Recipe: Jam Cookies.

Let me start off by saying I know this recipe should actually be called Jelly Cookies, but that didn't sound very appetizing. So I changed the name.

I was inspired to make these after trying some cookies at Eric's family's Christmas dinner. The host had little shortbread sandwiches with jam in the middle that were SO good. After learning they were Raspberry Galettes from Harry & David and realizing I'd have to wait 5 - 7 business days, I decided to mess around with my holiday cookie recipe for Sugared Cherry Jewels and see what I could come up with on my own. I figured it wouldn't be too far off and at the very least, I'd still get cookies.

JAM COOKIES

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp almond extract
2.5 cups flour
Additional sugar, for coating
Raspberry jelly

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in corn syrup, egg yolks, and almond extract. Slowly add flour and until completely combined. Wrap dough in cling film and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, use a fork or whisk to vigorously break up the jelly. Mix until it has a runny consistency, similar to egg yolk.

3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the additional sugar until coated. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Make a thumb-size indent on each cookie. Fill each indent with a teaspoon of jelly.

4. Bake at 325 F (162 C) for 14 - 16 minutes. Cookies will stay light colored.

5. Put nine cookies on a plate, eat them, and then pretend it never happened.

NOTE
-I used to make these cookies with a slight variation: Use vanilla extract instead of almond, and use upside down maraschino cherry halves instead of jelly. Both variations are tasty and festive.

-Next time, I think I may try cherry jelly. Almond and cherry are goooood partners in crime.

-These cookies taste like shortbread, but they're not nearly as dry or crunchy. Soft sugar cookie consistency with a shortbread taste. And jelly, which gives it that old-fashioned homemade touch. Just like the cookies Grandma used to make. Not my Grandma though, she didn't make these. I'm just assuming your Grandma did.

Boner'ppetit!

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Christmas Was Already a Week Ago?

This holiday season seemed to zoom by quicker than any of the previous years. Before I knew it, the big day was here and gone. The family get-togethers were over. The gifts were opened and strewn about. And my jeans are now two sizes too small.


Here are some highlights from Christmas 2012.

My friend Kim and I spent a full day baking the hell out of all of the desserts below (and more).

Christmas 'Funfetti' Cupcakes

Eggnog Cookies

Oreo Balls

Candy Cane Pretzel Bark

Peanut Butter - Chocolate Fudge

Eric's family has a tradition in which everyone has to have at least a bite of fried oysters on Christmas Eve. The first year I tried a bite, but the consistency was too chewy and I politely dropped it in the trash can. The second year, I didn't even attempt it. This year, however, I not only had my bite, but I had four whole pieces. It was good! The key is in the coating. Make anything taste like fried chicken and it's hard to lose.

Fried oysters

Fresh loaf of herbed bread my sister made.

Italian platter appetizer

Christmas dinner

And some shots of things other than food.

My nephew, L.

Sister's dog, Charley

The star of the show, Mom

Me and my asparagus

My sister and brother-in-law. I'd like to add that we were going for cheezy with this photo. I think we succeeded.

The best Christmas ornament I've ever seen.

Mom trying out her new heating pad eye-mask.

Holiday paper

My brother-in-law

Our Christmas tree. And the 4 ft. vintage, inflatable reindeer behind it.

I talked Eric into letting me put silver tinsel on the tree this year. He wasn't a big fan and said it looked like the tree had hair. I can't really argue with him on that one. As a child, our trees always had tinsel on them, so it's kind of nostalgic for me. Do you put tinsel on your trees, or am I the only one?? 

Our tree topper

The holiday cards we received this year

My nephews playing with the new bow & arrow set. I look like I'm wearing a diaper.

Biscuit and her Christmas loot

Me and Eric

How did my holiday compare to yours? 

Hopefully, 2013 will bring more great food and family stuff. Oh. And I guess a job, too, although it will totally cut into my Judge Judy time.

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Recipe: Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies.

Sometimes I blog about a recipe I've attempted and then I try it again at a later date and end up doing a much better job. So then I blog about it again and pretend like the first time never happened.

This is one of those times.

OLD-FASHIONED PUMPKIN COOKIES 
According to VeryBestBaking.com

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup pure pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
Glaze

GLAZE INGREDIENTS
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp melter butter
1 tsp vanilla


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C). Grease baking sheets.

1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

Remove from sheets and place cookies on wire racks to cool completely.

5. Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and beat until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

NOTE:
Instead of greasing my baking sheets, I just lined them with parchment paper. Baked goods always seem to cook more evenly (I.e. not burning the bottoms) with parchment paper.

I added white chocolate chips to my recipe. I don't remember how much though, so just eyeball it. This recipe yields a cake-like cookie, so the white chocolate chips were the perfect addition to break up the chewiness. If you don't like white chocolate (which is a shame, because really, the white chocolate chips were perfect in these cookies), I'd suggest butterscotch chips.


I made these for a Thanksgiving dinner my family decided to have before Halloween. They were a hit. Not to mention, super easy to make. This is a great recipe for cooking with kids.

Boner'ppetite!

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Recipe: Homemade Cut-Out Cookies.

This is a recipe I discovered a long time ago and over the past few years it's turned into my signature Christmas cookie. I.LOVE.THEM. The fact that I'm even sharing this recipe right now is blowing my mind because I imagine that someone is going to read this recipe and then get super famous over it, sharing it with people like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres, and then I will find out (and probably get roid rage) and then have to track them down AND KILL THEM.

Anywho.

Even though it's my absolute favorite cookie and I could eat these babies for days (weeks) on end, I save it strictly for Christmas time because they usually take all fucking day to make. And I only have that kind of patience and dedication once a year.

It doesn't require many ingredients. And the directions themselves are surprisingly short. However, anything that involves "chilling" time (unless it's wine) gets -2 points. Add in the fact that you have to roll out the dough and cut, cut, cut, and then roll out the dough and cut, cut, cut over and over again... I'm sure you get the idea on why this has turned into my once a year delight.

Also, the frosting is the kind of stuff dreams are made of.

(CHRISTMAS) CUT-OUT COOKIES

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup butter
-1 cup sugar
-3 tbsp milk
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp cream of tartar
-1 tsp vanilla
-3 cups flour



DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients.

(This picture is kinda gross. I don't care.)

Once thoroughly combined, chill dough.



Roll out to about 1/4" thick on a floured table.



Cut with cookie cutters in desired shapes and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until brown around the edges.


FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
-4 tsp butter
-1 tsp milk
-1 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter with milk in microwave until hot. Add vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar until you have a good spreading consistency.



Frost the shit out of your cookies. Eat them by the handful every time you make a trip past the kitchen.




NOTE:
-I chilled my dough for about 30 minutes. I also placed it back in the fridge in between batches.

-I don't bother with measuring the rolled dough thickness. I just stop rolling when it looks like it's a good thickness for cookies.

-I don't do the colored sprinkles. Instead, I insulate my cookies with two inches of frosting.

-Start checking your cookies at 8 minutes in the oven. It doesn't take much for these guys to to get crispy.

-I've turned my back on "greased cookie sheets". Instead, I just use parchment paper. It gives the same non-stickness, but prevents baked goods from slipping and sliding and go all pancake style.

-These cookies don't really expand in the oven. Which means you don't have to worry about cutting apart one giant pizookie.

-The frosting takes a lot of powdered sugar to become the perfect spreading consistency. Start by adding a lot of powdered sugar to your butter mixture. Use a whisk to break up all the lumps. Then add a shitload more sugar. Whisk again. And right when you think you've got it perfect, add more sugar. Whisk as needed.

Boner'ppetite!

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Snickerdoodles.

The other day, I woke up from a nap in a Snickerdoodle frenzy. After a short Google search, I made up my mind on this recipe.

SOFT SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup butter
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-2 eggs
-2 3/4 cups flour
-2 teaspoons cream of tartar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-3 tbsp sugar
-3 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and eggs.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Blend dry ingredients into the butter mixture.

4. Chill dough and ungreased cookie sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes.

5. Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

6. Make 1-inch balls of dough and roll in cinnamon mixture.

7. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from sheet immediately.

(Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took. In real life, they don't look quite so much like they were dropped in sand.)

NOTE: Since each oven is different, I would suggest messing around with the cooking time a bit. At the 10 minute mark, my cookies came out gooey in the middle. 11 minutes, 30 seconds worked perfect for my batch. They were still soft.

Juju Bee @ Food.com did not let me down. These cookies are simple to make and I had all the ingredients already in my kitchen. They're a great baked item to take to holiday events since they're kind of festive (cinnamon!) and take no effort. And by "holiday event", I mean for those days when you call in sick so you can stay home and watch DVR'd episodes of Judge Judy.

Boner'ppetite.

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