Category Archives: Cookies

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Cookies ‘n’ Crème Brownie Bites

Cookies and Cream Brownie Bites 3

DAY 11: Cookies ‘n’ Crème Brownie Bites

A simple cookie recipe that starts with a brownie mix and ends with a kiss.

I added white chocolate chips to the dough, but next time I think I will leave them out. You can use Hershey’s Kisses or Dove Chocolates to top the cookies. When I used the Dove chocolates,  I let them melt on the hot cookies and then swirled them with a toothpick into a rounded shape.

Cookies and Cream Brownie Bites 2

RECIPE:

Cookies ‘n’ Crème Brownie Bites

Cookies and Cream Brownie Bites 3

1 brownie mix (18-20 oz package)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
1 pkg. Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème Kisses or Dove Cookies & Crème Chocolates

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix, cream cheese, butter and egg. Beat with a mixer until smooth. If desired, stir in white chocolate chips.

Use a very small cookie scoop (about 2 tsp) or teaspoon to drop balls of dough onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake.

Cool cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then press a Hershey’s Kiss or Dove chocolate into the center of each cookie. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

If using the Dove chocolates, let the chocolate melt on the warm cookies and then swirl with a toothpick.

Makes 48 small cookies

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Lemon Pillow Cookies

Lemon Pillow Cookies

DAY 10: Lemon Pillow Cookies

Soft and fluffy, like a good pillow. Just lemony. And edible.

A nice break from a season full of chocolate-dipped and candy-topped confections. Think of them as a much needed palate cleanser.

Recipe adapted from Yes to Yum.

RECIPE:

Lemon Pillow Cookies

Lemon Pillow Cookies

3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tbs sour cream
2 Tbs milk
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
zest from one lemon (about 1-2 tsp)
½ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest. Gradually add flour mixture.

Place ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into 1” balls (or slightly smaller) and roll in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 11-­12 minutes, or until the tops are set. These cookies will stay a pale color, even when they are baked through.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

(Adapted from Yes to Yum)

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Frozen-Inspired Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Frozen Snowflake Sugar Cookies 3.1

DAY 9: Frozen-Inspired Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Want to brighten a little girl’s eyes this Christmas? Make these Disney Frozen inspired snowflake cookies together. She can be totally in charge of the sprinkles.

This is a different sugar cookie dough than I usually use. (That recipe can be found here: Sugar Cookies). I prefer the flavor of the other dough, but this dough is much easier to work with and creates super sharp edges. And no refrigeration of the dough is needed. When I am using a cookie cutter where sharp edges really matter, this is the dough I prefer to use. The recipe comes from In Katrina’s Kitchen.

I used Royal Icing (recipe below) to pipe thick lines, but you could also use this Glacé Icing. Cover lines with shimmery sanding sugar or thicker blue and silver sprinkles immediately after piping.

Frozen Snowflake Sugar Cookies 1

RECIPE:

Snowflake Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Frozen Snowflake Sugar Cookies 1

Sugar Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour

Royal Icing
Blue and Silver Shimmery Sanding Sugar or Coarse Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in extracts and egg.

In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and slowly mix into the wet ingredients. The dough will be stiff.

Do not chill dough. Roll dough out onto a floured surface to almost 1/4 inch. You want these cookies to be thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes and place on baking sheets.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield will depend on the size of your cookie cutter and the thickness of your dough. I got 25 cookies made from 4” snowflake cookie cutters.

(From In Katrina’s Kitchen)

Royal Icing

2 Tbs meringue powder
scant ¼ cup water
½ lb powdered sugar
½  tsp light corn syrup

Combine the meringue powder and water in a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat until foamy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!)

Mix in the corn syrup. Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 3-5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. (You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.

To store for later use: cover with plastic wrap touching the icing and refrigerate.

Use a thick open circle decorator tip to pipe thick lines onto each snowflake. Sprinkle cookie with sanding sugar or sprinkles immediately after piping lines (on each cookie). Icing will harden quickly.

(From Bake at 350)

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies 1

DAY 8: Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can never go wrong adding a thick, chewy delicious chocolate chip cookie to your Christmas plate. Cornstarch and an extra egg yolk make these soft and chewy.

RECIPE:

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies 1

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 Tbs cornstarch
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (more if you like lots of chips)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop by tablespoonsful onto baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Andes Cookies

Chocolate Andes Cookies

DAY 7: Chocolate Andes Chip Cookies

Andes mints now also come in packages of Andes Baking Chips. They make a great addition to a basic chocolate cookie. Can’t find the packaged baking bits? Just chop up a package of regular Andes. I prefer the kind that have one chocolate layer sandwiched between two green mint layers.

RECIPE:

Chocolate Andes Chip Cookies

Chocolate Andes Cookies

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter
2 ½ cups flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs milk or cream
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 bag (10 oz) Andes baking chips or 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped Andes mints

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Combine chocolate chips and ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until just barely melted. Or melt in microwave in a Pyrex bowl.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until well mixed. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat ¼ cup butter with the white and brown sugars. Mix in eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat in melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat until just barely combined. Stir in chopped Andes mints.

Drop by tablespoonsful onto baking sheets. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on pan and then remove to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Snickerdoodles

Christmas Snickerdoodles

DAY 6: Christmas Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are always a favorite cookie around here. Jazz them up for Christmas by rolling them in red and green sugar.

With traditional snickerdoodles, the dough is dipped in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. When I make these with colored sugar, I mix the cinnamon into the dough, and dip the cookie balls just in the colored sugar.

RECIPE:

Christmas Snickerdoodles

Christmas Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup each red and green colored sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to egg mixture. Roll into 1” balls. Roll balls in colored sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

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