s cold before continuing.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Get out several baking sheets; there’s no need to grease
them, though lining with parchment saves effort on cleanup.
Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a
clean work surface. Roll the dough 1/8” to 1/4” thick; the thinner you roll the dough,
the crispier the cookies will be. Flour both the top and bottom of the dough if it
starts to stick. Alternatively, place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of
plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles as necessary
when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional
flour.
Cut out shapes with a floured cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as
possible to minimize waste.
Transfer the cookies to ungreased cookie sheets (or, if you’ve rolled right onto the
parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just
until they’re slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they’re set.
Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Decorate the cookies with Royal Icing or Simple Cookie Glaze and food safe markers.

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
4 ounces good‐quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup all‐purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together,
whisking until glossy and smooth. Alternately, the butter and chocolate can be
melted in the microwave (in a microwave‐safe bowl) in 25‐second increments,
whisking between each interval. Cool the chocolate mixture to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand‐held mixer),
beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and eggs on low speed until
well combined. Pour in the cooled chocolate and continue to mix until the
ingredients are evenly distributed.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder, baking
soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate batter and
mix on low speed until just combined and no visible flour remains. Fold in the
chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Working in two batches, scoop 12 balls of dough (preferably using a small ice cream scoop
with a spring handle, about 1 1/2 tablespoon size) onto a parchment‐lined sheet
pan, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies,
one pan at a time, for approximately 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through
cooking time. The cookies should be puffy and still fairly soft when removed from
the oven.
Immediately slide the cookies, still on the parchment paper, onto a wire cooling rack. Cool
just a bit before serving, 5 to 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in airtight container
for up to three days

Bacon Breakfast Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup bacon bits
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
2 cups corn flake cereal
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl. Stir in bacon bits, butter, and egg until well
blended. Fold corn flakes and Cheddar cheese into flour mixture. Drop spoonfuls of
the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes.

White Chocolate Lime Blondies
1 (4 ounce) bar white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 lime, zested
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2/3 cup all‐purpose flour
1 tablespoon all‐purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 8x8‐inch baking dish.
Combine white chocolate, butter, and lime zest in a saucepan over medium‐low heat; cook
and stir until completely melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Beat egg in a bowl using an electric mixer until thickened and foamy; add white chocolate
mixture, sugar, vanilla extract, and lime juice. Mix well. Fold 2/3 cup plus 1
tablespoon flour into mixture until batter is just mixed. Pour batter into the
prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to
25 minutes. Cool blondies before cutting into bars.

Spritz (Kris’ grammie’s recipe)
1 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
2 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract
Preheat the over to 400°.
Cream together butter and sugar then slowly add in other ingredients.
Add mixture into a cookie press and press into the shape of a wreath.
Bake for 6‐9 minutes or until golden.