Christmas Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams

This is a very simple, no-bake, the kids could do it cookie.  Great for last minute sweet ideas for bringing to get togethers or for quick presents.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams  from Taste of Home

1 jar peanut butter
1 pkg graham crackers, broken into rectangles
1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate candy coating

Spread a good amount of peanut butter on one side of half of graham crackers.  Top with remaining crackers.  Melt candy coating and dip cookies.  Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet and let stand until firm.  (I put mine in the fridge.)

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

You just can't go wrong with these!  They are easy, look cute, and everyone loves pb and chocolate.  They freeze great, too.

This is a great job for the kiddos...unwrapping the mini peanut butter cups.  Just make sure you set a snacking limit lol.

Aren't they cute?  Love my mini muffin pan...actually I bought it for dh last year, for his pecan tassies, but I still love it. :P

Oh, my, word.  Look at that gooey chocolate covered peanut butter cup just melting...mmmm.  Don't worry, they taste great after they have properly cooled as well.  I also wound up making a batch of these with caramel cups and they tasted great, too.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies  from Allrecipes

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs milk
40 mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream butter, sugars and peanut butter until fluffy.  Beat in egg, vanilla and milk.  Add flour mixture and mix well.  Shape into 40 balls and place in ungreased mini muffin pan.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press a pbcup into each ball (don't be shy, really press it down so that the tops are even.)  Cool and remove from pan.

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Saltine Toffee Cookies

This is another one of those cookies that is everywhere, but has like 50 different names lol.  I'd seen Paula Deen make these on her show but didn't try them until I saw them on a blog and found a recipe on Allrecipes.  These make up quick, taste outstanding, and look very festive if you sprinkle them with little Christmas sprinkles.  Great last minute idea for bringing to a holiday party.

Saltine Toffee Cookies  from Allrecipes

4 ounces saltine crackers (one sleeve)
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
festive sprinkles if desired

Preheat oven to 400.  Line the saltines in a single layer on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Be sure and use an appropriate sized cookie sheet...the crackers should fit neatly.  In a saucepan, combine sugar and butter.  Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.  Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.  Be careful...this stuff is hot and sticky and this part can be a little tricky.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips.  Let sit for 5 minutes and then spread melted chocolate evenly over top.  Sprinkle with the nuts and sprinkles.  Cool completely (I put mine in the fridge) and break into pieces.

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Filled Russian Tea Cakes

Mmmm, these cookies may be the best yet!  I've made them for a few years now and everyone loves them.  Basically, they are the little "wedding cookies" but with chocolate in the center and rolled in powdered sugar with red and green sugar added.  Pretty, festive and delicious! :)

It's hard to see in the pic, but like I said the powdered sugar has red and green sugar in it as well, and the cookies are so festive looking.

  Oh yeah, check out the chocolate filled center!  I found this recipe in either a Pillsbury or Betty Crocker Christmas baking magazine.

Chocolate Filled Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
48 milk chocolate stars
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs green sugar
1 tbs red sugar

Heat oven to 400.  Beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla.  Stir in flour, salt and nuts.  Shape scant tablespoon of dough around a chocolate star to make 1-inch ball.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes until set and bottoms begin to brown.  Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and colored sugars.  Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheet and roll in sugar coating.  Cool completely on wire racks, about 30 minutes, and roll in sugar coating again.

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Nutter Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Getting a little behind with my posting of cookie recipes!  I have been making a batch a day, just haven't been good at posting on time.  Friday's cookie was Nutter Butter White Chocolate Chip.  Yum!  These are an easy, tasty drop cookie that are good for shipping or stacking up for gift giving.  I got the recipe off a blog I really like for recipes, Picky Palate.  Give them a try!

You may ask why I consider these a Christmas cookie...well, I had on my snowman apron and played Christmas music while baking them, that's why! :)

Nutter Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
10 Nutter Butter cookies broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream butter and sugars.  Add in peanut butter until well combined.  Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth.  Combine dry ingredients and stir in, along with nutter butter pieces and white chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake 9-11 minutes.  Don't over bake!  Allow to cool on cookie sheet until they firm up and transfer over to cooling rack.  You can freeze these after they are baked, or scoop up balls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, flash freeze, and then store cookie dough balls in Ziploc bag in freezer until ready to bake.

Don't make more dirty dishes than necessary!  Combine dry ingredients on a sheet of waxed paper to avoid another bowl to clean.

Stay tuned...my family isn't sick of cookies yet!  More recipes to come. :)

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Candy Cane Cookies

I wanted a more Christmasy looking cookie today, one that you would see and say, "Oh, look, a Christmas cookie." :)  Yesterday I got an email with a chocolate version of a candy cane cookie and I wanted to try that, but the reviews were not good at all so I searched around and found a better recipe.  This cookie does require some work and patience and honestly the end result looks great but tastes so-so...not spectacular but certainly worthy of including on a cookie platter.  It's a great cookie to go with a cup 'a. :P

Make up the simple dough, divide in half, and add red food coloring to half.

I didn't add much food coloring, I rather like the pink toned results I got.  You can now set the dough in the fridge for a while for easier handling, although I used it right away and did okay.

This is the perfect recipe for getting teenage boys involved.

You should have seen the smile on his face when I asked him to get the hammer and crush the peppermint candies. :)  You mix 1/2 cup of crushed candy with 1/2 cup sugar for sprinkling over the top of the cookies.

Now take a small amount from each bowl of dough and place on a cutting board (or whatever surface you are working on.) 

Gently roll the dough pieces back and forth with your palms/fingers until you have little "ropes."

I spooned some of the sugar/candy mixture onto my board and rolled the ropes in that as well for some.  Now put both ropes side by side and twist together.

Place on the baking sheet and bend one end around for the hook.  When they are done baking, sprinkle the candy/sugar mixture over the top.  These will be fragile until they cool, so leave them on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Pretty, aren't they?  Oh, look, a Christmas Cookie!!

Candy Cane Cookies (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup crushed peppermint hard candies
1/2 cup sugar
red food coloring

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix crushed candy and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl; set aside.  Cream butter and powdered sugar.  Add egg and extracts until smooth.  Mix in flour and salt.  Divide dough in half, and add food coloring to half.  Roll each dough into 4 inch ropes and twist together.  Place on cookie sheet and curve top down for handle of cane.  Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.  While still warm, sprinkle with candy/sugar mixture.

Parchment paper is a baker's best friend.  Your cookies will always turn out great when you use it.  You can use one sheet for a whole batch.

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Sparkling Butter Toffee Cookies

I got my second batch of Christmas Cookies done early in the day and still felt in a baking mood, so I whipped up another cookie last night!  What, am I crazy? LOL.  I figure I better ride this baking mood I'm in for as long as it will last. :P  This recipe comes from The Recipe Girl.  It was quick and easy to make and is a cute little sweet cookie.

Check out the little sparkles!  That's "Bright White Sparkling Sugar" which I found a big shaker of right in good old Wal-Mart.  I actually mixed the sparkling sugar in with white sugar for rolling the dough.

The inside.  Cute little tasty toffee bits.  My ds2 thinks it's a gross pic (probably because he didn't get to take the bite lol.)

Sparkling Butter Toffee Cookies (from www.RecipeGirl.com)

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cups toffee bits
additional sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 350.  Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat until creamy.  Add in flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir until well blended.  Add in toffee bits.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheets and flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned.  Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.

Here's another handy tip for holiday baking.

Clear your countertops of all unnecessary appliances and other items so you have plenty of room for all your holiday baking and cooking.

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Holiday Snickerdoodles

Day 2 of my Christmas Cookie baking adventure.  You can see day one's cookie here.  I got an earlier start on the cookies today...finishing up yesterday's batch at 9pm was not very fun or good for my back lol.  By the way, here is a holiday baking tip:

Bring your ingredients to room temperature before making your dough.  Butter, eggs, etc. will blend better when they are all the same temp. :)

First things first...put on your holiday apron and have one of your kiddos take a pic.  This is actually the only apron I own!  Got it at the Dollar Store a couple of years ago. :)

Now these cookies are good for several reasons:  First, they are tasty.  Who doesn't love a snickerdoodle?  Plus with the colored sugar they look quite festive.  Second, the recipe makes a nice big batch.  Great for making up cookie tins as gifts.  Lastly, they freeze wonderfully.  I always make these early in the season for that reason.

The assembly line.

The finished product.  Hard to see the green and red sugar, but it's there.  And on my counter, floor, shirt, kids' mouths...:)

Holiday Snickerdoodles

2 tbs red sugar
2 tbs green sugar
1 tbs ground cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400.  In small bowls mix 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon with red sugar and green sugar. (I usually add a lot more colored sugar than the recipe calls for.)  Beat sugar, shortening, butter and eggs.  Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.  Shape dough into small balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixtures.  Place balls on parchment lined baking sheets and flatten slightly.  You can sprinkle more colored sugar on top if desired.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until centers are almost set.  As with most cookies, underdone is better than burnt!

Christmas Cookie Carnival: Christmas Crinkles

Here is the first of the many Christmas Cookies I hope to prepare for this holiday. :)  They are quick and easy to make and great for having the kiddos help out with.  They are yummy and oh so chocolaty! 

Here is the finished product.

The yummy goodness inside.  I hope you appreciate my sacrifice in taking the bite for this pic.  All for you my friends. :P

Christmas Crinkles (originally from Family Fun Dec 1998)

3/4 cup butter--melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix melted butter, cocoa powder and sugar; beat in the eggs and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly mix in the wet ingredients, then stir in chips.  Refrigerate dough for 2 hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 350.  Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.