Birthday Cupcakes

Star Cupcakes
Idea from Wilton Cupcake Fun book

I made these cupcakes for Chase's birthday. They turned out really cute and they were tasty. The kids loved them. I don't think Chase tried even one though. He doesn't like sweets. I think the cupcakes looked much better in person than in photos. I'm still getting used to my new camera.

Ingredients

1 recipe of your favorite cupcakes (24 cupcakes)
white frosting
1 recipe sugar cookies (I used the Wilton one below and here)
colored sprinkle sugar


Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift baking powder with flour. Add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be very stiff. Blend in the last of the flour by hand. Do not chill dough. Roll and cut out shapes. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. remove cookies to cooling grid to cool completely. One recipe should yield 24 star cookies.

Bake 24 cupcakes and let cool. Frost cupcakes. Frost star cookies and sprinkle with sugar. Place cookies on top of cupcakes.

Valentine's Cookie Basket

Valentines Cookie Basket

After much prodding from my co-workers, I have decided to sell my baked goods creations for the first time. I am making Valentines Day Cookie Baskets. I will not be shipping this year and I am only making a limited quantity. I have already taken several orders. I am excited and nervous about my new business venture.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies
from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yields 24 large cookies

Cocoa Almond Meringues

Cocoa Almond Meringues
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours
Makes about 30 cookies

1 C. confectioner’s sugar (plus extra for dusting) *Note: I skipped the dusting
1/3 C. finely ground almonds
1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/3 C. finely chopped bittersweet chocolate *Note: I used semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the confectioner’s sugar, ground almonds, and cocoa. (Note: If you have a food processor, it’s incredibly easy to grind the almonds. Just toss a handful in and pulse until you have a fine meal.)

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large dry bowl (make sure the bowl is impeccably clean and dry), whip the egg whites and salt on medium speed until the whites are opaque. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip as you add the granulated sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time. Then whip until the whites are firm and hold stiff peaks — they should still be very shiny. Beat in the vanilla, and remove the bowl from the mixer. With a large rubber spatula, quickly but gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the chopped chocolate. The whites will deflate a bit as you fold in the dry ingredients — just try to work rapidly and use a light touch so you deflate them as little as possible.

Drop the meringue by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the mounds. Dust the tops of the cookies very lightly with powdered sugar.*

Bake for 10 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temp to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour more. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the meringues to stand in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until they reach room temperature.

Carefully peel the meringues off the parchment paper. Store in an airtight tin in a cool, dry environment.

Notes: I tried to make the cookies tablespoon-sized, but I still ran out of room on my two cookie sheets and had leftover dough. I baked two cookie sheets side-by-side in the oven, but I suspect you could do one sheet on each rack. Use the racks to divide the oven into thirds first.

If you like this recipe then you might also try Snow Caps.

Cookie Bouquet

One of my 12 Days of Christmas Treats items was a Cookie Pop. Each Cookie Pop can be given away individually or as a Cookie Bouquet. Here is a picture of one of my Cookie Bouquets.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

12 Days of Christmas Treats: Day 12

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

From: http://smittenkitchen.com

1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Cookie Pops

12 Days of Christmas Treats: Day 3

Cookie Pops
A Wilton Project Idea

Supplies:
Wilton Comfort Grip Tree cookie cutter
Wilton Comfort Grip candy cane cookie cutter
8" cookie sticks
Red Cookie icing
White Cookie icing
Green Cookie icing
Primary fondant multi-pack
Piping gel
White nonpareils
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Shortening
Container to display cookie bouquet

Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift baking powder with flour. Add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be very stiff. Blend in the last of the flour by hand. Do not chill dough. Roll and cut out shapes. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. remove cookies to cooling grid to cool completely.

Tips
1. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll dough to a thickness of 3/8" on the parchment paper.
3. Dust cookie cutters with flour to prevent sticking. Cut out on parchment paper lined cookie sheet to eliminate transferring. Remove excess dough.
4. Leave 1" space between cookies because they will spread slightly when cooking.
5. Bake small batches of 3 to 4 cookies at a time.
6. To insert cookie sticks
-Place hand on top of cookie to hold in place
-Insert cookie stick by twisting and pushing stick into cookie
-Insert cookie stick all the way to within 1/2" to top of cookie

Decorate cookie pops as desired. Present cookie bouquet in a festive container decorated with curling ribbon, tissue paper, and tinsel. Or wrap individual pops in plastic and give as favors.

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
pinch of grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts (I omitted this since I used crunchy peanut butter)
about ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You’ll have a soft, pliable (mushable, actually) dough.

Pour the ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction – you should have a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storage:
The cookies will keep for at least 5 days in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

These were perfect peanut butter cookies - crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I highly recommend this recipe.

Funfetti Cookies

Funfetti Cookies
From: Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 (15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting


1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.

2. Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

3. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

The cafeteria at my former workplace had awesome chocolate chip cookies. It was the only thing I liked that they made. One of my co-workers asked them for the recipe and they gave it to her. She passed it on to me. At one time this was my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I miss placed the recipe and didn't make them again for several years. Yesterday when I was searching through some old documents I found the recipe again. The quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe might be over. I think we have a clear winner. These are awesome! They are even better than I remember.


Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
from the Coburn Cafeteria

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside. Mix butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs and mix well. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie continues. We tried these Cooks Illustrated cookies but weren't thrilled. I thought they tasted like they had too much flour in them. I like them better than Dorie's but so far Nestle Toll House is still ahead.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Cooks Illustrated and The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Makes 1½ dozen 3-inch cookies

CI note: 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.

2⅛ cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10½ ounces)
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 7 ounces
½ cup granulated sugar (3½ ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)

1. Heat oven to 325F. 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 ¼ 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.

12 Days of Cookies Recap

This was a tough challenge but I did it! I made 12 cookies/desserts in 12 days. I am everyone's favorite co-worker at my office. My husband is thrilled that I am finished "storming the kitchen" as he calls it. And I think I've satisfied my urge to bake lately. Maybe there will be a few more treats before Christmas though.

Originally I didn't plan on judging the recipes because I just wanted to try some new treats but there were strong opinions on the "winners".

My Favorites: Baklava & Chocolate Cherry Bon Bon Cookies
Chase's Favorite: Chocolate Chip (he's a simple man)
Co-workers Favorite: Rum Balls (but I didn't put rum in the ones I brought to work. I didn't want it to get too crazy)

The Round Up

Day 1: Egg Nog Cookies


Day 2: Chocolate Biscotti



Day 3: Snowball Cookies


Day 4: Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies


Day 5: Black and Tan Pinwheels


Day 6: Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies


Day 7: Cream Cheese Spritz


Day 8: Apple Pie Cookies


Day 9: Rum Balls


Day 10: Chocolate Cherry Bon Bon Cookies


Day 11: Molly's Cookies (for my dog Molly)


Day 12: Baklava


If you still haven't had enough cookies and treats be sure to check out Beantown Baker who is also participating in the 12 Days of Cookies Challenge.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 11

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).

Molly's Cookies

Recipe by Me

These are homemade dog treats I created for my dog Molly.

1 box Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 slice of bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix Jiffy, egg, and peanut butter in a bowl. Cook bacon in a skillet, toaster oven or microwave. Add bacon and grease to batter bowl. Crumble bacon and stir. Roll out dough into 1/2 inch thick. Cut out with bone shaped cookie cutter or other cookie cutter of choice. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until dry.

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 10

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).



Chocolate Cherry Bon Bon Cookies
adapted from cooksrecipes.com and Wilton

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 maraschino cherry for each cookie
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces white chocolate

1. Combine flour and cocoa; set aside.
2. With electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and baking powder until blended. Add egg, vanilla and cherry flavoring; beat until well combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 1/2 -inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Press down center of each ball with thumb to create a small hollow; fill each center with a cherry.
3. Heat oven to 350°F.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Remove to wire racks and cool.
5. In small pan over low heat, melt chocolate chips. In another bowl melt white chocolate. Drizzle white chocolate and chocolate chips over cookies. Allow to dry.
   

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 9

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).

Today's recipe isn't really a cookie but what is Christmas without rum balls?

Rum Balls

method adapted from Bakerella Blog Cupcake Pops

1 pkg chocolate cake mix plus ingredients to make cake

1 container cream cheese frosting

4 shots rum

1 pkg chocolate bark

1/4 pkg white chocolate bark

1. Prepare cake according to package directions and allow to cool completely.

2. Break up cake into crumbles and throughly mix with frosting.

3. Add rum to cake/frosting mix and throughly combine.

4. Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper.

5. Form cake mixture into 1 inch balls and set each ball on wax paper.

6. Freeze rum balls over night.

7. Melt chocolate bark in microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time until melted.

8. Remove rum balls from freezer.

9. Dip each ball in chocolate one at a time and allow excess to drip off. Set on wax paper to dry. *I found it easier to use bamboo skewers and place one ball on the skewer at a time. Use a spoon to cover the ball in chocolate and allow excess to drip off. Place skewers in a tall glass or vase until chocolate dries. If the rum balls become too soft place them back in the freezer until they are easier to work with.

10. Melt white chocolate in micorwave. Place in a small zipper sandwich bag and cut a tiny piece off one of the corners. Drizzle chocolate over each rum ball.

11. Enjoy!

12. Store in a cool, dry place or freeze them.

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 8

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).



Apple Pie Cookies

adapted from this pecan pie cookies recipe

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling Ingredients:

canned apple pie filling

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour and baking powder in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie with thumb; rotate thumb to hollow out slightly. Fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon apple pie filling. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Makes 24 cookies.

Serving suggestions: sprinkle cinnamon on top and/or add a dollop or whip cream

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 7

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).



Cream Cheese Spritz
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 1 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together shortening, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and orange zest. Continue beating until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in flour, salt, and cinnamon. Fill the cookie press, and form cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet, and cool on wire racks.
   

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 6

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).



Dorie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (226g/8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
2/3 cup (115g) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces (335g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups (340g) store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup (100g) finely chopped pecans

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. The dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen. If you’d like, you can freeze rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, ready for baking. Freeze the mounds on a lined baking sheet, then bag them when they’re solid. There’s no need to defrost the dough before baking – just add another minute or two the baking time.
Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 5cm (2in) between spoonfuls.
Bake the cookies – one sheet at a time and rotating the sheets at the midway point – for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may be still a little soft in the middle, and that’s just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Makes 45

I found out that these spread A LOT. So I recommend either chilling the dough or leaving lots of space between the cookies. Mine all ran together. =(

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 5

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).




Black and Tan Pinwheels
from Everyday with Rachael Ray December 2008 - January 2009

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, preferably natural-style
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter and peanut butter at high speed, scraping down the bowl, until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and yolk. Mix in the milk and the flour mixture at low speed. Turn out onto a work surface and divide the dough in half. Knead the cocoa into one of the halves; cut in half and shape into two 3-inch squares. Cut the remaining piece of dough in half and shape into two 3-inch squares.
2. Scatter 1/4 cup peanuts onto a 15-inch sheet of parchment paper. Place a piece of chocolate dough on top and roll out to a 5-by-11-inch rectangle, straightening the sides with a bench scraper. Roll out a piece of plain dough to a 4-by-11-inch rectangle on another sheet of parchment. Invert the plain dough onto the chocolate dough; peel off the parchment. Grasp the bottom piece of parchment from the long side and roll up the two pieces of dough together into a cylinder. Wrap tightly in the parchment paper, transfer to a cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and peanuts.
3. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough, trim the ends and slice into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Transfer to the cookie sheets and bake, switching halfway through, until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

My 12 Days of Cookies - Day 4

Every year the Food Network features 12 Days of Cookies. If you sign up here you can receive a new cookie recipe in your inbox each day.

Some of them look pretty good and some of them are not my style. This year I decided to do my own version of 12 Days of Cookies. Feel feel to join me in this challenge and make your own 12 cookie recipes (one each day).



Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies
by Me

4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
4 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 cup flour
sugar to dust on top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, maple syrup, and pumpkin. Add vanilla. Sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Slowly mix in flour. Mix until well blended. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into rounded teaspoons. Sprinkle sugar over top. Press flat into circles 1/8-inch thick. Gently press fork tines into each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 36 cookies.