Recipe of the week: Dark Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

I've been making these cookies for several years now and they are always a hit.  I adapted the recipe from a Martha Stewart recipe....she used unsalted butter, then added salt, which I always think is silly.  She also used corn syrup for the chocolate ganache which I think is unacceptable, you don't need to use corn syrup ever to make something delicious.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

INGREDIENTS:
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) butter, divided
½ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups unbleached flour
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (about 1/4 cup)


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium-high.  Using a small cookie scoop or heaping teaspoons, roll the dough into balls, and place 1-inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and make an indentation into the middle of each cookie. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Combine chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.) Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1994/1995)

Recipe of the week: Lemonade Cookies

I love all things lemon, especially in the summer, even though lemons are typically ripe in the winter.  I whipped up a batch of these last night and they were definitely a hit.  You could use pink lemonade as well and they would a pretty color.  Let me you think.  A Votre Sante!

Lemonade Cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated or raw sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 and 3/4 cup flour (I used unbleached)

In a large bowl or your electric mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in the baking powder and baking soda.  Beat until well combined.  Add the egg and the lemonade concentrate.  Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition.  If the cookie dough is sticky put it in the frig for about 30 minutes.  Drop the cookies by tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet (12 fit perfectly on mine).  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool before frosting.

Frosting for lemonade cookies

2 Tbsp salted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
4-6 tsp of lemonade concentrate (start with 4 then add more if the frosting is too thin, I used 6)

Beat the butter and powdered sugar together.  Mix in the lemonade concentrate.  If your frosting is too thin add more powdered sugar, too thin more lemonade.  Frost the cookies when they are completely cooled.  This made about 2 dozen, if you use a teaspoon your cookies will be smaller and it will make more.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: White chocolate gingerbread cookies

I found a version of this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks back, they were delicious. I put half the batch in the freezer, the froze well and we are still enjoying them. Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!









2 cups whole wheat flour


1 cup unbleached flour
2 tsp. Ginger, Ground
1 tsp. Cinnamon, Ground
1 tsp. baking soda
a dash of nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar or raw sugar
1 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.
Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown.  To make uniformed sized holes in the center of the cookie, I used the back of a rounded measuring spoon.  Mine look like this.  Immediately drop about 7-8 white chocolate chips into center of each cookie, stir slightly with a toothpick. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days or freeze in an air tight container. 

The original recipe was from McCormick and Company Inc. I adapted it some.

Things I love about December

So here we are, already December 2nd.  There's lots of things I love about this time of year, so I thought I'd share a few with you.  These are in no particular order.

1. I love how most everyone is friendly
2. Hearing Christmas songs like O Holy Night in the grocery store, what other time of year would you hear a worship song at Vons!
3. Reading Luke 2 and drinking homemade hot cocoa on Christmas Eve
4. Getting to say Merry Christmas or Happy New Year instead of just 'Hello', it's so much more fun.
5. Going to look at Christmas lights
6. Making cookies and marshmallows with my kids, sister, niece and nephews
7. Baking some of my favorite bread and cookie recipes and taking them to friends
8. My mom's English toffee, it's the only time of year she makes it
9. Getting together with friends and family just because
10. Dressing up, just to be festive

What are your favorite things about the Holidays?

Recipe of the week: Candy Bar Cookies

What are you going to do with all that leftover Halloween candy?  Make cookies of course!  This recipe calls for mini Snickers bars but I'm sure the snack size cut into 3 pieces would work.  You can also use Milky Way, Reeses, Baby Ruth, Twix....whatever you like.  I don't make these very often because they're not very healthy, but once in a while won't hurt.  Enjoy!


Candy Bar Cookies
1 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 tsp.baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
60 snickers miniature candy bars
chocolate glaze (recipe below)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  In large bowl beat together margarine or butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda then add to peanut butter mixture, beat until combined.  For each cookie shape a rounded Tbsp of dough around a candy piece, forming a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 for 15 mins, cool on rack.  After they're cool drizzle with glaze.


Chocolate glaze:
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk
add additional milk 1 tsp. at a time
mix all ingredients together