Double Chocolate Peppermint Spritz cookies

kara — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:30:56 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with spritz cookies. I love them when I can actually get them to extrude correctly. Most of the time it takes about 10 or 100 tries before they come out right, and then the dough runs out and I have to reload and start the process all over again, thus the hating them part. They’re such a cute cookie, especially when you add a fun and bright color to the dough. Not to mention that they are the perfect size to eat and lose track of how many you’ve eaten because they’re addicting. I saw this version and knew that I had to try them since they were CHOCOLATE!!! Yes, please!!

What you need:

3/4 C. semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 C. butter cubed

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

For the glaze:

chocolate chips or bar etc.

peppermint oil

shortening (optional)

How you make them:

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking soda and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 2 inches apart . Bake at 375° for 7 minutes.

Cool completely. Meanwhile melt your chocolate, add a few drops of peppermint oil. Use a small amount of shortening (if desired) to thin the chocolate. Drizzle over cookies. Let dry.

soft sugar cookies

kara — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:15:14 +0000

I really like soft sugar cookies. The crunchy ones are good too, don’t get me wrong, but there’s just something about a light fluffy sugar cookie. This recipe certainly yields a nice airy cookie. It’s an easy recipe, great for making with the kids. The recipe suggests that you refrigerate the dough overnight, but I didn’t I just put it in for a couple of hours and it was just fine. They’re great with or without frosting.

What you need:

1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

How you make them:

Cream the margarine and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand. Cover and chill dough overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and cut into your favorite shapes. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance.

Russian Tea Cakes

kara — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:05:41 +0000

What can I say about these cookies? I love them…I may or may not have eaten about 80% of these myself. I would highly recommend that after you read the recipe that you go and make these immediately. There’s no shame in eating the entire batch at once, I won’t tell anyone.

What you need:

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration

How you make them:

Preheat oven to 350°
In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners’ sugar.

White Chocolate Cranberry Snickerdoodles

kara — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:51:26 +0000

I ran cross this recipe awhile back. I was intrigued because it uses a cookie mix. i typically don’t by them, but I liked the sound of the cookie and thought “hey that might be a nice quick cookie recipe to have on hand.” After making these cookies, I sent them to my husbands office, and forgot to take a single picture of them. Sorry!! Everyone at this office really liked the cookies!

Preheat your oven to 375º
Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker snickerdoodle cookie mix
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips

Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Open cookie mix.
Set aside cinnamon sugar packet.

Add water, egg and cookie mix to cream cheese mixture.
Stir until soft dough forms.
Add in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Cover & refrigerate 30 minutes, then drop rounded spoonfuls of dough into cinnamon sugar.

Roll to coat.

Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake a 375º for 8-9 minutes until edges are set.
Cool one minute then transfer to cooling rack.

Cool completely.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

kara — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:02:06 +0000

My husband loves thumbprint cookies, he grew up making them with his mom. I guess it’s a combination of the flavor and the memories. I’ve never been one for fruit/jam cookie, so it’s not one that I usually make. When I asked him what some of his favorite Christmas cookies were this was the first cookie he mentioned. Although the one that he grew up with wasn’t shortbread and the cookie was rolled in nuts before the thumbprint and jam were added. I found this recipe and thought I’d give it a try.

The ingredients are simple. All you need is…

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (apparently this didn’t make it into the picture!)

For the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Get a small helper or two to assist with step 4.
Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners’ sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

Everyone enjoyed these. I hope you do too.

My top five…

kara — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:16:14 +0000

I am linking up with my friend Jackie, who asked me to participate in a top five for 2011 on her blog JackiesRandomThoughts.

So I typically share things about crafting and sewing. As I began to think about what I could do a top five list on, I quickly lost all ideas that seemed remotely interesting. No one really wants to hear a list like “Top things I thought would never happen that happened in 2011…1. I turned thirty, 2. I had a third child, 3. We bought a minivan” and so on, you get it not so exciting. I thought about books? No, my selections are not so interesting. Music? Too hard to narrow down. Cooking? Hmm…cookies?? Yes! How about favorite cookies or cookies that I really want to make?? That’s it! So, my top five list is…

Top five Christmas cookies that I want to make before Christmas 2011…

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints
White Chocolate Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles
Russian Tea Cakes (A new recipe, because I love them.)
Soft Cut-out Sugar Cookies
Double Chocolate Peppermint Spritz Cookies

They’re in no particular order yet, because I haven’t tried them. I will be sharing the recipe and a picture with you over the next week or two as I make them. I will let you know my favorite once I’ve tried (and probably eaten way too many of) each one.

By the way…

kara — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:59:01 +0000

SHE’S HERE!!!!

A little sewing

kara — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:38:57 +0000

So this little girl should be here any day. I’m trying to make all of my last minute preparations before her arrival. I’ve yet to put a single thing on the walls, but I have finished a few other things for the room.

The crib skirt is made with Joel Dewberry’s Rose Bouquet in Sky, from his Heirloom collection. I just made up my own pattern for the crib skirt. The crib sheet is a flannel that I picked up at Joann. I made two of these flannel sheets, the other is a more of the magenta color that matches the flowers in the crib skirt fabric. I used coordinating prints from the same collection throughout the room.

This is one of three changing pad covers that I finished. Again, same fabric collection as above, the flannel was from Joann. (Same flannel as the other crib sheet.)

The curtain was kind of a last minute decision. I had originally planned to make long panels that had a variety of fabric strips along the bottom. In the end this was the product of my imagination. I totally winged this and just made it up as I went along! I do like the way it looks. it adds a lightness to the room, which I think would not have happened with the panels.

Not pictured is a small quilt/blanket, two additional changing pad covers, an extra crib sheet and two pack ‘n play sheets. Lots of sewing happening around here! I’m trying to work up a tutorial for the pack ‘n play sheets. They were really simple to make, and didn’t use tons of fabric. Hopefully we’ll see that in the next few days!!

Sorry for the inconsistency of colors in the pictures, they were taken at different times of the day. I’ve found that the paint color tends to change depending on the hour. It’s a Benjamin Moore color, Faded Lilac (I think…). I really truly had decided to use a color with more gray in it, but I came home from the store with this paint color. I really do like it, it’s just not what I had envisioned, but still quite lovely.

Almost there

kara — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:39:57 +0000

We’re just a few weeks away!! YAY!!!

Hello August.

kara — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:01:21 +0000

This summer has been a blur. We’ve done so much and so little. My son starts first grade next week (!), how crazy. Soon we will be back into the school year routine with soccer, ballet and even a new baby thrown into the mix. I’m savoring these last few days of having both of my kids at home. I love this time. I love the exhaustion that comes with it, the smiles and laughter. Even the fighting and whining about cleaning rooms, because they are home. I can hug them and see their smiling faces any time.

In the next month or so there will be lots of changes happening in our house. My beloved sewing and craft room is currently being packed up and relocated to the basement. The room is going to be the baby’s room. I’ll let you see once it’s finished. I’m excited about the changes, having a hard time deciding on the wall color. I’m using fabrics from Joel Dewberry’s Heirloom collection for the crib skirt, curtains, and other accessories around the room. I love the Rose Bouquet print (top left in the collage.) that will be the main fabric that I use. It’s so pretty. I will keep you posted on the fabrics and the tutorials that I find or create to use in this room.

Enjoy your weekend.