hand painted cookies

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 scant cup canned puréed pumpkin

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Mix with a whisk.

2. In the bowl of stand mixer (or using a hand-held one), cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and combine well, then add the granulated sugar and mix until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and then add the vanilla and the pumpkin and combine well.

3. Swap out the wire whisk attach and put in the flat beater. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. If using a hand-held, you might want to mix in the dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. You don’t want to overmix during this stage. A dough will form. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

(FYI: THIS DOUGH IS VERY STICKY. It sort of reminds me of bread dough)

4. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. On a floured surface, roll the dough out flat until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Using the cookie cutters of your choice, cut out and carefully transfer dough shapes to prepared cookie sheet. Roll up remaining dough into a ball, wrap it back up and put it back in the refrigerator. If using sprinkles, or crystallized sugar, sprinkle onto the raw cookies and press it in lightly with your finger. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

5. After removing from the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer them to a rack or a plate to cool completely. Add icing if you so desire!

This is the icing recipe I used. I found it on allrecipes.com, I did not have a good icing recipe of my own for sugar cookies since I do not make them very often.  The original ingredients did not seem to work. The icing did not come out smooth like it said it would. After some modifications, I was able to dip the cookies in the mixture. I added a little extra milk and corn syrup and it worked great! I painted the icing on with a paint brush with a main color. I added a dab of another icing color in the middle and used a toothpick to make the swirly design. 

Sugar Cookie Icing

April Showers bring Flower Cookies!

The weather outside is absolutely awful! Rain all day, thunderstorms, tornado warnings.....who wants to go outside? Not me!

For those of you not wanting to leave your house, here a cute easy recipe, and it is kid friendly! Make a fun day in the kitchen on this dreary day! April Showers bring May Flowers....or cookies.....

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temp.
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• food coloring

wood or paper lollipop sticks (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and oil with both sugars until light. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the flour, baking soda and vanilla and beat on low speed or stir by hand just until you have a smooth dough. Remove about a third of it and set aside; add several drops of food coloring to the remaining dough and knead it in until incorporated (or leave it swirly). If you like, wrap or cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. (This will cause the dough to spread less.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll the chilled dough into marble-sized balls. On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, arrange one plain dough ball, place a stick with its tip underneath it, then place 5 colored balls around it. (They will spread, so they can be close together without having to touch.) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until set.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.

Hey there Snickerdoodle.

Meet Snickerdoodle. I know. It's a funny name, but it is kind of endearing. Makes you kind of curious?

Two of the main flavors. I mean, I personally think eveything should be doused in cinnamon. It make the world a happier place!

Combine all ingredients together till creamy.

Chill the dough. Place in refridegerator for one hour. This will help form the dough into balls.

After the dough firms, roll the dough ball around in a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Flatten the cookies slightly. The bottom of a cup helps.

Place in oven. Out comes a treat! Yummy!

St. Patrick's Day

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!

I hope everyone wore something festive today! I wore my shamrock socks under my work boots!

Here are a few recipes for you to celebrate the holiday!

Cinnamon Sugar Shamrock cookies & Festive Chocolate Chip cookies

Shamrock cookies first!

Gather the ingredients of what you need.

 I love cinnamon, it just makes everything taste so good!

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl

In a larger bowl, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

One dough is mixed shape into a disc shape

wrap in plastic wrap and place in refridgerator till firm

Next roll out dough on flour surface.

Recipe say 1/8inch thick, but I find that slightly thicker cookies are better!

Follow your regular chocolate chip recipe. When it comes times to add the chocolate chips, add some festive ingredients to it. I found cookies decorations at A.C. Moore. I used sprinkles that had shamrocks in them!

Once combined, place on a cookie sheet as you normally do, and bake as directed.

Use what cookie cutter shape you desire. You can use this recipe for any cookie cutter shape.

I found this shamrock cutout at A.C. Moore for $0.69!

Transfer cookie dough cutout to a greased baking sheet.

Add your decorations to bake! I used green & white sugar toppings. Place in oven.

Remove from oven and let cool.

And serve!

Chocolate Chips with Festive shamrock sugar decorations!

Check back for recipe!

A recipe from Disney: Lazy Weekend Concoction

In honor of my trip to Orlando this weekend,

I figured I would give you a recipe from Mickey Mouse!

Mickey Mouse Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

This is a Disneyland 40th Anniversary Cookie Recipe.

Ingredients



•2 1/2 cup flour
•1 cup sugar
•1 1/2 tsp baking soda
•1 cup packed brown sugar
•1 cup (2 sticks) butter
•1 tsp vanilla
•1 cup peanut butter
•2 eggs
•2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)
•1 cup quick oats
Directions


1.Combine: flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla in a larger mixer bowl until cramy. Beat in eggs. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Freeze until slightly firm but not hard.


2.Roll: dough into 1 1/2 in. ball; press down slightly on ungreased baking sheet. Roll 1 1/4 in. ball; cut in half. Attach to first ball as ears. Repeat with remaining dough; place about 2 inches apart.


3.Bake: in preheated 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown and centers are still soft.
  
Let stand for 3 minute; remove to wire racks to cool.


4.Microwave remaining Chocolate chips: Put in plastic bag microwave on high for 45 seconds; knead.  Microwave at 10-20 sec. intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut a tiny corner from bag; squeeze to pipe chocolate to create Mickey Mouse faces. Allow chocolate to cool.

Hope you have a magical weekend! Enjoy!

lots and lots of chocolate chips!

Chocolate Chips everywhere!

I recently changed shifts at my job. So, instead of the usual 3-11pm,  I am now on the 7am-3pm shift. It is quite the change! I went from having about 25 co-workers to about 80! That a lot more baking! two nights ago I decided I was going to make chocolate chip cookies for my shift. I just had no idea how many to make! I think in the end I made about 16 dozen! I lost count after the 10 tray I put in the oven!

Here is the best recipe if you are making mulitple cookies at once!

Many dozens of Chocolate Chips:

5 cups flour

4 sticks

4 eggs butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

24 oz of chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Melt butter, and combine vanilla & sugars. Mix together in a big bowl

Combine dry ingredients in a smaller bowl.

Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mix. Add eggs. Mix completely till smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips

Put on a greased cookie tray. Place in oven for about 10 minutes

yumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyum

Your done! Just add a glass of milk and you are perfect! :-)

Snowstorm essentials

Dear Friends,

As you know the East Coast has been GETTING hammered with snow! The DC area (outside my house at least has gotten around 30 inches of snow over the weekend), got slammed.  And to top it off, it is snowing again????!!!? What is up with the weather?

I don't know about you, but I am ready for some fun-in-the-sun! I like winter and all, but this is just WAY too much! So, for all of you snow bunnies and for those who are wanting another season to breeze on through (think warm sand and drinks with umbrellas), here is something to warm up that blistering winter season!

I know that a great cup of hot chocolate just warms me up when the skies are falling outside. Some prefer homemade hot chocolate, but sometimes after the mad rush to the grocery store, the only thing left is instant hot chocolate. So, just incase I always have some on hand year-round. Nothing quite completes a snowy weekend without making Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

For me, here is a list of winter snowstorm essentials to have:

Flour
chocolate chips
eggs
butter
sugar
milk
Hershey's Cocoa
Nestle Hot Chocolate Mix
whipped cream


Sometimes the grocery stores have been ravaged, and you cannot get all the essentials you need! That why I always keep a jar of the Nestle Hot Chocolate mix in my cabinet. You can either make it with water or milk. For those who are "watching your calories" ( i think it is perfectly fine to have a 'cheat day' when it snows), the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix=only around 80 calories if you mix it with hot water (which i think tastes delicious!!!)

For those of you who keep the Cocoa on hand here is the recipe:

Hershey's Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
Dash salt
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in large mug. Heat milk in microwave at HIGH (100%) 1-1/2 minutes or until hot. Gradually add hot milk to cocoa mixture in mug, stirring until well blended. Stir in vanilla. 1 serving.


This weekend when it was DUMPING snow, I sat in front of my fireplace with a nice cup of hot chocolate (Nestle Mix Version). I added my own little extras to it.......here are the pictures!

I added some whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. Stay Warm this week!