Christmas Baking

Christmas Baking 2011

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies - using the small Pampered Chef scoop, this recipe made 6 dozen cookies for me. This means buying two bags of the Hershey's candy cane kisses. (45 in one red container in downstairs freezer)

Pecan Sandies - I doubled the recipe, used 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour, and ended up with 52 cookies using the small Pampered Chef scoop, baking for 13 minutes. I did end up chilling the dough after having some cookies spread too much. Ended up with too many 'mistake' cookies with this batch. Maybe subbing that much of the flour was a mistake! they are yummy though.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip with Fleur de Sel - one of my most requested cookies! I know it doesn't scream holidays, but they are SO good, I only make them at the holidays. Chocolate and sea salt - such an amazing combination! I doubled the recipe and used my large Pampered Chef cookie scoop. It made 48 cookies.

Snickerdoodles - believe it or not, this recipe is from Cooking Light. Thad declared them his favorite cookie. Using the small pampered chef scoop, you can get 64 cookies out of a double batch (5 min in oven). Using a large scoop you can get 30 cookies out of a double batch. (7 min in oven) I made some of each size this time - the big ones to save for Thad to snack on.

Molasses Cookies - I've been making this recipe for about 15 years!  This time I used the small Pampered Chef scoop and it made 36 cookies. (usually I make them smaller and get 5 dozen).

Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread - yes, 4 sticks of butter! that's why they melt in your mouth. Using small Pampered Chef scoop, this recipe made about 6 dozen small cookies.

Pistachio & White Chocolate Chip Cookies - a new recipe for me that I printed out last year and never made. They are crispy and chewy at the same time - which makes for a perfect cookie in my book! Using the small Pampered Chef scoop this recipe made 42 cookies. They baked perfectly at 9 minutes for me. Since I was almost out of pistachios (after the ones that went in the dough) I used just a couple on top of each cookie for garnish. Next time I'd do more like they did with the original recipe.

Coconut Jays - with coconut, butter, powdered sugar, cherries and chocolate, you just can't go wrong! another favorite every year, it's really more a candy than a cookie. This time I used some bittersweet chocolate rather than unsweetened chocolate, so the chocolate was a little different consistency. I don't think anyone will complain though! A double batch made 44 cookies using the small Pampered Chef scoop.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies - this batch made 48 cookies using the small Pampered Chef scoop. I had a great helper, my neighbor's daughter, Savannah. Baked perfectly in 8 minutes.

Noel Nut Balls - Martha Stewart hasn't steered me wrong when it comes to cookies. These use pecans and bourbon and lots of butter! yum! Made 36 of them, maybe a little on the large side, and I know I definitely need to make another batch!

Super Easy Fudge - seriously, super easy!

Belgian Waffle Cookies - this recipe is from a family friend, however I used a pizzelle iron for it. photo shown before powdered sugar is sprinkled on top before serving.
Recipe:
1 lb butter
6 eggs
1 T vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups Sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
(note - I used 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups white sugar instead)

there were no written directions, but basically - let butter soften, then whip it in your mixer with the sugar. add in eggs and vanilla and mix again. in separate bowl combine flour and salt, then gradually add to sugar/butter/egg mixture, mixing just to combine. Then put in either plastic wrap or in a bowl with a lid and chill for at least 6 hours. Then heat your iron and put small balls of dough in center of each cookie spot on the iron (mine has 3). Press down and the iron will tell you when they're done. I use a small plastic spoon to peel them off the iron and put on cookie rack to cool. I also try to cut off excess around each one so they look better, but messy tastes just as good! 

White Chocolate Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies - a new cookie for me this year. Delicious and pretty too :) Using Small Pampered Chef scoop, made 42 cookies, baked in 12 minutes.

Raspberry Pinwheel Cookies - This is the first time I made a cookie of this type and we all loved them! buttery, crispy, and you can taste the nuts, coconut and jam. 

Nanaimo Bars - These were AMAZING! OMG I could not stop eating them. Gone so fast that I didn't even get a photo. Okay, not really, but still, no photo!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats - can't forget our best friends! 

Healthi(er) Cookies: Take Two!

I tried yet another 'light' recipe for cookies. Cooking Light hasn't steered me wrong yet so I gave their Snickerdoodles a chance. And I am SO glad I did. They are delicious!! Now I'm only mad I didn't double the recipe.

They are light, flavorful, chewy, a little crisp, all in one cookie. perfect! Here's the recipe!

Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Buttery shortbread, decadent white chocolate and a burst of cranberry flavor has made this cookie an annual favorite! (Several years ago I found this recipe from ShannonM on the LM message board.) I'm not sure where the recipe originally came from, but I want to share it with you here! I did make some minor adjustments. They're so easy!

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1 pkg (8oz) Premium White Baking Chocolate, chopped (I use Ghiradelli)
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, mix well.
3. Stir in chopped chocolate and cranberries.
4. Use small Pampered Chef cookie scoop to drop dough, 2 inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each slightly.
5. Bake 11 min or until lightly browned. Note that the bottom will show the light browning, the top will stay white. 
6. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pecan Sandies

Last week my Mom brought me the 2010 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies special issue (do you think this was a hint?). I have an issue of this from about 10 years ago and have made probably 1/3 of the recipes and all were excellent, so I was thrilled to get the latest issue. Martha has never steered me wrong when it comes to cookies!

I want to have a variety, so I am trying to start with recipes I know will freeze well -- tonight I made Pecan Sandies. They were buttery and yummy and really one (or two!) will do. I doubled the recipe. I did change up the all purpose flour for half whole wheat white to make it a smidgen healthier and used the small scoop instead of a big one to help with portion size. And baked 14 minutes to perfection. I now have 4 or 5 dozen of them wrapped up in my freezer. I even got smart and labeled the bag!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

And so the baking begins!

Yes, I know I said I was going to seek out healthier treats to bake this year. And I will. But not all the time. :)

I saw these featured in Fine Cooking's email the other day and when I saw the Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses on sale at CVS today and thought of these cookies, I knew it was meant to be.

My friend Vern also needed some treats to take to her church's Advent Tea tomorrow night and so I told her I'd bake her up some of these to wow the ladies with.

Now first of all, I'd never tried these kisses before. Yum! Combined with a chocolate cookie that is both crispy and chewy at the same time and I'm in love. I confess, I've had 2 of them tonight. Actually, I guess I should be proud of myself that it was ONLY 2! (okay, I also had 3 kisses by themselves while I was baking). I ran across a blog tonight where she talked about eating treats and still fitting into her skinny jeans in December - basically skimping on calories at meals to allow more 'treat' calories. Good in theory, but I don't think it's something I could do often.

Anyway, back to these delicious cookies. They were from a blog called Our Best Bites. I did not use shortening though, I used only regular unsalted butter. I didn't have dark chocolate chips but had semi-sweet so used those, and I only had about 1/2 tsp of mint extract left but I threw it in anyway since it was an optional ingredient. I think the full 1 1/2 would really gift the chocolate a minty taste, mine just have a hint. I used my Pampered Chef small cookie scoop to measure them out, and in my oven they were perfect at 8 1/2 minutes.