Gingerbread Cookies with White Chocolate

I think I've mentioned my love of white chocolate before. It makes everything better. And who knew it was such a great complement to gingerbread? This is such a great recipe for the holidays: soft, chewy gingerbread with a little extra candy on top. It would be perfect for a cookie exchange. Or for Santa Claus.

From Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Makes about 34 cookies

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Waiting Time: 4 hours*

Bake Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: about 5 hours (or about 90 minutes if you follow my tip at the bottom)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Add molasses, egg and vanilla. Beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. 

Place dough on plastic wrap and form into a flat, thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press about 5-6 white chocolate chips into center of each cookie. Let cool on wire racks. 

*I was impatient, so instead of waiting 4 hours for the dough to cool in the fridge, I put the dough in the freezer and let it cool for 30 minutes. It worked just fine. Just don't forget about it!

White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding

Some foods are a bit more difficult to photograph than others. Bread pudding is one of them. I can only hope that this photograph does justice to the decadent, comforting, and mouth-watering taste and texture of this delicious white chocolate raspberry bread pudding. It is really, really good, and it gets better with age. I made it with the intention to eat it as dessert (which I did), but the last 4 mornings in a row I've found myself dishing this up for breakfast. The chocolate in this recipe is really subtle, so it doesn't feel overly indulgent. Such a great way to start the day.

Are you ready for another amazing fact about this recipe? It is BETTER with stale bread. One of my biggest annoyances and challenges as a cook is not letting food to go waste. So when you buy a french loaf and it starts to get stale, don't fret! Make bread pudding!

Just one day after I made this, I watched an episode of Kelsey's Essentials where she made a tres leches bread pudding in a slow cooker! It looks equally delicious. Check it out here.

From Maureen Wittman

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf of french bread (16 oz.)*

1 cup of white chocolate chips (or the whole bag if you're really feeling chocolate-y)

1 pint of fresh raspberries (this is two of those small rectangle packages)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

*I used a whole wheat french bread loaf and it is delicious and nutritious!

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up the bread into bite-size pieces. (This recipe works best when the bread is stale.) 

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over the bread and let sit for an hour to allow the bread to soak in the liquid. You can also do this ahead of time (or the night before) and let it sit covered in the fridge.

Fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries. 

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and put the bread pudding into it. Put dabs of butter all over the top. 

Place into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. 

Let cool and enjoy!!!