gingerbread

mmm nothing says christmas baking like a good gingerbread man!
well the gingerbread man doesn't really talk.. but, well you know what i mean :)

i made this batch so that we could munch on cookies while making a gingerbread house with Everett, and they are very tasty!

i got the recipe from my chatelain magazine:

Gingerbread
3 cups flour
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice (i didn't have it so i used a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg & 1/4 tsp of cloves)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup fancy molasses

stir 2 cups flour with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt & baking soda in a large bowl. make a well in the centre.

beat butter with brown sugar in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, for 2 min. Beat in egg and molasses. Pour molasses mixture into flour mixture. Stir until all flour is incorporated. Stir in remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough is no longer sticky but still soft. Divide dough into 4 portions. Form into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Roll out 1 disc of dough** on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.

Bake in centre of oven until deep brown around edges and firm to the touch, about 7 minutes. Larger cut-outs may require more baking time. Repeat with remaining dough. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Cool sheets slightly before the next batch. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

**I normally let the dough sit on the counter to warm up slightly, and then knead it with my hands until it warms up a bit, or else it will crack as you roll it out.

 i cut out little animal shapes for Everett, i realize there isn't anything christmasy about a cow!!

decorate with icing and sprinkles or just eat plain and ENJOY!

cookie dough truffles

i got this recipe from my cousin emilee after sampling some that she had brought over
they are even better than they sound and they have been snatched up wherever I take them.

It makes a big batch so either prepare to share or feel really sick from eating them all yourself!

enjoy

Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Approximately 2 boxes of Bakers Semisweet Chocolate

Cream softened butter & sugar together. Add flour, sweetened condensed milk & vanilla. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper (or wax paper works too). Cover & refrigerate (or set outside if it's cold out) for about an hour.

Melt baker's chocolate in microwave (remember to use 1/2 power so you don't burn the chocolate, and stir often) for coating the truffles. (don't melt all of the chocolate at once, it'll cool too much and be hard to dip the truffles in)

Dip balls in melted chocolate and place on parchment/wax paper. Refrigerate until firm (10-15 minutes or so) these freeze very well too!

To make them look extra fancy, melt a small bowl of while chocolate chips, and place into a ziplock bag, cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag and then drizzle the chocolate all over the truffles & top with a few rainbow sprinkles.

Pope one in your mouth for a reward and enjoy!!!

smartie oatmeal cookies

when halloween was over, i had a lot of leftover candy
i decided to keep all the smarties for baking
i think they taste so much better when they are baked into a cookie
so i looked online and found this recipe
they made big, soft, delicious cookies

use your leftover candy to make these!

smartie oatmeal cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter
• 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups of large flake oats
• 1- 1 1/2 cups of Smarties
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugars. Once those are light and fluffy, beat in the eggs and vanilla, again until it’s light, airy and completely combined.
2. Take the flour and mix the baking soda in, then add to the bowl. Mix until the dry ingredients are blended in. Add in the oats, mixing until they are through the dough.
3. Mix the Smarties in by hand.
4. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Take a golf ball sized scoop and roll into said golf ball. Then flatten them on the cookie sheets.
6. Fit 6 six to a sheet. Or, if you choose to do larger ones, space accordingly. (You must flatten them to achieve the flat yet chewy goodness)
7. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes, watch them carefully, then pull them out when they look browned. They might be a little soft in the middle – good!
8. Cool them on the sheets completely.

enjoy!!

white chocolate chip craisin cookies

i found this recipe on the mennonite girls can cook blog
and they are DELICIOUS
for whatever reason (i'm guessing the craisins) they seem like a christmas cookie - i plan to make them again at christmas (or maybe sooner!) * Another idea for Christmas is that you can make these a "cookie jar" gift. layer all the ingredients in a glass jar. include a tag with the recipe. all they (the gift receiver) need to add is the margarine, eggs and vanilla.
they are easy and delicious

ingredients:
2/3 cup margarine, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking poder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup craisins
1 cup white chocolate chips

method:
mix together margarine, brown sugar and eggs until smooth. add remaining ingredients and mix.

place onto cookie sheets by the tablespoon.
bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. allow to rest on pan for 1 minute and then remove to cooling racks.

yields approximately 2 dozen cookies.
cookies freeze well.


enjoy!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

classic, delicious... yum!

found this recipe online, and they were a hit

ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar. beat in eggs and vanilla. combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. stir in oats and chocolate chips.

drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes. cool on wire racks.

share & enjoy!

brownie cookies

yup. there is such a thing.
and they are delicious.
soft. tasty. ooooh so good.

and almost to easy to admit.

brownie cookies
1 pkg chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup rolled oats

combine all ingredients, mix well. batter will be stiff.
drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.
bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degree.
cool before removing from cookie sheets.

yields 30 large (delicious) cookies

krista's mom's super duper delicious chocolate chip cookies

my friend Krista posted a picture of these cookies on her blog the other day, so i asked for the recipe & now i have some freshly baked cookies to take to my girls night with leah & amanda. tasty

here is the recipe:

1 C Margarine

1 C White sugar

1/2 C Brown sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 C Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 pkg. Choclate Chips

* Cream together margarine and sugars

* Beat in eggs and vanilla

*Add flour, soda, salt and chocolate chips

(a tip from Krista - the best cookies are made when the dough is more stiff than wet. I usually add a bit more flour to make it the right consistency. Also, it helps if the margarine is soft.)

* Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet

* Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

Try not to eat them all in one sitting.

delicious!

pudding cookies with oreos

to those of you who check this blog
it's your lucky day!

i'm posting a second recipe from my day of baking

this one is called pudding cookies, because they use jello pudding
my mom used to make these cookies when i was a kid
and i loved them because they never failed
they were delicious
and you could change the flavor based on the pudding you used!

also, recently i heard that someone i know put oreos into their cookies. brilliant!
so i decided to make a batch of these cookies, using chocolate fudge pudding (my personal favorite, although i have been known to enjoy vanilla, butterscotch & even pistachio pudding cookies)

i made one pan with oreos & one pan without
michael has already had one, straight from the oven
and then he was walking around with chocolate on his face
enjoying himself too much to care i suppose :)

so here is the recipe & some photos

Pudding Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (4oz) Jello instant pudding
2 eggs
1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, sugar, pudding mix and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be stiff. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Cookies do not spread out, so you can place them fairly close together.

Bake at 375 degree for 8-10 minutes.

If you want to add an oreo, grab a teaspoon of dough, and flatten it. place oreo on top of dough and then wrap the dough around it completely. Place on cookie sheet.

enjoy!

cookies with oreos inside

see? proof!

that is one happy husband! :)