All your cookies are belong to us

I made the first two recipes for a Cookie Exchange party this Christmas. Here's a little tip if you are going to a Cookie Exchange. When the invite says, "Bring a couple dozen cookies." do not make 9 dozen cookies. You will come home with a couple dozen new cookies and at least 5 dozen of the ones you took…

Spiced Cocoa Snowballs

This is based on a recipe from the December 2009 Penzeys Spices catalog. I added some cinnamon and chili in an attempt to make Aztec snowballs but they ended up being warm and spicy without the flavor of the cinnamon and chili being at all noticeable.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Butter
• 1/3 cup Cream cheese
  
• 2/3 cup Powdered hot chocolate mix
  
• 1/3 cup Powdered sugar
  
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tbsp Vanilla
  
• 1 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 tsp Salt
  
• 1/2 cup Powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Cream the butter, cream cheese, hot chocolate mix, powdered sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and vanilla.
   
2. Add flour and salt and mix thoroughly.
   
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
   
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
   
5. Roll the dough into 1" balls.
   
6. Place them 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes until firm.
   
8. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes then roll in powdered sugar and cool on wire rack.

NOTE about powdering: This was the first cookie I've made that required a powdered sugar coating since making hundreds of Russian Tea Cakes for the bake sale table at the film festival in high school and I had lost my touch completely. The first batch came out a grimy, brownish white with spots where my fingers had been holding them and I knew I needed a better technique. I thought, WWCKD (What Would Christopher Kimball Do?) and realized it needed a 2 –step process that did not involve my fingers. After the initial 1-2 minute cooling period, I put 6-8 cookies in a large, round bowl with half a cup of powdered sugar. I took them out and let them cool. They were still only vaguely powdered and had finger splotches. After they had cooled for at least 15 minutes, I put them back in the bowl and swirled them around again. The second coat of powdered sugar covered up my finger marks and turned them a lovely white. CK would be proud.

Printer-friendly version

Amaretto Pecan Tassies

This was one of my favorite cookies to make as a little girl. When we lived in San Antonio we had a bunch of pecan trees in the yard so any recipe that used pecans was a favorite.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 egg
• tbsp amaretto
  
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• tsp vanilla
  
• dash salt
  
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
   
2. Beat butter and cream cheese until combined.
   
3. Stir in flour.
4. Chill for 1 hour.
   
5. Divide dough into 24 balls.
   
6. Press balls into mini muffin pans and press dough evenly up the sides of each muffin cup.
   
7. Beat the egg well.
   
8. Add brown sugar, amaretto, vanilla, salt and mix just until smooth.
   
9. Add pecans.
   
10. Spoon filling into the pastry cups.
    
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
12. Cool in pans on wire racks.
    
13. Loosen pastry from cups by running a knife around the edges.
    

Printer-friendly version

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
  
• 1 1/4 cup peanut butter, chunky
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Directions:

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°.
   
2. CREAM the butter, sugars, and peanut butter together until smooth.
   
3. ADD the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.
   
4. MIX the flour, baking powder, salt, oats, and cinnamon together.
   
5. ADD dry ingredients to wet slowly, until mixed well.
   
6. SPOON by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet.
   
7. MARK tops of cookies with standard, peanut butter cookie fork cross.
   
8. BAKE for 12-17 minutes until bottoms just start to turn golden brown.

Yields: ~3 Dozen

Printer-friendly version

Peanut Brittle Cookies

On Christmas I found myself with a bounty of peanut brittle (work gifts I think) and came up with this recipe to dispose of it. Now I am always hunting for Peanut Brittle to make them.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
  
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 cups (16 oz.) coarsely chopped peanut brittle
  

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
   
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
   
3. BEAT butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
   
4. ADD eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
   
5. Gradually BEAT in flour mixture. Stir in peanut brittle chunks.
   
6. DROP by rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheets (cookie sheets do not need to be greased after first batch).
   
7. BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
   

Printer-friendly version