Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

I love cookies. I mean LOVE cookies (and cupcakes, and brownies and fudge...okay, any dessert, LOL). I try not to make cookies the rest of the year, because then I'll EAT them, but at the holidays, I go on a baking spree :-) This week, I made White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints, Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars, and Melted Snowmen cookies.

First up was the Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars, a request from a friend after I saw it on Pinterest. They were delicious, and really easy! I bought the Peanut Butter Pretzels at Meijer--there was a plastic jar of them on the potato chip aisle, by the pretzels. I used Nestle's Chocolate Chip Cookie dough. I ate all the crumbs :-)


Next up is my White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints, which is one of my own recipes (and is featured in Sugar and Spice). It's a favorite with my whole family, and an annually requested recipe. The kids have already eaten all the extras :-) They freeze super well, and are quick and easy. See below for the recipe.

Then I made my Melted Snowman cookies. They weren't as pretty as last year's, and that's because I used the canned Betty Crocker frosting instead of buying the pro tips at the candy and cake decorating store. I almost always forget I've got those metal cake decorating tips in the sink and grind one or more up in the garbage disposal, LOL.


Melted Snowman Cookies
 

These ones are pretty easy. I use the recipe from The Somewhat Simple blog. I use Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (I find that works better than the refrigerated, already made kind), Then I buy the Royal Icing mix, add enough water to make it at "flood" stage, and do the decorating on top of waxed paper.

I bought the Betty Crocker black, green, orange and red icing cans this year, but would definitely recommend pro decorating  tips if you can get them. It takes a little practice, but overall, the decorating is pretty easy, especially for non-crafter like me :-)

I assembled them all on a tray for a party I'm going to tomorrow night. I was going to decorate the tray, then figured the cookies were enough decoration :-)


White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints
(from Sugar and Spice)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I always use real vanilla)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white chocolate chips
Red sugar sprinkles
 
Trust me, these ones are so good, you won’t have any left for guests (and whoever invented that rule about sharing your cookies, anyhow? It’s Christmas, indulge yourself a little). In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the shortening with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer and let the machine do the work), then add the sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, cream of tarter, and the salt. Beat just until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour gradually. Cover the dough and refrigerate for three hours. I know, it’s a long wait, but it’ll be worth it later. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, press a circular indentation into the center of each cookie. Drop a 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour yourself a glass of milk and get into serious cookie-eating mode. Skip lunch if you have to-there’s no way a tuna on rye can compete.

Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until the chips are melted. Pour the white chocolate into a resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle cookies with red sugar to add that festive flair.

Now you’re ready to indulge-don’t worry about the calories until January 1st. Makes three dozen, just enough for you and a friend!

 

Did you catch my post on the cupcakes and the Salted Caramel Shortbread I made the other week? Tell me, what cookies are you making this year? Which ones are your MUST HAVE cookies for the holidays?

 

Shirley

Salted Caramel Shortbread

I may never eat another vegetable again. I think I'm going to go the rest of my life, eating these every single meal. They are that good. Just awesomeness, in every bite.

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
kosher salt

3 sticks butter (3/4 pound), unsalted, room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the caramel. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the milk into a pie plate, stir in 1/4 teaspooon kosher salt, and cover it tightly with foil. Put the pie plate in a big roasting pan, and fill it halfway up the pie plate with hot water. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, adding more water if necessary. Let cool, then whisk until smooth.

Meanwhile, make the cookies.Set the oven at 350 degrees. The butter has to be room temp for this to work well, so what I did was set the butter out first thing in the morning, make the caramel, then about 15 minutes before that was done, I made the cookies.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add the vanilla. Mix the salt with the flour, then add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until the dough comes together. I formed the dough into square logs (though you can make it into a plate shape and roll it out; I just hate doing cut-out cookies). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Slice or cut the dough into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick cookies (mine were like 1/3 an inch). They don't spread much, so you can get quite a few on an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake for 20-24 minutes, switching the cookie sheets halfway through to get even cooking. Keep an eye on them because they go from perfect to burned fast.

Put wax paper under your cooling rack. Remove cookies from the oven, place on the cooling racks. Heat the caramel for 30 seconds in the microwave, then put it in a Ziploc bag and snip one end (to make a homemade pastry bag). Drizzle cookies with caramel, then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Eat. Repeat ;-)

Shirley

Christmas Treats :-)

 

I love baking at Christmas. It's a nice excuse to have a few thousand extra calories, all in the name of a holiday, of course ;-) I know I'll be running off these calories for the rest of winter, but hey, these desserts are worth it.

Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes
 

 

I've been spending WAY too much time on Pinterest lately, pinning cupcakes and cookies and all kinds of dessert ideas. I saw these Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes and HAD to have them. Reese's are, after all, my favorite candy eva, and these were like big Reese's. They're cupcakes with buckeyes in the center, and Reese's on top.

I mean, really, what more does one need?

Not to mention, they were EASY.

PEANUT BUTTER SURPRISE CUPCAKES

Center: 1 1/2 cups Peanut butter

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups confectionary sugar

Mix all in a mixer (my trusty Kitchen Aid was busy tonight!) then form into balls a little smaller than 1-inch around.

 

For the cupcakes, I mixed up Devil's Food cake mix. Line your cupcake pans with liners, add a little cake mix on the bottom, put in a peanut butter ball, then top with enough cake mix to cover. Bake as directed on the box.

 

The frosting is a Peanut Butter Buttercream  (I know, the calories in this...I can't even think about them!)

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream (I used half-and-half)

4-5 cups confectionary sugar

 

Blend all in the mixer, whipping on high speed until fluffy. Add more or less cream and confectionary sugar to get the consistency you want. Frost, top with a mini Reese's, and eat!

 

 

These are the ones I made for my husband's company (along with some Kiss cookies).

Then I made these fun Santa cupcakes. It's a basic yellow cake cupcake (from my trusty Betty Crocker), topped with white buttercream (what I did was double the above recipe for buttercream, but left out the peanut butter. Frosted the Santa ones first, then mixed in the PB and frosted the Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes).

The legs are Twizzlers, cut in thirds. Dip in frosting, then top with black frosting boots. I sprinkled the cupcakes with white sparkles. Easy and cute!!

 

Follow me on Pinterest, or let me know if you're a foodie like me and I'll follow you! Also, look for info soon about a new book!

 

I'm off to have cupcakes and milk! :-)

 

Shirley

Low-Fat Cake with Nutella Buttercream

Okay, so this is a cake that kind of cancels itself out, sort of the fries with Diet Coke theory ;-) But in my defense, it's overall pretty healthy and I only made half a buttercream frosting, so it's a thin layer of that. Not so bad, right?

I saw both recipes on Pinterest and thought they'd be more fun together ;-)

The cake recipe is from Dr. Oz and is insanely simple. I found that using a name-brand cake mix (Pillsbury) produced a denser cake than store brand, so next time I use name-brand, I'll add a tiny bit more water. Also, the Dr Oz version called for plain Greek Yogurt, but I thought vanilla would add a tiny bit more flavor (and I was right ;-). I use Yoplait's, but there are a ton out there to choose from.

Low-Fat Devil's Food Cake

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 container Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 cup water

Preheat oven according to package directions (I use a 13 by 9 pan and did 350 degrees). Spray pan with cooking spray. Mix all three ingredients, pour into pan. Bake according to package directions. Cool, then frost.

Nutella Buttercream Frosting (half batch)

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Nutella spread
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed and light yellow in color. Add nutella, mix thoroughly. Add vanilla, then cream, and mix until combined. Frost :-)

That's it! It's easy and quick and a HUGE hit with my kids. Also, delicious with coffee for breakfast--something I know from personal experience ;-)

Shirley

Enter to Win a Kindle copy of THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE!

From now until midnight EST July 25, 2012, post your favorite chocolate treat below and be entered for a chance to win one of two Kindle copies of THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE. Note, this is for the Kindle ebook copy--and if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the free app for reading on your computer or iPad. All entries must comment below, and be sure to include a way to contact you.

Also, don't forget you can buy the Nook and Kindle editions of books #2 and #3 in the series! Look for THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION.

This contest is easy, it's fun, and should get all of us in the mood for a little chocolate! :-)

Shirley

189 Calorie Dessert, Free Online Read

It's a busy summer here for me! Not only do I have three ebooks out this summer (THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, THE DEVIL SERVED DESIRE and THE ANGEL TASTED TEMPTATION) but also three print books (ONE DAY TO FIND A HUSBAND, HOW THE PLAYBOY GOT SERIOUS and RETURN OF THE LAST MCKENNA (those are Kindle links but the books will be in paperback in stores too; look for Finn's book in stores now). The McKenna brothers were a blast to write, and I'm thrilled to add to their stories with a FREE online read featuring cousin Alec.

So, stop on by once a week (and I'll post the links here and on my Facebook author page as well each week) and see if Alec makes it right with his high school sweetheart in McKenna Homecoming.

This weekend, I tried out a 189-calorie cake for dessert. FABULOUS and really easy! It combines my favorite ingredients--peanut butter and chocolate, and ooooh, Reese's! I found the recipe here, and already pinned it on my Pinterest board, too! :-)

And one more piece of news--if you missed the latest edition of my newsletter, click here to read it online. Lots of news to share--I think I'm going to need a summer break from my summer! :-)

Shirley

Melted Snowman Cookies

This year for Thanksgiving we are going to a family member's house for dessert, and I figured everyone will bring pie, so why not make something different? I had seen these cookies on the Crazy Domestic blog and was dying to try them.

I bought Royal Icing mix at the cake decorating store. It was WAY cheaper than buying meringue powder to make my own (Royal Icing mix was $2, the meringue powder was nearly $8) and bought four tubes of frosting to decorate (black, orange, green and red).

I'm not much of a baker, at not at all a decorater, but I did have fun making these. My son did the hair (and then we all had a laugh at how everyone kinda looked like Ron Weasley). :-)

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! I'll be brining my turkey soon :-)

Shirley

Cupcake Heaven :-)

I love cake in all forms, but especially in the form of cupcakes...little bite size pieces of goodness. I mean LOVE cake. Anyone who wants to know the way to my heart and stomach...it's in cake with buttercream frosting. OMG, I'm in heaven.

So when I went to make dessert for Easter dinner, I knew I'd be making cupcakes. I've made Ina Garten's Carrot Cupcakes several times before with fabulous results. DH absolutely LOVES these carrot cupcakes and ate nearly as many as I did, LOL.

A lot of people in the reviews of the recipe on Food Network complain about the oven temp and have problems, but honestly, I have made these many times and followed the recipe to a T and never had a problem. The only things I do differently is skip the raisins, substitute pecans for the walnuts, and add the shaved, candied carrot on top, which she put in the Better Homes and Gardens version of the recipe. I love the little candied carrot bits on top. Just yummy :-)

This year, I also made her Peanut Butter frosted Chocolate Cupcakes, (pictured above) and decorated them with mini Reese's peanut butter cups. These ones weren't my favorites (that's not to say I didn't eat like three of them though, LOL). The chocolate cupcakes have more of a dark chocolate flavor, and I like my chocolate semi-sweet. They were good...just not my favorites. Judging by the family guests, though, the chocolate was a big hit. They were all gone after Easter dinner :-)

After watching Chris Kimball, from America's Test Kitchen, on the Today show, I wanted to try his red velvet cupcakes. I LOVED the cupcakes themselves, but the frosting was too close to the flavor of the one on the carrot cupcakes (almost identical recipes). When I make these again, I'll either do a buttercream frosting or not make the carrot ones at the same time :-)

I definitely need to unearth my pastry bag next time I make some cupcakes so I can make them all fancy like they do on Cupcake Wars. I love that show and the gorgeous work they do in such a short period of time. Wish I was there to eat the leftovers ;-)

What'd you make for Easter dessert? What's your favorite dessert? I don't make dessert very often (because then I EAT it, LOL) but it really is my favorite part of the meal. I have vowed that when I get old and gray, I'm only going to eat dessert. It worked for my grandma, who lived to 97 :-)

Shirley
PS: If you haven't already "liked" my Facebook author page, stop on by! It lets you keep up to date with my books and my blog posts!

More Christmas Cookies: Macadamia Nut Yummies

During my baking frenzy a couple weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I was making white chocolate macadamia nut. I've eaten plenty of these in my lifetime, but never made them, so when I got a few free minutes (my Christmas presents are all bought and wrapped--yeah!), I made a couple batches of these.

I had a bunch of my daughter's friends over last night for "Soup-a-Palooza Dos." I'd held one a month or so ago (and just realized I didn't blog about it...sorry! Will remedy that in the next few days). Anyway, I made these cookies as dessert to go with the soups. They were light and sweet, the perfect compliment, IMO.

I know Macadamia Nut cookies generally call for White Chocolate chips, but I had trouble finding those in the store...for some reason there weren't ANY. So I mixed half white chocolate chips that I had left in my cabinet and half Vanilla Chips, which is what the store had. I think it gave the cookies another dimension of flavor, and each chip was a little surprise, with the two working together nicely. Hence the name "Yummies." :-) You can do a little of both, as I have in my recipe below, or do one or the other (total is one cup of chips)

Macadamia Nut Yummies
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (plus a little extra if the batter is too wet)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda, then add to the batter a little at a time. If the batter is too moist, add another 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour. You want it pliable but not sticky. Stir in the nuts and chips.

Cut a sheet of parchment paper for each cookie sheet (trust me, it's worth it. You end up with pretty much zero cleanup). Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the ungreased sheets, about two inches apart. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for one minute before transferring to a wire rack.

I made 2 1/2 dozen with this recipe. You can get more or less, depending on the size of your cookies. Or how much raw batter you eat (not recommended by lawyers, salmonella and all that) while waiting on the first batch to cook ;-)

Shirley

Easy Christmas Treat: Nutty Balls

Yes, the name of this recipe cracks me up (and my friend Melanie Gold, who was the one to give me the recipe, has many other double entendre names for them ;-) Mel, as a side note, is THE MOST AMAZING pastry chef. It's not her full-time job, but really, it should be. I'm not much of a baker, and if I want an amazing treat (I'm still dreaming about the mini cupcakes she made me this fall), I know I'll find one at her house. Anyway, she made them for my friends get-together this summer and they were amazing. One of those things that are so yummy, it's impossible to eat just one.

The original recipe, Mel told me, comes from GREAT COOKIES by Carole Walter. Doesn't the cover of that book alone make you want some cookies? Alas, ours are gone (I froze some for our holiday party, then donated the rest to the school Cookie Walk...lest I eat them all. Now I DO want to eat them all, LOL).


Anyway, I know several of these amazing nutty balls are waiting in my freezer for the holiday party. And don't tell my Dad, but I'm bringing him some for Christmas this year :-)

Nutty Balls
Recipe from Melanie Gold

2-1/3 cups strained confectioners' sugar, spooned in and leveled
1 cup fine graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp
3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or morsels)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and crumbs. Add the butter and peanut butter and stir till thoroughly combined. Portion the dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-lined jelly roll pans/cookie sheets.

Combine the chocolate and veg. oil in a metal or glass bowl and melt over a pot of boiling water. (This is sometimes called a double boiler.) When chocolate is melted, turn off the heat but don't move the bowl. Place about half the nuts in a wide flat dish such as a pie plate.

Dip one ball at a time in the chocolate (Shirley's note: I used two forks, one to dip, then I transferred back and forth, and tapped the fork lightly on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate), then roll it in the peanuts, coating evenly. Place balls back on the pans/sheets and allow to air dry. (Sometimes I refrigerate them to solidify the chocolate a bit faster.)

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. These treats freeze well and have a fairly long shelf life, but they are temperature sensitive.

Thanks, Mel!!

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #3: Snow-Capped Macaroons

For those of you who are on Facebook with me, you know the dog (not my dog, but DH's pointer, who does his best to drive me nuts) ATE MY COOKIES yesterday. He ate the ginger cookies, and the thumbprints. ALL of them.

Darn dog. And yes, he's okay. And I have forgiven him.

Mostly.

So I spent today in my kitchen baking some more. (argh). I made Peanut Butter Cookies, more thumbprints, some of these Snow-Capped Macaroons as well as a cake. Didn't make more Ginger cookies because I didn't have any more candied ginger so those will have to wait until next week.

I also tried another Food Network Mag recipe for Chocolate Malted Sandwiches. They were a disaster. I don't know if my butter was too soft/warm or what, but the dough refused to cooperate, so I scrapped them halfway in. And they sounded so good, too :-(

Instead, I made these Snow-Capped Macaroons. Quite easy, and very tasty. They don't make very many--I got just under two dozen from this recipe--but they're good. I wished I had some cool white sprinkles for on top, because the sprinkles I did use don't really show very well :-(


Snow-Capped Macaroons (recipe from Food Network Magazine)

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

For the Glaze:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Coarse sugar crystals, for decorating

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy, then stir in the granulated sugar, almonds, vanilla and salt. Fold in the coconut.

Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Dampen your hands and form into tall pointed mounds. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the macaroons look dry, 16 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, corn syrup, butter and 3 tablespoons hot water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.

Dip the tip of each macaroon about halfway into the glaze, then place on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, then refrigerate until the glaze sets, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #2: Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies

I love ginger cookies. They're the perfect treat with a cup of coffee in the morning, or a cup of tea in the afternoon (okay, so are the White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints I made yesterday, LOL). The problem with most store bought ones is that they're either too bland in flavor or so hard, you need to sit them in the coffee for a while to soften them ;-)

Ina Garten is my go-to chef for when I want something I know will be awesome. Her Ultimate Ginger Cookies were no exception.

The only thing I changed was making them smaller so I could get more out of the batch (her recipe makes 12-16). They cooked exactly 13 minutes, like her recipe says, and they were, as promised, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Just delicious all around :-)




Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger (6 ounces)
Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Shirley

Christmas Cookies #1: White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Today was a day of baking. I made three different kinds of cookies and twelve loaves of chocolate banana bread (Tyler Florence's recipe).

These cookies in the picture are my White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints. Readers will remember them as the featured recipe in Twelve Days, my novella in Sugar and Spice. I liked them so much, I've made them every year. :-)

They're delicious...just a light sugar cookie base, with raspberry jam filling and then white chocolate drizzle and red sugar sprinkles. A couple things I sometimes do (that aren't in my recipe)....add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the white chocolate when it's melting to make it more pliable, and keep it from hardening too fast. I also sometimes roll the sugar cookie dough balls in sugar before flattening them and filling them. What's a little extra sweetness at the holidays? ;-)

Shirley's White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I always use real vanilla)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 cup white chocolate chips

Red sugar sprinkles

Trust me, these ones are so good, you won’t have any left for guests (and whoever invented that rule about sharing your cookies, anyhow? It’s Christmas, indulge yourself a little). In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the shortening with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer and let the machine do the work), then add the sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, cream of tarter, and the salt. Beat just until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla, then mix in the flour gradually. Cover the dough and refrigerate for three hours. I know, it’s a long wait, but it’ll be worth it later. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. With your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, press a circular indentation into the center of each cookie. Drop a 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour yourself a glass of milk and get into serious cookie-eating mode. Skip lunch if you have to-there’s no way a tuna on rye can compete.

Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until the chips are melted. Pour the white chocolate into a resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny bit of one corner. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle cookies with red sugar to add that festive flair.

Now you’re ready to indulge-don’t worry about the calories until January 1st. Makes three dozen, just enough for you and a friend!

Shirley

Yummy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

I was in a cooking mood today! I made monkey bars (from a recent issue of Woman's Day), 7 quarts of homemade chicken stock (more on that in another post), my Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup and White Chicken Chili. I had already made Tyler Florence's Ultimate Roast Chicken (two chickens) so that produced all the stuff for the stock. I'll write about the chicken in another post.

But because I'm the kind of girl who believes in dessert first, LOL, I made these low-fat Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies from Cooking Light's Annual Recipes for 2009.

They. Were. Amazing.

I love peanut butter, I love chocolate (I'm a pushover for a Reese's) and this was PERFECT. Just the right amount of everything, and best of all, they're only 96 calories a cookie. Several steps involved, but you can do a lot of the frosting prep while the cookies are baking and cooling.

Cooking Light's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

Cookies:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon regular salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup low-fat milk

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided

3 1/2 tablespoons low-fat milk, divided

2 tablespoons half and half (I used lowfat), divided

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 ounce chocolate chips

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either line two cookies sheets with parchment paper or spray them with non-stick spray.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt, stirring well. In a mixer, combine sugar, peanut butter, butter, eggs and beat at medium speed about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup milk, then add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Add vanilla. Then add flour to sugar mixture and beat on low until well mixed. This is a thin-ish dough, not at all thick like chocolate chip cookie dough. That's okay--it makes light, fluffy cookies.

Put dough mixture into a big zip-type bag. Snip off a 1/2 inch on one corner, then pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto the cookie sheets (makes about 36, so 18 cookies per sheet). Bake at 375 for 11 minutes (mine took 12 1/2). Cool for 1 minute on the pans, then remove to wire racks and let cool completely.

To prepare icing: in a bowl, stir together 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon of cream and peanut butter. It should be thin, but not runny (you can always add a tad more milk or powdered sugar to get the right consistency). Put it into a quart-size zip-type bag. In another bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave at 30-second intervals, until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Add remaining 3/4 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon of cream and cocoa (add extra liquid if necessary). Stir well, then put the chocolate icing into a separate quart-size zip-type bag.

When the cookies are COMPLETELY cool, you can ice them. Snip off a small corner of the peanut butter icing, then drizzle on the cookies. Do the same with the chocolate. Let stand until icing is set (about 10 minutes).

Eat. :-)

Shirley

Lime-Coconut Granita

This one was SUPER easy, SUPER fast and very low in calories (1/2 cup is only 85 calories). That's my kind of dessert :-)

I've never made granita before but now that I know how easy it is, I'll try other combinations. IMO, this also has a great presentation and is the perfect follow-up to a heavy dinner, so I'm putting it on my party menu list.

Lime-Coconut Granita

2 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime rind (I use a microplane)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 large limes or 4 small)

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring often. Remove from heat and cool completely. When cool, pour into a 9 X 13" pan. Cover and freeze for 8-10 hours, or until firm. Remove from freezer, let sit on the counter for 10 minutes, then scrape mixture with a fork until fluffy (it looks like sno-cone filler).

I had this as a snack...perfect light treat for those hot days that are still lingering! :-)

Shirley

Hosting a Crowd

This weekend, I had a bunch of friends over, from Thursday till mid-Sunday (with people arriving at varying times), which meant lots of cooking for me (I TRULY enjoyed it). I wanted a menu that would appeal to lots of people, work for large crowds (at the height of everything, we had 20 people here total between adults and kids), and not be too much work. I think it all worked out (even my friend who eats gluten-free was able to enjoy a few things, though I wished I had more on the menu for her).

I planned my menu about a week ahead of time, choosing things I have cooked more than once (several of which are on this blog) and made a pretty extensive grocery list (though I still ended up running out for a few forgotten things). I also tried to create menus that were flexible--meaning if I didn't feel like making one dish one day, I could substitute it with another from the next day.

I also gratefully accepted all offered help. My friends were FABULOUS and cut vegetables, boiled water, shredded cheese...all kinds of helpful jobs (including helping me keep up with the mountain of dishes!!). It became a truly fun event to cook, with everyone standing around in the kitchen enjoying munchies like mango salsa and homemade hummus in between preparing a meal.

Here are some of the recipes I made:

For snacks, we had Hummus (I only used 1/2 cup of the Tahini, more of a to-taste thing) and Samantha Hunter's Mango Salsa. This is SOOO yummy and easy. Use the fresh ingredients for sure.

Samantha Hunter's Mango Salsa

2-3 mangoes, peeled and diced

2-3 cups chopped and seeded tomatoes

2 shallots, minced

1/2 big bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 T. ginger, minced (I use a micrograter to get it tiny)

2-3 T lime juice (about 2 limes)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit for a couple hours before serving

Here are some of the other recipes I had:

Giada's Lasagna (pictured here). With this one, I substituted cooked Italian sausage and mushrooms for the ground beef. This was an AMAZING lasagna, if I say so myself. Simply delicious.

Served with: Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese (yummy and pretty easy). For dessert, we had Fruit Pavlova (pictured above).

For breakfast the next day, I did baked apple pancakes (basically, you layer apples on the bottom of a pie plate, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then top with pancake batter. Bake at 350 until done; about 10-15 minutes).

We went out for lunch, then for dinner, prepared Giada's Baked Fettuccini, Insalata Rustica (read my notes here for the changes I've made to the recipe), Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Chausser Sauce, and for dessert, DH's favorite dessert, Ina Garten's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars.

On the last day, I made an egg bake for breakfast, then had burgers and homemade potato salad. I tried to make the last day's dishes far lighter in prep work because we'd all been staying up WAY too late talking and laughing :-)

All in all, I think everyone had a great time, and I know they left with full bellies! One of my friends brought along these AMAZING peanut butter truffles. Loved them. I think spending time in the kitchen with good friends is one of the best things in life :-)

Shirley

Dessert: A Sweet Concept

Today, I'm blogging over on eHarlequin about the concept of dessert as a motivator to get work done (considering I work for myself and I'm a pretty easy boss, LOL, I have to use SOMETHING to make my deadlines!).

Come on over and check it out!

Shirley

Cupcake Heaven

Today was cupcake day at my house. I'm having the fam over for Easter, and I was only going to make one kind of cupcake for dessert. Then I ran across a recipe for coconut cupcakes that sounded too good to pass by. And then I figured I couldn't make those and my carrot-cake cupcakes without doing something to make the chocolate lovers happy.

So...four hours later, I've got carrot-cake cupcakes (the same ones I've made before), coconut cupcakes and chocolate ganache cupcakes, all done and ready for Sunday. They're off to the freezer so I don't eat them (and neither do the kids or DH) before then. But boy, the bits I have had...YUM.

Shirley

A Perfect Lunch With Friends

[side note: for the writers out there, I'm starting a new workshop on my Just Write It list about conflict and emotion. Join if you write fiction and are interested!]

I had four friends over to the new house yesterday for lunch and it was wonderful. The company was fabulous (can't wait to have you all back, Julie, Cathy, Marci and Kayleen!) and the food turned out great, despite lots of stress on my part, LOL.

In case you're wondering, here's what I made:

Appetizer: Olive Medley Pinwheels (they were an award-winning Better Homes and Gardens recipe...the only problem I had was finding an olive bar at my local grocery store, so I ended up having to use canned olives. Sigh. Don't get me started again on my local grocery stores)

Beverage: Pomegranate Fizz: I saw this on Barefoot Contessa the other day and thought it looked good. I read the recipe on Food Network, then read all the comments and took people's advice. I added a full bottle of Pom Pomegranate Juice, to 3 1/2 cups of Sparkling Water (a one-third to two-third ration...the FN recipe has the wrong quantities; I saw that episode too and she did say and make 1/3 to 2/3s), then only squeezed in one half of a lime. I also added about a tablespoon or so of granulated Splenda (since I had that on hand and didn't see the need to buy Superfine sugar just for this). I didn't bother with the lime slices because I served it in champagne flutes.

Meal: Insalata Rustica (I totally love this salad. This time, I skipped the dried cherries, as people have said in the comments at Bon Appetit. I also didn't add mozzarella chunks because DH ate all the mozzarella, LOL. And...this time, I accidentally baked the grapes for like 40 minutes, and they were SO much sweeter. They were halfway to raisins and they were just SO yummy. Next time, I'll do them that long again. I had just enough salad left over for lunch the next day too and it was just as good the next day ;-).

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Spinach: this one was a recipe I kind of invented, after reading a "healthy" tomato tortellini and deciding it was too healthy, LOL.

French Bread with Parmesan Garlic Spread (I bought the bread and spread...had good intentions to bake from scratch but I ran out of time).

Dessert: Carrot-Cake Cupcakes...of course ;-)

A few tips for hosting something like this -- I did it up fancy, because...I wanted to. When my husband and I bought our dining room table, my daughter said it would be such a waste because no one ever uses their dining room except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am SO not one of those people. I love eating in the dining room. Not just for parties, but with the family, too. We've eaten in there as a family a few times already, and after I get an easier-to-wash tablecloth, LOL, we'll be there more often.

I set the table the night before, got out the fancy silverware and the nice napkins. The wine glasses for ice water and the champagne flutes for the pomegranate drink. Really, how much more work is that? My dishwasher has wine stem holder thingies, so it's just as easy to wash those in there as it is regular glasses. And everyone gets a chance to feel special for an afternoon.

My friends asked me for the soup recipe (everyone had seconds and thirds). I haven't taken a picture of it even though I've made it twice, once for me to test the recipe I invented (I made it when I was sick and forgot) and then yesterday. I was going to photograph the last bowl, but then DH ate it, LOL.

This makes a big Dutch oven's worth of soup, so you have plenty of soup to eat. It's VERY good, IMO.

Don't skimp and use non-fresh ingredients in the places where it calls for fresh. The fresh makes a HUGE difference in the taste, believe me.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Spinach

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, Italian style
2 large basil leaves (fresh) or 4 small, chopped
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces fresh Spinach leaves
8 ounces frozen Tortellini stuffed with cheese
1/2 cup heavy (or whipping) cream

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven (or similar pot). Add onion and garlic, cook and stir until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, basil, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil and add Parmesan cheese. Add spinach leaves.

Using a hand blender (or a regular blender if you're not a clumsy person and can pour, blend, pour back), puree the soup in the pan. I know that sounds intimidating, but the trick to doing that is starting on low, with the base of the hand blender on the bottom of the pan. As you get more pureed and get more confident, you can turn up the speed. Puree until all the chunks of tomato are smooth, the spinach is minced, and the soup is well blended. Add tortellini and cook about 6 minutes, until tortellini is cooked through. Stir in heavy cream (add more if you want the soup to be creamier) and cook until heated through. Serve.

That's it! Start to finish, this soup takes...maybe 30 minutes, if that. It's really easy. And REALLY good. Not to mention good for you (except the heavy cream, but hey, life needs a little fat here and there ;-)

Shirley

Apricot Glazed Pears and a Great Wine

I'm what you'd call a wine wimp. Meaning, anything "dry" is off my list. I gravitate toward the sweeter wines--the dessert wines, like Moscato and Lambrusco. So for me to find an entire VINEYARD whose wines I like is a HUGE deal. The only problem? The vineyard is in Pennsylvania, and they can't ship to Indiana (silly state has a no wine across state lines law...seriously, folks, I'm trying to help the economy here if you'd just change the law ;-).

When I was in PA visiting friends, my friend Mel, the hostess (who is a PHENOMENAL baker) served Franklin Hill Vineyards wines with dinner. DH and I loved the selections, so much that we didn't go straight home the next day (and we had an 11-hour drive home ahead of us), but instead went to the vineyard to buy a few bottles to take back to Indiana.

Tonight, I'm enjoying the last of a bottle of "Fainting Goat," a mildly sweet red with a black cherry flavor. Yummy. If you're ever in the Bangor, PA area, you have to stop by Franklin Hill Vineyards. It's worth the trip. Very hospitable people, very good wines.

(and if you happen to be driving to Indiana after that, pick me up a bottle of Fiesta, and a couple of Niagara. I'll make you carrot cake cupcakes to make it worth your while ;-).

My kids are sick here, so I decided to make some healthy food for dinners this week. I made a Tortellini Tomato soup (which I haven't had time to take a picture of...I'm not feeling so swift myself) and for dessert, I made Apricot-Glazed Pears tonight

.

These were in the Rachael Ray Mag a while back. They're really simple. I had picked up Bosc pears earlier in the week for the Insalata Rustica, so I had the most important ingredient already.

[a side note: when I was a kid, we had a pear tree in our backyard. My grandpa cut it down one day (he was senile) and there went our pears. But boy, it was great to have them when the tree was there].

We're almost never without ice cream, so that was there, too [though trying to keep everyone's paws off the ice cream long enough to make this dessert was a challenge unto itself].

The recipe is here, but basically you peel the pears, cut them in half and scoop out the core. Place them facedown in a baking dish, then drizzle a mixture of half apricot preserves and half orange juice (I used fresh; just squeezed an orange) over the pears. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. The recipe says 20-25. I found my pears (and they were just average size, nothing huge) needed about 30, 35 minutes to be totally softened.

When they're done, you serve the pear with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then drizzle the apricot sauce from the pan on top. The recipe says to sprinkle with cinnamon--I found that was too harsh, and used a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar instead.

These were a hit with the whole family. It looks really pretty, too, so I'd recommend this for a dessert for guests, too. Another one of those "great presentation" kind of desserts.

Heck, anything with ice cream on it has great presentation, if you ask me ;-)

Shirley