NFL Sunday sunday week 16 – Traditional Christmas cut out cookies

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For my last Christmas cutout cookies recipe for this season, here are the traditional sugar cookies.  I made most of  them into cookie sandwiches so people can actually tell what they are. 

This is  a recipe from a family friend, one that brings back so many wonderful memories.   I used a traditional buttercream frosting recipe. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.   Make sure you flour your surface enough to roll out the dough and sprinkle flour in your cookie cutters too.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/2 cups crisco
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco and sugar.  Blend in eggs well.  Add vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.  You can chill the door in a covered container for a few hours if you want.   Or bake them right away.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Flour a flat surface with flour.  Roll dough to desired thickness and cut.   Place on cookie sheet.  Bake 7 to 8 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Buttercream frosting/filling ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (scooped from container into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • Milk

In a bowl, cream butter and vanilla.  Carefully blend in powdered sugar, a cup at a time.  Add enough milk to get consistency you want.  Frost or fill sandwich cookies. 

Store in covered container.

Go Bills!

Magic Middles take 2

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Last year, I tried to make the keebler magic middles cookies.  They were a shortbread cookies with mini chocolate chips, filled with a gushy fudge filling.  Last year, they were more like a stuffed chocolate chip cookie.   Today, I went for a more shortbread cookie, like a Mexican wedding cake.  I froze the fudge filling and cookies before baking.  Next time, I may just fill the cookies with a piece of chocolate baking bar. 

It is important to freeze the fudge filling if that is what you want to stuff the cookies with.  Then once you atuff them in the cookie dough, freeze the doughs before baking.  My goal is to not have the filling spill out of the cookie. 

Also, remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Fudge filling ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a pan, heat cream to a boil.  Remove from heat and add chips.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir smooth and put in fridge for an hour to firm up.  After an hour, scoop out teaspoons of dough, place on a paper plate in freezer for a few hours.

  • Cookies Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 to 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla.  Mix in salt, flour and baking powder.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Divide in half and flatten each half.   Place a frozen scoop of filling on top. 

Place other flattened dough half on top and seal.  

Freeze for a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes.  Edges will be golden.  Cool completely.   Place in fridge to keep filling firm

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Black cocoa cutout cookies

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  I am trying to make as many different cutout cookies for Christmas as I can before Santa arrives on the 25th.  So far, I have made gingerbread men, a chocolate chip version, and chocolate version, using regular unsweetened cocoa.    Today, I made a black cocoa version.  

I used a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour, but you can use just AP flour if you want.

Remember to scoop your flour from their bags into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I cut out the cookies and then chilled them before baking.  And preheat your oven before baking.

Ingredients list

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend on greek yogurt.   Mix in dry ingredients.   Sprinkle  flour on a clean surface.  Roll dough to desired thickness and cut with cookie cutter.  Chill a few hours. When ready to bake, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place cutouts on sheet, leaving some room. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.   Cool completely.  

Santa!

Frost as desired. 

Sugar cookies

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These sugar cookies use vegetable oil instead of butter or crisco.  I wanted to make something quick for work today and thought these would work.  I did freeze the dough for a few hours before baking to keep the cookies from spreading too much.   I only used 3 cups of flour, I may use a little more next time and add some cornstarch too.

I ran out of frosting so one cookie got melted hershey kisses!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag so you get the right amount.  Freeze the individual doughs for an hour or so before baking.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking.  And only bake these 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Extra sugar

Directions – in a bowl, combine sugar and vegetable oil.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking soda and salt.   Scoop out individual doughs and form tall mounds.  Freeze and hiur or to.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stack cookies on sheet.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.   Pop in fridge to firm up and cool, as cookies may be gushy.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Heavy cream/milk

Combine butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add enough heavy cream or milk to get the consistency you want.  You may need to add more powdered sugar.  Frost cookies. 

I added some buffalo bills colored sugar!

Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 15 victory monday cookies – XL puffy chocolate cookies with finely ground walnuts and topped with melted hershey kisses

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Today’s game took years off my life.  But a win is a win.  Go Bills.  Also, I  love josh allen.

These are a soft, thick, puffy chocolate cookie with finely ground walnuts.  You can leave them out if you want, use another kind, or throw in some chocolate chips.

These use a mix of bread flour and all purpose flour. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the individual doughs for a few hours and preheat your oven to 350 before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips (microwaved in a microwave safe bowl in 45 second increments until you can stir them melted)
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbs bread flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup walnuts, finely ground

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in melted chocolate.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Blend in nuts.   Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

For topping – in a microwave safe bowl, combine 35 unwrapped hershey kisses and 1 tbs butter.   Microwave in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  Spoon on top of cookies. 

Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Ring dings/big wheels/ding dongs

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Use any chocolate cake mix, baked as directed in 9×13 pan.  Cool completely.  Cut in large circles using a  glass

Filling – beat 1 cup shortening 2 minutes.  Blend in 1 1/2 cups powered sugar that has been lifted.  Add 1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream.   Blend in 1 tsp vanilla then a few tsp of milk or heavy cream.

Ganache – bring 1/2 cup heavy cream and 4 tbs sugar to a boil.  Remove from heat.   Whisk in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted.  Stir in 1 tbs butter until melted

Milk chocolate chip cookies (with finely ground macadamia nuts mixed in)

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Instead of traditional chocolate chip cookies with semisweet chocolate chips, I opted for milk chocolate chips and I added some finely ground macadamia nuts for a unique, salty, flavor twist.  

I melted the butter to speed up the process.  I probably won’t do so next time and will use softened butter.  These cookies spread out a little more than I prefer.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.   After scooping out the dough, chill them at least a few hours at least a few hours.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed into measuring cup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts, finely ground
Added a few mini m&ms to some. 
Go Bills!

Directions- in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.   If dough seems a little dry, add a tbs or two of water.   Mix in chips and ground nuts.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet, like below, because these do spread a bit.  

Bake 10 to 14 minutes, no longer. 

Store in covered container.

XL brown buttter Peanut blossoms

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Today’s treat – brown butter peanut blossoms.  I know they are very popular this time of year, so I whipped up a batch this morning.   I added some finely ground peanuts, and rolled the doughs in sugar before baking. And of course, topped with  hershey kisses!  

These are also in honor of my college roommate, Christine, who’s birthday is today and loves peanut butter treats!

I recommend chilling the butter for a bit in fridge after browning, scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, preheat your team before baking and only bake 8 to 9 minutes.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs water
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup peanuts, finely ground
  • Extra sugar
  • Hershey kisses

Directions – in a pan, heat butter in a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally,  until brown specks form.  Pour into bowl and place in fridge at least an hour.   When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degreesm. In a combine butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, water and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop our 1/4 cups dough and roll tops in sugar.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies in a row of 2, then a row of one. 

Bake 8 to 9 minutes, no longer.  Press an unwrapped hershey kisses. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by!  Go Bills!

Victory Monday treats for week 14 – gingerbread men/reindeer cookie sandwiches

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To celebrate our win over the Bengals (which was pretty stressful), I present gingerbread men/reindeer cookie sandwiches.   One way they are gingerbread men,

flip them upside down and they are reindeer. 

I colored the filling green for a little holiday pop.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.   After you cut out the cookies, i recommend chilling them in for a few hours.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 6 tbs butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into cup
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • Water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter and brown sugar.   Add molasses, egg and vanilla.   Blend in dry ingredients.   Dough will be crumbly.  You may need to add a few tbs of water to make dough easier to use with.  Roll ans cut.  Chill doughs a few hours.   Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 8 to 18 minutes, no longer.   Cool completely. 

  • Filling
  • 1 stick butter, partially melted
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Green food color (optional)

Combine butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Add food color, if using.  Spread between 2 cookies.  Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Frosted Chocolate pop tarts bars

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I loved pop tarts as a kid, specifically the chocolate frosted ones.   I saw that Taylor Swift made a homemade version of pop tarts,  so I thought, “why not”?  It was funny, my chocoholic husband asked for a brown sugar version.  Those will be on the way soon.

Remember to scoop your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also freeze the uncooked bars for 30 minutes before baking to keep the fudge filling in place.  And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.

  • Fudge filling list
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, combine chips and cocoa. heat cream to a boil.  Pour over chips.   Add butter, stir until melted.  Mix in vanilla.  Set aside. 

  • Bar ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.   in a bowl, combine butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Press half of dough every into prepared pan.  Spread fudge filling on top.   Evenly press remaining dough on top of filling.  Freeze 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool completely

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs baking cocoa
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted

Directions- in a bowl,combine powdered sugar, cocoa, water and vanilla.  Blend in melted chips.  Frost cooled bars.  Store in covered container.