Valentine Peanut Blossoms

What an easy way to make a special Valentine's day treat. I used the traditional peanut blossom recipe and added Hershey valentine hearts to the top when they came out of the oven.  There is dark chocolate, milk chocolate and milk chocolate with peanut butter inside. You can't really tell the difference between the 2 milk chocolates so you may end up with a double peanut butter surprise.

Be very careful when removing the cookies from the baking sheet to the cooling racks. The chocolate melts so fast that it could slide off the cookie. (see above) lol

Valentine Peanut Blossoms

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

   Sugar

48 Hershey hearts (or how many cookies you make)

Directions

Heat oven to 375F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, mild, vanilla and egg; blend at low speed until stiff dough forms. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge; remove from cookie sheet.

Cool completely and let chocolate harden before storing.

makes about 4 dozen.

~Michelle

recipe from Pillsbury The Complete Book of Baking

Bite-Sized Carmelitas

How about this recipe to warm your insides on a cold winter day. Enjoy some super delicious carmelitas with a hot cup of coffee or tea. It is a wonderful combination of caramel, chocolate, oatmeal and brown sugar.

I really enjoy cutting bars into small bite-sized pieces then 1. I have enough samples for work and 2. the co-workers don't feel so guilty eating a sweet treat because it's bite=sized. However, I can't help it if you want to eat more than one.  :) 

I made this recipe for work and the sounds that my coworkers were making while eating these tasty treats were hilarious. It certainly confirms how absolutely scrumptious and decedent the carmelitas were. :)

Carmelitas

Ingredients

35 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted (I may consider using a bit less butter next time)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8" pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Drop remaining oatmeal mixture over the caramel. I tossed a handful of chips on the top. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes until edges are browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. I left it overnight before cutting them into bite-sized squares.

Store and serve at room temperature so the ooey gooey caramel is soft and delicious.

~Enjoy
Michelle 


recipe from Luluthebaker

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

This is a recipe that I received from my aunt's mother. I know, you are thinking isn't that your grandmother? Well my aunt married my uncle so her mother is no relation. :) 

These cookies are amazing and I think that Mrs. Stevens will approve of the job that I have done.  They are tender and have the perfect ginger flavor. yummy.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 Tablespoons molasses


Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger.  In a mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, egg and molasses and beat well until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time until well combined.

Roll into small golf balls and place on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake for 11-12 minutes.
cool on wire racks.

~Michelle

Cranberry Coconut Chip Cookies

It seems like I make a lot of cookies and desserts that have chocolate in them.  Well, this cookie had white chocolate in it; does that count. The combination of flavors in this cookie will wow you. Add these to your Christmas cookie list.

Cranberry Coconut Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup vanilla baking chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup flaked coconut (I used sweetened)

Directions

Heat oven to 350F. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour, oats and baking powder. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Stir in chips, cranberries and coconut.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until set. Cool on wire racks.

recipe from here

~Michelle

Peanut Blossoms

These are my hubby's favorite cookie of all time. This is the classic recipe and should be on your list of Christmas cookies to make.  It is a nice recipe because you toss it all in one bowl and mix. The most complicated part is unwrapping the kisses. lol The texture is amazing soft and tender with a traditional Hershey milk chocolate flavor. Perfect combo.

Peanut Blossoms

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

   Sugar

48 Hershey kisses (or how many cookies you make)

Directions

Heat oven to 375F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, mild, vanilla and egg; blend at low speed until stiff dough forms. Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge; remove from cookie sheet.

Cool completely and let kiss harden before storing.

makes about 4 dozen.

recipe from Pillsbury The Complete Book of Baking

~Michelle

Linzer Cookies with Chocolate and Raspberry

It's time to start baking for Christmas.  This is another classic style cookie but it has a twist.

I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry so much. These have to be one of my favorite cookies because of that. The dough has such wonderful flavor because of the cinnamon that is added. Plan ahead because you do have to chill the dough. Enjoy

I love these cookies so much :)

The cinnamon makes the dough taste so good. 

 Roll and cut out the cookies.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Add the melted chocolate to the flat side of the whole cookies.

Put the jam in the center and top it with the sugared cookies.

Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
One 12-ounce, package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup semi and 1 cup dark)
6 Tablespoons raspberry jam or preserves
Powdered sugar

Directions

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in the eggs and almond extract. Gradually add flour mixture. Divide dough in half. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm.

Preheat oven to 350F. On lightly floured board, roll out half of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Repeat with remaining dough. Cut 1-inch round centers from half of unbaked cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Re-roll dough trimmings, if necessary.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes just until set. Let stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets; cool completely. 

Over hot (not boiling) water, melt semi-sweet chocolate morsels, stirring until smooth.
Spread 1 measuring teaspoonful melted chocolate on flat side of each whole cookie. Top wit 1/2 measuring teaspoon raspberry jam. sprinkle confectioners' sugar on cookies with center holes; place flat side down on top of chocolate-jam cookies to form cookie sandwiches.

makes about 3 dozen sandwich cookies.

recipe from Holiday Cookies

Mint Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies

These are my favorite cookies for Christmas.  My husband does not like mint cookies. So when I make these amazing cookies I end up eating them all. 

I took a batch to work and made a second batch for home. It turns out that 1 of my 2 sons also likes mint cookies just like his mama.  

I will post the recipe for my hubby's favorite Christmas cookie too.  He loves the traditional peanut blossoms.

Stir in the mint chips.

The dough is a bit sticky so I use a teaspoon and drop some into the sugar and sprinkle some on top then I pick the cookies up and roll them in my hands.

Mint Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
one-10 ounce package mint chocolate chips (I used Hershey)
additional sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In large mixer bowl, combine granulated sugar and oil. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the mint chips. Shape into rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes until set. Let stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets to wire racks to cool completely.

makes about 4 1/2 dozen

Enjoy
~Michelle

original recipe from this cookbook