Recipes for The Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies Virtual Cookie Swap

I have two recipes to post for this Blogger Virtual Cookie Swap.

I am a total Kahlua fan. I have it in my hot chocolate, on my ice cream, and anywhere else I can add it. So I have included a recipe for Kahlua Brownies. Lately, I’m also into ginger: the chewier and spicier, the better. So I am including a recipe for “soft ‘n chewy” ginger cookies. I’m no fan of ginger snaps or hard cookies in general. But I love soft ginger cookies. Here are my recipes.

Kahlua Brownies

(Makes 16 Brownies)

1 ½ cups flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup butter plus extra for pan
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
¼ cup Kahlua
¾ cup chopped walnuts (optional – I have never used them)

Sift flour together with baking powder and salt. Melt chocolate and butter over very low heat. Beat eggs with sugar until light. Stir in chocolate mixture and Kahlua. Add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts if desired. Turn into greased 9-inch square pan lined on bottom with foil. Bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees, or until top springs back when touched. Cool in pan, then cut into 16 squares.

There are a couple of variants I have seen but have not tried:

This one uses a bit more Kahlua and also has frosting (with yet more Kahlua!)

Epicurious has a recipe for Espresso Kahlua Brownies, using a little less Kahlua but adding more coffee flavor

Soft ‘N Chewy Ginger Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
1 T grated lemon rind
granulated sugar, for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until well-incorporated and fluffy. Beat in egg, molasses, and lemon rind until smooth.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Blend well.

Roll dough, one tablespoon at a time, between the palms of your hands, into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a cool, ungreased, aluminum foil-covered cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Do not overbake (cookies will be pillowy and soft in the center). Cool on the cookie sheet for five minutes. They will sink slightly as they cool.

Leave the cookies on the aluminum foil (or they’ll rip apart if you try to move them). Transfer the foil pieces to cooling racks; allow the cookies to cool on the cooling racks completely before removing them from the foil. Cookies will stay soft if they are stored in airtight containers.

There is a recipe for vegan soft, spicy ginger cookies here.