Cookies For Santa

    Every year my son and I bake cookies specifically for Santa on Christmas Eve. My little guy wants Santa to have the freshest cookies possible. For the past four years, these Santa Surprize Cookies have been the cookies we make.
    I made them for a Cookie Exchange one year and everyone loved them. Not only are they chewy and delicious, but once you decorate them people seem to be all the more impressed. It's amazing what a little drizzle of chocolate can do.
    I am posting this recipe today, in case any of you are looking for a new cookie to leave Santa tonight.

Santa Surprise Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter, plus 2 Tbsps. for chocolate drizzle
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups white flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
4 boxes of "Neilson's" slowpokes or 2 large boxes of "Turtles
confectioners sugar, optional

2 greased cookie sheets


Directions:
1) Beat together the butter, peanut butter and sugars with an electric mixer on low to medium speed, until light and fluffy.

2) Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

3) In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the sifted flour, baking soda and salt.

4) Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredient in the mixer. Mix until fully combined.

5) Cover and chill the dough in your fridge for 2-3 hours.
6) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge.
7) Begin assembling the cookies. Scoop 1 Tbsp. of the dough out, and flatten it. Place a piece of chocolate in the center of the flattened dough. Scoop out a second Tbsp. of dough, and flatten. Take the second piece of dough and cover the chocolate. Mold the dough around the chocolate.

8) Continue until all the dough and chocolates are used.
9) Place on a greased cookie sheet.

11) Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges have set and the cookies are lightly browned.

10) Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a piece of parchment/wax paper to cool and decorate.
11) Meanwhile in a double boiler (or a metal bowl placed over a pot of boiling water like I have done), melt the chocolate chips and the remaining 2 Tbsps. of peanut together until smooth.

12) Pour the melted chocolate into a re-sealable bag. Let the chocolate cool for a moment, so you can handle the bag comfortably. When you are ready to decorate the cookies, snip a small corner off the re-sealable bag with a pair of scissors and "pipe" the chocolate over the tops of the cookies.

13) Dust with confectioners sugar, and let the chocolate dry.

*When using "Turtles" the cookies will be quite large, and the recipe will yield approximately 36 cookies.
* When using the "Slow Pokes", you will get approximately 48 cookies.

You may also like:
Gingerbread Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Cookies

Crafts from the Kitchen

    Last year I got the greatest idea from a girlfriend of mine (If you're reading this you know who you are). She made a batch of Gingerbread Cookies and turned them into Christmas Tree decorations. I thought it was the cutest thing.
    So this year I decided to do the same and share the idea with all of you...

Gingerbread Christmas Tree Ornaments:

Materials:
1 batch of Gingerbread Cookies
1 batch of Confectioners Frosting
Approximately 6 feet of twine
medium sized Ziploc Bags
Assorted icing tips and couplers
Assorted food colors
1 - straw
scissors

Directions:
1) Bake a batch of Gingerbread Cookies. While making the Gingerbread Cookies, be sure to add a hole for the twine using a straw.

2) Slice a corner off the bottom of a ziploc bag. Fit with icing tip and coupler.

You will need as many Ziploc Bags,
as you want colors of icing.

3) Fill the ziploc bag with colored icing.

4) Begin decorating.
5) Let the frosting dry for a few hours and then add the twine.

* I made these cute Gingerbread men for the pine Garland in my Kitchen...

...and these Christmas Tree's, for my Christmas Tree.

*Alternately you could use these for Gift Tags. Just pipe names on the cookies, and add them to the gift.

A Christmas Tradition

    Mmmmm....Gingerbread Cookies are my favourite. Not a year goes by where we don't make a big batch. I've grown fond of the time I get to spend with my little guy baking and decorating these, and he's grown fond of the time he gets to eat the icing and the cookies.
    By the time the cookies are finished my kitchen is usually a disaster zone, and it's takes me an hour to clean every thing up. But we're left with delicious cookies in our tummies and wonderful memories to look back on.

Gingerbread Cookies:

Cookie Dough:
3 cups of flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (margarine will also work well)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup molasses

Confectioner's Frosting:
2 cups confectioner sugar (icing or powdered sugar, sifted)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsps. milk or light cream
assorted food colors if desired

Directions:
1) In a large bowl sift and whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

2) In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand held mixer), with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses, beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

3) Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

5) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread man or other assorted cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cutout cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using them as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies using a straw or the end of a wooden skewer.

6) Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes and larger cookies closer to 12. When they are firm and the edges are beginning to brown, they are done.

7) Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. When the cookies have completely cooled, decorate with Confectioners Frosting.

Confectioners Frosting:
1) In an electric mixer (or with a hand held mixer), cream the butter until smooth and blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sifted sugar.

2) Scrap down the sides of the mixer and the beaters. Add the milk and beat on high until fluffy. (Add a little more if it appears to dry)

Divide the icing into as many containers
as you want colors.

Remove a small amount of the corner from
as many resealable plastic bags as you have
colors of icing.

Fit each bag with a coupler and various
icing tips. Fill each bag with a different
color icing.

Frost the cookies, and let dry. Place in an
air tight container.

*The amount of cookies produced by this recipe is determined by the size of the cookie cutter used.

You may also like:
Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar
Gingerbread Pancakes
Gingerbread Pancakes in a Jar

Gifts from your Kitchen

    Another wonderful gift from the kitchen is Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar. These delicious cookies are a holiday tradition. No Christmas is complete in my house without cooking up a batch.
    I gifted something similar to this a few years ago, and received nothing but positive reviews. They are simple and affordable to make, and are sure to put a smile on any one's face.


Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar:

Materials:

1 - 1 liter Mason Jar
1 - standard size ring
1 - standard size lid
Wide mouth funnel
16 inches of hemp twine (or any string you have on hand)
1 - 9"x 9" piece of holiday fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
2 pieces of card stock, 2 colors matching your chosen fabric (to make the label)
adhesive of your choice
computer printer
8.5 x 11 card stock (extra thick printer paper)
Gingerbread man cookie cutter (optional)
___________________________________________________________________________________

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1 cup packed brown sugar

Instructions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2 cups of the flour, the baking soda and baking powder.
2) In a second mixing bowl, sift together the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour with the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice.
3) Begin layering the ingredients into the Mason Jar starting with the flour and baking powder mixture, then the brown sugar, and finally the flour and spice mixture. Pack firmly between layers.  

All 3 layers...

Just enough room...

4) Fit the jar with the ring and the lid.
5) Place the fabric over the ring and secure with the twine.
6) Create Label. The label should read:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar:


Additional Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup molasses
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Directions:
1) Empty the contents of the jar into a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together all additional
 ingredients. Add to flour mixture.
3) Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C).
5) Roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thick, on a lightly floured surface.
6) Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.
7) Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
8) Bake for 7-8 minutes for soft cookies, and 10-11 for crunchier cookies.
Decorate as desired.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

7) From here cut the above instructions and paste them into your personal word processing software. Change the font size, type and color to suit your liking. (I chose size 9 font, Comic Sans, and went with a red and green color scheme.) Print as many as you need.
8) Using a ruler and pencil, carefully trace around the directions. Neatly cut along the pencil line you have created.

9) Glue the directions onto your second piece of card stock. Using your ruler and pencil, carefully trace around the first piece of card stock with the directions on it, leaving a 1/2 inch on all sides.
10) Carefully cut along the pencil line you have created.
11) Punch with a hole and attach to the prepared Mason Jar.

12) Attach gingerbread man cookie cutter.

All finished

*I also came across this web site with a bunch of free printable labels, to add a little something extra.

You may also like:
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Pancakes in a Jar

A Little Bitta Deliciousness!

    A close friend of mine recently hosted a "Stampin' Up" party. When she gave me the invite, I immediately thought it to be the perfect occasion to make these German Chocolate Brownies. I came across the idea for these about 6 months ago. I wasn't a huge fan of either the original brownie, or the frosting recipes. So I searched out each individually. I believe, and I'm sure that everyone who tried them will agree, that the two combined made a winning combination.
    Sorry for the less than perfect looking brownie picture. It was a little difficult to get a decent photo during the hustle and bustle of a party. But I guarantee you they're delicious.


German Chocolate Brownies:

Brownies:

1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1 1/2 tsps. instant espresso (I just used regular instant coffee)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped 
4 Tbsps. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (I just used regular margarine)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate , cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions:

(1) Line a 13x9" baking tray with a generous amount of aluminum foil. The idea is to easily transfer the cooked brownies from the tray to a cooling rack with minimal effort. You need a few layers of aluminum foil layed in the tray to withstand the weight of the prepared brownies. Fit the aluminum foil neatly into the tray.

(2) Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

(3) Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth.

(4) Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted.

(5) Whisk in melted butter and oil. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled.

(6) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated.

(7) Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

(8) Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for an hour or so.

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

1 cup Sugar

1 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

(1) Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla, mix well. Add coconut and pecans and cook until frosting has reduced and become thick. Cool frosting slightly and spread over brownies. (The more it cools the harder it will be to spread).

(2)Transfer brownies to wire rack and continue to cool.

* For the chewiest texture, it is important to let the brownies cool thoroughly before cutting. If your baking dish is glass, cool the brownies 10 minutes, then remove them promptly from the pan (otherwise, the superior heat retention of glass can lead to over baking).