Thank you to everyone who left a comment to my last post.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the kinds of cookies you like to bake during the holidays.  The winner of the set of OXO cookie scoops is Kat!  Congratulations!  You are going to love using these babies!  Please contact me at flavia@flaviasflavors.com to claim your prize within 24 hours.  Please provide a mailing address where I can send your prize and an e-mail address in case I need to contact you.  Your cookie scoops will be sent USPS Priority Mail.

Feel like entering another giveaway?  Head on over to 5 Forks, where my new blogger friend Michelle, is giving away a Kitchen Aid 3-Cup Chef's Chopper.  The contest ends Saturday, so check out Michelle's great blog and submit your comment for a chance to win. 

And now, let's talk cookies!

Every year, I bake cookies to give as gifts to family, friends and neighbors.  My planning starts in November:  I start scouring cookbooks, food blogs and websites to decide which types of cookies to make; I print out my list of friends and family members to whom I send my cookie gifts, I happily wander around The Container Store looking for pretty tins and treat boxes, and I order fun, custom labels to make my gifts extra-special.  Then, around the second week of December, my kitchen turns into a bakery for about three days.  I pull out my cookie sheets, cooling racks, spatulas, mixing bowls and stand mixer and stage everything on my counters so everything is within easy reach.  I make a special trip to the grocery store for flour, sugar, butter, eggs, spices and various "mix-ins" and stage those things on my counters as well.  I am the most grateful for my ample counter space during the holidays, where all of it is put to very good use!

This year, for my cookie gifts I made Sugared Ginger Cookies, Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies and Jam Thumbprint Cookies.  They all turned out wonderfully and I'm happy to share the recipes and links with you.  

Sugared Ginger Cookies

These were my favorite cookies this year.  Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  The original recipe called for frosting the cookies with a glaze, but I chose to roll each dough ball in granulated sugar instead, which gave the cookies a subtle sparkle and a sweet crunch.  Head over here for the recipe.

Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies

I am not the biggest fan of white chocolate, but I loved it in these cookies.  They were easy to make and made the house smell wonderful.  Sweet-tart dried cranberries poke out of the golden, puffy dough, and white chocolate chips add just a hint of extra sweetness.  I chilled the dough after making it to let the butter solidify again.  Scooping the chilled cookie dough made for a puffier, less spread out cookie.  Click here for the recipe.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten with 1 T. water (for egg wash)
1 7-ounce bag sweetened, flaked coconut
Raspberry (seedless) and/or Apricot jam

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl and set aside.  In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until they are combined and then add the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.  Mix until the dough starts to come together.  Transfer the dough to a floured board and shape into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Put coconut in a shallow dish and make egg wash.  If you have kept the dough in the refrigerator overnight, let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before forming cookies. 

Break off pieces of dough and roll into 1 1/4-inch balls.  Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in the coconut.  Place each dough ball on the cookie sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.  Press a light indentation into the top of each dough ball using your finger.  Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the coconut and the dough are a light golden brown.  Cool completely on cooling racks and store in an airtight container.