This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge, we were given Bacon and Eggs to work with. Now — there are SO many things you can make with bacon and eggs because they are two versatile ingredients. I chose to find a way to incorporate them into a sweet recipe instead of a savory one, so I created Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you have ever had salty and sweet in the same bite and fell head over heels in love, then you will LOVE this cookie recipe. The key is getting your bacon good and crispy without overcooking it.
- 1 egg
- 1 stick butter (room temp.)
- 1 box of chocolate chunk cookie mix
- 8-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place two sheets of paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Place 4 strips of bacon on top of the paper towel thencover your bacon strips with one more layer of paper towels. Microwave for 3-5 minutes. Be sure to check your bacon periodically as all microwave ovens vary.
- Bacon must be crisp, not chewy. Repeat with remaining strips and set aside to cool.
- Mix room temperature butter and egg until combined and then add the cookie mix.
- Chop your bacon strips. Try to get them all the same size. If you do not, no worries. Big chunks of bacon make for delicious bites of cookies
- Gently fold the bacon into cookie dough.
- Scoop cookies out onto a baking sheet in 1 inch proportions (or bigger if you want bigger cookies).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just golden around the edges. Cool on a cookie rack and then enjoy!
- Beware — you will eat more than one!
I am now in cookie heaven! Be sure to check out all the other amazing recipes in the Improv Cooking Challenge.
Yesterday was one of my friend’s 21st birthday. He asked me if I knew how to make homemade samoas because it is his all time favorite Girl Scout cookie. I told him YES!, so Kayla and I made him a batch
These cookies are a bit time consuming to make, but SO worth it.
- 1 cup butter, soft
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 12-oz chewy caramels
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F.In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky. The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.
- Roll the dough in batches out between pieces of wax paper to about ¼-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1½-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a baking sheet and cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Toast coconut over medium heat on your stove top until golden. Cool, stirring occasionally. Be careful, coconut burns easily! Set aside.
- Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
- Using a small offset spatula or spoon, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with. Spread mixture onto the cookie by teaspoonfuls with an offset spatula.
- While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the tiny corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
- Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
There were a couple of things I learned while making these that I thought I would share with you, just in case you have the same problem when you make them.
- Make sure not to roll your cookies out too thin. I rolled mine almost too thin and they were breaking when I was transferring them to the cooling rack.
- Don’t press too hard when adding your caramel and coconut mixture to the top. The cookies will break.
- When spreading your chocolate, only snip a teeny tiny corner off so you get the right sized stripes
So — there you have it! Homemade samoas. What copy cat foods have you made recently?
A couple of weeks ago, we had a bake sale at church. My daughter found a recipe in one of my cookbooks called Desserts in Jars. It basically was a cookie mix with all of the dry ingredients added. A note was attached to the side with the list of wet ingredients and how to bake them. This really makes for an adorable gift to give someone.
She made up a couple for our bake sale. My pastor’s wife bought one set and made them that afternoon and talked about how delicious they were, so I bought the other box to make for us at home. They turned out DELICIOUS!
Here is the recipe in it’s entirety for you to make at home. You will definitely want more of these cookies.
- 2 sticks of Butter (salted) Softened
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 1-1/2 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1-1/2 cup QUICK Oats
- ½ cup M & M’S
- ½ cup Pecans, Chopped
- ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2-1/4 cups Rice Krispies
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined. After that, add in remaining ingredients in whatever quantity you prefer.
- Add Rice Crispies at the very end, mixing until just combined. Be careful not overmix!
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, then allow to cool on a rack.
What is the best cookie you have ever made?
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Awhile back Kayla and I were looking for a new recipe to make. We stumbled upon this one for Dr. Pepper Cookies. Of course we both squealed with delight, because Dr. Pepper is her all time favorite drink, and my hubby likes it too, so I was willing to make the cookies just for them.
These cookies really are delicious and honestly, I am not a Dr. Pepper fan — and I loved these. They don’t even have a really strong taste of Dr. Pepper, just a hint of it.
I will tell you that these cookies do harden after a while, so you will want to heat them in the microwave to soften them again when you go to eat them.
If you have leftover batter laying around, then you can do like my daughter and pretty much just use the remaining batter to make one HUGE cookie for her daddy
Here’s the recipe. Hope you enjoy it! We did .
- ¾ cup margarine
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup Dr. Pepper soda
- 2-1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of Dr. Pepper Soda
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cream margarine and sugar; beat until fluffy. Add flour and salt alternately with Dr. Pepper. Add vanilla, pecans and chocolate chips. Shape into balls, place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes and the remove the cookies and allow them to cool.
- To make the glaze, add 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1-2 tbsp Dr Pepper Soda and drizzle over cookies. You can also dunk them in the cookie.
What new cookies have you been making?
I love holiday baking and if you look around my site for very long you will find that out! I did some searching myself through my cookie recipes, and discovered that last year I baked a lot of goodies! In fact, I have 5 favorite cookies that I will be making again this year.
Chocolate Kiss Cookies
These little cookies are super easy to make and are always a favorite of everyone. Just a yummy cookie with a chocolate kiss on top. You can dress these up for any holiday, but for Christmas, we always add red and green sprinkles.
Peppermint Meringues
These delicious little puffs of air turned out SO good last year that I am seriously going to make them again this year. It literally takes minutes to throw together and then you send them into the oven to cook for a couple of hours.
Kris Kringle Cookies
These are Stephen’s favorites. They are really chocolatey and very good. Once the dough has chilled in the fridge, they come together in minutes.
Gingerbread Men Without Molasses
I cannot stand molasses and so I never eat gingerbread cookies. But when I discovered this recipe, my love for those little men came rushing back!
Snickerdoodles
Christmas would not be complete without a big batch of Snickerdoodles. I make these for every occasion!
So what is your favorite holiday cookie?
 Reprint from 2011.Â
Kayla is really into baking now. She and a friend made these Chocolate Kiss Cookies during Christmas (that is why they are red and green). However, you can put whatever color sprinkles you want on them–red and blue for the 4th of July, pink and yellow for Easter, orange and black for Halloween–the possibilities are ENDLESS!
Here is how she made them!
Chocolate Kiss Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Colored sprinkles of your choice
- 5 dozen kisses, unwrapped
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Add butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Make balls out of level tablespoons of dough – add flour if needed. Roll in colored sprinkles.
Bake 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and add 1 kiss to the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes.
Cool and enjoy.
This recipe is one of those that you want to add to your everyday holiday collection. You can make a batch of these and give them away as holiday gifts to all your family members.
This month I joined a Virtual Online Cookie Swap. I loved it because it turned out to be the coolest cookie swap ever! It’s like a Secret Santa meets a Christmas Cookie swap with many friends, except it is all done online.
I received 3 different boxes of cookies in the mail from three very sweet ladies. Molasses cookies which were my fave (I won’t tell you that I ate almost the entire box myself). I also received a box of sugar cookies and a delicious box of chocolate peppermint type cookies that were SO good. Thank you ladies for the blessing
In return, I had to make 3 dozen cookies and mail them out. I chose to make Peppermint Merinuges. This recipe came straight from the Bon Appetit Magazine. I knew as soon as I saw the recipe that this cookie would become one of our favorites for the holidays.
They look just like little peppermint candies!
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 12 drops red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This is an important step. The first time I made tem I did not use this and they stuck to the pan, so be sure and use the parchment paper.
- Using a stand mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until white and foamy, about 1 minute.
- With mixer running, gradually add sugar in 3 additions beating for 2 minutes between each addition.
- Beat until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes longer. Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract; beat to blend, about 1 minute.
- Squeeze droplets of coloring over surface of meringue; do not stir (the coloring will form swirls when piped).
- Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" tip, or just you a regular zip lock bag with 1/2 corner cut off.
- Pipe 1" rounds onto prepared sheet, spacing 1" apart.
- Bake meringues until dry, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Let cool completely, about 1 hour (meringues will crisp as they cool).
- Store airtight at room temperature between sheets of parchment or waxed paper.
The other night I was craving chocolate, Kayla was craving chocolate–heck the WHOLE family was craving chocolate. The problem was, there was not a stitch of it to be found in the house! I searched online and found this delicious recipe for chocolate spice cookies Hello little chocolatey goodness! Come to momma
Here is my version of the recipe! These would make a great addition to anyone’s cookie swap as it makes a ton of cookies!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts
- Drizzle Icing
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons of milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cooled coffee, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in nuts. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle (1 to 2 hours).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough into walnut-sized balls (about 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm. (Cookies may still appear soft. Do not overbake.) Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Drizzle with icing. Let icing dry. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
This month’s Crazy Cooking Challenge was Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!! I found the recipe I wanted to make at Love and Olive Oil.
These turned out SO good and the pumpkin flavor shined through. My son’s friend called them a “bag of happy goodness”
I did leave some ingredients out because I did not have them and they still tasted fabulous, so here ya go!
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree ( i made fresh pumpkin)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups (12-ounce bag) chocolate chips
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.
After making Resurrection Cookies with Kayla over Easter, she fell in love with the light and airy taste, so we decided to try our hand at making regular meringue cookies.
Kayla decided to add color to them (that’s the kind of girl she is)
These were so easy to make and did not take long at all! I can think of so many possibilities to use these cookies:
~Crushed up in coffee
~Crushed up on top of ice cream
~Made smaller and used to decorate a cake
All the possibilities are endless!
Here’s the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Meringue Kiss Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup white sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. To prevent burning you can bake on parchment paper on a regular cookie sheet.
- Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla until very firm. Gradually add sugar and mix.
- If coloring, separate into bowls and add just a drop or two of food coloring.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls on pan. Bake 300 degrees for 25 minutes. They should only be lightly browned.
This recipe has been adapted from All Recipes.
I found this photo hiding amongst our homeschool photos from year 2008! It was the first time that Kayla got in the kitchen and baked cookies ALL BY HERSELF!
Here is the recipe that she used. All I can say is that homemade is way better than storebought, cheaper, better for you, and super easy to make!
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.
When she wants to bake, I no longer have to tell her, “I don’t have time.”
When she gets decorator gel all over my counter or slings icing from here to kingdom come, I just look around and think, “I wish my mom would have not cared about the messes that were made in the kitchen.” I just smile at her, shake my head and thank God that she loves to cook. I overlook the mess because I want her to understand that life does not have to be perfect.
She is an artist by heart. It is her passion. It shows in everything she does–even her sugar cookies! Thanks to Hershey and all the stuff they sent me, we were able to get in the kitchen and bake another batch of Christmas cookies, which she is taking to a friends house tomorrow.
Here is the recipe that we used for these yummy cookies!
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl: beat 1 egg with 1 cup softened butter or margarine until light and fluffy. At low speed of an electric mixer add 1 teaspoon vanilla and the flour mixture. Mix until combined, using hands if necessary. Cover dough and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- assorted food coloring
Directions
- In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
- Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, use a pastry bag, or paint them with a brush.
This post is linked to Vegetarian Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck, Fat Camp Friday, Favorite Things Friday,
I love letting my daughter and her friends get in the kitchen in cook. It does this momma’s heart good to know that my child will be able to cook for herself when she chooses to move out on her own. Her latest creation you ask?
Kris. Kringle. Fudge. Cookies.
Since Hershey sent me a HUGE box of stuff to use to bake goodies, I figured, why not let her go wild and bake some cookies?
She baked one batch (which I will share later this week), and her friend baked this batch. Do they not look scrumptious?
Here’s the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- Stir cocoa into butter in large bowl; cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt; beat until well blended. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup flour and pecans until blended. Cover; refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
- Heat oven to 300°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place balls 3-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes until tops have crackled appearance and are set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 2-1/2 dozen cookies.
Recipe reprinted from Hershey website.
This post is linked to Anti Procrastination Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday, What’s On Your COokie Plate.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa or HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- Stir cocoa into butter in large bowl; cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt; beat until well blended. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup flour and pecans until blended. Cover; refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
- Heat oven to 300°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place balls 3-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes until tops have crackled appearance and are set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 2-1/2 dozen cookies.
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HERSHEY’S Natural Unsweetened Cocoa
Our classic unsweetened, natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder is ideal for hot cocoa, frostings, cakes, brownies and other rich chocolate desserts.
I have heard of this cookies quite frequently, but never thought I would find myself making any–since I am not a big fan of coconut.
However, my husband seems to love these, so usually if he confides in me that he loves something, then I do my best to make him that type of food or sweet since he works so hard.
They turned out really good! Hope you enjoy.
Ingredients
5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
I love Paula Deen! Last year, she made a dessert on her show that had me foaming at the mouth! These little dudes are SO good. They don’t really take that much time to create either–and it makes a TON!
Don’t they just look mouth watering? I know. . . I amaze myself sometimes!
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup cocoa
Filling:
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Maraschino cherries, chopped
- Red food coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cookie: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat. In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, boiling water, vanilla, and blend this into the creamed mixture at low speed.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add to mixture 1 cup at a time, blending well at low speed. Batter will be very thin but do not worry. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and transfer to waxed paper.
To make the filling: Place flour in a saucepan and slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring until very thick. Mixture should become as thick as solid vegetable shortening. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, cream together sugar, butter, shortening, and vanilla, using a handheld electric mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy. Add chopped maraschino cherries and a few drops of red food coloring until desired color is reached.
Spread filling onto bottom side of cookie and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.
When my funds are low and I need a sweet for friends who are coming over or just to have something to soothe my sweet tooth, I make a batch of snickerdoodles.
- 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-2/3 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add all the other dry ingredients(except for the sugar mixed with cinnamon–add this to a bowl all by itself) until everything is combined.
Shape the dough into balls the size of a walnut, or an egg yolk. Rollthem in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place the coated balls on an oiledcookie sheet. Using the bottom of a smooth cup or glass, press thedough down to flatten the cookies slightly. Bake them at 400° for 10minutes.
Enjoy!
If you are my friend on Facebook, you know I have been looking for a recipe to make gingerbread men without molasses, cause frankly, molasses are just NASTY! Anyway, this past week, I found a recipe that is just delicious! It uses butterscotch pudding instead. Here is our result:
They turned out really good—without icing! Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy!!
My friend Becky over at Do It Yourselfdom turned me on to this blog, The Pioneer Woman. She has the most delightful recipe you could ever imagine posted on her blog. It has step by step instructions with pictures on how to make this lovely dessert! And ya’ll know how much I love a homemade recipe, and did I mention it’s chocolate!!!!!
So without further ado….here is the recipe for Spreads.
Enjoy!
Yesterday was our first day of just letting loose for the holidays! Look at these adorable pilgrim hats we made. The recipe for Pilgrim Hats came from the Disney Family Fun website.
I saw a video for making these on the Disney Family Fun website. If you have never checked it out, you have GOT to go there! Tons of free printable puzzles, worksheets, and crafts to do with your kids.
You would have thought I had just given the kids each $1000 the way they acted when I told them we were going to make these.
All you need to put these together are: 1 bag of large marshmallows, 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 bag of those chocolate striped cookies, and yellow icing to pipe for the buckle. I used white icing with yellow food coloring—works just the same.
The first thing you do is lay out your cookies. Flip them up so that the stripe side is down. Then take your chocolate chips and melt them in the microwave. The best thing to do is do it in thirty second intervals, stirring between each one. After you have done that, take a toothpick and stick in the marshmallow and roll it around in the chocolate.
Once you have rolled it around in the chocolate, pop it on top of a cookie. Continue this until you have finished all the cookies. They should look like this:
Stick them in the refrigerator to give the chocolate time to harden up. Once they have hardened, then you can pipe the yellow icing on them.
When you are done, they look like this:
My husband came home for lunch and fell in love with these. He has requested us to make a triple batch for him to take to the police station! Guess we will be busy this week huh? Having fun during the holidays is awesome!
This post is linked to Foodie Friday.
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- assorted food coloring
- Directions:1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) .
- Over a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in lightly beaten egg, cream, and vanilla. Blend well. Dough may be chilled, if desired.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Sprinkle with sugar; cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until delicately brown.
- Directions:1.In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
- Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.
Hi! I am Jen--a wife to the most amazing man ever and a homeschool mom to one teenager. I just graduated my oldest.
I have been blogging since 2007. I love to watch movies, spend time in the kitchen, crochet, dance, drink coffee, and lay on the beach. Between recipes, reviews, and hilarious life story moments you'll find many helpful posts on this blog. Welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while!
A note to my graduate today http://t.co/4L4PqIfwg6 #thisiswhyILoveBlogging #homeschool #graduate - jennifer_sikora
@jennifer_sikora that sounds good! - akemisue- RT @heidistjohn: It's a myth that physical intimacy isn't all that important! #hsttd - jennifer_sikora
- RT @Kela__Nellums: Free Jamestown Unit Study by Stephanie Harrington. Uses book-Jamestown Struggle for Survival by Marc http://t.co/fhNWgiZ… - jennifer_sikora
- RT @DuckDynastyAE: Finish up your dinner and tune in NOW to the #DuckDynasty marathon. Are you joining us? http://t.co/FtjXEyiO4w - jennifer_sikora
jennifer_sikora
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