We make cookie Whoopie Pies on the farm and they sell like crazy.... and in "Magnolia" Journal, there's a picture of spiced Whoopie Pies in the beautiful setting!
I knew I loved that Joanna Gaines! :)
So here are our classics....
Double Chocolate Chip (which is often triple chocolate chip depending on what morsels I have in the house...)
Mary's or Deluxe Sugar Cookies (which we frost with a decadent butter icing flavored with almond and vanilla)
Snickerdoodles (Love 'em!!!)
Fudge (any kind, I am an equal opportunity fudge lover!)
Meringue kisses, tinted in pastels because my son Luke loves them!!!
Those are the basics. I make some bars, too, but I'm a big fan of cookies and Whoopie Pies so this week I'm playing with cranberry cookies. Not everyone will love them, but they're in keeping with the season so I'm playing.
And I forgot Thumbprints. Oh, how I love Thumbprints with our new Very Berry Cherry jam!!!
But what are your favorites? You can post a link to the recipe or just name the favorite and tell me where you got the recipe... I'll do the leg work!
We used to make mincemeat cookies and bourbon balls (my father's and sister's favorites) but I don't like either so I don't do those anymore.
What about you? Are there cookies that have fallen out of favor?
Here's a new one I'm playing with, a cranberry/orange/white chocolate cookie and we're so pleased with the results I had to share it! This is homemade cranberry/orange relish, a simple recipe...
One bag of cranberries
One large orange
1 cup sugar
Grind cranberries and orange together with grinder or food processor. Add sugar. Chill!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees...
Cookies:
16 oz. soft butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups cranberry orange relish
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 12 oz. bag Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)
Cream butter and sugars together with mixer.
Add vanilla, sour cream, and egg.
Mix and cream again.
Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mix in thoroughly. Blend in the cranberry orange relish. Mix thoroughly. Add in the white chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop by tablespoonfuls (or fun cookie scoop!) onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for between 12-15 minutes.
Cool on cookie sheet until you can move them to cooling rack. Cool thoroughly, then dip 1/2 cookie into white chocolate and cool again. I expect dipping in dark chocolate would be just as amazing!
These are a cranberry cookie that you then dip in chocolate. HOW CAN THAT BE BAD????
It can't be, right?
We did some straight (without chips or nuts) some with white chocolate chips and some with both... and dipped some of each. That way we can properly taste-test them! :) All in the name of science, of course.
And I love homemade things. I've had to sit on my hands not to order from catalogs because I love ordering things.... (sick, sick woman!) but I know we can make them even better.... so I've taken my discipline pills and instead I'm sending that money to Heifer International to help sustain farming because I'll bake cookies... and they can have milk for their children. That makes sense!!!!
And I'm making almond bark this week with roasted almonds and dark and white chocolate. I love almond bark with roasted almonds. I could possibly be addicted, but I don't need a medical intervention. Just hugs!
Our goals for Christmas have changed over the years... I used to get caught up in the splash and dash and shopping and having to create an amazing experience of presents and perfection.... and then I grew up and realized that Jesus, born in the manger, IS perfection. :)
So I stay with the decorating because it's fun for me and the grandkids... and I love baking and cooking....
But instead of shopping we find people to help.
It is like the best thing ever, and the whole family works together on it, not because we've got oh-so-much....
But because we've certainly got enough!
And now, Advent.... with sweet whispers of a blooming hope with one of my favorite Christmas hymn medleys....
Silent Night/Night of Silence
I sang alto on this for years with the St. Lawrence Song Prayers and it's still one of my favorite hymns to hear......
And here is a farm surprise!!!! Look what Logan discovered peeping and mewing beneath a monster-high pile of wood...
I'd love to hear your cookie thoughts below! Let us know what cookies you love... or don't love... because this is the time of year we can all talk cookies and everyone understands it!
I love cookies. All kinds. And now that my oven is fixed (thanks to YouTube!), I can start baking again!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is shortbread and shortbread-style cookies, like my oldest son's favorite pinwheel cookies.
But I can't think of any that have fallen out of favor... ;)
And kudos to Logan for finding those kittens! It's the wrong time of year for mama cat to be raising her babies in a woodpile!
Exactly, Jan! That night it dipped to 30 degrees, so finding them was a good thing... and even with this stretch of milder weather, those cold nights and woodpiles aren't baby-friendly!
DeleteMmm... shortbread! I love them, Jan! And I haven't made pinwheels in decades. My kids weren't fans... but I loved them!
Cookies!!!!!! A favourite subject for sure. Still haven't made any whoopie pies Maybe this will be the year.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I go kind of cookie crazy. I always baked at Christmas but once my daughter was in her teens she went crazy. She'd pull baking all nighters with her friends and they'd package it up and play Kris Kringle to friends and strangers. Now we still get together a couple of times before Christmas and bake. It's paired down quite a bit but we still prepare packages for friends and coworkers.
So -- must bakes....gingerbread -- we use the recipe from Tasha Tudor's Christmas book. Definitely sugar cookies. Shortbread -- but I'll be honest, I can't seem to make them like my mum used to. Very frustrating. Chocolate thumbprint cookies that are rolled in chocolate sprinkles and have a Hershey kiss on top. Yum. My daughter makes lemon poppy seed cookies which are a bit of a chore to make but the great thing is you can make up the dough a month ahead, pop it in the freezer and then take it out and slice the number of cookies you want to bake up. It ends up looking like a swiss roll only with lemon and poppy seed so when you slice them there's a neat spiral of poppy seeds. Too much information, I know. LOL So, yeah, I love cookie talk. :-)
Kav... would you come and guest post about the chocolate thumbprint cookies?? I will host you! I'll do all the work, you just take some pics during baking time and send me the recipe! Those sound marvelous!!!
DeleteNow I want the lemon poppy seed one, too!!!!!
DeleteBlogger hates me. My comment disappeared AGAIN. I give up.
ReplyDeleteHere's a short recap:
I love these. Will make.
Do you peel the orange? (I assume so)
No, Missy... grind it peel and all! That's where all the flavor comes from. You will love these! Although the dipped ones were more white chocolate than I liked. My favorites were the white chocolate chip/walnut variety, no dipping.
DeleteSOOO GOOD!!!
Ooo...those cranberry cookies look yummy, Ruthy. And they have sour cream! You know how I love that ingredient.i love thumbprint cookies, too. And a favorite sugar cookie recipe that has nutmeg. But one of my favorite favorites are Russian Teacakes. Kind of a shortbread flavor. Love, love, love those.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I just did some Christmas shopping from my bed. Amazon is a wonderful thing.
Oh, the downfall of brick and mortar is on our combined heads, my friend! Mindy, it's like having a Sears catalog and none of the mailing work.
DeleteYES!
We tried an apple cranberry cookie recipe yesterday. The flavor was there, but the person who made the betty crocker recipe didn't do too well so it will take some tweaking. Problem is I don't have an army of people to eat all of the experiments. Good thing my coworkers eat anything I take!
ReplyDelete