Livvy and Owens Peppermint Bark Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 c. butter

4 oz cream cheese

⅔ c. white sugar

⅔ c. brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp mint extract

2 eggs

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 ¼ c. flour

1 c. chopped peppermint bark

⅓ c. cocoa powder


Directions:

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and extracts, and mix until combined.

Add salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Slowly mix in flour. 

Add chopped peppermint bark and mix.  Divide dough in half.  Add cocoa powder to one half and mix until combined. 

Take a small amount of dough from each batter and swirl them into a 1 inch ball.  

Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes.  Cool on wire racks

Caramel Blondies (gluten free)

 Modified these almond flour blondies to include a delicious caramel twist.  Inspired by these.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• ▢3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢1/2 cup white sugar
• ▢2 eggs
• ▢2 teaspoons vanilla
• ▢1 3/4 cup almond flour
• ▢1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1 'sharing size' package of caramel M&Ms

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan and line with parchment overhanging the edges to serve as a handle to lift out finished bars.  Don't skip this step!

2. Mix together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. 

3. Add baking powder, salt, and almond flour and beat until mixed.  Add in caramel M&Ms and beat on high until they begin to break up.  Don't worry about overmixing the dough- it's almond flour and won't get tough.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for at least 30 minutes.  It needs to be fully set in the middle to be done.  

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Chai Sugar Cookies

I became addicted to chai after spending time in India and Nepal.  It seemed natural to bring those flavors to my baking during the holidays.  These are directly from this website, only stored here for prosperity.

Ingredients:

Chai Sugar Mixture:

    1 3/4 cups white sugar
    2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
    1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups Chai sugar mixture (above)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 3/4 cups flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

°

2. Make the chai sugar mixture.  Reserve 1/2 cup for rolling.  Add the rest to a large bowl and mix with 1 cup butter.  Cream until light and fluffy. 

3. Add egg, vanilla, salt and mix until combined. 

4. Add in baking powder, baking soda, and flour. 

5.  Roll dough into small balls.  Roll each ball in the reserved chai sugar mixture.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, then move to cooling rack. 

Chocolate Orange Cookies

I had the most amazing Chocolate Orange cookie at a Pret in London during my year of travels.  This is my attempt to recreate it at home.  It's based on this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• zest of a large orange
• juice of large orange, divided in half
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Terry's chocolate orange, chopped into fine pieces
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and mix until combined.

3. Add in the orange zest and juice from half the orange.  

4. Slowly beat in baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Mix until thoroughly combined. 

5. Add flour a small amount at a time, careful not to overmix.  Add in chopped chocolate-orange bits at the end. 

6. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

7. To make glaze, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar with the juice from the other half of the orange.  Drizzle over cooled cookies, and let set before storing.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Source: me!
Yield: 5 dozen

I love this variation of the Andes Creme de Menthe cookies that comes on the back of the bag.  The chocolatey cookie take them over the top!

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (10 ounce) package Andes Creme de Menthe bits
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 + 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at high speed until mixed.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix until smooth.  Add baking soda and baking powder. 

2.  Add Andes mint bits and mix until incorporated. 

3. Turn down mixer speed and add cocoa powder.  Gradually mix in flour until dough is fully combined.

4.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350°

5. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks.  

Holiday Blossoms

Source: Christmas Cookie Magazine
Yield: 24 (I usually double the recipe)

1/2 c. soft butter
3 oz. soft cream cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 c. flour
colored sugar
M&Ms

1. Mix butter and cream cheese for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, then vanilla. Slowly add flour. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1" balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on a cookie sheet. Snip each into half, then each half into 3. Fold down 6 petals. Sprinkle sugar in the center.
3. Bake 8-9 minutes or until sides are firm. Remove. Add one M&M to center. Transfer to wire racks and cool.

Note: These can be very fragile. They're best served at home, not transported or shipped.

Peanut Chocolate Squares

Growing up these were my favorite Christmas cookie bar.   I looked forward to them all year long.   Now, Disappearing Bars have sort of trumped them in family cookie platters, but I still try to sneak a few of these graham based bars into the mix.

Source: Auntie Irene
Yield: A lot
2 pkg. whole graham crackers, crushed
1 c. melted butter
1 1/3 c. peanut butter
2 2/3 c. sifted confectioners sugar
12 oz. chocolate chips, melted

1. Add peanut butter to melted margarine. Add crushed graham crackers and sugar. Mix and pat into a 9x13 pan
2. Melt chocolate chips and spread on top. Cool in fridge for at least 2 hours.

I need to get a good photo of these.....

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

Welcome to Christmas 2014!  I've got a few new recipes to try as well as many old favorites on the docket.  I've already made Disappearing Bars and M&M cookies, but today was the first time I tried something new.

Raspberry and Almond is a favorite combination of mine, so I'm on the hunt for a perfect cookie with those flavors.  This one was pretty darn good- buttery thumbprints with the sweet jam filling.  My jam was really dark for some reason (it was free from my mom's pantry so who's complaining, really?)  With a bright red jam these would be beautiful Christmas cookies.  I think I'd like a slivered almond to top each one.  It's amazing what you can make with just a few ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 cup room-temperature butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless red raspberry jam

Directions:
1. Cream together butter, sugar, and almond extract.  Slowly add in flour.
2. Chill dough for 30+ minutes.  Roll into balls in your hands and press an indentation into each with your thumb.
3. Drop a 1/2 tsp. raspberry jam into each thumbprint.
4. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes until set.  They will not brown.
 5. Cool and enjoy!

Makes about 40 cookies.

Be careful not to get the jam on the sides of the cookies - it doesn't look very pleasant after it bakes!

Grinch Cookies, Take 2

So, the first recipe was a hit.  In fact, I think my father ate nearly the entire batch.  But I wasn't overly happy with the final result.  The cookies lost their green as they browned while cooking, so they looked more like swamp cookies than Grinch cookies.  I figured there had to be a better way.

Enter the sugar cookie base!  Doesn't brown as much as chocolate chip base, and it's a recipe I adore but hadn't planned on using this year.  I think I like these even better.

Here's the recipe.  It's adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.  The real test will be if my father likes them too.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. sugar
2 oz cream cheese
6 TB butter, melted
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 TB milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. peppermint extract
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package Andes mints pieces

Directions:
1. Melt butter, and combine in mixing bowl with cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until combined- it will still look sort of lumpy and grainy.  
2. Add in the oil, egg, milk, and flavorings, and mix until smooth.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients.  Be careful not to overmix after they are combined.  Stir in the Andes pieces first.
3. Chill dough for at least two hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll dough into one-inch balls, and then roll into sugar.  Place on pans and bake for about ten minutes- the cookies will be slightly firm but not brown.  Remove from the oven and let set on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Cran-Pistachio Cookies

not the best picture, but they're delicious

Pistachio's are one of those things that I always forget that I like until someone offers me one.  That's probably a good thing because they're expensive little nuts. 

These cookies just looked so festive that I had to try them.  I got the recipe from Just a Good Recipe and tweaked it a little.  They're really terrific- soft and chewy with a strong pistachio flavor.  Plus the colors!    They're definitely going into the regular Christmas rotation. 

Ingredients:
 1 box or pouch of Sugar Cookie Mix (should be 1lb 1.5oz)
 1 box pistachio pudding mix
 1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
 1/2 c. melted butter
 2 eggs  1 c. chopped pistachios 1/2 c. chopped Craisins


Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Mix together cookie mix, pudding mix, and flour with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
3. Slowly add in melted butter and eggs until dough is fully incorporated.  Add pistachios and Craisins at the end.
4. Scoop tablespoon sized mounds onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, and slightly flatten the tops.
5. Bake for 8 minutes- don't go longer.  Let sit for a couple minutes before moving to wire racks.  Yields about 3 dozen.