Blackberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Yum! Thumbprint are quite possibly my favorite Christmas cookie. I should make them more often!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks from large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
roughly 5 tablespoons fruit jam (I chose blackberry)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in yolks and vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt. Mix until well-blended.
Roll dough into small balls 1 inch in diameter. Place on prepared baking sheet. Indent each ball with your thumb or the back of a small spoon.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are set and bottoms are just barely golden brown. If needed, reinforce cookies’ indents. Carefully spoon about 1/2 teaspoonful of jam in the center of each cookie.
Bake for 3-4 more minutes until edges of the cookie are slightly golden and the jam melts in the middle. Transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Yield: about 40 small cookies

*If you plan on freezing these cookies for a later date, place them in a box (one of those gift boxes for clothes from a department store, a shoe box, or any other sturdy box) and place wax paper between the layers so the jam will not stick.

Chocolate Truffles

These truffles are the ultimate chocolate-lover treat, and with so many variations you can make a special batch for everyone!

Ingredients:
18 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 and 1/2 standard bags)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For Coatings:
colored sugar, colored sprinkles, nonpareils, cocoa, powdered sugar, chopped nuts, etc…

Stove-top Instructions:
In medium saucepan, heat chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk over low heat. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Microwave Instructions:
In 1-quart glass bowl, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high power for 3 minutes, stirring at 1 and 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

Continued Instructions:
Chill mixture in bowl until firm, about 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let sit until you can work with mixture.
Roll dough into small balls (you can determine which size is best). You can place your colored sugar or other coatings in small bowls. Roll the truffle in coating of your choice and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Once all truffles are done, place tray in freezer about 5 minutes until truffles are set. Transfer to freezer-safe container and store in freezer until ready to serve.

Variations:
I like to mix confectioner’s sugar with a little unsweetened cocoa as one of my truffle coatings. The possibilities for coatings are endless. Try some of these:
chopped toasted almonds
flaked coconut
finely grated orange rind

You can also replace vanilla extract with different extracts or even liqueurs. Try these instead:
3 tablespoons amaretto or other almond-flavored liquor + 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons orange-flavored liquor
1/4 cup dark rum
3 tablespoons bourbon

Cream Cheese Mints

These are simple and festive for the holidays!

Ingredients:
4 ounces (1/2 standard package) Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Extras:
2-3 drops food coloring (whatever color you want)
powdered sugar (less than 1/4 cup)
icing for decorating

Instructions:
Beat cream cheese, margarine, corn syrup, and extract in large mixing bowl until well-blended. Gradually add sugar. Mix well.
If adding color, divide dough and add food coloring until desired shade. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
Coat your hands with powdered sugar. Roll dough into small balls and place on sheet, leaving about an inch between balls.
Dip fork in powdered sugar. Press down on each ball to make a lined print on the mints. Dip fork in sugar frequently to prevent sticking.
Place tray in freezer for a few minutes, until set. Store in freezer-tight container until ready to serve.

M&M Cookies

I must say, these are not my favorite cookies. But they are good enough to be shared!

Ingredients:
1 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 bag (about 2 cups) M&M’s

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, cream together sugars, eggs, shortening, and vanilla.
In medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, soda, and salt. Gradually add this mixture to creamed mix. Stir in about half of the bag of M&M’s.
Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Add a few M&M’s to each cookie before placing in the preheated oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Let cookies stand on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Ohio Buckeye Candies

This is the one and only treat you will ever need to make for fans of that chocolate-peanut butter combo. They are one of my favorite holiday treats, and the recipe is quite simple…But hide your scale, because these small balls are far from healthy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1 pound peanut butter (slightly less than one standard jar)
1 pound Confectioner’s Sugar
1 package chocolate chips

Instructions:
Cream together margarine and peanut butter. Gradually add sugar, beating until well mixed. Mixture will be slightly crumbly.
Line baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Roll dough into small balls (1 inch or less in diameter) and place on prepared tray, leaving at least a couple centimeters of space in between each. Once you have placed all the peanut butter balls on the tray, transfer to freezer. This will help set the balls so they do not fall apart in the melted chocolate.
Meanwhile, Melt chocolate chips. Remove tray from freezer. Pick up peanut butter balls one-by-one and dip into the chocolate, placing back down on the tray. When all are dipped, place tray back into the freezer until set.
Remove from freezer and serve OR place in freezer-safe container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Simple Pie Crust

This is a great crust recipe for a double-crust pie. Not making a two-cruster? Just cut the recipe in half!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I only used 2)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
6 tablespoons ice-cold water

Instructions:
In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into small cubes, and add into flour mixture.
Blend at medium-low speed until the dough resembles cornmeal. Butter chunks should be no larger than a pea.
Add water and mix on low speed until dough is formed. Do not over mix!
Roll half of the dough onto lightly floured surface, then place in pie pan. Reserve remainder of the dough for the top crust, or roll between parchment paper sheets and store in a Ziploc bag. Place dough in the freezer until ready to use.

Chocolate “Spiders”

Here you are, friends! My first Christmas goodie…These “spiders” are the only ones I’m not the teensiest bit scared of! This is also possibly the simplest dessert I have made, and it has several variations.

Ingredients:
One 12-oz package of chocolate chips (I use semisweet)
One 5-oz can of crispy chow mein noodles (about 2 1/2 cups)

Instructions:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Pour chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl. Melt in microwave, stirring occasionally. (Microwave times will vary. Mine takes about 5 minutes with stirs every 30 seconds or so). Melt completely and stir until smooth.
Empty can of noodles into melted chocolate. Stir the noodles gently, until just coated with chocolate. Drop by spoonful onto prepared baking sheets. The “spiders” can be as big or as small as you want, and don’t have to look pretty!
Place trays in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until set. Store in Ziploc Freezer Bag in freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw slightly before serving.

VARIATIONS:
try other morsels or types of chocolate chips
sprinkle with colored sugar or crushed nuts before freezing

It’s almost that time again…

Every winter, my family and I prepare to bake several varieties of Christmas cookies. The flour and sugar has already been purchases in abundance! I will post each of the Christmas recipes I bake his year. Suggestions are welcome…and appreciated! I look forward to trying some new cookies 🙂

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: about 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.
In separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. In small bowl, dissolve baking soda in milk. Add to first mixture.
Slowly add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop dough on cookie sheet by teaspoonful (mine are slightly larger) about an inch apart. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until firm. Remove to cooling rack.

Snickery Sugar Cookies

These cookies taste like a hybrid between sugar cookies and snickerdoodles!

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Stir in vanilla.
In small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add gradually to butter mixture until well blended.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet, about 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

*This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies