12 cookies of Christmas

Because of all the rushing I did to finish what I could of the 12 cookies of Christmas...I didn't get a chance to put up the posts until we got home from our travels. I didn't want to make multiple posts so here is one big one with the rest of the cookies!!!!

Five Golden Shortbreads

SCOTCH SHORTBREAD

Actually I did this recipe at night and didn't take pictures. I didn't know what I was thinking. I didn't like the feel of it at all the while I was making. I thought it was just because it was totally a different style than the other cookies I had made. Turns out though that they weren't very good. I tried one and I didnt like it. Tim tried one and said he didn't like it. I ended up throwing the cookies away. I am not sure if I didnt something wrong or if they just weren't very good. Anyway here is the recipe for you to use at your discretion. Let me know if you have any suggestions for a good shortbread cookie.

Scotch Shortbread

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 pound butter softened
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Measure sugar into bowl & sprinkle with water. Cream butter into sugar with a wooden spoon. Add flour and salt and knead dough with your hands until dough pulls away from side of bowl as well as your hands. Press dough into a ungreased 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan. Spread it flat right into the corners. Prick with fork about at 1 inch intervals. Sprinkle all with 1/4 cup white sugar. Bake at 275F for one hour or until pale golden. Cut while hot into diamonds or rectangle shapes. A pizza cutter works the best. Let cool.

Six Kisses Laying

PEANUT BLOSSOMS

These were fun to make for me cause I loved them as a little child. Tim does not like nuts or peanut butter but I was going to make SOME cause more people LOVE it! The cookies came out well. I think they could have been a little bit more peanutbuttery! Maybe its the type of peanut butter I used. This was the everlasting batter. I think I made almost 7 1/2 dozen cookies.

Peanut Blossoms

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shortening (Next time I would do 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening) 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup white sugar for decoration 2 (9 ounce) bags milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped

Kat B
Tim NA

Seven Candy Canes

CANDY CANE TWISTS

I was really excited for this cookies cause it looked pretty easy to make but the end result was really cool looking. I was hoping they tasted as good as they looked. From what I could tell, everyone liked them. I got a lot of compliments the whole trip on my cookies but this was one that people thought they wouldn't like (with the peppermint) and did!

The first cookie I didnt twist well but after that it wasn't bad. Keep this dough cool. It easily gets warm and hard to work with.


CANDY CANE COOKIES

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Red food coloring

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Stir in the peppermint and vanilla extracts. Gradually mix in the flour.
   
   2. Divide the dough in half. Color one half with red food coloring and leave the other half plain. Roll out a tablespoon of red dough and a tablespoon of plain until they are each 6 to 8 inches long. Twist them into a candy cane, pinching the ends. Repeat.
   
   3. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not brown.
   Makes about 25.

Kat A
Tim A- (as he just told me, better say I am a hard grader)

Eight Gingersnaps

GINGERSNAPS

These were cool to make. I was excited for a darker cookie. I like things dark. Gingersnaps were different than I had made with anything else and a lot of people love them. My friend's mom LOVED the gingersnaps, I think even took some with her when she left her daughters! That's what I like to hear.

Gingersnaps:

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (105 grams) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Garnish:

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar or coarse white or brown sugar (for covering the cookie balls before baking)

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Cover and chill the batter for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place about 1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. When the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls. Then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until the cookies feel dry and firm on top. (The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be.) Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Kat A
Friends A
Tim NA

Nine pumpkins icing

ICED PUMPKIN COOKIES

I tried hard to make different types of cookies so that everyone would be satisfied and could find something to eat in the boxes I made. Pumpkin is one of my favorite things so when I saw this recipe I had to try it! Pumpkin is dense and wet so I wasn't sure how it would freeze. It worked out ok though. These are definitely better fresh but still delicious. The icing was fun to do too cause I used a piping bag (probably didn't need to but I had just gotten some and I wanted to test it.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients
	2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups confectioners' sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.
   

Kat A-
Tim A-

Ten White Peanut Bars

WHITE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

This is my own recipe of bars that I made from some other recipes. I thought the combination of peanut and white chips with oatmeal sounded good. Kind of everything bar. A lot of people really liked this one. It was one of the first cookies gone out of the boxes.

These pictures fall short of what it actually looked like. By this cookies I was exhausted and ready to give up!

WHITE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla or grated peel of one orange

3 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups peanut butter chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Spread dough into greased 15 x 10 inch pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until very lightly browned.

Kat A

Family A

Tim NA

Eleven Sugar cut outs

SUGAR COOKIES

Well I called my mom upset that I was not going to be able to finish my project. She said she was making her sugar cookies anyway so I could just use hers as the eleventh cookie of christmas. I was going to take pictures of the final product when I saw them but my uncle ate all of them (I am sure he had help) before we got there. I will get the recipe from my mom and post it at a later date.

Twelve Black and White

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES


Ok I will be honest. I didn't actually have time to finish these cookies. I was living breathing dying in cookies. I am still planning on making these they just were not a part of the Christmas boxes. I have most of the things necessary there was just not enough of time. I think if I do something like this next year I will need to do it earlier.

It was fun though. Especially when I got to hear how everyone liked or didn't like the cookies. I want to improve my Oatmeal Raisin from just ok to fabulous and work a little bit more on those peanut butter cookies to taste more peanuty. Overall these were a great success! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Four Calling

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Last night I got nervous that I would not get all these cookies done in time. I think one day (Sunday or Monday or Tuesday) will need to be dedicated to multiple cookie making day. I got another cookie done today. I love toll house chocolate chip cookies. YUMMY! My mom always makes them but this year it was ME. They came out pretty well. It was weird making them without mom :(
I'm also starting to wonder if all these cookies are going to fit in my freezer? Yikes, I already have four bags in there and I have eight more to go. WOW 8 more. Ahhhh.

Since Ive been posting so much lately this is going to be short and sweet!

Getting low on some of the ingredients.

All mixed up

Here's to you Mom!

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of butter, softened
2 eggs

* you could add 1 cup of nuts for the holidays I don't cause some people don't like nuts or are allergic. My dad actually likes them with nuts and without the chocolate chips, maybe my mom will make some of those this year!

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips (and nuts). Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe says 5 dozen. I got 6 1/2 dozen.

I think I make small cookies. Then you get to eat more right?

Three French hens? or

SNICKERDODDLES

Tonight was the third cookie of Christmas. Believe it or not I do not remember ever trying a snickerdoddle cookie before. People have talked about them for years as their favorites but alas I do not have any fond memories of these tasty cookies. You may wonder how I chose all these cookies if I never had any of them. I do have reasons for each one. This one I chose because the blog I was inspired by howtoeatacupcake's cookie capers looked so delicious (I used the recipe she used). I asked Tim if he likes snickerdoddles and he was said yeah they're OK. I wanted to try these cookies and see what the fuss was all about. I had fun making them, rolling the dough in cinnamon and sugar. After the cookies were almost done Tim tried one. I wasn't really sure how they were supposed to taste. They were crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. Tim's response was priceless, after I went rushing back to the kitchen to get the next batch out and I hear him say "There better be extras of these, I want them". He knows that most of the cookies are Christmas presents for all the places we are visiting this holiday. Good thing the recipe made 5 1/2 dozen cookies. The one thing I didn't like about the cookies is the top had splotches of the cin/sugar, instead of being all across the top. Is there some special technique I don't know about?

Got everything together!

All rolled up

Finished product

Gotta hide them so Tim doesn't eat them all. See what I mean about the tops?

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets. (I found it was very important to pull them out when they still look a little gooey in the middle. My first batch was crispier than all the rest. I baked my cookies for 8 minutes approx medium size. I got 5 1/2 dozen cookies!)

If you have never had these cookies before, try them. The are fun to make and already a bunch of mine have been eaten. I'm glad I froze some right away!

Kat rating A
Tim rating A+

On the second day of Christmas...

WHITE CHOCOLATE and CRANBERRY COOKIES from allrecipes.com

Today I had some time after work to get my second cookie of Christmas baked. I had a lot of fun blasting the Christmas music, turning on the tree and lights and baking. The smell of cranberry cookies was amazing and filled our whole house! So far I am doing good with baking the cookies. I am trying to get the "easier" ones out the way so the more challenging or time consuming cookies can be done when I am done with work Friday!!! I will have 5 days to finish up what I haven't baked yet. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the batter and finished cookies. They look so good and taste better. Its a got a fruity sweet flavor.

Got everything together!

Caught this shot while creaming up the batter. Make sure you beat until smooth, it takes a little bit.

Doesn't this batter look so delicious? Just a note, when I was mixing it at the end, the mixer was working hard and started shaking the counter a little. Be careful!

I need to get some cookie scoops, I just keep using a spoon for now.

The cookies still come out fabulous though! I love the brown, white and red!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon brandy (I didn't have Brandy and I wasn't going to buy it just for cookies so I thought about putting a sweet taste in and decided on peach preserves. Don't know if it makes since but the cookies taste great. I used about a tablespoon)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and brandy (or preserves). Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. (I usually keep my batters in the fridge while baking but this one I put in before scooping at all. I wasn't sure if it was from it being so warm today or just this batter but it was very gooey at first so I kept in the fridge as much as possible)
   

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. (I put them in for the full 1o minutes) For best results, take them out while they are still doughy. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

The recipe said it makes 2 dozen but I got 4 dozen using my spoon scoop.

Kat A

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me....

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Although I wasn't planning on having time today to make any cookies, Tim was sick and our plans changed. Good for me cause I got the 1st cookie finished today. Tim chose this cookie. It's one of his favorites. I personally have not made oatmeal raisin cookies before and since they are one of his favorites, I was nervous whether they would come out good.

These cookies were really easy to make and I tried one and I don't think I will have a problem impressing Tim!

All the ingredients together

Butter and shortening all creamed up

Rollin in the oats and raisins. I did keep the batter in the fridge as I was waiting for a batch to be done.

These were pretty easy to scoop out. I used a teaspoon and heaped it up.

The cookies came out browned on the edges. I made sure to let them sit at least 2 minutes before moving them to foil.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups rolled oats 1 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.In a large bowl, cream together the butter, butter flavored shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.(I used a regular spoon)

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container. ( I did bake them a full 12 minutes and let them cool at least 2 minutes before moving them).

I got 4 1/2 dozen cookies out this recipe!

Wonder what's on the 2nd day of Christmas??

Kat rating A++

Tim rating (coming when he isn't sick)