Getting ready for Christmas

The title is not a lie. I am getting ready for Christmas. I love Christmas and Thanksgiving, the latter being my favorite, but I love the traditions of Christmas. One of which is baking ridiculous amounts of cookies to give to friends.

Just a small alert: Christmas is 57 days, 10 hours and 38 minutes from right now!!

So, I've started making my Christmas cookie list to make. This year holds a special distinction for me.. paleo vs. non-paleo. Last year I did not make such a distinction, I just made what I wanted (which was like 20 varieties of cookies!). But this year it doesn't look like I am going to do it that way! I have paleo peeps and non-paleo peeps and I want to give to paleo what is due to paleo .. ok bad reference, but you get my point! So I started making my list. Here's what I have so far. This list will most definitely be cut down between now and when the baking starts:

Christmas Cookie List:

Non-Paleo
Sugar cookies (JB)
Cake pops (Bakerella)
Chocolate chip
Homemade almond joy (JB)
Lauren’s Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies (JB)
Monster cookies (PW)
Oatmeal (me)
Cinnamon rolls (PW)


Paleo

Chocolate chip cookies (EP)
Raspberry fig muffins (EP)
Pumpkin bars (Me)
Lemon blueberry custard tarts (CPG)
Almond joy chocolate bark (EP)
Peppermint patties (EP)
Mounds candy bars (EP)
Chocolate raspberry bonbons (EP)
Nut butter cups (EP)
Dina’s delightful cookies (EP)
Orange cake (EP)
Gluten free Twinkies (EP)
Hamanataschen (EP)
Chocolate covered cherries (EP)
Orange chocolate coconut clusters (EP)
Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies (RM)
Coconut Macaroons (EP)
Raw energy bars (RM)

A little legend for reference: EP=Elana's Pantry, RM=Rawmazing, PW=The Pioneer Woman, CPG=Cosmopolitan Primal Girl, JB=Joy the Baker, Me = ME :)!

I thought this list was really interesting because I think it shows a shift in the way I eat. A dramatic shift from last year. Given that the paleo (well, as paleo as a baked good can get) list is twice as long as the "normal" list.

If you have an idea or preference or something you definitely want to see in a cookie basket, comment!

As Paleo as it gets Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, so Agave isn't the greatest for you, but it's better than the alternative! Sometimes you just NEED a cookie! Well, here's a Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. They are actually pretty good. One "batch" doesn't make a whole lot, so you may need to make two! The "official taste-tester" is on hiatus, so in my opinion, these are pretty good for a paleo cookie! Though, next time I am going to cut down on the agave ...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour *
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate 73%

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
Cool and serve

Cookie! Cookie! Cookie!

I think if this platter was placed in front of "monster" he'd turn back into "cookie monster".

The official taste testers favorite cookie: Chocolate Chip

Here's the recipe!

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

My Favorite Cookie: Coconut Macaroon

I actually made two versions. One version contained sweetened condensed milk, I preferred the version without it.

3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (14 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut (5 1/3 cups)
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (or coat generously with nonstick cooking spray).
In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt until frothy. With a fork, stir in coconut until moistened.
Drop mixture by packed level tablespoons onto prepared sheet (cookies will not spread). Bake until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This recipe comes from a lady at work. It's essentially the basic Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe, with a couple of modifications. I swear, they are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted! The * indicates the change from the original recipe.

Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour*
* 2 teaspoons baking soda*
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 sticks butter flavored Crisco*
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract*
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

Another great recipe from Martha Stewart. This one comes from her Good Things for Easy Entertaining cookbook. This is my new FAVORITE chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's so easy to make! You don't have to go through all the measuring for dropping the cookies and rotating cookie sheets and all that; just put it in the skillet and bake! YUM! Click here to link to the MS site for the recipe.

Official Taste-Tester loved these cookies and they barely lived 1 day before being demolished!

I didn't use the caramel sauce or the ice cream, I enjoyed them alone, and they were delicious!

Directions

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet-chocolate chips
2 pints vanilla ice cream
Caramel Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

Click HERE for the caramel sauce recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Version 2

These are a little different from the cookies I posted over the holidays. They have an ingredient that I've never added in cookies before; instant vanilla pudding mix. They are very cake-y cookies, and quite delicious. I added both semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate chips. This recipe yields A LOT of cookies, you may want to half it... otherwise you'll end up with dozens of cookies.

Official Taste Tester Says: "Excellent, the pudding makes it worth the effort" (Amy adds: it's no more effort than regular cookies!!)

The Recipe:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. (Only bake for 12 minutes - they will be done!!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Award-Winning-Soft-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Chocolate Chip Cookies and cookie baking advice

Cookie making time is here! I have been practicing the art of cookies, and it truly is an art. I have found that the key is consistency in heating and rotation. To accomplish this, I've found that it's a one cookie sheet at a time process. If you put two cookie sheets in the same oven and they are over each other, there isn't even distribution of heat. So, one cookie sheet at a time!

The other key is rotation. If your cookie recipe says bake for 10 min, set another timer for 5 min and rotate the cookie sheet 180 degrees and you'll have a more even baking. That way, the cookies towards the back turn out as perfect and the ones in front and don't get overdone and too crunchy.

Make sure that your oven is the correct temperature (using an oven thermometer). Trusting your recipe is important. If your recipe says 10 m and your oven temp is correct, they should be done in 10 m. You'll get the intended result of the recipe if you follow the minute advice.

And finally, parchment paper. It makes clean-up easy, even cookie baking, and the bottoms are perfectly brown.

So in summary:
use a oven thermomter
rotate your cookie sheet half-way through baking
use parchment paper
only one cookie sheet at a time
trust your recipe

I am by no means a cookie baking expert. In fact, I think I have a lot to learn. So, I'm going to practice, practice, practice. These are just a few things that I've found helps me in baking!

and now for the recipe!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Christmas Cookie List

Well, the time is almost upon us that Christmas cookies need to be made! So here is what I am thinking. What do you think?

sugar cookies (W/SUGAR COOKIE GLAZE)
-shapes
-pecan rolled
oatmeal cookies
pb cup cookies
spritz cookies


Do you have any favorites not listed that you'd like to see??

Thanksgiving Treats!

I got a new bundt type pan the other day (made by Nordic Ware and bought at Bed Bath and Beyond) and love it! It's so fun and cute! It makes 30 mini tea cakes! I used a pumpkin cake recipe and it turned out well. Next time, I think I'll go with a simple chocolate cake to really show the form of each little cake.

This is the recipe I used. It's pretty good. http://www.joyofbaking.com/PumpkinSpiceCake.html
I also have a chocolate pumpkin cake under october 2005.

So I also made some turkey sugar cookies. I finally found a sugar cookie recipe that I can work with. Usually I have a really hard time making sugar cookies and give up and just make them round, but I think this one will work!!!

SUGAR COOKIES:
Will make cut-out, slice, or spritz cookies
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 t salt
1 lg. egg
1 t vanilla
3 c flour

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar and salt until light and flyffy. Add egg and beat well to combine. Mix in vanilla. With mixer on low speed add flour and mix until incorporated.

Preheat oven to 350. Space cookies 2" apart on parchment paper line cookie sheets. Bake until just barely golden around the edges, 7-12 minutes.

Decorate and let dry at least 2 hours. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

I found the key to these cookies is to chill the dough for AT LEAST 2 hours, I let it chill overnight. Then, only use a small portion of the dough at a time, keeping the rest in the fridge to stay firm. When I was using cookie cutters, the stiffer the dough, the easier it was to cut the shapes!!

A friend gave me this recipe and said it came from Blue Print Magazine.

I just looked it up and here is the link to the magazine:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/essential-sugar-cookies?lnc=9bd9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=tocblueprint_magazines_blueprint

Best Oatmeal Cookies

I think oatmeal are by far my favorite cookies (well, right behind pumpkin walnut). This recipe is fantastic. I can't stop eating them! This is another refrigerate overnight recipe, so plan ahead! It's great b/c by chilling overnight, it allows the oats to soaks up the delicious flavors of the other ingredients. Make sure you cook directly on the pan, not on parchment paper, though it is tempting b/c of the easy cleanup!

Ingredients:
1 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour
2c rolled oats
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
16 T butter
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
2 lg eggs
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c raisins

Directions:

Mix the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Set aside.

Cut the butter into chunks and melt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325 Degrees. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

For large cookies: scoop about 2 level tablespoons of dough and place the cookies about 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

For small cookies: scoop 1 level tablespoon of dough.

Bake for 15-17 min for large cookies or 13-15 min for small cookies, or until the cookies are deep golden brown. Rotate sheets from top to bottom and front to back (it really makes a difference) about halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Use a metal pancake turner to transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely before storing or stacking.

Can be store in an air tight container for several days.

Cookie Menu

Being the dork that I am, I also made a Cookie Menu. I took a picture of each cookie I made and made a menu out of them. Inspired by the food network and the guide in the box of chocolates, I created this little gem. Plus I also included a personal note to each of the people I gave cookies to.

This picture of the Cookie Menu took me a while to do. It's not great, but you get the idea!

Christmas Cookies!

Well, I went a little nuts. I got a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, and I went a little nuts. I made so many cookies. I don't know if I can ever look at another cookie, let alone bake one. But, I have to say that I love the stand mixer. It is one of the best things I've ever bought. I made some Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies with the mixer and they were pretty tasty. Usually, I don't like sugar cookies and I have discovered I dislike making them into shapes (circles I can handle) but I enjoyed this recipe and I especially enjoyed the glossy sheen the icing gave to the cookies. It looked almost professional! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Just remember to start early, the dough has to chill for 8 hrs before you can work with it!

Merry Christmas.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well blended. Chill the dough for 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use. Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Leave cookies plain for frosting, or brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with candy sprinkles or colored sugar.
4. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting.


Yummy Icing:


INGREDIENTS
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring
DIRECTIONS
-In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
-Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush (or, I just used the back of a spoon.


A great cookie resource for all your holiday (and otherwise baking) is Allrecipes.com

My Favorite Cookie

I discovered this recipe just in time for my 1st Annual Cookie Exchange last year. Since then, it has been my favorite cookie.

Pumpkin Cookie:
2 c flour
1 & 1/3 c quick or old-fashion oats
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt (I usually omit)
1 c (2 sticks) butter/margarine, softened (I like to get the no salt kind)
1 c granulated sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix just pumpkin)
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
3/4 c chopped walnuts

Optional:
3/4 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned. cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to comepletely.