The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 12: Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

I saved the best for last!  Sugar Cookies are my absolute favorite cookies to make during Christmas.  I think I enjoy them so much because, in addition to them tasting so yummy, the kids love helping me make them.  It's always fun to see how they choose to decorate their cookies.

My son's cookies.

One of my daughter's cookies - so many sprinkles!

For years, I used to buy the pre-made dough just to make things go faster.  I also mixed up a simple milk, powdered sugar and vanilla frosting.  It never tasted that great, but it was simple to make, so it worked.

Now, that doesn't work for me.  In order to get the buttery taste in the cookies, the dough just has to be from scratch.  And the frosting needs some butter, too, along with a bit of almond extract.  Try out these two great recipes and see what you think!

That's it for The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking for 2011.  I hope you were able to find a few new recipes to try out.  Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 11: Big Soft Ginger Cookies

When I first made these Big Soft Ginger Cookies, my daughter took the first taste-test bite.  Her exact words - "These are the best cookies ever!"  Then it was her little brother's turn to try them out.  He's much more picky when it comes to cookies and with the spices, I wasn't sure he'd enjoy them.  But low and behold, he loved them, too!  So I have a winner with these cookies.

I made a few changes to the recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I replaced the water with orange juice and used butter instead of margarine.

One last note, these cookies are pretty flat, but don't let that fool you.  They are still very soft and chewy on the inside with a slightly crunchy edge.

Try these out - they really are delicious.  I'd probably eat the entire batch if I could, but I have to save some for Christmas!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 12: Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 10: Peppermint Brownies

As much as I love baking from scratch, sometimes I just can't do it.  Either I don't have the time, don't have the energy, or don't have the ingredients.  In those very rare occasions, I usually fall back on a box.  I know, baking blasphemy!

If you're in need of a quick, cute, and yummy Christmas dessert, I suggest you try making Peppermint Brownies.  All you need is a box of brownie mix (I use plain chocolate brownies), candy canes, and vanilla frosting.

Directions:
1.  Bake the brownies according to the directions on the box.
2.  While the brownies are baking, put four candy canes in a plastic baggie and smash into pieces.  Four canes work well if you're using an 8X8 baking pan.
3.  Either whip up a batch of vanilla icing (recipe below) or use some from the store.
4.  After the brownies have cooled, spread on the icing and sprinkle with candy cane pieces.
5.  Voila!  You're finished.

Vanilla Frosting Recipe

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined.  Add milk and vanilla.  Beat on high speed until smooth and fluffy.  Makes 1 cup.


The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 11: Big Soft Ginger Cookies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 9: How To Make the Perfect Cookie

I know a lot of people wonder how to make a great cookie - one that's golden brown, a perfect size, and tastes delicious.  So here are four tips that I hope really help all you bakers out there:

1.  Use a cookie scoop!  This is the absolute best tool to use to make perfectly shaped cookies that are consistently the same size.  I like to use an Onieda Cookie Scoop.  If you don't have one - get one!

2.  Use parchment paper!  I don't know how many years went by until I figured out this trick for baking perfectly golden brown cookies that never stick to the sheet pan.

3.  When a recipe calls for butter, use butter!  Don't substitute margarine or a low fat/light version.  A cookie needs butter for a reason.  Also, remember that when creaming butter, it needs to be cool to the touch but easily spreadable.  Butter that's too warm will create a flat cookie.

4.  This really isn't a baking tip, but it definitely helps keep your masterpieces fresh.  Store your cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  Sure, cookies jars are super cute, but they tend to make for a stale, dried out cookie.

I hope these ideas/tips help you out a bit in your baking endeavors!  Happy baking!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 10: Peppermint Brownies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 8: White Christmas Cookies

Here are three things I love in a cookie:
- white chocolate
- walnuts
- cinnamon
- soft and chewy texture

Can you get these in one delicious cookie?  Of course!  I played around with three different recipes to come up with White Christmas Cookies - a chewy and soft snickerdoodle-like cookie combined with white chocolate chips and walnuts.  Sweet!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 9: How To Make the Perfect Cookies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 6: Kit Kat Bars, A No-Bake Recipe!

 

What is your favorite candy bar?  I've always been a lover of Kit Kat along with Snickers and Twix.  If you enjoy Kit Kat bars and singing the jingle ("Give me a break, give me a break.  Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar."), then this may be a dessert you should try.

These No-Bake Kit Kat Bars are delicious, but you won't be able to break off a piece.  Although they're made with crackers, there's no crunch left by the time the chocolate-butterscotch-peanut butter sauce soaks into them.  Doesn't that sounds lip-smackin' good?  Oh, and there's also a cup of butter.  When looking at those ingredients, it won't be a shocker to anyone that this is a recipe by Paula Deen :).

I have to be honest - I don't really think these taste much like a Kit Kat bar.  However, I do like the fact that they are easy to make and do really taste delicious.  I'm a sucker for any goodie that includes butterscotch, peanut butter and chocolate. 

Try these out and let me know what you think!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 7 - Nicole's Famous Banana Bread

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 7: Nicole's Famous Banana Bread

Okay, so my Banana Bread may not really be famous, but I've been making this for literally years and have always received rave reviews from everyone who's tried it.  My three biggest fans are my husband and our two kids.

I started making this bread for my husband when we first began dating eleven years ago.  Through the years, I've tried different substitutions and variations of the recipe.  Some have been great while others have left me just shaking my head in wonder.  I've included all good substitutions and changes in the recipe.

The magic ingredient of this recipe is the vanilla yogurt.  The original recipe calls for sour cream, which makes for a delicious, moist bread, but the yogurt adds a little something extra - more vanilla flavoring without skimping on the moistness.

These are the changes I make to the recipe regularly:
1. Bake four small loaves instead of one large loaf.  (Bakes quicker and is the perfect size for snacks.)
2. Use vanilla yogurt in place of sour cream.
3. Use egg beaters instead of regular eggs.

I hope you enjoy this Banana Bread as much as my family does!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 8: White Christmas Cookies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 5: Sand Art Brownies, A Great Gift To Make and Give

Looking for a fun, homemade gift?  Here's one that looks adorable and ends up tasting great as well.  Sand Art Brownies are basically just like those sand art jar projects we all made as kids.  Well, at least I made a few.  The only difference is that the "sand" is dry brownie ingredients: flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, sugar, pecans, salt and cocoa.

Just layer the dry ingredients in order in a Ball jar using a funnel.  The funnel I use is actually a funnel used to change car oil with the super small end cut off.  No, it was never used to change oil, but when I asked Hubby to buy one for me while he was at the store, that's what he brought home.  A big, giant, red funnel.  It does the job, and I've just never thought to buy a new one.  Funny, that hubby of mine!

Tip: Make sure you press down the brown sugar and the flour.  If you don't, the ingredients won't fit in the jar.

After you layer all of the ingredients, cut a cute piece of fabric and place it between the two parts of the jar lid.  Then tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar with the directions.  Now that's a cute present if I do say so myself!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 6: Kit Kat Bars, a No-Bake Recipe!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 4: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I really like all types of cookies, but chocolate ones are some of my favorites.  There aren't too many, though, that turn out the way I like.  Does that make me a chocolate cookie snob?  I hope not.  One cookie that always makes me smile is the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie.   It has semi-sweet chocolate in it, something I always love in chocolate chip form!  Have you ever taken a spoonful of creamy peanut butter and then dipped it into a pile of chocolate chips?  Yummy, right?  It's like making your own Peanut Butter Cup!  But I digress...

These cookies are pretty simple to make.  I hope you're catching on to my "easy baking" vibe.  Don't get me wrong.  Some of the most delicious cookies have extremely detailed instructions; however, some of the most delicious cookies also have extremely simple instructions as well.  With two kids, I'm always looking for a dessert or cookie that won't take all of my free time to complete.  I've done it in the past, and, boy, is it exhausting!  Again, I digress.  What is up with me today?

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies require you to melt chocolate, mix all the ingredients and then chill the dough.  So even though it may be easy, it's a bit more time consuming due to the wait time.  But as soon as your dough is ready, just roll them into 1 inch balls, dip them in powdered sugar and bake!  Easy peasy.

Tip: Do not overbake!  These cookies are meant to be soft and chewy.  Overbaking them will create a hard cookie.

The Twelve Days of Baking - Day 5: Sand Art Brownies, A Great Gift to Make and Give

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 3: Walnut Tea Cookies

Here in Colorado, we usually have our first snowfall in October.  And whenever those first snowflakes fall to the ground, my kids are jumping up and down for two main reasons:
1) They simply love to play in the snow!
2) We always have our first cup of hot chocolate of the season.

And now I think I've found the perfect cookie to go with that hot chocolatey yumminess.  Walnut Tea Cookies.

They're super easy to make which is why they're great cookies to make with kids.  They're also rolled in powdered sugar after they come out of the oven, so feel free to lick your fingers since they'll be covered in white sweetness.

If you're looking for a soft cookie, then this isn't the cookie for you.  It's definitely crumbly, but that's why it's such a good cookie for dunking into hot chocolate!  The hot chocolate makes the cookie just moist enough to mush in your mouth.  If you're looking for a tasty hot chocolate, try out Equal Exchange Organic Hot Cocoa mix.  You just add hot water since the milk is in the mix!  It has a nice, smooth chocolate taste.  You can read about Equal Exchange Coop and how to buy their cocoa here.  I get ours at our church.  It's pretty convenient! 

One thing to note...this recipe is adapted from one I found on foodnetwork.com.  I just substituted walnuts for the hazelnuts.  I've never used hazelnuts, but feel free since there are a ton of great reviews.

Happy Baking!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 4: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 2: Cookie Exchanges

Some of the cookies from my cookie exchange.  Cute bags, huh?

 I just finished a weekend filled with cookies, two cookie exchanges to be exact.  They were both extremely fun, and now I have enough cookies to feed an army!  My sister wasn't able to come to my cookie exchange this year because she just had a baby girl three weeks ago (I wouldn't have had any desire to bake cookies with a newborn either!), so I'm planning on packing up quite a few of the goodies for her and her family to enjoy.  When I told Hubby I was planning on doing this, he said, "We're not giving her all of our cookies are we?"  As if 200 cookies aren't enough for our family!

I'm sure many people have already taken part in cookies exchanges this past weekend, but in case you're hosting one this weekend or thinking a cookie exchange would be a fun thing to do any time of the year, here are a few things to remember in order to make your exchange a great event.

1.  Keep your guest count to between 7-14.  You can obviously have more or less people, but I think the perfect number of attendees is 10.  You end up with just enough cookies to make it worth your while having a great variety!

2.  Remember that you can adjust your cookie count.  If you end up having a lot of people, have each person only make 5 or 6 cookies per person.  If you have a small group, up your cookies count to 10 or so. 

3.  Don't forget to have your guests include one recipe for each guest.  It's not fun finding a great cookie and then realizing you have no idea how to make it!

4.  Create some friendly competition!  Have a few categories for judging: presentation and taste are two great ones to include.  If you choose to have your guests vote for the best tasting cookie, make sure you have them include additional cookies for tasting testing.

5.  Make sure you have a small prize for the winners of your competitions.  Ornaments or baking kits make good Christmas cookie exchange prizes. 

6.  Make sure to remind your guests to bring a container that's big enough for storing all of their newly acquired treasures.  It doesn't have to be fancy; a laundry basket or shopping bag will be fine.

7.  Have fun!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 3: Walnut Tea Cookies

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 1: Swedish Fork Cookies

I had to include my Swedish Dala horse and Christmas candles!

Can you believe that Christmas will be here in two weeks?  I know, crazy!  I remember Hubby and I thinking on January 1, how amazed we were that it was 2011 already.  And now we find ourselves in December looking at 2012 just beyond the horizon.  It's truly amazing how fast time really does fly.

So, with only a few weeks left until Christmas and the end of another year, I thought I'd share with you a wonderful cookie that has brought my family and me yummy memories year after year.  It's also one of the easiest cookies you'll ever make.  Swedish Fork Cookies.

The recipe is from my mom, and if anyone knows her, she's 100% Swedish and would probably live in Sweden if the winters weren't so frigid and the summer sun didn't rise at 3am.  Other than that, she thinks it's the best place in the world.  So, it's no surprise that she loves these cookies.

Even if your aren't Swedish, you'll still benefit from a recipe that calls for two sticks of butter, brown sugar and pecans!   The combination creates a cookie that is buttery and flaky.  It just melts in your mouth!  Yum!

If your butter is too warm and soft, your cookie will turn out like the one on the right.

There is one important thing to remember when making this cookie - make sure that your butter is soft but not a gooey mess.  If it's too soft and warm, the cookie will spread out in the oven, and you don't want a flat, ugly cookie.  You want it to be fluffy and light.  So how do you avoid this?  Here are two tips:

1.  Take your stick of butter out of the refrigerator and immediately pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds.  Then zap it for another 5 seconds.  It seems to work every time.

2.  Use up your dough as quickly as possible.  The longer you let it sit out on the counter, the warmer it becomes.  Because of this, I recommend you not double your recipe unless you have a double oven and can zip through your baking quickly.

I'm glad I could share with you one of my favorite cookies ever!  Happy baking!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking - Day 2: Cookie Exchanges

Let the Christmas Baking Begin!

What a great way to start this blog!  With Christmas baking!  Beginning December 12th, I'll be sharing with you 12 different baking topics that revolve around this festive holiday season.  I'm calling it "The Twelve Days of Christmas Baking".  I will include everything from recipes to gifts.  I don't know about you, but Christmas just isn't the same without baking Christmas cookies, and I'll be sure to include some of my favorites for you!

This weekend is my "Cookie Kickoff."  I'm hosting a cookie exchange on Sunday afternoon for the ladies in my neighborhood.  But the night before that, a friend of mine is having a family cookie exchange.  I'm baking 100 cookies for that get-together!  Add that to the 77 cookies I need for my cookie exchange the next day, and I start thinking, "What did I get myself into?!"  Seriously, though, I love cookies, so the more the merrier!

To start off this Christmas baking bonanza, I made Christmas M&M cookies.  These little goodies went to my daughter's dance Open House and were gobbled up faster than you can say, "Nutcracker."

All I did was use my "go to" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and substitute M&Ms for the chocolate chips.  Super easy (and super cute, too)!