Holiday Hand Pies
Makes 12 Pies
These holiday treats are easy to whip up in a pinch. Use whatever sweet preserves you have on hand. I’m using Christina Maser’s Apple Conserve, but a cranberry or plum jam would bring the seasonal vibe, as well. I find joy in making homemade pie crust, but if that’s not your thing, get a store-bought puff pastry or rolled-up pie dough. When my mother-in-law visits and she’s three hours early, this is my go-to, tea-time treat.
@christina_maser_co
1 batch of pie crust dough
8 oz jar of Maser’s Apple Conserve
1 beaten egg
Cinnamon sugar, for dusting
To make pie crust dough: Toss the 2 ½ cups flour and 1 tsp. salt together in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub and pinch 1 cup of cold butter into the flour until you get little pieces and the mixture looks like little peas. Add a splash of cold water, and gradually knead until you have one dough ball.
1. With a rolling pin dusted lightly with flour, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness.
2. Use a large round cookie cutter or jar lid to cut out rounds.
3. Fill each round with a generous Tbsp. of conserve in the center. Try not to over-fill them. If you do, they might leak, but that’s not a big deal.
4. Pull one side of the dough over to get a half-circle shape. Crimp the edges with a fork, and make a slit in the top to let out steam.
5. Place on a baking sheet and let chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F.
6. Remove from fridge, brush with beaten egg, and dust with some cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the filling, bubbles out of the top slit. Let cool slightly, and serve warm if possible.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Brown-Butter Almond Crescents
Makes 18 cookies
These cookies are a holiday icon in my family. Not only do they look like little snowy treats, but they also are nutty and perfect with a cup of hot cocoa. Speaking of nuts, feel free to use what you have in your pantry. I like using walnuts or pecans for this recipe as well. A tin of winter cookies will surely be a hit at your next family gathering.
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup almonds
¼ tsp fine salt
¾ cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
2½ cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Make brown butter by melting the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, keep it on the heat until it becomes golden and smells nutty, about 6-8 minutes. Keep stirring the entire time (it’s always the one time you look away that your butter will burn).
2. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let it solidify for about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, finely chop your almonds (You can substitute pecans or walnuts for almonds).
4. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
5. Cream together the solidified brown butter, salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add flour to the mixer, and incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Then, add in the chopped nuts, and use your hands to evenly distribute nuts in the dough.
7. Form the crescents by making a walnut-sized ball of dough, mold it into a log shape between your hands, and then bend it until it resembles a crescent moon. (You can just leave them as balls, but the half-moons are iconic in our family.)
8. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, until they have dried out but don’t have any golden color. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly.
9. Once the cookies are cooled, roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar to coat. (This is where the magic happens!)
10. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Five Spice Gingersnaps
Makes 24 Cookies
Chinese Five Spice Powder refers to the five traditional Chinese elements: wood, fire, metal, earth, and water. It’s an earthy and sweet spice that’s a great addition to any pantry and can be found at Calicutts Spice Co. The spice blend that I’m using is a combination of cinnamon, fennel, star anise, clove, and peppercorn. This spice combo also works great in a beef stew.
@calicuttsspiceco
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1½ cups white whole wheat flour
1½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp five spice
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup of white sugar
¼ cup molasses (I prefer Grandma’s Brand molasses.)
1 egg
1 cup demerara sugar or raw sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients, except the sugars, in a bowl.
3. In a mixer, cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the molasses and egg, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Slowly add the mixed dry ingredients, and combine until dough forms.
4. Form walnut-sized dough balls, and roll each ball in the Demerara Sugar. (You can use regular white sugar if you’d like.) Place 6 balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to leave enough space between the dough balls, as the cookies tend to spread out while baking. Bake these cookies in 2 batches.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies begin to crack and get crisp around the edges. Remove from oven, and transfer to cooling rack. They will flatten as they cool.
6. Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Extra Recipe: These cookies are perfect for homemade ice cream sandwiches. I’ve paired mine with pumpkin ice cream. Let the cookies cool completely, and soften your ice cream. Scoop ice cream onto a cookie, and place another cookie on top. Freeze till solid on a baking sheet, then wrap in plastic wrap. They will survive about a month in the freezer without getting burned.
Meet Chef Diana Smedley, your guide to seasonal cooking in Lancaster County. Diana believes that what grows together, goes together, and she’s on a mission to help home cooks by making it easy to enjoy local, seasonal food. Memories are made in the kitchen, so get cooking!
Chef Diana is the co-founder of Lancaster Local Provisions, a luxury gift box company based in Lancaster, PA. Lancaster Local Provisions curates artisanal products from small-batch food producers in Pennsylvania and creates signature gift boxes that are shipped around the USA. For easy and meaningful gifts this holiday season, shop their Lancaster-Centric gift boxes at lancasterlocalprovisions.com.
Check out all of Chef Diana’s easy seasonal recipes at whatgrowstogether.com.
