Election Day Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Pour off the drippings into a small bowl, keeping the bacon in the skillet; set the drippings aside and let cool.
• Add 2 teaspoons brown sugar and the water to the skillet with the bacon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the bacon is crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the bacon mixture to a plate and spread out; let cool.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings, the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and the granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the pretzels, chocolate chips, candy-coated chocolates and bacon and beat until just combined. Stir in the potato chips with a rubber spatula.
• Roll the dough into large balls (about 3 tablespoons each). Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden and set around the edges but still soft in the middle, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cream butter, gradually add sugars, beating well.
• Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
• In separate bowl: combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt - stir well.
• Add to butter mixture, beat at low speed until blended.
• Stir in toffee bits, chocolate chips.
• Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (ice cream scoop works great) onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-15 minutes or until cookie is lightly browned.
• Let cool slightly on sheets, then cool completely on wire racks.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a fork.
• In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 3-5 minutes, until butter and sugar are fully combined, but before the mixture becomes fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, but crumbly. Finish mixing with your hands until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll out to about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters of your choice to punch out cookies. Place the cookie cut-outs on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool completely.
• Decorate the cookies with royal icing and let dry completely, at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Stir a few times, then let stand until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes. Sift 1 1/2 cups of the flour into the bowl, and stir until mostly smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for about 30 minutes. The mixture will expand, loosen in texture and have large bubbles on the surface.
• Meanwhile, place the dried fruit, pecans, brandy and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then microwave until hot and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir, then set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
• When the flour-yeast mixture has risen, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined (the mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage), then add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the flour-yeast mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, then gradually beat in the flour-spice mixture. Raise the mixer speed to medium, add the fruit-nut mixture with any remaining liquid and beat until the fruit is well blended. The dough should be soft, loose and elastic, almost like brioche dough or an extremely thick batter.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared Bundt pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough fills the pan a little more than 3/4 of the way, about 1 hour. When the cake is almost done rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the cake. Bake the cake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula, and turn the cake out, flat-side down, onto the wire rack to cool completely.
• Before serving, stir together the confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl. Gradually add as much of the second tablespoon of milk as needed to make a thick glaze that will just gently run. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the outside and inside.