THIN MINT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

It is time to start planning your Christmas cookie list, isn't it? Today's cookie is truly a five star keeper!!

These festive cookies taste just like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies(only better!!) and they only take TWO INGREDIENTS to make!!! People will think you've been working on them all day.

 

I drizzled some white chocolate
decoration on these, just for fun,

but it certainly isn't necessary. You
can use holiday sprinkles instead.

You will need some Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers and some Andes (creme de menthe) chocolates.....that's it!!
 

 

The chocolate wafers come in a 9 ounce package and I found the Andes Mints (those creamy little chocolate mints with the green center) in a 4.67 ounce package.  There are 28 mints in the package and one package will do a dozen cookies (I found the mint packages for $1.60 here in Alaska, so hopefully you can find them even cheaper.

I unwrapped and then melted the chocolates in my microwave for about 30 seconds...stirred and then microwaved them for another 10 seconds (stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny). Dip the chocolate wafers in the melted chocolate (both sides) and place on some parchment paper (or waxed paper).

Stick them in the fridge (I used the freezer) for about 5 minutes to "set" the chocolate......that's it!!  

 

 

NOTE: If you are having trouble finding the Andes Mints, just use the Andes Mint baking chips (next to the chocolate chips) they will work just as well. 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!



SOFT COCONUT DROP COOKIES

These cookies are WONDERFULLY SOFT, rich, flavorful and easy to make. The recipe makes about 3 dozen big 4" cookies and if you store them in an airtight container, they will stay soft and chewy (they are totally addicting!!)

 

Soft Coconut Drop Cookies are PERFECT lunch box cookies, bake sale cookies, potluck cookies or "anytime cookies". They are delicious.

1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (lightly packed)
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Cream the shortening, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each egg.

Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, coconut and nuts (if you are using nuts) and beat until well mixed (batter will be thick).

Take a well rounded tablespoon of cookie dough batter and roll it into a ball. Place on a greased cookie sheet spaced 3" apart (I use parchment paper instead of greasing the pan). Bake at 350° for 11-14 minutes (my electric oven takes a full 14 minutes). Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet a minute or two before you remove them.

After they are cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container.

 

ENJOY !!

 

Note: Recipe calls for butter flavored shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco). I'm sure they could be made with butter instead, but they will bake differently and probably spread out a lot more. I also don't think they would stay soft and chewy.



SOFT MAPLE COOKIES

This recipe for SOFT and CHEWY maple cookies is excellent; they really do stay soft for days (if they last that long) and who doesn't love maple?!?! This recipe makes a large batch, so it is perfect for bake sales, potlucks or any large gathering.

 

 

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup REAL maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons maple extract

4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar till well mixed; add the egg, syrup and extracts; mix until smooth.

 

Mix the flour, salt and baking soda together, and add it to the wet mixture, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The cookie dough batter will be very thick.

 

Lightly grease your cookie sheets with vegetable spray or cover your baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll them in granulated sugar. Place the sugared cookie dough balls (a couple inches apart) onto cookie sheet and flatten them just a little.

 

 

Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes (my electric oven takes 9 minutes).

I like to cool my cookies on a sheet of waxed paper.

 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.

 

 



OLD FASHIONED LEMON BARS

I tried (yet another) one of Laura's great recipes over at  heywhatsfordinnermom.com  (she has some great ones over there). 

This recipe, for Old Fashioned Lemon bars, couldn't be more basic, yet it hits all the right "lip smacking" notes and picky-picky husband loved them, so that makes this recipe 5 stars at our house!!

 

 The lemon bars have a sweet and buttery shortbread type crust that is partially baked before a gooey topping is added and baked again. The topping is sweet-ish, lemony-ish, pudding-y-ish (are those even real words?) the combo is heavenly.

BASE LAYER
1 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup COLD butter cubed

Put these three ingredients in the food processor and pulse until you get crumbs.  Pat the crumbs into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes.

While it is baking, whisk together the following topping ingredients until very smooth:

TOPPING LAYER
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
zest of one lemon (see note)
2  1/2  tablespoons lemon juice
2  1/2  tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

After the cookie base ingredients have baked for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and pour over the topping ingredients and put it right back in the oven for another 25 minutes.

Cool completely in pan before cutting.  Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar (if you want).  Cut into small squares or bars since it is pretty rich.

STORE COVERED

 

NOTE: Be careful to only use the bright yellow part of the lemon zest. They pale yellow and while part of the lemon peel is very bitter.

NOTE: I lined my baking pan with parchment paper and left the ends/edges a little long. After the bars completely cool, I grab the edges of the paper and lift the whole thing out of the pan. I do this with all of my bar cookies because once they are out of the pan they are so much easier to cut.

NOTE:  If you aren't going to line your pan with parchment paper, I suggest you very lightly mist it with cooking spray.

FRUIT FILLED COOKIE BARS

I had a hard time coming up with a name for this delicious treat. It is not exactly a cake, but it's a little soft to be a cookie. It does remind me a little of one of those big soft cake-y sugar cookies, but don't forget it has a juicy fruit filling too, so what category does it really fall into?  Answer: Yummy Category!!

Usually, we just eat these out of hand, but they are also nice enough for company if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream!! Either way they are hard to beat with a tall glass of milk or a hot cup of tea.

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
14 ounce can fruit pie filling (see note)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until very well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg.

Add flour and beat until well mixed, then let the dough sit for about 5 minutes.

Press 3/4 of the dough into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan (I use a (9" springform pan).  Make the outside edge just a little deeper than the rest of the crust (this will help keep the fruit away from the edge of the pan).

Top with fruit filling (see note) and then drop little bits of the rest of the reserved dough on top of the fruit filling.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 oven for 35-40 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. My electric oven takes 37 minutes.

Let cool for a while then drizzle with a vanilla frosting glaze.

Cool and store covered.

NOTES:

Any home made or commercial fruit filling will work well in the recipe, but I suggest that if you use a commercial pie filling, that you jazz it up a little. Example: if you are using cherry pie filling, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract, if you are using apple pie filling, chop them up a little and add a little more cinnamon and nutmeg or maybe a few raisin? Use your imagination.

You can double the ingredients and bake it in a 9" x 13" pan for 40-45 minutes.  Either way, use the toothpick test to make sure its done in the middle.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

THIS RECIPE MAKES THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER!!

 

I've been making chocolate chip cookies for 45 years; lets just say I've tried a ba-jillion recipes, but today's recipe beats them all hands down, these cookies ARE THE REAL DEAL !!

Some chocolate chip cookie recipes have great flavor but produce a FLAT/SAGGY cookie that spreads all over the cookie sheet (I hate that). some recipes produce a picture perfect cookie, but they don't have that wonderfully chewy texture and buttery flavor that a good chocolate chip cookie needs. 

Well, I'm here to tell you that today's recipe will give you BOTH a perfectly shaped cookie AND one that tastes FIVE STAR .....THEY ARE
PERFECTION!!

The only word of caution in this recipe is that the cookie dough is THICK. I don't think I'd try it with my hand mixer, but my stand mixer worked great with this recipe.

1  1/2  cups real butter (no substitutions)(room temperature)
1  1/4  cups granulated sugar
1  1/4  cups brown sugar
2       large eggs
1  Tablespoon vanilla
4  1/4  cups all purpose flour(I use bread flour in everything)
1  teaspoon baking powder
1  teaspoon baking soda
1  teaspoon salt
2  cups chocolate chips (I use mini chocolate chips)

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the room temperature butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Beat until well mixed and smooth.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and add it, one cup at a time to the creamed butter-egg mixture. Beat until well mixed then beat in the chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375°F and use a UNGREASED cookie sheet. Roll the cookie dough into balls about the size of a small walnut and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. They will still be pretty soft-ish when they come out of the oven, but that is what you want for a soft chewy cookie. Cool them on a baking screen/rack.

This recipe makes about 5 dozen

perfect cookies

 

NOTE: Don't let the HEAVY (raw) cookie dough freak you out, after they bake, they are very tender, rich, buttery cookies.

I'm NEVER switching chocolate chip cookie

recipes again, THIS ONE is the REAL DEAL !!

ULTIMATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

These shortbread cookies melt in your mouth, they are super easy to make (with few ingredients) and they are foolproof!!

 I have been trying different shortbread cookie recipes for years and they have always been a pain. Either the dough is crumbly and hard to roll out, or the "easier" ones that you pat into a pan look ugly to me (lol) and then there are the ones that handle beautifully, but you don't get that melt in your mouth shortbread taste. Well, I'm happy to report that I have found a winner... todays recipe it is absolutely perfect!!

.
2 cups of butter (room temperature)
1 cup of granulated sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract (see note)
.
In a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter, sugar and extracts until the mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on high).
.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
.
Roll the dough into two logs and wrap in plastic wrap, then chill until very firm.
.
After "logs" are very firm, roll them in sprinkles nor nuts (optional) and slice into ¼" slices. Bake on ungreased baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes (mine were lightly golden in 18 minutes). Cool on baking rack.
.
NOTE: The coconut extract isn't absolutely necessary, but its such a nice addition. The funny thing is, is that you do NOT taste coconut, but you do taste a richness and sweetness that is slightly reminiscent of those Danish cookies that come in a tin at Christmas (but even better). If you don't use coconut extract, just use all vanilla extract.