Holiday Baking: A Test Run

     It has been difficult for me to get into the holiday spirit this year-with grad school plaguing my last few weekends.  Yesterday marked my last weekend class for the semester and with all my major projects behind me, I decided to try and coax the spirit in.  Arnauld and I trekked all the way to Home Depot to choose a Christmas tree.  We ended up coming home with two because Arnauld insisted that our dogs needed their own pint sized tree. 
    With the trees decorated, I turned on some holiday tunes and got down to some holiday inspired baking-once again for meetings at work.  I have practically been going to school non-stop since I was three years old.  As my third stint in grad school is winding down, I found myself trying to find a way to convince HR that they should count courses at a culinary school towards my salary advancement.  These days I am doing an awful lot of baking for school, I think I could make a case.  A girl can dream...

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints
Recipe from December's Everyday Food

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
crushed candy canes (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, using a mixer on medium high, until fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. 
3. Add the flour mixture gradually and mix until combined.
4. Place 1/2 of granulated sugar,or to be more festive use red sugar, in a small bowl.  Roll the cookie dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar.
5. Place each cookie 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove cookie trays and use the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon to create an indent in each cookie.  Return to oven and back for 4 minutes.
6. Remove cookies from the oven and transfer to wire trays to cool completely.
7. Place chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of butter in a microwavable bowl.  Melt the mixture, 10 seconds at a time and stirring in between, until completely melted.  Stir in the peppermint extract and allow to cool for five minutes.
8. Pour the chocolate mixture into a ziplock bag.  Cut one corner of the bag so that you can pipe the chocolate into the middle of each cookie.  Sprinkle with crushed candy cane, if desired. 

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 ounces of dark chocolate chips

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Place the coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 7 minutes.  Stir once and when toasted, set aside to cool.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. 
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat together until well blended.  Beat in the vanilla and egg. 
4. Add the flour mixture until well combined.  Stir in coconut and chocolate.
5. Drop tablespoon scoops of the dough, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden.  Remove from oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.