Cranberry & White Chocolate Wedges

These are a nice addition to your plate of "goodies".  I like having different colors and shapes and sizes on the plate of cookies - I think it adds interest and intrigue:)

I use a 9" round cake pan, greased and  lined with parchment paper, so once it has cooled for 10 minutes I can gently lift it out to cut.

1/2 c wh. sugar

1/3 c butter

1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c craisins

1/2 c white chocolate chips

Beat butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in craisins and white chocolate.  Press into 9" round pan - greased and lined w/parchment.

Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes *Don't overbake these. Light brown is best. Let rest for 10 mins. Lightly lift out of pan and cut into wedges.

Glaze: 1/4 c white chocolate chips, melted. I put them in a small sandwich bag and microwave for about 10-20 SECONDS. Once melted, cut off tip of the bottom of bag and drizzle on your cookies while they are still warm.  ENJOY♥

Chocolate Covered Cherries

These are a little time consuming as you need to make them in 2 steps.  The first part is to cover/wrap the cherries.  Then they have to chill before you dip them in the chocolate.

2 large jars of maraschino cherries with stems (drained)

3 T soft butter

1 egg

1 pound powdered sugar

     Blend together. If it is too sticky to handle, add a little more powdered sugar.  Roll small amount of dough into ball (a little smaller than a walnut) I flatten the dough in my hand and add the cherry with stem right in the middle. Cover the whole cherry with the dough - up the sides to the stem.  Place on tray covered with waxed paper and put in fridge for a few hours, or overnight.

1 - 2 huge hershey chocolate bars, melted.  Be careful to not overheat/burn the chocolate, because once it hardens you cannot add water or anything else to melt it (this is especially easy to do if you melt it in the microwave). Dip the cherries in the chocolate, and then store these in the fridge.  ENJOY♥ and share with others. This makes about 50.





Melting or Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Here we go. . . .#1.  My Christmas baking recipes won't be in any sort of order, but this is one of the first cookies that I make during the season. Why? Because I don't make these any other time - AND I make one batch at the beginning of the season and one batch in the middle.

These are melt in your mouth shortbread! As you can see from the photo they are not very attractive. My mom sometimes would make them a couple of other different ways.  You know in Canada they like their candied fruit, so to "decorate" these, my Mom would add a little piece of red or green candied cherries ontop.  You can also add a little more flour and then roll and cut these (and of course she would add a little bit of cherry on these as well!)  My brother has also put this mixture into the spritz cookie press?!?! but I have NO luck with that "machine" - plus I like the way I make these, as they are the fluffiest this way :)

2 c. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. cornstarch
3 c. flour

Cream butter, add sugar and beat together until creamy.  Sift flour and cornstarch, add to mixture.  Whip 'til fluffy and mixture breaks. (I whip mine for about 4-5  mins. - I know it seems like a long time but it get all the air into it to make it fluffy) Drop from tablespoon onto parchment paper.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 mins. They should be just light in color.  ENJOY♥   Makes about 48

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know everyone has their favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies - but I decided to give you mine, with a few tips and reasons why!

I like to use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter as this helps the cookies to keep their shape and not spread out as much. Have you ever had totally flat cookies? Probably because the butter was softened too much....the butter must be at room temperature NOT melted in the microwave to soften. I assumed everyone knew this, until a family member "borrowed" my recipe.  She said that they turned out flat - we just talked a little longer and realized that she melted the butter as when she wanted to make the cookies immediately but  her butter was just coming out of the fridge. When get my butter out of the fridge, I rush the process by cutting the butter into small sizes and putting it in the mixer's bowl.  Before you know it - it's ready to use :)

As you know I have been baking for a family of 7 and so now with only 3 of us at home....I am having a terrible time making too much food for dinner and my baking is getting stale!!

Here is my solution!  I took 2 cookies and filled them with ice cream and then wrapped them in foil and FROZE THEM!!! Now you have another delish dessert for later :)

1/2 c butter, room temperature
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 c flour
2 c chocolate chips (but I usually add more)
Mix butter, shortening and sugars well - at least 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix together.  Add all dry ingredients, just until combined - don't overmix once flour is added. Mix in chocolate chips. Use rounded ice cream scoops to drop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 350 for 8-10 minutes.  ENJOY ♥ and don't forget to share OR freeze a few to enjoy later.

Best Macaroons

I've already told you how much I LOVE coconut. . . . so here's another recipe that I can't make very often, or I would eat all 2 dozen (well, only the ones without the chocolate).  I add chocolate on them, so I will share with my daughter who LOVES chocolate ♥

5 1/3 c or 14 oz bag coconut*

1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp almond extract

*I have found that alot of the coconut is a little too long for these, so I put the bag of coconut on a cutting board and chop it to make it in shorter strands.

Mix all together.  I use a large ice cream scoop and place on parchment paper. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheets.

If you want chocolate on top. Here's the recipe for that: (this is a ganache type recipe that I use so the chocolate stays softer)

1/4 c whipping cream

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp butter

Heat the whipping cream in microwave for 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips to melt - add butter.  If the chips don't melt - you can put in microwave for another 20 seconds or so BUT watch very carefully because if the chocolate gets too hot - it will burn and get hard, and you will need to start over:)  ENJOY and don't forget to share! ♥

Chocolate SURPRISE Cookies

These are a really fun cookies to make to share with others.  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, but most people are.  My "kids" really liked them - perhaps yours will too ♥

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c cocoa
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
5 Rolo candy rolls
1 T of sugar to roll the cookies in
Mix all ingredients together, except for the 1T sugar.  I use the "golfball" size ice cream scoop.  Roll into balls and then take one Rolo and push into center - make sure you cover it with the dough. Dip the top only into the sugar.
Bake 375 for 7-10 minutes.  ENJOY ♥ and don't forget to share!

Earthquake Cookies

My Mom often made these cookies and then when I married my husband, his Mom made them also - from BC to NJ!! She called her's molasses sugar cookies and as you can see, mine are called Earthquake cookies because of the cracked tops ♥ These cookies are such a great cookie to make to 'travel'.  I always make a batch for my husband and son to take up to "elk camp".  They are great to dunk in coffee!  They are also great to double the batch.  If you do - I usually do, 3/4 shortening & butter each and the same with the sugar - 1 cup each.

3/4 c shortening or butter
1 c sugar - white or brown
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
2 1/2 c flour
2 tsp bkg soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
granulated sugar to roll balls of cookie dough in. Beat butter and sugar for about 3 mins, add egg and molasses and beat.  Add all dry ingredients and mix until blended. Roll walnut size balls in sugar (I use ice cream scoop for better uniform shapes - this way all the cookies bake evenly)  Bake 350 for 8-10 mins depending on size of cookie
* for these cookie in photo, I also added some crystallized ginger chips (like the little cookies from Traders Joe's).  ENJOY & don't forget to share ♥