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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints 3

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.

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints 2

RECIPE:

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

  • Servings: 4 dozen small cookies
  • Print

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints 3

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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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies 1

DAY 4: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Coconut helps to keep these oatmeal cookies soft and chewy without overwhelming the flavor. A simple, but delicious, cookie. You can add additional stir-ins like chocolate chips or nuts, but certain people in our family like them best just plain.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies 3

Recipe adapted from LilLuna

RECIPE:

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

  • Servings: 4 dozen cookies
  • Print

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies 1

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup shredded coconut
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups rolled oats

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

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat in coconut. Gradually beat in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat in rolled oats.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans, leaving about 2” between cookies. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 3-4 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

OPTIONAL: add chocolate or butterscotch chips, or chopped nuts

Recipe adapted from LilLuna

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Bear Paw Cookies

Bear Paw Cookies 4

DAY 3: Bear Paw Cookies

An easy and fun alternative to regular chocolate  chip cookies. Bake your favorite plain cookie dough (or use the dough below) and add two different sized chocolate chips after baking to make a paw print pattern.

Use a very small cookie scoop (or make 1” balls)  so that the paw print pattern covers most of the cooked cookie.

Bear Paw Cookies 2

Recipe adapted from Kitchen Fun

RECIPE:

Bear Paw Cookies

  • Servings: 4 dozen small cookies
  • Print

Bear Paw Cookies 4

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
About 1 cup of regular-sized chocolate chips plus about 1 cup of larger baking chips (like Ghirardelli dark 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 egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat in flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Using a small cookie scoop, place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart (I can get 20 cookies on a baking sheet). Roll scoops of dough into balls (about 1” in diameter); return to baking sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, or until baked through. Cookies will still look very pale. Don’t overbake. While cookies are still warm, press one large chocolate chip and three small chocolate chips into each cookie to make a paw pattern. Cool cookies completely on wire racks.

Makes about 4 dozen small cookies.

Recipe adapted from Kitchen Fun

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies

DAY 2: Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies

A chocolate cookie loaded full of sweet and salty goodness: chocolate chips, pretzels, and pecans. All wrapped around a gooey caramel center.

Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

RECIPE:

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pretzels
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 pkg (11 oz) caramel squares (about 24)

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.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat into butter/sugar mixture, until just mixed. Stir in pretzels, chocolate chips, and pecans.

Cut caramel squares in half and set aside.

Using a cookie scoop, place level scoops of dough on baking sheets, about 2” apart. Roll each scoop of dough around a caramel square half. Return to baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes; cookies will still look slightly underdone. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

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Eleventh Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Whipped Shortbread 2

DAY 1: Whipped Shortbread Cookies

These simple cookies have quickly made their way onto our list of  family favorites. The cornstarch and powdered sugar in the dough make them practically melt in your mouth.

Whipped Shortbread 3

In addition to Christmas baking and spending time with family, this month I am choosing to participate in an initiative to “Light the World” through small and simple acts of kindness.  Check out the link below for daily suggestions of ways to light the world, or to sign up for daily suggestions by text:

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#lighttheworld

Whipped Shortbread 1

RECIPE:

Whipped Shortbread Cookies

  • Servings: 5 dozen small cookies
  • Print

Whipped Shortbread 2

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla extract
Candied sprinkles

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until very light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Using a small cookie scoop, place level scoops on baking sheets, about 2” apart (I can get 20 cookies on a baking sheet). Rub your hands with a small amount of cornstarch, and then roll scoops of dough into 1” balls; return to baking sheet. Press each dough ball with the tines of a fork dipped in cornstarch, to flatten slightly. Dust the tops of the cookies with candied sprinkles.

Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until baked through. Cookies will still look very pale. Don’t overbake. Cool on wire racks.

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies

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For a wonderful new Christmas video about the birth of Jesus Christ, check out this newly produced “The Christ Child” movie:

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Freezing Fresh Peaches (Without Peeling!)

Freezing Peaches 2

It is peach season here in northern Maryland. I have visited two orchards in the past week and I am making my way through a bushel of fresh-picked peaches. Some have made their way into jams, peach butter, frozen peach yogurt, and lots of fresh peach juice running down chins.

Even after all of this canning, I still have more peaches than we can eat our way through before they go bad. So the remaining peaches are going into the freezer to be pulled out all winter when we need a little reminder of summer.

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This is a super simple method for freezing peaches: no blanching, no peeling, no slicing. And I like them so much better than canned peaches.

All you need are two ingredients: fresh peaches and Fruit Fresh (a fruit preservative, mostly consisting of ascorbic acid).

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To prepare peaches for freezing: wash peaches, cut in half and remove pit, place cut side up on a foil-lined tray, sprinkle with Fruit Fresh, turn cut side down, and place in freezer. When peach halves are solid, place in Ziploc bags and return to the freezer.

Freezing Peaches 1

The kids’ favorite thing about these frozen peaches comes when you are ready to eat one. You can remove as few or as many peach halves as you want from the freezer. Place the peach half on a plate or in a bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds, or until no longer solid (You can also leave them in the fridge or at room temperature until thawed). To remove the peel, simply pinch the center of the peel and lift- the peel slides off in one perfect piece! So much easier than trying to peel the peaches before freezing!

Freezing Peaches 5

I enlisted a much cuter hand model to help with this demonstration.
Thanks Julia!

Freezing Peaches 6

Freezing Fresh Peaches

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Freezing Peaches 2

Ingredients:

Fresh ripe peaches
Fruit Fresh (fruit preservative)

Preparation:

  1. Wash peaches and cut in half.
  2. Remove pit, but do not peel peaches.
  3. Place peach halves cut side up on a foil-lined tray.
  4. Sprinkle cut side with Fruit Fresh.
  5. Turn peaches cut side down, and place tray in freezer.
  6. After peaches have frozen solid, place them in a Ziploc bag and return to freezer.
  7. When ready to use, microwave peaches for about 20 seconds and the skin will easily slide off.

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