December 8, 2014 · 6:32 am

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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December 7, 2014 · 7:55 am

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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December 6, 2014 · 7:54 am

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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December 5, 2014 · 5:50 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

DAY 5: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nothing fancy. just old-fashioned cookie goodness. These are traditional chewy oatmeal cookies. Add raisins or chocolate chips as you like.

RECIPE:

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 Tbs baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups rolled oats
1 ½ – 2 cups chocolate chips or raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

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

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and eggs; mix well. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix. Mix in oats, chocolate chips (or raisins) and walnuts.

Drop  by tablespoonsful onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until barely brown around edges. Cookies will still look slightly undercooked in the middle. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

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December 4, 2014 · 6:16 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies 1

DAY 4: Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

We have finally found an m&m that our chocolate-adverse Little A will eat:

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies 3

Although I think there must be something wrong with me as a parent that I am looking for candy that my child will eat.

He isn’t happy, however, when I put them in a chocolate cookie. So does this make me a better parent for making sugar-laden treats that he has no desire to eat? Or an even worse mother for tempting him with something he likes, and then pulling the rug out from under him by enveloping it in the one thing he hates?

RECIPE:

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies 1

2 ¾ cups flour
¾ cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2  eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ bags (9.9 oz each) M&M’s White Chocolate Peppermint candies, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract until blended.

Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until dough is smooth. Gently mix in one bag of M&M’s. Drop by scant tablespoons onto baking sheets. Press 2 or 3 M&M’s into the top of each cookie.

Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Don’t over bake. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies

**You can also use chocolate mint M&M’s or regular chocolate M&M’s

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December 3, 2014 · 5:55 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies

Lofthouse Style Frosted Cookies

DAY 3: Lofthouse Style Frosted Christmas Cookies

Lofthouse Cookies: those pillowy-soft cookies in the grocery store with a frosting that hardens just enough to be able to stack them. The homemade version are even better. And much easier to make than rolled and frosted sugar cookies.

To frost them, simply hold them in your hand and dip them upside down into a bowl of icing. Shake on some candied sprinkles, let them set for an hour and you are ready to go. You can use different flavored extracts (vanilla, almond, orange, peppermint, etc) for different flavored frostings.

RECIPE:

Lofthouse Style Frosted Christmas Cookies

Lofthouse Style Frosted Cookies

Cookies:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix into butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Refrigerate dough for one hour.

With hands, roll dough into 1” balls (for small cookies, slightly larger for larger cookies). Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten dough balls with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 7-9 minutes for small cookies.

Glaze Frosting:
6 Tbs butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla (or ½ tsp almond, ½ tsp orange or ¼ tsp peppermint) extract
1 lb (about 4 cups) powdered sugar
3-4 drops gel food coloring
Candy Sprinkles

Place butter and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds, until butter melts. Stir in extract (if you want to use white icing, use a clear vanilla or other flavored extract). Use a whisk to mix in powdered sugar. Mix in food coloring.

Dip tops of cooled cookies in warm glaze and place on a sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle immediately with candy sprinkles (the glaze starts to set fast: dip one cookie, then add sprinkles, then dip another cookie, etc). If glaze gets too thick, heat in microwave for 15-20 seconds. Allow glaze to set on cookies for about 1 hour before storing cookies.

To freeze: Freeze cookies in single layer and then place in container and store in freezer. Thaw cookies in a single layer.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

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