via French Macarons a special Valentine’s Day treat for your Sweetheart!
Red Velvet all over lately, even Dunkin Donuts has Red Velvet lattes and Red Velvet Drizzle Donuts during the holidays. I’m still not tired of this delicious flavor. What could be more appropriate for Valentine’s Day than Red Velvet Heart cookies? These little gems are fun and easy to make just screaming Be Mine!
Red Velvet Heart Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon red food coloring
3 ounces white baking chocolate with cocoa butter, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon shortening
1. Preheat oven to 325F. In a medium bowl sift flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside
2. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Add red food coloring gently hand mixing until the dough is red without any chocolate streaks.
3. Form mixture into a ball and knead until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until 1/2 inch thick. Using a 1inch scalloped heart cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
5. In a small heavy saucepan cook and stir white chocolate and shortening over low heat until melted and smooth. Drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. Let stand until white chocolate is set. Makes about 24 cookies.
Enjoy!
I love these bars cookies, not only are they a hit with family and friends but they are quick and easy to make. Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate chips and peanut butter? If you are not a baker these beauties are a good first cookie to try and I know that you will make them over and over again. Don’t wait until Christmas make them for any occasion. I was so happy to have my daughter Mandi to bake these with me!
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
1 beaten egg
1 14 ounce can sweeten condensed milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Preheat oven 350F
Combine oats, brown sugar, four, baking powder, soda in a very large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped peanuts
Combine 1 3/4 cups of crumb mixture with chocolate pieces and set aside. Stir egg into remain mixture: press int a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Bake for 5 minutes.
Stir together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until well blended. Carefully pour peanut butter mixture evenly over the baked cookie layer. Sprinkle with chocolate crumb mixture
Return pan to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 48 .
Enjoy!
Big chewy Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies are a family favorite and I make them all year long. Christmas I sprinkle colored sugar to add a festive touch! They are so easy to make and my grandchildren love to help, especially decorating with the colored sugar!
Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup boiling water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 (4-ounce) white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoon shortening
In a small bowl combine cranberries and boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes, drain.
In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour to the mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Add oats, chocolate, and cranberries; until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon to form a ball and place 2 inches apart on prepared pan
Bake until lightly brown, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool on pans for 3 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Dip in melted chocolate*. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Let stand until chocolate is set.
*Microwave white chocolate and shortening in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring once. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cookies on wax paper; let stand until firm.
I do love to bake cookies, yes they do take time to make but so worth all your effort. My fondest memories of Christmas are helping my mother bake. One of my jobs was to use my grandmother’s cast iron single pizzelle mold. My mother would make the dough and then it was my job to hold the mold on the stove and cook on each side just until the cookie was done. The mold only made one cookie at a time. I retired mold but the wonderful remembrances live on and keep me baking copious cookies quantities during the Christmas season. A tradition I am passing along to my grandchildren.
Oatmeal Cherry Rounds are easy to make, simply delicious, and add a festive look to any cookie collection. If you are a cookie virgin I would suggest these Oatmeal cookies as a great first cookie to bake. I used red cherries, you can use red and green cherries or pecan in the center it is also nice.
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cook)
1/4 cup sugar
1 package(4 oz) red cherries
Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. If you plan to be a baker invest in a stand mixer to make the task quick and easy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients and add to cream mixture, stir in oats. Shape dough into small balls and roll in sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut cherries in half and press half in center of ball pressing down to flatten cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Enjoy!
Chocolate, caramel and sea salt, a perfect combination for a Christmas cookie. Each year I make copious quantities of Christmas cookies to give to friends and family. I love sharing my creations celebrating the true meaning of the season. My cookie gift list grows each year with requests from friends of friends who have tasted my cookies. Throughout the year I search for interesting containers that can be used by the recipients after all the cookies are gone.
This cookie has become one of my family’s favorite since they all love chocolate and caramel dusted with sea salt then drizzled with chocolate glaze!
COOKIE DOUGH:
1 cup flour
Generous 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
CARAMEL FILLING:
1/2 package caramels, unwrapped
2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus about 1/2 tsp. for sprinkling
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
1 teaspoon shortening
PREPARATION:
1. Make cookies: Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add egg yolk, cream, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
2. Scoop dough into rounded 1-tsp. portions and roll into balls, then roll balls in sparkling or powdered sugar to coat. Place 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. With the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon, gently press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Bake until cookies is just set, about 10 minutes. (The depressions tend to fill in a bit as they bake, so as soon as they’re out of the oven, give them another press with the spoon if necessary.) Slide parchment with cookies onto cooling racks and let cool.
3. Make the caramel: Place caramels in a small heavy saucepan with the cream. Heat to boiling lower heat stirring until caramels are melted.
4. Assemble cookies: Spoon about 1/4 tsp. caramel into each cookie, then sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt.
5. Microwave chocolate and shortening on high for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
Enjoy!
Greek Butter Cookies just melt in your mouth. Koulourakia is usually served at Greek Easter along with other delicious baked delicacies. I like these butter cookies for their flaky buttery taste along with a hint of orange and brandy.
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup orange juice
3 eggs
2 tablespoons brandy
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Sesame seeds
Beat butter, oil and shortening in a large bowl of the electric blender until well blended.
Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time blending well. Stir baking soda into orange juice, stir. Add to butter mixture. Add eggs and brandy, mixing well.
Combine flour and baking powder.
Add flour 1 cup at a time to creamed mixture. Remove from mixture when the dough is heavy. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth.
Tear off a piece of dough a little larger than a walnut. Roll between palms to form a pencil shape 6 to 7 inches long, cross dough to form a twist. Place twists one inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Enjoy!
My love of baking started when I helped my Mother bake cookies at Christmas time. Since then I’ve never stopped baking cookies for Christmas. Baking isn’t very hard and I am always amazed when I hear people say I don’t like to bake. What’s not to like, sugar, butter, chocolate, all those wonderful ingredients in one place. Baking is very precise, you need to measure the correct amount of ingredients and follow the recipe especially if you’re a beginner. Once you get some experience with baking you can add your personality. Christmas cookies make wonderful personal gifts to share with family and friends. And so many beautiful boxes, bags, tins can be used as containers for your cookies gifts.
A few tips that will help novice bakers. Read all the recipe through before you start and assemble everything that you need. Do any preparation before you start, if the recipe calls for chopped nuts, chop and set aside, eggs separated, the same thing. This will make the flow of baking so much easier. Only use unsalted butter. I love Cabot, it’s made in Vermont by the cheddar people, I’m not sure if this butter is available outside of New England. The first time you try a recipe always bake for less time than the recipe calls for and then add additional minutes if needed. Unless your oven is calibrated perfectly and even then, ovens do bake differently. Nothing is worse than over baked cookies, cakes, etc. Dry is not good!
At Christmas, I just start baking cookies and stop when I don’t have any more time left. I have so many recipes and cookie cookbooks and I keep buying more, I just can’t help myself. I try out one or two new cookies each year to see if I can find another favorite for my holiday tradition. The two recipes that I have included below are some of the first cookies that I make with my mother. These cookies are very basic and easy to make. Out of tradition, I make them every year and I want to share them with you.
Sandies – These are wonderful cookies to make a few weeks ahead of time because they keep very well.
1 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons water
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup confectionery sugar- for rolling cookies after baking
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and water. Add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Shape into small balls. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in 325 F over for 20 minutes. Remove. Cool slightly. Roll in confectionery sugar
An easy way to do this is to put sugar in a plastic bag and add 3-4 cookies and gently shake around to coat cookies. Or you can put sugar in a bowl and roll around to coat.
My love affair with making Christmas Cookies started when I was a little girl helping my mother bake cookies at Christmas. We made large quantities of my mother’s favorite recipes. To this day I have continued the tradition of baking, baking and more baking of delectable cookies. Today I made a favorite cookie of my children when they were little. Peanut Blossoms are a fun cookie topped with a chocolate kiss. Who does love a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss in the center. I love the taste of peanut butter meeting chocolate. I’ve tried different versions of this cookie but always return to the Hershey’s original recipe that I made so long ago.
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Preheat oven to 325 F. In large bowl mix beat shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars mixing until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter until all the ingredients until combined and dough forms. Shape a teaspoonful of dough into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar(1/2 cup). Place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top each cookie with a kiss, pressing down so the cookie cracks slightly around edges of the kiss. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet letting cool completely.
Makes 48.
Enjoy!
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Kolaches, Hungarian Christmas Cookies take me back to Christmas of my childhood where my mother would spend days baking Christmas cookies, filling our home with perfectly delightful smells. I would come home from school being greeted by my mother and the aroma of cookies baking in the oven. One of her favorite cookies to bake was Kolaches: a recipe that was passed down to her by a Hungarian neighbor when she was growing up. Like my mother, these flakey cookies have become one of my favorites that I still make today for my family and friends!
Enjoy!
Kolaches – Hungarian Christmas Cookies
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar for rolling
1 can Solo Poppy Seed Cake and Pastry Filling
For the Pastry Dough:
Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾” thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
Assembling the Kolaches:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
Take one of the disks of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour both sides. Spread powdered sugar on your pastry board or work surface. Place the dough on top and roll out the pastry to 1/16” to 1/8” thick.
With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. Place a dollop of filling into the center of each square. I used ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon for each.
Gently grab two opposite corners and fold one over the other, gently pressing down to try and seal them together. Gently move it to a parchment-covered baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining squares, placing the kolaches no closer than 1” apart.
Sprinkle the middles of the kolaches with just a touch of granulated sugar.
Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden and you can smell them. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps.
Enjoy!
