Holiday Sugar Rush: Andes Mint Cookies

Our sister-in-law made them once for a family function and they were gone so quickly I never even got the chance to try them! My husband told me they were really good so I figured I'd better make some and see for myself. When I asked for the recipe, she told me I could find it on a back of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips. When I finally found some chips and tried the recipe for myself, I found that everyone was right. These cookies are positively delicious! I have only ever found the baking chips during the holiday season so when I see them I stock up on a few bags to have throughout the year. Because let's be honest, Andes mints are the best. {No, they aren't paying me to say that. I just really really love their mints!} I always get excited when the holidays come around because I see the baking chips coming out again and I dream about making these delicious cookies. Well, okay, I get excited about the holidays for other reasons, too.

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies
Recipe from Andes
Makes approx 4 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar {dark is best, though I have used regular before}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 package {10 oz} Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
2 2/3 cup flour, sifted

Directions:
Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then add flour. Chill approximately one hour in refrigerator before baking.
Once dough has been chilled, heat oven to 350 degrees. After chilling, form the cold dough into 1-inch balls and flatten slightly. Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans or pans that have been lightly greased.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Ginger Cranberry Shortbread Wedges

Can you believe that this shortbread was my introductory foray into the world of ginger? I believe I am quite the fan. The combination of ginger and cranberries with the delicious flavor of shortbread makes these cookies perfect for the holidays.

Ginger-Cranberry Shortbread Wedges
Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies
Makes approx. 16 cookies

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger {I found mine in the bulk section of Winco though I'm sure you can find it near the spices in any grocery store}
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped {I used craisins and it worked out fine}
2 tsp granulated sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix butter, powdered sugar and ginger until fully incorporated. Stir in the flour and cranberries.
Form the dough into a rough disk shape. On an ungreased cookie sheet, pat the dough down into a 9-inch circle. Shortbread doesn't really change much when it's baking so remember that the thickness of the dough is about what the thickness of your cookie will be. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 16 wedges.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

My hubby is a pretty big fan of cherry. These cookies were a little too chocolatey for me, but I think they were a hit with my hubby and his littlest fan, our daughter.

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe adapted slightly from Betty Crocker Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup margarine, softened
1/4 milk, room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried, chopped cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, milk, almond extract and egg with an electric mixer or spoon until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and coca. Add to the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients until incorporated. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly in the center and surface is no longer shiny. Immediately remove to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Holiday Sugar Rush: White Chocolate and Craisin Cookies

These cookies are so soft. Somewhat surprising based on how they always look when they are finished, but they really do stay so soft. They also keep well in the freezer so bake up a batch and hide em where no one will see so you can snitch a cookie whenever you feel like it put them in the freezer to save for later.

White Chocolate and Craisin Cookies
Recipe adapted from Jacobs, Powell and Harris

1 cup shortening {butter flavor is best}
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup craisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Cream shortening and sugars together for 2-3 minutes or until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition; add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Add the white chocolate chips and craisins to the wet mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients just until fully incorporated. Be careful not to over mix. If the dough is still really wet, add a couple more tablespoons  of flour.
Drop by teaspoon full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Take out when the cookies still look just a little raw. Leave on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes to finish baking. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Homemade Oreos

Since we're already on a cake mix cookie kick, we'll just keep up the trend, at least for another recipe. Everyone probably has a recipe for these. Or at least everyone has tasted them before. Nothing can compare to a soft, homemade Oreo cookie. This is the way I've been making these for years. They always turn out so chewy and delicious. I love making them small to get some tasty little bites of Oreo. It's the way to do it. :)

Soft Homemade Oreos

1 chocolate cake mix {I like German chocolate, but devil's food is pretty good, too}
3/4 cup {1 1/2 sticks} melted butter
2 large eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all ingredients together until cake mix is completely moistened. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until firm. Form the dough into walnut size {or smaller if you are like me and like small little Oreos} balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart and bake for 6-8 minutes. They may not look quite done when you take them out - they'll still be just a little raw. Leave them on the sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This helps make sure you get soft, chewy cookies.

Oreo Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese {half 8oz package}, softened
1/4 cup {1/2 stick} butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb {between 3-4 cups} powdered sugar

Directions:
Place the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and two cups powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix together until smooth. Continue adding powdered sugar 1/2 at a time until you get the consistency you want.

And then comes the tricky part:
Assemble Oreos by spreading frosting on one cookie and topping with another. Delicious!

If you want to make these even more festive, you could add some peppermint or mint extract to the frosting. Add it with the vanilla - put between 1/2 and 1 tsp, depending on your preference.
You could also add some finely crushed peppermint before spreading onto the cookies.
Another yummy option would be adding a few teaspoons of orange zest & freshly squeezed juice to the frosting before spreading. Yum!

Holiday Sugar Rush: Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies

The holidays always need a little spice with all the sugar, right? These three ingredient pumpkin are a big hit. I made this for my sister's baby shower and everyone loved them. My cousin even said they were just as good as her mom's more involved and difficult-to-make pumpkin cookies. 

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe from Nina Wilkins

1 spice cake mix, sifted
1 14 oz can pumpkin pie filling
1 12 oz bag chocolate or cinnamon chips

Mix pumpkin filling and cake mix together until cake mix is completely mixed in. Add the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, or until set and slightly browned. Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire racks.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Fudge Crinkle Cookies

Fudge Crinkle Cookies
Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookies

Makes: approx 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 box devil's food cake mix {a mix with pudding is the best}
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix cake mix, oil, eggs and vanilla with a spoon until a dough forms.
This next step is easier if you refrigerate your dough for about 15 minutes, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the powdered sugar. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set. Allow to finish setting up on the cookie sheet for one minute, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store tightly covered.

Holiday Sugar Rush: Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a little series I'm going to call Holiday Sugar Rush. Christmas is always the time for some extra goodies, right? So I hope you're all ready for some whirlwind goodie posting! I've got lots of recipes to share {and I'm a little behind getting started}. Enjoy the sugar rush! 

This is quite possibly one of the best peanut butter cookie recipes I've ever made. They cook up nice and soft and stay that way for several days {which is amazing for peanut butter cookies}. The flavor is fantastic. I've been making these for years and haven't found any other peanut butter cookie to take it's place.

I know the photos aren't the greatest. Please don't judge me. Things were pretty crazy so I did what I could.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. soda
2-1/2 cup flour
½ tsp. salt
Extra granulated sugar

Directions:
Cream together butter, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla. Add the sugars and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flower, baking soda and salt {this helps make sure your baking soda and salt are fully mixed}; add to the rest and mix until incorporated. Roll into balls and roll into the extra white sugar. Press down with a fork in a crisscross manner. Bake at 375oF for 6 minutes, or until slightly browned on the bottoms. Do not over bake!

Pecan Tartlets

You know me, I love pecan pie. It is my all-time favorite pie. You've heard that already. But because it's my favorite, when I saw the recipe for these Pecan Tartlets, I just knew I had to make them. And I'm so glad I did! They are so yummy and you pretty much can't go wrong with them! I will say that they are a bit time consuming, cutting out all the little circles of dough and forming all the tartlets. I don't think it would have taken me as long if I had more mini muffin tins, but since I only have one it took me a while.  However, they are so yummy and very worth it. I'm so glad I made them {and glad I gave most of them away or else I would have eaten them all!}.
Also, check back tomorrow for a little something different I did with my leftover tartlet makings.

Pecan Tartlets

Recipe from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Makes: 3 1/2 dozen tartlets

You will need a mini muffin tin

For the pastry:

6 oz. cream cheese {I used 1/3 fat cream cheese and it worked really well}

1 c. butter

2 c. flour

1/8 t. salt

Place cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour and salt and beat until dough comes together and forms a ball.

For the pecan filling:

2 eggs

2/3 c. corn syrup

2/3 c. sugar

2 t. flour

2 T. butter, melted

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients, except pecans, and beat or whisk until combined. Reserve pecans for assembling the tartlets.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough about an 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. I prefer my dough to be a little thinner but if you like a thicker crust, a 1/4 inch would be perfect, too. If your dough is excessively sticky or too soft, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before rolling out. This helps give it a firmness.
Another trickI have is to handle the pastry dough as little as possible. Mix it up, roll it out, cut the circles. Gently combine the scraps from that batch then roll it out again. In other words, you don't have to get it perfectly in a ball the second time before you roll it out again. The less you handle your pastry, the more flaky and soft it will be when it's baked. However, don't let my "handle with care" tip scare you away from making these yourself. This is probably the easiest pastry dough I've ever made in my life.
{Because I only have one mini muffin pan, my pastry dough was sitting on the counter between batches. If you find that it begins to get too warm in your kitchen, the dough will soften and get stickier, thereby making it more difficult to handle. This is when the fridge trick will be especially helpful. Put your dough in the fridge while one batch is baking. When that batch is finished baking, you can take them out of the oven, put the tartlets on cooling racks then pull out the dough from the fridge and make more circles. This also helps give your pan time to cool down so you can make more tartlets without having to use a hot pan.}

Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter or glass, cut out circles. Press into mini muffin tins, going all the way up the sides of the cups. I used my knuckle to press the dough into the baking cups {I have long nails so using my fingers didn't work for me}. I also found that a bottle cap from my baby's bottles worked really well.

Using my knuckle to press the pastry into the baking cup.

Your pastry should look like this.

Sprinkle a generous teaspoon full of pecan pieces into the bottom of each tartlet. 

You can use a teaspoon to spoon the pecans into the pastry...

. . . or do like me and just dump some pecans in there until you have the amount you want.

Spoon about 1 1/2 t. of the syrup on top of the pecans, covering the pecans and filling at least 3/4 of each tartlet.

I found that a teaspoon was about enough.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown and filling is set. Note that the filling won't appear to be very set right when you pull it out. You can jiggle the pan a little to see if the filling moves a lot. It is seems like it mostly there, they are probably done. Your best judge at this point will be the pastry dough. It should be lightly golden.

Note: these are super sticky.

Delicious!

Variation: The pastry dough can also be filled with your favorite jam before baking. Bake as directed above and sprinkle with powdered sugar after the tartlets have cooled.

Oatmeal Wafers

These oatmeal wafers are super yummy! They are a different kind of cookie. my Farmor {she's Swedish - I think I've mentioned her before} says these are authentic Swedish oatmeal cookies. They are crunchy with the perfect amount of spice. They are also easy to make. So if you want to try a different kind of cookie that's crunchy and uber yummy, these are for you. :D

Oatmeal Wafers

Known in Swedish as Havreflarn

Recipe from Grace Lindquist via my Farmor

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup oatmeal

2 Tbsp. sifted flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

Directions:

Melt butter; remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Mix until blended. Butter cookie sheet generously and dust with flour. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 1 minutes before removing quickly with sharp knife. Cool. For more decorative effect place cookie immediately on handle of wooden spoon. Make one pan at a time.

Orange Bursts

These are very yummy, very subtly citrus-y cookies. I think they are perfect holiday cookies. The slight orange flavor is enticing and fresh

Orange Bursts

Recipe from Guittard White Vanilla Chips

Makes: 4 dozen 3-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups unsifted all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla*

1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest

1-2 cups Guittard Choc-Au-Lait Vanilla Milk Chips {I used about one cup and I thought the ratio was perfect}

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or until golden around edges. Cool for several minutes on sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Substitute: lemon zest for orange to make lemon bursts.

*Note: If you want more orange {or lemon, depending on which you are doing} flavor, you could substitute the vanilla extract for orange or lemon extract.

~from Guittard vanilla milk chips bag

Lemon Tea Cakes

I recently bought a book titled "Betty Crocker Cookies: 100 Favorite Recipes" {the link is the closest thing I've found to what I have}. I bought it at Barnes and Noble in their bargain books section for about $7.00. I was so excited! For some reason, this book has me excited about cookies and baking and I have already been through the book twice and I'm itching to make so many things from it! One of the recipes I've made already is Russian Tea Cakes {also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies} - though I actually made lemon because I was in the mood for a bit of citrus flavor. They are so yummy! They were pretty easy to make, though a little bit time-consuming, just because you have to crush the lemon drops and roll the cookies in powdered sugar. However they are worth it!  These cookies are best within about three days of making them . . . and I love them just a tad warm. Yum!

Lemon Tea Cakes

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Start to Finish: 1 hour 35 minutes

Makes: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts - I used walnuts, and chopped them up nice and fine in my food processor

1/2 - 1 cup crushed lemon drops, divided - I think I used about 3/4 cups of drops

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crush the lemon drops in a food processor or blender. Lemon drops are really hard and I will warn you, crushing the drops by either method is very loud. Earplugs are seriously recommended! I found that my food processor was considerably quieter than my blender - my baby really hated my blender! What I found easiest was crushing them first in my food processor, then putting the larger chunks in a plastic baggie, putting the plastic baggie between a towel and then breaking those chunks into smaller chunks using using a rolling pin. Unless your food processor is better than mine. Then it might just crush them all in one try.

In large bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the lemon extract with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon until creamy and fluffy. Mix the grated lemon rind with the flour. Add flour mixture and salt to the butter mixture. Stir in nuts and 1/4 cup crushed lemon drops.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls. On un-greased cookie sheet, place balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until set but not brown. In small bowl, place addition powdered sugar. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet; roll in powdered sugar; wait 10 minutes, then roll in reserved crushed lemon drops. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Variations:

Russian Tea Cakes

Substitute vanilla extract for the lemon and omit the grated lemon rind and crushed lemon drops. Everything else as directed.

Chocolate Filled Russian Tea Cakes

Use all same dough ingredients as Russian tea cakes, adding milk chocolate stars, chocolate chips or chopped pieces of chocolate candy. When dough is made, shape tablespoonfuls of dough around chocolate stars and form into 1-inch balls. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until bottoms start to brown. While baking make sugar coating: 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tbsp red sugar; 1 Tbsp. green sugar. When cookies are baked, roll into the sugar coating mixture. Reroll, if desired.

Peppermint Tea Cakes

Crust 3/4 cup hard peppermint candies in food processor or blender. Stir in 1/4 cup of the crushed candies with the flour; reserve remaining candy. Bake as directed. Immediately roll baked cookies in powdered sugar; wait 10 minutes, then roll in reserved crushed candy. Reroll, if desired. 

Cinnamon Tea Cakes

Add 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon to the cookie dough, at the same stage as adding the flour and salt. Bake as directed above. When baked, roll cookies in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Reroll, if desired. 

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate

Here is another super-duper easy cookie recipe that you will love - especially if you like lemon! I really loved these cookies. This is the first recipe I'm going to be sharing from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Jamie Cooks it Up!, and I've made them a couple times. I did slightly adapt the recipe for my own purposes so I'll share here the way I did it but know that you can go to Jamie's site {see link to the recipe below} to find the original recipe and proportions to make more cookies. My sister thought these cookies tasted a bit like lemon bars in cookie form, which is a good way to describe them!

Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate

Slightly adapted from: Jamie Cooks it Up!

Time: 1 hour

Makes: approx. 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 box Lemon cake mix
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
2 tsp. lemon juice {fresh or from the baking section}
1/2 cup white chocolate chips + additional 1/2 chips for melting

Directions:

Melt butter and add to the cake mix. Mix around for a little bit then add the egg.
Squeeze a fresh lemon and add to the mix.
Mix with a spoon or in a mixer until just combined.
Add 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and mix until incorporated evenly. Note: at this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Just cover well and put in the fridge, then pull out and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before finishing.
Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until bottoms are begin to turn golden brown. Do not over bake. Take the cookies out of the oven when they have cracked on top. Then let them finish baking on the sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or tea towel to finish cooling.
Melt the remaining 1/2 cup white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30-second intervals. You can add 1/2 tsp. shortening to help with this. Don't over-melt your chips because they will just harden and make drizzling pretty much impossible. Melt just until you see some of the shapes of the original chips left and then stir it around until it's all melted.
Drizzle the white chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Or do like me and put the chocolate into a plastic baggie, snip off the corner and squeeze it onto the cookies. I like this method better because I can control where and how much chocolate ends up on each cookie. I also put my chocolate on while the cookies were sitting on wax paper.

Sprinkle the cookies with a bit of powdered sugar. Let the cookies rest of a wire rack until the white chocolate has set up. Mmmm . . . delicious Lemon Cookies!

Butterfinger Cookies

These may be some of my most favorite cookies of all time. I'm actually not a huge cookie fan. Maybe it's just "regular" cookies I don't love. You know, like chocolate chip. Maybe that's because I don't really love chocolate. Maybe it's 'cuz I'm crazy. However crazy I be, though, I love these! They are cake mix cookies so they are super easy and I really love the Butterfinger addition. Just a couple things to keep in mind: 1) more butterfinger candy bar can be used - actually, I think more is better in this case; and 2) when you crush your candy bar, be careful not to crush it too much. If the butterfinger bar gets too fine, they will actually be absorbed into the mix and you won't hardly taste the butterfinger at all. This proves to be a very tragic cookie.

One day I'll take a pretty picture of cookies. I'm determined that it will happen!

Butterfinger Cookies

1 yellow or chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 Butterfinger candy bar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cake, eggs and oil until powder is completely dissolved in dough. Cop candy into tiny pieces and mix into dough. Drop dough in small balls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 min. or until lightly golden. Do not over bake.

Apple Butterscotch Cookies

These cookies were so yummy! I'll admit I'm not really a cookie person {I know, I know - not liking chocolate and cookies just makes me super weird!} but I really liked how these turned out. This is another recipe I created and I really liked how "cake-y" they were. We also took these to our nieces and nephew and they loved them as well. In fact, a couple of them said they were some of the best cookies they'd ever had!

Apple Butterscotch Cookies

Created by: Cucina di Harwood

Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix

1 egg

6 Tbsp. applesauce {1/4 + 1/8 cup}

1/4 cup {be super generous with it!} grated apple

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2-1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a well-greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees on the middle for 8 minutes. Then move to the top rack and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and leave the cookies on the sheet to finish baking for 2 more minutes.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack or tea towel to complete cooling. Or enjoy warm! Either way, they are good!

Note: The cinnamon in these cookies provides a rather subtle spice flavor. I prefer it this way. But if you want a little more spice, add 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg to the dough.

Cherry Cookies

I'm going to be doing a mini-series of posts of some recipes that could be deemed appropriate to grace your holiday tables this year! Yes, I know, it's kind of late. But I really wanted to share a few recipes anyway so I'm gonna. I hope you enjoy them!

This is a recipe I recently created {don't applaud yet - you'll soon see that this is so easy anyone could have created it!}. My husband really enjoyed them and I liked them quite a lot. If you like cherries, you'll probably really like these cookies!

Cherry Cookies

Recipe created by Cucina di Harwood
Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 box Cherry Chip cake mix {see, I told ya!}

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

1 egg

4 Tbsp. melted butter

3 Tbsp. water or cherry juice

1  tsp. almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Chop your maraschino cherries. I used most of a jar of cherries to get 1/2 cup. I saved a few to put on top of some of my cookies but you don't have to do that. If you want, you could chop up all the cherries and put all of 'em in the cookies. It just depends on how many cherries you want. I found the perfect size was to chop the cherry in half, then each half into four pieces. You can do it however you'd like, I just found that to be the perfect size. Warning: cherry juice stains clothing and counter tops. Just be aware!

Put the cake mix, egg, water/juice and almond extract in a medium sized bowl. Stir just until the cake mix is all mixed in. You don't want to over-mix as the cherry chips in the cake mix will disintigrate if you mix it too much and you'll lose some of the flavor - you don't wanna do that! Note: if you want a little more cherry flavor, use the cherry juice from the bottle of maraschino cherries instead of water. I just used water and it turned out great - a nice cherry flavor without being too much; it just depends on what you're going for. 

Add the chopped cherries and fold in. Your dough will be very stiff and sticky. This is okay.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until the bottom edges are slightly golden. Don't over-bake. Take the cookies out of the oven and leave them on the cookie sheet for another 2-3 minutes to finish baking - and because if you try immediately to take them off the sheet, your cookies will be in nice little pieces when you're done. Trust me

At this point, if you want to add a cherry to the top, you can put half a cherry in the center of the cookie and press lightly until slightly depressed into the cookie. Doing this while they are still warm will make the cherries stay put when they are cool. You don't have to do this. It does make them a little prettier and gives an extra cherry flavor, which I really liked, but it isn't necessary. 

Transfer the cookies to a rack or tea towel and allow to finish cooling.

Note: for an added measure of pretty and sweet, drizzle melted milk-chocolate over the cookies before serving. 

Homemade Twix Bars

I am not a chocolate lover. Anyone who knows me knows this is true. But lately, I just can't seem to get enough Twix candy bars. Awful. Horrible. Weird. I know. So I decided to try my hand at these homemade Twix bars. Naturally they are different from what you'll buy in the store - I'd dare say they are better! Super yummy and really pretty easy to make.

Homemade Twix Bars

Crust:

1 ¼ c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter; room temp

Caramel:
½ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
½ c. sweetened condensed milk


Crumble crust ingredients together {if your butter is still slightly cold instead of at room temperature, you'll find it easier to get everything crumbled together}. Be sure it's mixed very well. You don't want any large pockets of  butter making things difficult. Pack into 9x9 inch pan that has been sprayed, lined with foil and sprayed again {I didn't spray my foil and didn't have any problems}. Bake on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Note: I used an 8x8 inch pan and everything was a little bit thick. If you don't think you'll like thick crust or caramel, just reserve some of the crust or filling from the pan or try to cut down the ingredients.

Put the butter for the caramel filling in a heavy saucepan and melt. Combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly as it burns easily {I'm no culinary expert but my caramel was cooked too long. I would suggest timing the boiling as soon as you see little bubbles form - this way, it should still be slightly soft but cooked enough to remain firm. I timed it from when it was really boiling and my caramel was too hard}. Remove from heat. Stir with spoon slowly until it shows signs of thickening {about two minutes or so}. Pour over crust and let cool a little.

Top layer:

Melt approximately 1-2 c. chocolate chips with 1 tsp shortening over low heat or in the microwave {because my pan was 8x8 I used 1 cup of chocolate and thought it was plenty}. Pour over caramel layer and spread carefully. Chill. Cut into bars.

Chocolate Chip Cookies _ 1

This is a pretty basic chocolate chip cookie recipe I got from my mom - but it's a good one. The cookies have a really yummy flavor and they cook up nice and soft, just the way a cookie should be. I like 'em!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Diane Hardy Makes: 5 dozen cookies

1 cup butter or margarine
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1-2 cups chips {I've used all flavors of chips as well as M&M's and they turn out great!}
½ cup nuts {optional}

Directions:
Cream together first 7 ingredients. Mix in remaining ingredients. Drop by tsp. full 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375oF for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned {if you notice your cookies are starting to spread too thin while they are baking - I hate it when that happens! - try adding a bit more flour to the dough so it stays thicker}.

Fun Variation:
Instead of putting in choclate chips or some other such "normal addition", try putting miniature marshmallows and then baking them up. You gotta use a lot of marshmallows or it really doesn't make a difference. It's a really fun twist to the normal cookie - and kids love it {I really loved the way they turned out}!

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't remember for sure, but I believe I got this recipe from Kraft. And they really live up to their name! They are truly extraordinary!

Need:

• 1 & 1/4 cup granualated sugar
• 1 & 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 & 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 bag chips (24 oz) I didn't even come close to using this many

Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, shortening, vanilla & eggs with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda & salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
- On un-greased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
-Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light brown. (it only took about 8 minutes in my oven) Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to a cooling rack.

Makes:
About 5 dozen cookies

As you can see, I made these cookies with mint and chocolate chips. That turned out really well.