Berries and Cream Cookies

I was inspired to make these cookies by a fundraising catalog I was looking through that was selling cookie dough of a similar fashion. I had all the necessary ingredients at home so I looked for a basic recipe that I could build off of. These cookies turned out better than I could have expected. The sweetness of the dried fruit combined with the creaminess of the white chocolate was definitely an awesome combination. The cookies baked up so puffy and delicious. These are definitely a must try!


Berries and Cream Cookies
inspired by white chocolate and cranberry cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup cold butter, shredded
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dried mixed fruit, roughly chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large mxing bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; beat into the sugar mixtue. Stir in the dried berries and chocolate chips and mix to combine. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets before removing to a wire cooling rack.

Quarter Pound Cookies

I always say that I am going to stop trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes yet it seems like every time I make them I am using a new recipe. When I saw these outrageously huge 4oz cookies on Shawnda's blog I knew that I would not be able to resist. I grabbed some extra cold butter from the freezer and set out on my marry way. The dough started out on the dry side and I was worried that it would not come together correctly but I was mistaken. By the time the chocolate and nuts were mixed in, the dough was perfect. I pushed the tops of my dough balls down a bit which made them wider and a tad flatter than others, if you want to make sure you have nice tall puffy cookies keep the dough in a ball when you place it onto the cookie sheet.


These cookies are definitely quite impressive in both size and flavor. These quarter pound cookies measure about 4 1/2 inches across and about 3/4 of an inch thick. A slightly crisp outer shell partnered with a gooey buttery inside makes these cookies pretty much irresistible. I will definitely be making these amazing cookies again. I recommend you try them out, immediately.


Levain Bakery-ish Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

yields ~12 cookies

Ingredients
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter (very cold, shredded with your food processor)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour (13 1/2 oz)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
12oz good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Beat the cold butter and both sugars until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer bowl and mix just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until distributed. (The dough will be VERY stiff at this point.)

Divide the dough into 12 balls, approx 4 oz each (think a little larger than a golf ball; a slightly rounded 2.5-inch scoop will do the trick perfectly) and place on an ungreased baking pan. Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until browned on the edges and set in the center. Let cool completely on the pans before transferring to airtight storage.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chipsters

I reached for Dorie Greenspan's cookbook the other day when I felt like baking up something delicious. My plan was to find a recipe in the book that I had all of the ingredients for and that I was able to make right then and there . When I came across this cookie recipe it sounded pretty good so I thought that I would give it a try.


If you were to take a peanut butter cookie, an oatmeal cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie and cram them all together into one bite these would definitely be what it would taste like. My husband and I enjoyed the cookies and so did all of my co-workers (especially the pregnant one). I did not have enough of any one kind of chocolate to put into these so I used a combination of bittersweet, semi-sweet, and white chocolate. These were a huge hit all around and I am already planning on adding the recipe to my list of favorites.


What is your favorite kind of cookie? Is there any kind of cookie that you would like me to feature here on Amber's Delectable Delights?

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters
from Baking, From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups -bought chocolate chips or chunks.

Directions
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)
If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.
Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Storing - wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they'll be good for 2 months.

Dipped Cherry Cookies

Wow, another whole month has passed by where I have yet to update my precious blog. What can I say, life has been pretty crazy the past couple of months and it has been hard to keep up. I hope to do better in the new year by updating more often and even possibly moving to my own domain. But for now let's concentrate of the important stuff, Christmas cookies! A couple of weeks ago my sister e-mailed me this recipe and asked if I could make it for Christmas. Since I am such a wonderful sister I went ahead and added it to my Christmas baking list.


Making the dough for these cookies is very similar to making a pie crust. Cubed cold butter is cut into dry ingredients and then more ingredients are added and the dough is kneaded (I used my stand mixer for this step) until it forms a ball. The end result of this process is a soft and delicate cookie that is both sweet and chocolaty. I personally love the combination of cherries, white chocolate and almond flavor! These are the perfect treat for the holiday season.


Dipped Cherry Cookies
Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries, drained
12 ounces white baking chocolate, finely chopped, divided
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons shortening
Coarse sugar and red edible glitter

Directions
- In a large bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Knead in the cherries, 2/3 cup white chocolate and extract until dough forms a ball.
- Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a glass dipped in remaining sugar. Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
- In a microwave, melt shortening and remaining white chocolate at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Dip half of each cookie into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and edible glitter. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: about 4 dozen.

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas!

I made this cake a few weeks ago for my husband's work Christmas party. I did not post it because it was just a chocolate cake with chocolate cream filling and frosted with mint buttercream. It was so beautiful that I could not pass up the opportunity to share a picture of it.

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cookies

I have had this bag of cherry chips sitting in my pantry for the longest time and never knew exactly what I was going to do with them. I had actually forgotten about those cherry chips until I came across this recipe one day. Chocolate and cherry is such a great combination that I thought these cookies would be great, and well, they were.


The batter for these cookies was pretty thick, so I went ahead and smashed down the top of the dough once I placed it onto my baking sheet to make sure the cookies spread evenly and did not stay clumped up in a big mountain. I actually kind of like the crackled effect they turned out with. Oh, in case anyone is wondering I found the bag of cherry chips at Walmart and I am pretty sure that they still carry them. I think these cookies would be a great addition to holiday baking lists.


Chocolate Cherry Chip Cookies
Adapted from Picky Palate

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag of Log House Cherry Chips
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use a cookie sheet with a silpat liner.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in white chips and cherry chips. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 9-11 minutes, should still be soft in center. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Fall is definitely in the air here in Indiana which means it is time to break out the pumpkin and start baking some treats. First on the list this year is pumpkin whoopie pies. I searched around for a recipe and decided to try this Martha Stewart one because the cream cheese filling sounded good. I was a bit skeptical of the 4 tablespoons of spices that went in but it all worked out in the end and they are not overwhelming at all.


I am not sure what Martha Stewart was thinking, this recipe definitely makes more than 12 pies. I made 8 large ones (using a 3 tablespoon scoop) and 10 smaller ones (using a 2 tablespoon scoop). Depending on what size scoop you use you could easily make as many as 2 dozen whoopie pies. These are definitely delicious and I am sure I will be making them again soon.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
For The Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Filling
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Caramel Creams

Good gracious it has been forever since I have last shared anything on here. My only excuse is that I have been working some crazy hours and barely have time to eat let alone make any new exciting recipes. I have however purchased a couple of really cool recipe magazines that are packed full of super cute and delicious looking treats that I can not wait to start baking my way through. I found this particular recipe in a Taste of Home bake sale book.


This recipe was pretty easy to make and called for pretty common ingredients. It does require a bit of planning ahead which actually worked well for me. I made the cookie dough one day and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight then made the filling and baked the cookies the following day. I stored the cookies in the refrigerator to set the filling and decided that they tasted better cold than they did at room temperature. The browned butter in the filling really brings a great flavor to the cookie. Four thumbs up from my husband and I. This recipe is going into my stack of favorites and I will definitely be making them again.

By the way, isn't my new cake stand super cute? I got it on clearance at Target for less than $10! On an unrelated note, I really hope to be able to get into the kitchen more and make lots of delicious treats to share with you guys, especially with my oh so very long 3-day weekend coming up. :)

Caramel Creams
Adapted from Taste of Home

~makes about 3 dozen ~

Cookie ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, pecans and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and beat well. Shape into two 10-in. rolls; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. For filling, in a small saucepan, cook butter over medium heat until golden brown. Pour into a large bowl, beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough cream to achieve spreading consistency. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Coconut Madeleines

As I was scrolling through my Google Reader catching up on blog postings I came across this recipe for madeleines. After reading through the directions I realized that I wanted to give the recipe a try. I attempted to make madeleines a few months ago only to end up with very delicious, yet very flat and ugly cookies. The only thing that I can figure that went wrong with that other recipe is that I did not refrigerate the batter long enough. When I saw that there was no refrigeration needed with this recipe I decided I would give it a try.


This attempt turned out much better than the last. I was so happy when I opened my oven and saw fluffy golden madeleines. These cookies are very light tasting and I think they are the perfect treat for the hot summer months. Although these cookies were very delicious the coconut in this recipe was not very pronounced. My husband said he needed more coconut flavor. Perhaps a drop of coconut extract would do the trick. After the success I had with this recipe I am looking forward to baking up more madeleine recipes in the future.


Coconut Madeleines
As seen on Sugar and Spice, Originally from Ina Garten

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, to grease the pans, plus 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Thoroughly butter and flour the madeleine pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and fluffy. Add 1/4 pound of butter and mix. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Stir in the coconut.

With a soup spoon, drop the batter into the pans, filling each shell almost full. Bake the madeleines for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when pressed. Tap the madeleines out onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Rice Krispie Cookies

It has been a while since I made cookies so I searched around for a new recipe to try out. I came across this one and decided it would be the perfect recipe to use up the rice krispies that have been hanging out in my cabinet. I did not read the instructions very thoroughly before making the cookies and became quite impatient waiting for the dough to chill in the fridge. Do to my impatience I did not refrigerate the dough balls as long as the recipe called for, but my cookies came out wonderful anyway.

I divided the dough in half and used butterscotch chips in half and peanut butter chips in the other half. I preferred the cookies with the peanut butter chips over the butterscotch chips. I encourage you to resist the urge to eat these cookies straight from the oven, they taste better once the rice krispies inside have had a chance to cool completely. Although these cookies were not as quick as the average cookit to make, they were definitely enjoyable and worth the time.

Rice Krispies Cookies
Adapted from: Bakingblonde's Weblog

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup butterscotch (or peanut butter) chips

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined. Mix in hot water and vanilla. Add flour mixture, in two batches, beating just until combined – be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fold in butterscotch chips and Rice Krispies. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. or longer.
Preheat oven to 375. Scoop out tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Place all balls on one baking sheet, and chill at least 30 min. Remove from fridge and place 12 balls on cookie sheet at a time. Bake until the middle looks just set and the edges begin to turn a light golden – about 8-12 minutes. Remove and let sit on the sheet for a minute. Move cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Happy St. Patricks Day

I decided that I wanted to make some festive cookies to take into work on St. Patricks Day. After searching 8 stores for a cookie cutter I finally found one at Michael's. I also decided to be daring and try my hand at royal icing. I just love how smooth and perfect the tops of the cookies look when they are adorned with royal icing.


It turns out that royal icing is not difficult to work with it is just time consuming. I think that the most difficult part of the whole process is piping the border along the edge of the cookies. But that will probably come with practice.


Sugar cookies have never been my favorite cookie to eat but are always a favorite to make because they are so fun to decorate. This cookie recipe yielded pretty delicious cookies. I like that powdered sugar is used in this recipe, it helps give the cookies a smoothness. I also love that almond extract was used. Delicious!

I hope that everyone enjoys the day and celebrates safely. Here is a little *pinch* in case you forgot to wear green. I know I am definitely wearing my green scrubs to work today. :)


Ella’s White Sugar Cookies
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yields ~40 cookies.

I used Annie's and Katie's blogs for help and instructions on the royal icing so please visit their sites for very detailed recipes and instructions.

Chocolate-Cherry Pinwheels

These pinwheels are a new cookie for me to make this year. I thought that they looked adorable and loved that two different flavor combinations were combined together into one great cookie. Cherry vanilla and chocolate, hello delicious. I am also submitting these cookies to the Eat Christmas Cookies round up hosted by Susan at Food Blogga. You can see all the delicious, continuously updated entries here.

Unlike most cookies there is a lot of resting time in the refrigerator for these pinwheels so it is best to plan in advance if you want to make them. Do not let that discourage you though, they are definitely worth the wait. The flavors combine together and make a soft and delicious cookie that just so happens to be perfect and festive for the Christmas season.


Chocolate-Cherry Pinwheels
Source: Betty Crocker

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped and drained on paper towels
3 drops red food color
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions
1. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt until well blended. Place half of dough in another medium bowl.
2. Beat almond extract, cherries and food color into half of dough. Divide cherry dough in half. Wrap each half of cherry dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm.
3. Beat vanilla, milk and cocoa into remaining plain dough. Divide chocolate dough in half. Wrap each half of chocolate dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm.
4. Place one part of chocolate dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper; roll into 10x7-inch rectangle. Repeat with one part of cherry dough. Refrigerate both about 30 minutes or until firm. Peel top sheets of waxed paper from both doughs. Turn cherry dough upside down onto chocolate dough; roll up doughs together, starting at long side, into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours. Repeat with remaining parts of dough.
5. Heat oven to 350°F. Cut rolls of dough into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices 1 inch apart.
6. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or surface appears dull. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Time Saving Tips
- Cookie dough rolls can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. To freeze cookie dough rolls, wrap in foil or freezer proof wrap. To thaw, let dough stand 15 to 30 minutes until easy to cut into slices.
- If you are making more than one batch of these cookies save yourself the hassle of dividing the batter and make your first complete batch cherry flavored and the second chocolate flavored.

Saltine Toffee

I came across this recipe sometime this past year and saved it, thinking that would be a great holiday treat to pass out. I mean who doesn't love toffee, it is so melt in your mouth smooth and buttery, and delicious too. This is a nice and quick alternative to the traditional English toffee that I enjoy so much.

Just like making the real thing, this mock toffee can be tricky to make. It needs to be cooked just perfectly to yield the right caramelized taste without being a sugary mess. The crackers add the perfect crunch for those people that love eating crunchy things (such as myself). :) This recipe is easy and delicious. Perfect for the busy holiday seasons.

Saltine Toffee
Source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients
1 stick butter
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
saltines - enough to line your baking sheet
1-2 cups semi chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Line your baking sheet with foil.
2. Neatly place saltines on the foil lined baking sheet.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter and add brown sugar. Allow butter and sugar to caramelize and boil for 2-3 minutes. Pour mixture over the saltines and spread it around to cover evenly.
4. Bake saltines in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the saltines. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes - enough for chocolate chips to melt. Using a rubber spatula or spreader, spread the melted chocolate over the saltines to evenly coat. Sprinkle the top with chopped nuts. Refrigerate to harden the chocolate. Break into random pieces.

Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

There are so many recipes that I have been meaning to make but I had no peppermint extract. I finally remembered to get some while at the store today. I got out all the recipes I have wanted to make and asked my husband to pick one. He picked this one that I found on Land O' Lakes website. It would probably be wise of me to invest in their stock as much as I buy their butter, but I suppose that is beside the point. :)


These cookies were pretty easy to make and they taste excellent but I definitely would not recommend trying to mail them. My experience is that they are very fragile and brittle. Heck, I looked at one wrong and it fell apart. Ok you are right, I am just kidding about that one but they are pretty fragile.


Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Source: Land O' Lakes

-makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies-

Cookie Ingredients
3/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mini real semi-sweet chocolate chips

Frosting Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 drop green food color

Drizzle Ingredients
1/2 cup mini real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour and 1 cup mini chocolate chips in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy.
2. Reduce speed to low. Add flour; beat until mixture forms a dough. Stir in 1 cup mini chocolate chips by hand.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each ball to 1 1/2-inch circle with bottom of glass dipped in flour. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until set. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Let stand 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. Combine all frosting ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed until smooth. (Add additional milk, one teaspoonful at a time, for desired frosting consistency.) Frost cooled cookies. Place cookies onto waxed paper.
5. Place 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth (60 to 90 seconds). Drizzle thin lines of chocolate over frosting with teaspoon. Let stand until chocolate is set (at least 30 minutes).

Recipe Tip If desired, place melted chocolate in small resealable plastic food bag. Cut tiny tip off one corner of bag to drizzle chocolate.

Love, Hugs, and Hershey Kisses

A couple of weeks ago I won an awesome gift basket on the Baking Delights blog. I received the basket in the mail and have been dying to make peanut butter blossoms ever since. Things have been crazy since the holidays are here and the end of the school semester is upon me. I decided to take a little break from paper writing and whip up a batch of these cookies using the ingredients provided in my awesome prize! If you would like to win one of these baskets yourself check out Marye's Baking Delights blog for you chance to win. She is on the third week of the giveaway with one more week to go. That is two more chances for you to win.


There is so much going on in this post. I am so excited because this is also the first time I have gotten to use my new camera, a Cannon Rebel Xsi, to take some food shots. Thank you for my early Christmas present dear husband, I LOVE my new camera. I am sure you will also appreciate it this summer when drag racing season is upon us and I get some awesome shots of your sexy car. :)


Ok back to the important stuff, the food! I got the recipe for these very traditional Christmas cookies in the Hershey's gift basket that I received and thought they would be the perfect addition to my blog.


Besides making some smaller cookies and some larger cookies the only change that I made was to use butter instead of shortening. I also managed to drop an entire pan of straight from the oven cookies on the floor, but we'll just all forget about that, ok? These are just as delicious as I remember them being. Definitely a great holiday treat.


Peanut Butter Blossoms
Source: Hershey's Kitchens

-makes about 4 dozen cookies ~

Ingredients
48 Hershey's Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

After making the pumpkin roll I had exactly one cup of pumpkin left in the can. I didn't want to put it in the refrigerator because I knew I would forget about it so I decided to make some cookies with it. I wanted a cookie that was crisp and buttery but not cake-like. I searched the Internet for recipes and this was one that I came up with.


The recipe says to use fresh cooked pumpkin if available to yield the crispiest cookie but I used canned since that was what I had on hand. I also used white chocolate chunks instead of regular chocolate. The dough does curdle after adding in the pumpkin, so don't be scared. Simply mix in the dry ingredients and everything will be back to normal.


The end result of these cookies isn't as crispy and buttery as I would have liked, probably due to all the moisture in the pumpkin, but they were still amazing! They were big, puffy and cake-like but still very delicious. I'm sure I'll be making this recipe again. After all it does work wonderfully with the pumpkin roll since the two combined use the entire can of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Nic at BakingSheet

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
2 ½ cup ap flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins
½ - 1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.Whisk together flour, leavening, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Beat in egg, then vanilla, then pumpkin. Add flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.
Drop by tablespoons and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F. Bake them until they’re lightly browned at the edges, but not dark.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Zucchini Cookies

Last weekend while at my aunt's house she was telling me how she made some zucchini cookies and she really wanted me to try one. She pulled the bag of them out of the freezer and gave me one to try. It was pretty good cold so I figured that it would be just as great room temperature. Before leaving her house she gave me some zucchini from her garden and the recipe for the cookies (thanks Aunt Teresa!!).


The only ingredient modification that I made to this recipe is that I only used 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon instead of 2. I also decided that I wanted larger cookies than teaspoon size, so I used my medium sized cookie scoop that holds 2 tablespoons of dough and ended up with about 60 cookies.


As you can see from the picture above, these are definitely cake like cookies. But just because they are cake like does not mean they are not good. I really enjoy them. The subtle hint of cinnamon mixed with the faint taste of zucchini and then the layer of chocolate make a great combination. Add in the texture and crunch from the nuts and you have yourself one heck of a good cookie.


Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies
Source: RecipeZaar

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 small zucchini, grated (you want it to measure approximately 2 cups of grated zucchini)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2-2 cups walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with Parchment paper.
3. Cream your butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the butter mixture, gradually; mix well.
5. Stir in the zucchini.
6. Fold in the walnuts (optional), and chocolate chips.
7. Drop by teaspoonfuls with two (2) inches between each cookie-- onto the cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.
9. Do not over-bake, or you will not enjoy your cookies.
10. Let stand to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and place on wire racks to allow to cook completely.

Baking For My Sis

I felt like baking something but I did not want it lingering around the house so I made a little deal with my sister. I told her I would bake her something as long as she stopped by and picked it up once she got off of work, and being the wonderfully nice sister that I am I even let her pick what she wanted. Her request was really soft peanut butter cookies. My recipe search ended with me picking a recipe from my favorite recipe swapping site, Bakespace.


These cookies were very quick to mix together and take minimal ingredients. They are not the famous 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies that I have heard so many raves about but all the ingredients that this recipe called for are staples in my pantry. I did not try any of these so I can't vouch for how good they are but my sister said they were really good. :)


Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Source: Bakespace

Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


Directions
1. Combine margarine, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Blend together very well.
2. Add flour, baking soda and salt with mixer. Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand.
3. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down the balls and create a criss cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven until edges very lightly browning (about 7 to 10 minutes). Don't overcook.

80 Calorie Cookie

I received an e-mail earlier this week from Cooking Light with a list of snacks that were 100 calories or less. I printed off a couple of the recipes and this just so happened to be one of them. Click here for to be taken to the rest of the recipes.

These little gems are a breeze to make and taste awesome. The tartness of the cherries is just enough to set of the richness of the chocolate. But that does not mean that these cookies lack any chocolate flavor. There is plenty of chocolateness in one of these to settle a sweet tooth and make you want to go back for more.


Chewy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
(Source: CookingLight.com)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2/3 cup dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven; cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yield 30 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)



Nutritional Information
CALORIES 80(30% from fat); FAT 2.7g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 1.1g; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 56mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.4g

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Take ?

I have lost track of how many different chocolate chip cookie recipes I have blogged about, but this is probably the 4th or 5th now. Do I like one better than another? No not really, I am not to picky. They are all wonderful in their own little way. And honestly, like I have said before, if I wanted to compare them I would have to have them all in front of me at once. :) I know, how horrible is that? Oh well.

Anyway, I made these cookies to ship to a friend that had a rough week and was in need of some cheering up. I thought a little bit of love in a box would be a great little pick me up for her. I hope she enjoys eating them just as much as I loved making them for her.


Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Cook's Illustrated - Published: January 1, 1996)

Makes 1 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies

These truly chewy chocolate chip cookies are delicious served warm from the oven or cooled. To ensure a chewy texture, leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool. You can substitute white, milk chocolate, or peanut butter chips for the semi- or bittersweet chips called for in the recipe. In addition to chips, you can flavor the dough with one cup of nuts, raisins, or shredded coconut.

Ingredients
2 1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 7 ounces
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.
3. Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves ninety degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto one of two parchment paper-lined 20-by-14-inch lipless cookie sheets, about nine dough balls per sheet. Smaller cookie sheets can be used, but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and baking time may need to be adjusted. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.)
4. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Merry Christmas (cookies)

A couple of years ago my husbands grandmother came down to Indiana for Christmas and she brought these joyous cookies with her and I just loved them. So last month when I was up in Michigan visiting her I asked her for the recipe. She told me the story behind the recipe and that it came out of the Betty Crocker cookbook that she received at a young age. She was kind enough to gently get the book down and make a copy of the recipe for me. I then googled it so I could find a link to source the recipe too.

These cookies remind me of a moist delicious sugar cookie with just the right amount of a lemon kick to them. They are really easy to make and take minimal ingredients. I know you are asking if I really used shortening (AKA "white devil") and yes, I did. I did not want to mess with the "science" of the recipe but I plan to try making them at a later date with either margarine or butter. At first my frosting (glaze) looked wonderful but for some reason it now looks funny. So please excuse the fact that it looks all weird. :)

Merry Christmas Cookies
(Source: WhatsCookingAmerica via Bettty Crocker Cookbook circa 1960's)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
- In a large bowl, cream vegetable shortening, sugar, egg, honey, and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt; stir until well blended. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease cookie sheets.
- On a lightly floured board, roll dough to 1/4-inch thick; cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, frost with Milk-Frosting and decorate as desired.

Milk Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Food coloring of your choice

Directions
-In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, lemon extract, and enough milk to make frosting easy to spread. Tint, if desired, with a few drops of food coloring.