Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I love cinnamon buns, well almost anything with cinnamon really.  I had a large craving for cinnamon on day, but didn’t want to have an entire batch of cinnamon buns sitting round the house.  I love the cookie form of anything - they get the flavor but they are a lot smaller than something like a cinnamon bun.  I came across this recipe from Picky Palate and decided to give it a try.

As a note, this recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies (I cut mine a little smaller or else rolled my dough out larger and got a few more per log).  That is way to many cookies to have sitting around or even to try to get rid of at work.  I left a few logs in the freezer after they were made and now if I have surprise guests or I need cookies for the next day but don’t have time to bake, I can pull one out, slice off some cookies and bake them.  It works great!

Picky Palate’s Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder


12 tablespoons softened butter, (separated into 6 portions of 2 tbsp)
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.
2. Mix in the vanilla and sour cream until well combined.
3. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda and baking powder, mix until combined.
4. Split the dough in half and form each half into disc.  Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
5. Cut each disc into thirds and roll each ⅓  about ⅛ inch thick and 12 by 5 inches in size.
6. Spread the rolled out dough with 2tbsp of soft butter, ¼ cup of packed brown sugar and ½ tsp of cinnamon.
7. Roll the dough into a 12 inch long log. (at this point I put some of the logs into the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap.  When you want to bake them, take them out and continue with step 8).
8. Using a sharp knife cut off slices about a ½ inch thick.  Lay the slices out on a cookie sheet.
9. Bake the cookies 9 to 11 minutes at 350F.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Reviews:
These cookies are great - a nice sugar cookie filled with a delicious cinnamon filling.  Picky Palate has a cream cheese icing for these, but it is not needed (it is a great addition as cream cheese icing always is, but isn’t needed). I had some of my own cream cheese frosting in the fridge leftover from some cupcakes, and it did go on a few cookies - very yummy. These are also nice 2 bite cookies, so you can eat a couple of them without feeling too bad!

I have loved having these in the freezer as well, it is great when I want a couple cookies, and they still taste just as fantastic!

Pina Colada Macaroons

I have a friend at work who was leaving soon and so i wanted to make something special for her. I know that she loves Pina Coladas and so decided to try and make them in a cookie form. I had just come across the Papaya Mac Cookies by Joanne Fluke (found in Devils Food Cake Murder). I used this as my inspiration and as a guide to start my Pina Colada cookies.

Ingredients:
½ can (7 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk
2 ½ cups (7 ounces) unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp Malibu (Coconut Rum)
½ cup chopped dried pineapple
2 tbsp Malibu

Directions:
1. In a bowl mix the dried pineapple and the 2 tbsp of Malibu - you want enough so all the dried pineapple is in some rum, but the top layer should not be submerged. Let sit overnight ( you could probably get away with a couple of hours, but overnight is best).
2. Preheat the oven to 325F
3. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. The mixture should be sticky and should stay in shape when formed.
4. Spoon onto a cookie sheet (I covered mine in parchment paper as the dough is quite sticky). They do not spread so you can place them quite close together.
5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. They should be soft, but feel dry on the outside and the coconut on the top of the cookie should be starting to become a golden brown.
6. Cool and enjoy!

Reviews:
I first served these when I had friends over for supper and they were a big hit (more so with one guest than the peach pie!).

Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was reading my feed one day and saw that someone had made chocolate chip cookies filled with an rollo- how awesome is that? I folowed to the original recipe and found all sorts of variations, oreo filled cookies, brownie filled cookies - so much yumminess. I knew I had to make these. I decided to try two combinations - oreo (regular not double stuffed) and brownie. I followed the original recipe and formed the cookies around either an oreo cookie or one of my fudgy brownies. Unlike the original brownie filled cookie - I cut my brownies to about the size of an oreo, I needed a cookie that could be eaten in one sitting. The other fun part about this size is I mixed all the cookie together so you wouldn’t know what filling you were getting until you bit into them.

I didn’t change anything in the recipe and the instructions on Picky Palate are fantastic, so i am just going to tell you to go there and check out her recipe.


Reviews:
The dough seemed a little dry when I was working with it, but it worked great. These were delicious and stayed soft while the oreo in the center stayed firm, how awesome is that?

The cookies were a big hit and were loved at my house, my work and O’s office! Only three people have been lucky enough to pull out both an oreo cookie and a brownie stuffed cookies. It was mixed on which was better, it was said that the brownie cookies were better as there was “more love” to them.

Coconut Macaroons

I love to bake when the weather gets cold. There is just something comforting about a warm oven and a house that smells like baking when it is snowing and cold outside. Why does this matter? Well the weather here sucks, it is cold and snowing and I am not ready for it to be the middle of winter just yet. Despite having almost my entire kitchen packed (that is right, I am moving in 4 days – why did I think moving in November was a good idea?) I decided that I needed to bake cookies. I needed something simple to make (I didn’t want to unpack 6 boxes to find the ingredients and pans for anything) and remembered coming across this recipe on the Kraft site. It was perfect – they look Christmassy, kind of like a snowball, and I love coconut.

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups medium or flaked unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate (I used milk chocolate wafers for melting, but feel free to use whatever you want)

Directions:
1. In a bowl mix together the coconut, milk and vanilla. Once it is mixed together drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper – no sticking!).
2. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes – the edges will start to turn a golden brown. 3. Remove the cookies to cool on a wire rack (they will still be soft, but don’t worry, they will solidify as they cool).
4. Once the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate and dip the cookies as little or as much as you would like.

Reviews:
These were great cookies! I love how simple they were to make and how good they tasted. They nixed my cookie craving and gave me a nice hit of coconut – something I love in the winter. These cookies somehow made it to coworkers who have all enjoyed it. Actually the reason I am posting this 3 days before moving when I really should be finishing my packing is because so many people requested the recipe, it was easier just to put it here than try and get copies to everyone. So for everyone who wanted to try making these – I hope you enjoy them. I am now off to try and finish my packing and get organized for moving!

No Flour Fudge Cookies

I came across these cookies when looking at some gluten free recipes on King Arthur Flour one day (man I love that site), as a few friends and family members are celiac or at least gluten intolerant. These cookies looked amazing and I had to try them right away.

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
3 lg egg whites
2 tsps vanilla extract

Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth (make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl).
3.Drop cookies on the cookie sheets (I used my cookie scoop, and that was a good size).
4.Bake for 8 minutes (the tops will be crackly but the cookies will still be very soft). Allow the cookies to cool on the pan before removing to a wire rack.

Reviews:

These cookies are completely addictive; I couldn’t get enough of them. They were fantastic, and I have made a few batches. The cookies were almost like fudge in the shape of a cookie. I did add some instant coffee powder to some of the cookies and these were also enjoyed very much.

Banana Boat Cookies

I loved Banana boats as a kid (bananas filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, mmmmmmmmm) but sadly only have them while camping (I will have to remember to post those sometime this year). Well I always get a craving for them at some point during the year when I just can’t make them – winter or when the first signs of spring are coming out, so I decided to make a cookie to try and replicate them. What I came up with is a soft delicious banana cookie filled with chocolate chips toped with toasted marshmallows.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 bananas – I like to use 3 big bananas and not care if it is a little over. The riper the bananas, the stronger the flavour)
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
Mini marshmallows

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350F while you make the dough.
2.Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until it is light and fluffy.
3.In another bowl mix the mashed bananas and baking soda, let sit 2 minutes.
4.Mix the banana and butter mixtures.
5.Add the flour until just combined – don’t overmix.
6.Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies onto a cookie sheet, top with 1 mini marshmallow.
7.Bake for 11-13 minutes (will be golden) and let cool on wire racks. While cookies are still warm press another marshmallow into the top of the melted marshmallow in the cookie.
8.If you would like to go the extra little bit, you can put the cookies under the broiler for a few seconds to toast the top of the marshmallow – devine!

Reviews:
Oh, how I love these little delights, so moist and delicious. Oh, and there is bananas in them, so I can almost trick myself into thinking they are healthy – right?

The first batch of these I made were supposed to go to the bulldogs during their season, but somehow ended up at the team Captain’s house and never made it to the game, hmmm.

Citrus Ginger Spice Cookies

I received a cookie press and off course I had to try it out right away. Upon flipping through the book that came with the press I came across the recipe for ginger cookies, and had to try them. Now, first, these are not a ginger snap, nor a molasses cookie, but a more citrus like cookie.

Recipe:
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup room temp butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp orange zest (zest of 1 large orange)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350F while you prepare the dough.
2.Mix the flour and pumpkin pie spice together and set aside.
3.Cream the butter and sugar together, add the orange zest and vanilla extract and mix until light and fluffy.
4.Beat in the eggs. Mix in the flour and spice mixture. The dough will be soft.
5.At this point either pack into the cookie press and press cookies, or spoon on to a cookie sheet (cookies should be small).
6.Bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies should be just firm to the touch. Cool and enjoy.

These cookies made the kitchen smell so good. I loved it. The cookies were a big hit, even though they were not a traditional ginger cookie. The one comment I did get was that they went great with either a glass of milk or coffee – whichever you are into.

Despite this being a recipe for a “cookie press” I am sure it would work fine with just spooning out small teaspoon sized cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cardamom Cookies

First let me let me apologize for the lack of pictures, my camera batteries were dead and then all the cookies were done before they were charged. Also the last week has been terribly busy, so i apologize that this post is a week late.

I love cardamom and usually only get it in cookies around Christmas time. I had a craving for it this week, but didn’t want to make fattigmen or anything like that. I had seen some recipes for Cardamom Chocolate pots, and figured if it went well with chocolate, it should go well in chocolate chip cookies.

Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup margerine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
½ to 1 tsp ground cardamom (if it is fresh, you will need only ½, use 1 for preground, or if you really like the flavour!)
Chocolate chips.

Directions:
1.Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, then cream in the sugar, followed by the egg and vanilla.
2.Mix the baking soda, flour and cardamom together. Add to the butter mixtures and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3.Using a teaspoon drop cookies onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes.
4.Cool on a wire rack.
5.Enjoy

Reviews:
So I made a half batch with cardamom and a half batch without. I loved the cookies with the cardamom in them and could tell the difference. O thought they were okay, but isn’t a big fan of cardamom so he mostly went for the regular. He could tell which were the cardamom cookies, as he would take a bite then give them to me and get himself a new one!

However the hockey boys could not tell the difference between the two batches. My theory is they weren’t really trying. No complaints on either batch though, and I will be making these again.

All right Game time:
I know I missed last week as I was away – well the boys won sans cookies! Way to go! As for this week, the game ended in a 2-2 tie after 3 periods and one round (5 players) of shootout. They then ran out of ice time and had to leave the game as a tie.

(As this post is a week late, this weeks post will be up soon!)

Oreo Cakesters - Bulldogs

The bulldogs played midweek (Wednesday at 10:30pm!) this week. Sadly after their last game they had requested the soft oreo like cookies that I will sometimes make, and our my brother in law's favorite cookies. These are really tasty cookies, and come together very quickly.

I have previously posted these cookies, so it sadly wasn't a new or fun cookie for the boys this week.

However the cookies were a hit (I had very little doubt on that point) and no leftovers found their way home.

Bulldogs: The boy's lost the game this week by one goal after coming back from being behind by 3 goals.

Next week's cookies: I am really not sure yet, and as O and I will be gone that weekend, I don't know if I will be sending them cookies.

Cranberry Cookies - Bulldogs

It was Bulldog Cookie time again, and I needed to get rid of some cranberries and cranberry sauce from my fridge/freezer. Cranberries go well in cookies right? I am sure they do, so I decided to try and put some cookies together the sauce – the boys are so good about eating just about anything I put in front of them.

I am sorry, but somehow I didn't get a picture of these adorable cookies when they were done baking , but I did get a couple of prep pictures (sorry about the bad quality, the light in my place is worse than usual lately)

Let me just say this – these cookies smelled heavenly when baking!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of cranberry sauce

Extra Cranberry Sauce (note: I used all homemade cranberry sauce, but I am sure canned will work.)


Directions:

1.Cream the butter until light, then add in the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy (3-5 min).
2.Add the egg, cranberry sauce and vanilla and mix until well combined.
3.Add the baking powder and salt to the flour and add it to the butter mixture until combined.
4.Using teaspoons or a small cookie scoop, portion out the dough. Flatten each piece of dough and place a small amount of sauce in the middle.

Wrap the dough around the sauce


Form a ball, and roll the ball in a little sugar


Note: You can also spread sauce onto one flat cookie and top with another, and pinch the edges together to make a flat cookie.
5. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes, let cool on the sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack.



Reviews:
I loved the smell and pretty light pink of these cookies – they were adorable. The little dark spots were some of the sauce was peaking through made the look a little like a jelly donut.

The cookies were good without the filling in them, but most people agreed it needed a little more. Instead of mixing extra sauce into the cookies I used it as a filling. Other suggestions I need to dry were adding white chocolate or craisins. The sauce I used was made with orange juice so it had a hint of orange and some people thought it could use a little more.

The Bulldogs loved the cookies, and a few commented that they reminded them of holiday dinners.

Game Recap:
Bulldogs won 6-5 at their late night game. #13 got a hat trick - woo hoo! It was a tight game and after pulling ahead early, the game became tied in the 3rd remained that way until a shorthanded goal by #13 put them back in the lead with only a couple minutes left in the game.

They boys play again on the 27th.

Bulldogs - Soft Ginger Cookies

The Bulldogs have had another game and they had requested ginger after the last game. I knew there was some molasses in my cupboard so I figured this would be no problem.

I know that O prefers a nice soft cookie, so after a quick search I found a recipe on all recipes. I didn’t change the recipe much, but what I did is posted below.

Soft Ginger cookie (makes about 3 doz cookies)

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (+ 2 tbsp, may not be needed)
2 ½ tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
dash of salt
¾ cup soft margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp water (warm)
¼ cup molasses (dark cooking molasses)
2 tbsp white sugar

Directions:
1. Mix the four, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt together and set aside.
2. In a bowl cream the margarine and sugar. Once it is “fluffy” add in the egg, followed by the molasses. Use the warm water to rinse the molasses from the measuring cup into the mix.
3. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. If it is still really sticky (mine was, I think due to a large egg) slowly add in the 2 tbsp of flour.
4. Using teaspoons portion out the dough, roll it into balls and roll in the sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and flatten to ½ to ¼” thickness.
5. Bake at 350F for 8-10 min (mine took about 9 min). Middle should still be soft, but should fall if touched.
6. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 30 -60 seconds before transferring to a wire rack this will give it a nice light crunch on the outside. Sprinkle a little sugar on top while they are still warm.

Reviews:
O hasn’t been able to stop stealing these, if there is one sitting out when he walks by he has to steal it. I love the little extra sparkle the sprinkle sugar at the end gives them!

I had doubled the recipe, but ended up making smaller cookies than the original and got about 6 doz. cookies. So I now have some unbaked cookies in the freezer. I am looking forward to seeing how they bake up.

Bulldogs:
Sadly this week O had to sit out the game with Bulldogs due to an injury from a game with his other hockey team (that is right folks, he plays on TWO hockey teams for the winter – 8 months). I checked the score of the game and it looks like while they put in a valiant effort, they lost the game with a score of 5-4.

Lemon Slices - Bulldogs

The Bulldogs had their first game of 2010 and it was an interesting game to say the least, but more on that later.

I wanted a more refreshing cookie this time, as we just finished the holidays and I thought people might be a little tired of the holiday cookies and chocolate (I am not, but that is besides the point). Also, I love cookies that I can just slice and bake, so I was excited to try these. I wasn’t as organized this weekend as I should have been (I am going to blame this on the holidays one last time) and ended up baking the cookies only 3 hours before we had to leave – and the recipe said to refigerate overnight, hmmmm. Other adjustments were made, especially to cut down the number of cookies – when the new cookbook said “big batch” the really meant it, with most recipes averaging around 100 cookies!

Lemon Slices (Makes about 4 doz)
Recipe adapted from The Great Christmas Cookie Swap Cookbook - Good Housekeeping

Ingredients
1 large lemon
¾ cup soft butter (unsalted)
½ cup granulated sugar (+ more to decorate)
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest (heaping tbsp)
2 tbsp lemon juice ( or juice from ½ large lemon)
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Directions:
1.Cream together the butter and the sugar (both granulated and powdered). Add in the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
2.Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix into the butter mixture.
3.Separate the dough into two balls and shape each ball into a 6 inch log. Wrap each log in saran wrap and freeze for 30 to 45 minutes. Slice each log into ¼” slices (crosswise)

Lay cookies on a tray, sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.
4.Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

Reviews:
These were a nice cookie, that are a little lighter and have a bit of crisp to them. They boys enjoyed them (especially the goalie) and there were no leftovers.

The Bulldogs:
After 3 periods, 1 overtime period, 1 stick to the face, 1 puck to the face and one fight, the game ended in a tie. They didn’t get the shootout due to time constraints, and the boys think that lemon (while very tasty) isn’t a good pregame cookie. Of course they blame it on the cookies….

Next Bulldog game is Sunday January 10th. They have requested more ginger cookies….

Bulldogs - Cinnamon Bun Cookies

First let me apologize for the lack of the pictures for this post, the Bulldogs had a game on December 27th at 7am, and in my hurry to get cookies made, bags unpacked and find places for all the stuff that made its way back, the picture somehow got overlooked. I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time to bake anything as I was at my Parent's house for the holidays. I decided to try a slice and bake cookie - from the freezer. I made up the dough for these for these a couple weeks ago and had them sitting in my freezer. Then the night of the 26th I took them out, let them soften for about 10 minutes then sliced the log into cookies and baked.

The recipe came from The Recipe Girl, and only made some minor changes.

Freeze and Slice Cinnamon Bun Cookies (made about 3 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg white
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Prepare the dough by creaming together the sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir in the flour and chill the dough.
2. Once the dough is chilled, roll it out on a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar to about 9x12 inches (no more than 1/4 inch thick).
3. Lightly whip the egg white with a fork until foamy. Brush it onto the rolled out dough (I didn't use all of the egg white).
4. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together then sprinkle and spread on the cookie dough. Roll the dough like you would a cinnamon bun or jelly roll.
5. Wrap the log in the saran wrap and freeze.

When ready to bake:
1. Take the dough out of the freezer and let warm for a couple of minutes (makes cutting the slices easier).
2. Slice the dough into about 1/4 inch slices.
3. Place slices on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 12 minutes until middle is set.
4. Cool on a wire rack.

Reviews:
These were a delicious cookie, and everyone enjoyed them. It was nice the have them so easy to make the night before, and I am tempted to keep a roll or two at all times for surprise company. I didn't make the icing for it and I really don't think the cookies need it.

The Bulldogs:
They won their game, even with a backup of the backup goalie! I can't say more than that, as I stayed at home that morning for some much needed sleep after the holidays!


Read more: http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/12/11/cinnamon-bun-cookies/#ixzz0bClOOjH9

Fattigman

My Grandparents have made these cookies every Christmas for as long as I can remember. They are nice addition to all the sweets, as they aren't a really sweet cookie, and I love the Cardamom flavor!

One key to getting a fantastic cookie is using whole fresh Cardamom, ground just before using. Cardamom is a spice that tastes best when fresh, you can tell the differences in the cookies from those that are made with the ground stuff in the store and the fresh stuff. (the ground is good as well, the fresh just takes it over the top!)

Below is the recipe my grandparents gave me, I have added a few pictures just to make a few steps a little more clear.

Fattigman
12 egg yolks OR eight yolks +2 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
*1/2 tsp. salt
*2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (3/4s is better)
*approximately 4 cups flour
(* sift together)
2 tsps ground cardamom

METHOD:
Beat eggs till thick.
Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the cream.
Roll out fairly thin (like sugar cookies)
Cut dough in long strips, then in diamond shapes. (a pizza cutter works well)
Put a little cut in the centre of each cookie. To shape cookie (if you want) pull one corner through the cut in the centre.


Deep fry until golden colour.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Take Two – Bulldogs

I am still on the hunt for a go to gingerbread recipe, so when I saw this recipe come up on My Kitchen Café, I decided it would be the next one to try. The bulldogs had a game coming up and I wanted to do something fun for them for the last game before Christmas, so I decided to dress up the cookies with the team colours.

I followed the directions for the recipe exactly, and encountered a couple of problems. It is a little difficult to tell when the cookies are actually done, and I ended up overcooking the first batch.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
¾ cup butter (cut into 12 pieces)
¾ cup molasses
2 tbsp milk

How To:
1.Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and sugar in a bowl of a mixer. Add the pieces of butter and mix until the mixture becomes “sandy” in texture.
2.Add in the molasses and milk and mix until well combined.
3.Place ½ the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and rollout to be 1/4” inch thick. Place in the freezer until firm (15 min).
4.Cut out the cookies.
5.Bake at 350F for 8-9 minutes ( no longer than 10 minutes, even if you don’t think they are done) until they are set in the center and barely retains an imprint when touched.
6.Let cool and decorate.


I used a royal icing recipe (1 egg white, 1/8tsp corn starch, 1 ½ cup powdered sugar) to decorate these cookies and wrote on the hard icing with Wilton Food Writers.


The cookie man is wearing a replica of the Bulldog's jersey. I am sorry I couldn't find a picture of anyone wearing their yellow jersey, but it is the same as these black ones, only yellow.



Reviews: These cookies were enjoyed (the ones that were soft and not overcooked) by everyone who tried them, although I am not sure if it was due to the cookie flavour or the more likely culprit of the decorating.

Bulldogs:
The boys loved the jerseys on the cookies ( I have seen a couple pics pop up on facebook already)!

They won their game this morning 5-4! Hopefully they can finish the year with a winning streak. The next game is Dec. 27th at 7 am, which may be a little rough after the indulging of Christmas!

Black Forest Cookies (Bulldogs)

Black Forest Cookies,

I made Black Forest preserves this summer and have been wanting to try using some in some baking, so this week the Bulldogs got Black Forest Cookies using the preserves.

All I knew I wanted for these cookies was rich chocolate cookie, somehow incorporate the preserves and topped with something creamy and light. Basically, I wanted the deliciousness of a Blackforest cake in cookie form.

When I saw these cookies on My Kitchen Café, I thought they looked great as the base for my cookie. I decided on a thumbprint cookie to try the flavor combinations.

Cookie: (makes about 3 to 4 doz)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
¾ cup butter (soft)
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
¾ cup chocolate chips

Black Cherry Preserve (or cherry filling of your choice)

Vanilla Buttercream – I used Billy’s Buttercream from Martha Steward and added a little extra sugar to make it stiffer (recipe below)


Directions:
1.Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
2.Cream the butter and the sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed.
3.Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture, followed by ½ the sour cream. Repeat until all the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4.Drop the cookies onto a baking sheet with teaspoons and bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes, until set.
5.When the cookies come out and are still warm press a whole in the middle of the cookie. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
6.When cookies are cool, spoon the black cherry preserves or cherries or jerry jam into the middle of the cookie. Top the cookie with vanilla buttercream to cover the cherry filling.


Vanilla Buttercream
1.In a bowl beat ½ cup of butter until it is soft and creamy. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, followed by ¼ cup of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla. Beat until smooth.
2.Add another 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix. Add up to another cup of powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until it is a thick pipe-able consistency.
3.Put in a piping bag, fitted with a wide tip (or a ziplock with the corner cut out) and pipe onto the cookies.

Reviews:
Everyone loved these cookies, and despite fears that they would be too sweet they turned out fine.
The cookies are great on their own as well if you looking for a good chocolate cookie.

The Bulldogs:
Sadly the losing streak is now at 2, as they lost on Saturday morning. The cookies have been unabe to make up for the cold weather and early mornings.

Gingerbread 09 - Take 1

I love gingerbread men during the holidays, but have yet to find a “go to” gingerbread recipe. I have tried a couple in the past and have started my holiday baking with a couple new recipes. This one is a modified version from the King Arthur Flour recipe bank. I haven’t tried a recipe from them I didn’t like yet, so I thought I would give it a go. (I did change amounts to make the batch a little smaller and it is really dry were I live).

Gingerbread Cookies (makes about 3-4 doz, depending on cookie size)

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice or cloves
1 large egg
1 tbsp milk
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions

1. In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.

2. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, and mix in the egg.

3. Add the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.

4. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.

5. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) several baking sheets.

6. Remove the dough from fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Press flat and roll out – I did them between ¼ and ½ inch thick and liked it, the thicker cookies will be soft and thin cookies will be a little crispy.

7. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.

8. Transfer the cookies to ungreased cookie sheets (or, if you've rolled right onto the parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they're set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To decorate I used a package of Old Fashion Candy Buttons I found at the candy store down the street, they worked really well.

Reviews:
I love these cookies, they are soft, chewy and flavorful. Delicious. However these weren’t O’s favorite gingerbread, he said there was a little too much molasses flavor in them. So if you like molasses this is the gingerbread for you, if you want more ginger flavor, I will be posting a new recipe in the coming days as I try more.

Bulldogs Week 4

FALL BROWNIE PIZZA

The bulldogs played on the weekend ( I know really late update, sorry guys), O was in attendance and that means cookies! I needed a “novembery monster cookie” the included carmel and marshmallow (I made a second cookie with the cornflakes). Well when I think fall I usually think chocolate, nuts and warm comfort food. I had some hazelnuts my Mother in law had sent me that were waiting to be used and thought they would go great with this cookie.

Owen said it looked a lot like a treatsa pizza from Dairy Queen, so that is were the name comes from.

Not a “treatsa-pizza” (makes 1 regular sized pizza cookie)

Ingredients:
½ cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder

½ cup hazelnuts roasted and crushed
2 tbsp caramel sauce
¼ cup mini marshmallows
1/8 cup powdered sugar

Directions
1.Melt the butter in a sauce pan, then add the sugar followed by the egg and vanilla (make sure the butter/sugar is not too hot before adding the egg, or you will cook the egg).
2.Mix in the dry ingredients and spread on a pizza pan to about 1 inch from the edge (the cookie expands as it cooks). I lined my pan with parchment paper and had no problems with sticking.
3.Bake the cookie at 350F for about 15 minutes until set in the middle. Set on a wire rack to cool.
4.Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on the cookie. Warm the carmel sauce so that it runs easily and drizzle on top of the cookie and nuts.
5.In a microwave safe bowl heat the mini marshmallows for 10 – 20 seconds until melted. Add the powdered sugar to cut the stickyness and then pull and stick to the cookie in strings.
6.Let the toppings set, then cut into the pizza wedges and enjoy!


The second cookie was a little less sugary and sweet and incorporated the cornflakes. I just used a recipe I had found on recipe zaar for what I wanted to make. I boiled the sugar a little too much and cookies got really hard. Other than that though, they were great.

Bulldogs:
Sadly the bulldogs lost 6-5 this week. They played a great game considering they had a 9 person turn out and a couple of injuries during the game. I blame the horrible road conditions and early morning for the low turn out.

Reviews:
Everyone loved and raved about the Pizza cookie, it was a big hit. Sadly the cornflake cookies were not only hard from being a little overcooked, but also from being cold and were difficult eat. Lesson learned.

“Red” Chocolate Cookies

The bulldogs played last night, and that means cookies. I took suggestions this week, as I wasn’t really sure what to do. What I got from the boys on the team was “chocolate something”. When Owen saw this, he suggested trying beet cookies – remembering the beet cake I had made a couple months back.

For this I wanted something with a lot of chocolate flavour, and more of a brownie feel. I found a beet brownie recipe, mixed it up and cooked ½ as brownies to see what they came out like. Then I got down to some modifying of the cookies until I ended up with something I thought I could feed to people.

“Red” Chocolate Cookies – makes 2-3 doz cookies.
Ingredients
¼ cup butter
2 oz chocolate (70 to 80% cocoa)
2 eggs
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup applesauce
½ cup beets
2 ½ cups flour
¼ cup coco powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking powder

Optional Additions
Mini marshmallows
White chocolate chips

Directions:
1.On the stove melt the butter and chocolate together. Let it cool a little while you beat the eggs until they are light and foamy.
2.Add the sugar and vanilla to the eggs, beating before adding the chocolate mixture, applesauce and beets. Beat until well mixed
3.Stir in the flour, spices, baking powder and cocoa powder.
4.Fold in the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips if you so choose.
5.Drop by full teaspoons onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper and had no problem with sticking).
6.Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Reviews:
Both versions of the cookies got great reviews (with the marshmallow and chips, and without), and surprisingly the hockey team seemed to go for the plain ones. Apparently they were a little unsure of the puffed up and cratered marshmallows.

I will say this, there is still a little bit of a beet taste to the cookies. Most people didn’t notice until they were really thinking about it trying to guess what the “secret” ingredient was. However if you are not a fan of beets (like me) and you know it is there, these may not be your favorite cookie.

Bulldogs:
They won the game 9-7, and have a 4 game winning streak! Apparently the cookies are working (riiiiiight).

This week, I asked the boys what cookies they would like next week and got the following instructions:
Novembery
Frosted Flakes
Caramel
Marshallow
“monster” cookies (he didn’t know that this was actually a cookie)

If any of you can come up with a cookie idea that combines those instructions, I would very grateful.

Berry White Chocolate Cookies

I had a potluck to go to and wanted something new to take. While out for breakfast with a friend I saw that the day’s muffin was a white chocolate blueberry. Naturally while eating breakfast I started mulling, something was tickling my brain. Later that afternoon it clicked that it would be a great cookie flavour, and upon some more thinking I reasoned almost any berry would go well in a white chocolate chip cookie.

The recipe search began, and I didn’t find one I liked. They all used to many flavors (I am sure they were delicious but I wanted something simple and quick) and dried fruit. So I got to work modifying a chocolate chip cookie recipe (I wanted a nice light chewy cookie base). The outcome has received great reviews, however I can not get a consensus on which fruit was better.

Berry White Chocolate Cookies (makes about 2 doz)

Ingredients:

½ cup butter (soft)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup white chocolate chips
Fresh berries (I used raspberries and frozen blueberries)

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and egg, beating until well mixed.
2. Slowly add in the flour and baking powder until mixed
3. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon cookies onto a baking pan using teaspoons. Once they are on the pan poke berries into the top of the cookie – as many as you want. For larger berries (raspberry, blackberry ect) you will want to ½ or ¼ the berry first.
5. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until the middle is set and the edges are turning a nice brown.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

Variations:
If you would like a fluffier cookie use 2 eggs and 1 1/4 cup of flour. This variation has also gotten rave reviews.

Use any berries you would like with any combination of chips that you think would be good. Raspberry with a dark chocolate may also be good. Use you imagination.

Reviews:

These cookies were a real hit, everyone seems to have liked them so far. They won’t keep long with fresh berries, but they aren’t many in the batch so them disappearing should be no problem.People just can't seem to leave them sit on a a table too long.

I am looking forward to trying out other berries in them and dried or frozen berries during the winter! (I have a feeling these cookies are going to be made a few times).