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December 10, 2019 · 8:43 am

Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Maple Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

DAY 10: Maple Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

These are my new favorite cookie. They are chewy, just like an oatmeal cookie should be, with a maple caramel flavor from the maple extract, brown sugar, and toffee bits, which melt into the cookie as they bake.

RECIPE:

Maple Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Servings: 3 dozen
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½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp maple extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup toffee bits (½ of an 8 oz pkg of Heath Toffee Bits)

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

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat at least 3 full minutes. Beat in eggs, maple and vanilla extracts. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat in oats, walnuts, and toffee bits.

Drop by level tablespoonfuls (2-inches apart) onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool on pans for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

Makes 3 dozen

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

DAY 9: Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Nothing says Christmas cheer like Sprinkles! These are sure to please both kids and adults.

RECIPE:

Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

Servings: 2-3 dozen small cookies
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
About ½ cup Christmas sprinkle candies

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

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.

Using a cookie scoop, place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart. Roll scoops of dough into 1” balls, then roll dough balls in sprinkles and return to baking sheet.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until baked through, but still pale. Don’t overbake. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2-3 dozen small cookies

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

DAY 8: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter=Protein; Oatmeal=Whole Grain. That makes these healthy, right? Whatever you tell yourself, these are worth the calories.

RECIPE:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 6 dozen
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

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

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in peanut butter. Gradually beat in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat in oats and chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart.

Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until baked through. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 6 dozen cookies

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Slow Roasted Spiced Almonds

DAY 7: Slow Roasted Spiced Almonds

Not a cookie, but perfect for Christmas snacking when you need something savory to counterbalance all of the sugar. These also make a great gift for friends and neighbors.

RECIPE:

Slow Roasted Spiced Almonds

Servings: 18 ½-cup servings
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¼ cup coconut oil or butter
4 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Sriracha
1 ½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground mustard
9 cups (3 lb) whole raw almonds

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a Pyrex measuring cup, melt coconut oil or butter in the microwave. Stir in seasonings. Place almonds in a large mixing bowl and pour seasoning mixture over the nuts. Stir with a rubber spatula until nuts are well coated.

Spread nuts in a single layer on a very large baking sheet (or use 2 medium baking sheets). Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste nuts and sprinkle with additional sea salt (½ – 1 tsp), to taste. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet, stirring occasionally.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 9 cups

NOTE: Almonds can also be roasted at 350°F for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

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Tagged as almonds, appetizer, christmas, keto, lighttheworld, low carb, neighbor gift, recipe, roasted almonds, roasted nuts, savory, snack

December 6, 2019 · 5:35 am

Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Coconut Cornflake Sandies

DAY 6: Coconut Cornflake Sandies

For those that like their cookies crisp, these are perfect: crispy, but not dry or crumbly. And a great way to use up some cornflakes in the cabinet that no one wants to finish.

RECIPE:

Coconut Cornflake Sandies

Servings: 4 dozen cookies
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans

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

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

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into butter/sugar mixture, until just mixed. Beat in oats, crushed cereal, coconut, and pecans.

Let dough sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping.

Using a cookie scoop, place level scoops of dough on baking sheets, about 2” apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes on the baking sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

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Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as christmas, coconut, Cookies, cornflakes, crispy cookies, lighttheworld, oatmeal, oil, recipe, sandies

December 5, 2019 · 6:11 am

Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

DAY 5: Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

The cookie base for these thumbprints is a light shortbread dough. Fill with your favorite jam. We love seedless raspberry or apricot jam. I always add a little more jam after baking so they are “jam packed” with filling.

RECIPE:

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

Servings: 4 dozen small cookies
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1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
About ½ – ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam

Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2-3 tsp milk
½ tsp almond extract

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

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Gradually beat in flour and salt.

Using a small cookie scoop (2 tsp capacity), place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart (I can get 20 cookies on a baking sheet). Roll scoops of dough into balls; return to baking sheet. Using the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about ¼ teaspoon jam.

Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until baked through, but still pale. Don’t overbake. Remove baking sheet from oven and let sit for one minute. If desired, add a small amount of additional jam to the centers of the cookies. Cool cookies completely on wire racks.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, 2 tsp milk, and almond extract in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth, adding additional milk if necessary. Place glaze in a Ziploc bag; poke hole in one corner with a toothpick or skewer. Drizzle glaze over the cooled cookies.

NOTES:

For easier filling, heat jam for 20 seconds in the microwave before adding to centers of cookies.
Apricot and peach jams also make good fillings
Keep the dough covered when you are not working with it, or it will dry out and your cookies will have more cracks

Makes about 4 dozen small cookies

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