Chai Spice Cookies

I don't know about you, but I think it is pretty crazy that Christmas is just three days away! It's even more crazy when you are not prepared! I totally slacked at sending Christmas cards. I did get them out to most of the extended family and a couple close friends, but unfortunately will have to do a general message to the rest of our family and friends. My son is now on holiday break until January 4th, so I've been trying to balance getting Rhett time in, cleaning, baking, and overall preparing for Christmas and family coming in to visit...but I just don't feel like I'm completely with it. My mom is coming in tomorrow, and since I am not working, I have to learn to be more creative when it comes to gifts. I know she loves chai tea, so I did some exploring to see what recipes I could find that would go hand-in-hand with that. I found one through the kitchn and did not find a reason to change anything with it. Just thought I'd try it and see from there. My final thoughts: I loved the taste of the unbaked dough, I loved the scent it filled my kitchen with, and...I LOVE IT! Now, I will say that my cookies do not look like the ones in the picture on the website. Theirs were round baked balls. Mine are like regular baked cookies: flat and round. Not sure what happened with that. I followed the recipe exactly, and it did not state to chill the dough, so I baked immediately after I was done mixing. The taste, on the other hand, is buttery and you can really taste all the flavors of the spices. Just wonderful! I love it! Great with milk or tea! Why not?!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

3/4 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment or lightly spray.

Beat butter and sugar in a mixer for 3-5 minutes. One by one, add the rest of the ingredients. Scoop into balls and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on cooling rack. Easy!

Chocolate Coconut Cranberry Cookies

I blinked and it is the end of November! Crazy! So I've been trying to get my Christmas baking bucket list going. I don't want to do overload, but just the right amount with a good balance of new and old. I think back to my most favorite Christmas memories and many take me back to both of my grandmothers' houses. One would have these funny vintage elves sitting on her stairs and around the living room, and there would be lots of food and lots of cookies...my favorite are the orange cookies she would make. The other wasn't so big on elves, but big on chocolate covered goodies: chocolate covered marshmallows, chocolate covered crackers, chocolate covered cookies, chocolate covered nuts and raisins, etc. All of that coming from the grandma who I considered to be a very healthy eater (guess she allows herself one day a year to go completely nuts!).

Back to the Christmas cookie bucket list...I know gingerbread men and sugar cookies are in order. Those are two staples when you have children, and this year, I think we will be making gingerbread cookie ornaments to hang on our tree. I took some time to check out Martha Stewart's site for ideas, Joy of Baking, and even my new love - Pinterest - which has a lot of great recipes that have been pinned, but I think I am feeling a bit traditional this time. It's been a while since I have seen my grandmothers, so as you can see from above, I've been a bit sentimental lately. My mind keeps going back to goodies from the past that seem too boring nowadays.

Yesterday, I wanted to bake to get my mind off something that was bringing me down. I decided to take a basic chocolate cake cookie recipe and add a couple ingredients to it: coconut and dried cranberries. I'll admit - my son wasn't a fan - but I quite enjoyed a few. Not overkill on the sweets, the texture is similar to cake, the coconut keeps it nice and moist, and the cranberries compliment the cocoa. Might not be the cookie for everyone, my son included, but hey...I thought it was a nice change.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 egg

2/3 cup of milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup coconut

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, combine sugars and butter. Cream for 3-4 minutes, then add the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing alternately with the milk. Then add the vanilla, coconut, and cranberries.

If you have chocolate jimmies (aka sprinkles), you can choose to roll them in the jimmies like I did.

Using a tablespoon, drop the batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets. B

Bake for 8-12 minutes.



Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have found so many chocolate chip cookie recipes, that I decided it was time to do a recipe challenge.  Now, I realize there are people who are set in their preferences.  Some people like light and fluffy cookies; some like flat and crisp cookies.  Some people like the good ol' classic recipe found on the back of the chocolate chip bag. If you are one of those who enjoys exploring tweaked recipes, then this one might be for you.  This is a spin off a recipe I found for a basic cream cheese cookie.  I added a bit of sour cream, a bit of cream of tartar, more vanilla, and a lot of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips.  The outcome:  light and fluffy cookies, with a nice tangy bite without the sweetness overload. I'll hear the final verdict tonight at ladies night!

Ingredients:

10 oz. Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat the butter and cream cheese in a bowl for one minute. Slowly add in powdered sugar, then the cream of tartar, and egg. Next, add the sour cream and vanilla.  In increments, slowly add in flour.

Place spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. 

Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Makes approximately 30 cookies, depending on

the size you choose to make them.

ps- the verdict was a good one!  It's a keeper!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Who doesn't like chocolate and mint together?  These cookies are similar to Girl Scout Thin Mints, but covered with white chocolate and sprinkled with peppermint candy.  Wonderful for a holiday treat for the family, or even wrapped up as a gift!

 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

3/4 tsp. peppermint extract

4-6 crushed peppermint candy canes

2 lbs. white chocolate or vanilla bark, coarsely chopped

Directions:

In a bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa.  In another bowl, cream butter and sugar together for one minute.  Add the egg and then the yolk, mixing well after the other.  Add in peppermint extract.

Next, add sugar mixture to flour mixture.  Divide into two, form into disks, and wrap in clear wrap.  Chill the dough for at least an hour (or up to 2 days).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Roll out dough, on a lightly floured surface, till dough is about 1/8" thick.  Use your cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes.  After cookie sheet is full, stick it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. (Do this with each full cookie pan before putting in the oven)

Bake for about 12 minutes or when they are dry to the touch.  Let cool.

Melt white chocolate over double boiler, then remove from heat.  Dip your cookies, one by one, into the melted chocolate and set on a foil or parchment lined pan.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.  You can let them set on the counter, or you can speed it up by sticking them in the refrigerator until set.  Store in an airtight container.  Best within a few days of being made.

Coconut Eggnog Macaroons

I love eggnog, and I was so happy to see it back in the grocery store!  Not only can you drink it, but you can bake with it, too.  Hallelujah!  So I decided to make some coconut macaroons with the leftover coconut I used for truffles.  It wasn't a full 14-ounce bag as the recipe called for, but I think they still turned out just fine.

Ingredients:

1  14 oz. bag sweetened coconut

1-1 1/4 cups eggnog

1 tsp. vanilla

2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine coconut, eggnog, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  When your egg whites have reached room temp (usually takes about 30 minutes), put them in a separate bowl.  Whip the egg whites on high speed until medium-firm peaks appear.  Next, gently fold in the egg whites into coconut mixture.

Drop the mixture by large spoonfuls onto the lined sheet pans.  Bake for 25-35 minutes until light golden brown.  Let cool.

These cookies do best in airtight containers, and will stay fresh for a few days.  They also freeze well - for up to 3 months - when packaged in freezer containers or freezer ziplock bags. 

Enjoy!