Small Thanks

Every workplace has employees who do things that make everyone’s life easier: change the photocopy paper, pitch iffy objects from the department fridge, find the person who fixes the phones. When we’re making holiday gifts, these office saints are at the top of our list. This year we’re coating mixed nuts in butter and cumin and toasting them in the oven, turning cheddar and Parmesan into little cheese crackers, and baking dark rounds of sugar-dusted chocolate cookie dough – a specialty of North Easton caterer Cheryl Rubin – until they crack and set. Since the gesture is more important than the quantity, you can wrap these in small cellophane bags. Make them early and when everyone else is panicking at the end of the month, you can put your feet up and wait for Rudolph.

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES
MAKES 2 1/2 DOZEN

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar, or more (for sprinkling)

In the top pan of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until it melts. Remove the double-boiler from the heat. Wipe the bottom of the pan dry.

Meanwhile, place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and whisk just to combine.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment (if you don’t have one, use the whisk attachment), combine the oil and granulated sugar. Beat for 1 minute.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then the chocolate, until the batter is smooth. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture just until combined.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a rubber spatula, scrape up the bottom of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Have on hand a bowl of cold water. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Wet your palms and shape heaping teaspoons of dough into balls. Roll the balls in the confectioners’ sugar to coat them all over. Set them on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Continue until all the dough has been used.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops crack and set. Remove the cookies from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes. Transfer them on the parchment paper to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container, layered with waxed paper, for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

TOASTED MIXED NUTS
MAKES 8 CUPS

2 cups skinned hazelnuts or cashews
2 cups unskinned whole almonds
2 cups walnut halves
2 cups pecan halves
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the hazelnuts or cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Add the butter a little at a time, tossing well. Stir in the oil.

Lay the nuts on the baking sheet in one layer and roast them for 10 minutes, turning often, until they begin to toast.

Combine the sugar, cayenne, cumin, and salt and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss and return to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes more or until the nuts are pale golden. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CHEESE CRACKERS
MAKES 3 DOZEN

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons whole milk
Extra flour (for sprinkling)

Set the oven at 400 degrees. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, Parmesan, and cayenne pepper. Work in on-off motions several times to mix.

Add the butter and work the machine again until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the cheddar and pulse again just to mix it.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg and milk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and work just until it forms small clumps.

On a floured counter, knead the dough and roll it into a smooth, flat 8-inch square. Transfer it to the sheet and continue rolling to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. With a fork, pierce the dough all over. Using a pastry cutter or a straight-bladed knife, make 3 vertical and 8 horizontal cuts to form 36 crackers.

Bake the crackers for 20 minutes or until they are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and score the crackers again. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. With a metal palette knife, separate the crackers and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container, layered with waxed paper, for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

(Correction: Because of an editing error, the recipe for cheese crackers in the Cooking column in Sunday's Globe Magazine wrongly included 3/4 teaspoon salt twice in the ingredient list. The recipe requires that measure of salt one time.)