Category Archives: Cookies

Peppermint Chocolate Drops

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Ruthanne

I love new products in the grocery store. Love them.  Last week, on an end cap there was something intriguing: Jet-puffed Mallow Bits by Kraft.  My store had them in plain and peppermint.  They are exactly like the tiny crunchy marshmallow bits found in hot chocolate packets….but in sprinkle form (and in yummy peppermint!).

I tossed a container in my cart and immediately began to daydream about all the wonderful things I could put them in….these cookies are just the beginning….don’t be surprised if you see these little pieces of crunchy happiness in another post soon.

These little chocolate drops have a rich cocoa flavor.  They are just FULL of mini chocolate chips and gooey peppermint marshmallows….   *love*

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 c. margarine
  • 1 1/4 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2c. cocoa
  • 2-3 c. flour
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 2 c. mini chocolate chips
  • 2 c. Mallow Bits in peppermint

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Cream together margarine and sugar.
  • Use a mixer to beat margarine and sugar together for 2 minutes on medium until fluffy.
  • Beat in eggs, one at a time.
  • Beat in cocoa.
  • Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix by hand (dough will be very thick).
  • Add chocolate chips and mallow bits.
  • Knead dough together until smooth (add more flour if too sticky to knead)
  • Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (I use a Small Cookie Scoop to make my cookies all the same size)
  • Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
  • Cool on parchment paper.

These are the perfect party cookie and just in time for Valentines day!  Enjoy!

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Raspberry Confetti Kisses

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Ruthanne

Happy New Year!!!!

Nothing says New Years Eve like confetti, and these crisp melt-in-your-mouth raspberry cookies will be everyone’s party favorite!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/8t. salt
  • 3 1/2 T. raspberry Jell-O
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1T. vinegar
  • Confetti sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  • Beat egg whites with salt until foaming.
  • Add Jell-O and sugar as you beat mixture and beat until it stands in peaks.
  • Add vinegar and gently mix.
  • (if you want, you can add a few mini chocolate chips at this point! yum!)
  • Spoon or pipe into small circles on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.
  • Sprinkle with confetti sprinkles or jimmies.
  • Bake at 250 degrees for 25 minutes, turn oven off and allow to sit for an additional 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely.

My thoughts: These are great with chocolate chips in them if you like raspberry and chocolate together. I opted for confetti for a fun New Years treat!  These are like cotton candy- light and fluffy sugar that melts in your mouth and is a tiny bit chewy at the end.  A unique and fun “end-of -the-year” party cookie.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

 

Want another confetti-themed dessert idea?  Try Confetti Cups made with sugar cookies and Fruit Loops—make them in mini-muffin tins for bite-sized New Years fun!

Enjoy!  r-

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Chocolate Cut-out Cookies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ruthanne

These easy-to-make chocolate cut-outs can be used to create so many wonderful Christmas treats.  Here, I used Christmas Linzer Cookie Cutters to make fun Christmas sandwich cookies.  These rich, cocoa-flavored cookies just might be your family’s new favorite cookie!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 c. margarine
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/4 c. cocoa powder
  • 1 T. milk
  • 1/4 t. baking soda
  • 2/3 to 1 c. flour

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Beat together all ingredients but soda and flour, mixing until smooth and creamy.
  • Add soda and flour.  Add flour until dough can be handled and rolled into a ball.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough and cut. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet completely.
  • Gently remove  and decorate. I used Wiltons Candy Melts between my sandwich layers, but you could use frosting as well

My thoughts:  These have such a wonderful cocoa flavor and they are very easy to make.  They roll out nicely and bake without rising too much.  If you are using a Linzer cutter, make sure you don’t roll your dough too thin- the top cookies (the ones with the shapes cut out) may break once they are baked.  Thicker worked better for me.

Also– this is a small batch of cookies.  If you are making sandwich cookies like mine you will only get about 20 cookies.  You can easily double the recipe for more though.  I hope you and your family love these– enjoy!

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Spiced Mocha Mix (and how to do a TimTam SLAM!)

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Ruthanne

This spiced mocha mix is a perfect gift or party treat.  Its also the perfect hot beverage for Tim Tam SLAMS!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup dry non-dairy creamer
  • 1c. hot cocoa mix
  • 2/3 c. instant coffee
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

  • Combine all ingredients together in a big bowl.
  • Add 3-4 heaping tsp. of mix to 8 oz. of hot water to serve.
  • Or…put mix in a fun jar or tin to give as a homemade gift!

You can use Splenda for the sugar, decaffeinated instant coffee and low-fat hot cocoa mix for a guilt-free treat!

 

How to do a Tim Tam Slam.

What are Tim Tams?   They are a chocolate cookie that (I’m told) originated in Australia.  In America they are made by Pepperidge Farm and they are a wafer/mousse cookie covered in chocolate.

To do a Slam:  Bite off the corners on two opposite sides (diagonal from each other).  Place one bitten off corner in a hot chocolate or mocha and drink up some of the hot beverage through the other bitten off corner– pulling the hot beverage up through the cookie like a straw.  Pop the WHOLE cookie in your mouth and it EXPLODES in warm gooey chocolate happiness! 🙂  (If you don’t pop the whole thing in your mouth you will have chocolate running all over you…just FYI).  In our area, Tim Tams are only available near Christmas, so Tim Tam Slams have become a fun Christmas tradition!

Miranda

Ryan

Me!

Megan

Ben

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My thoughts:  Thanks to my cousin-in-law Eden for the yummy mocha recipe and to my friend Andreya for showing us all how to do Tim Tam Slams….I am forever indebted for the hours of fun and laughter!!!

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Chocolate Bonbons!!

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Ruthanne

 

Thanksgiving is past….shopping has begun…must be time for CHRISTMAS BAKING!!!!!  These fun little fudge cookies take advantage of all the great flavors of Hershey kisses available this time of year and they are SO beautiful on the table!

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

  • Soften Philadelphia cream cheese in microwave until completely smooth.
  • Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well in between.
  • Add cream cheese to melted chocolate and blend well.
  • Add flour and stir into a thick dough consistency.
  • Flatten about 1 tsp. of dough in your palm, place a kiss in the center and gently wrap the dough around the kiss until it is completely covered.
  • Roll cookie into a ball and place on an un-greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
  • Remove warm cookies from cookie sheet and place on parchment paper.
  • Decorate as desired- like this:

 

From top to bottom:

1.  Mint truffle kisses: Dip 1/2 of cookie in green Wiltons candy melts, drizzle entire cookie with dark chocolate melts.

2. Coconut kisses: Dip top in white Wiltons candy melts, pipe a little bit of dark chocolate melts in the center and top with coconut.

3.  Caramel kisses:  To make a caramel color I mixed white melts with dark chocolate and added a bit of yellow food color.  Dip 1/2 of the cookie in this and drizzle with dark chocolate.

4. Cherry Cordial kisses: Dip top of cookie in white  melts, dab a tiny bit of green melt in the center and pull up to make a cherry stem and add a red sprinkle in the center.

5. (see top picture) Candy Cane kisses: Dip 1/2 of cookie in white melts and drizzle with red and green melts.

My thoughts:  I have become a Hershey Kiss Hoarder because of this recipe.  As soon as I see a new flavor I have to try it in these cookies– and then I buy like 5 bags so that I can have them for this recipe all year long.  All the flavors shown ARE available right now except for the coconut (EASTER, sorry…)…  One note:  the firm centered kisses (coconut, raspberry, mint truffle, candy cane etc.) work best in these cookies, as the soft centered ones tend to leak out a little (see my top picture- I’m missing some caramel 😦 )  These are the perfect bite-sized treat for any kind of occasion and kids have SO much fun wrapping dough around kisses!  ENJOY!!!!  r-

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Coconut Macaroons

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Ruthanne

Chewy coconut cookies with a crisp toasted edge.  Wow your friends with these yummy (gluten free!) coconut macaroons!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 bag (14oz) of sweetened coconut
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 T. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

  • Combine vanilla and condensed milk in a large bowl. 
  • Add coconut and blend well.
  • In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks and add a pinch of salt.
  • Add egg whites to coconut mixture and fold them in.
  • Spoon mixture onto a parchment papered cookie sheet.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (check for browned tops– you can see mine got a little over-done!)
  • Cool and enjoy!!

My thoughts: I made these with my friend Brie today- she can’t have gluten and these are blissfully free of it and soooo good.  I’ve been making these for many years and they are the best coconut macaroons I’ve ever tried.  Enjoy!!!! r-

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Peanut Butter Acorn Cookies

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Ruthanne

These fun little peanut butter cookies are SO easy– only 3 ingredients in the cookies (and gluten free!)  Add a pretzel and a little chocolate and you have a fun fall dessert!  Your kids will love helping you make these for your Thanksgiving table!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups of peanut butter
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • pretzel sticks
  • 1/2 bag (6 oz.) of Wilton Dark Candy Cocoa Melts
  • chocolate sprinkles to decorate with

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs.
  • Using about a tablespoon of cookie dough, roll it into an oblong roll (about the size and shape of a small jalapeno).  The cookies will spread when they cook and make a fun acorn oval once they are baked.
  • Break about 1/2 to 1 inch off of a pretzel rod and gently push it into the top of the cookie roll. (see photo!)

  • Place cookies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.
  • Remove from cookie sheet and place on parchment paper to cool.
  • Melt Wilton Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments (stirring between).
  • Dip top of cookie and pretzel  into chocolate (I used a spoon to make an even line across the top), tap cookie on side of bowl to remove excess chocolate and place on parchment paper to cool.
  • Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies before chocolate has hardened.

My thoughts:  I’ve loved this peanut butter cookie recipe for years and wanted to use it to make a fun fall-themed dessert.  It took a little experimenting with the shape of the dough before I got an acorn shaped cookie– my 1st few tries looked more like apples! 🙂  I just love how they turned out, they make me smile and use a favorite recipe– I hope you get a chance to try these this fall!  r-

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Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies!

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Ruthanne

 

Confession:  I am addicted to making cookies from cake mixes.  I am intrigued that I use the same recipe each time and each flavor turns out differently not only in flavor (obviously!), but in texture and shape and size.  My recent cookie is from a Duncan Hines Strawberry mix.  These are sooooo good.  Texture: think Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.  These are amazing unfrosted- sweet and flavorful– or make them sandwiches with frosting (I used leftover Sweet Tart frosting, but thought about my lemonade frosting….mmmmm….).  Or maybe dip half  in white chocolate….oh the possibilities for these little cookies!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box of Duncan Hines Strawberry cake mix
  • 1/3c. softened margarine
  • 1/2 box of cream cheese (4 oz.)
  • 1/3 c. white chocolate chips (melted)
  • 1 egg
  • frosting of your choice (if desired).

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cream together margarine and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add egg, stirring until smooth.
  • Blend in melted chocolate.
  • Add cake mix last and stir until combined.  Use your hands to knead mixture into a heavy cookie dough.
  • Make evenly- size small balls of dough (I use a Small Cookie Scoop) and place on cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and cool
  • Sandwich with frosting or Cool Whip…or dip in white chocolate….be creative!!!
  • ENJOY!!

 

My thoughts:  This is such a happy summer-tasting dessert!  I started this blog last spring and I’ve never had a shortage of recipe ideas, but suddenly we hit fall and I’m struggling….I am a picky eater (according to my friends and family!)  I hate any kind of cooked fruit…I don’t like pumpkin….I hate cider….what to do????  I am a failure as a fall baker!!!  🙂  I’m trying to expand my horizons, but in the meantime you might still get a few summer recipes that I can’t get out of my mind until I try them!!  Who says strawberries can’t be a fall dessert anyway?? Enjoy!  r-

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Maple Cream Ginger Snaps

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Ruthanne

Tangy ginger cookies filled with sweet maple cream.  Cut them into fun fall shapes for your Halloween party!

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup dark molasses
  • 2 T. vinegar
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 2 t. ground ginger
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1 t. ground cloves

Maple cream:

  • 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • 1 t. maple flavoring
  • Food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

  • Cream together butter and sugar.
  • Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar.
  • Blend in sifted dry ingredients.
  • Chill 2-3 hours (this is important– the dough is very easy to roll after chilling)
  • Roll 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter or board (thinner is better!)
  • Cut dough into small, equally-sized cookies (if you want to make cookies with cute cut-outs on one side, I used Halloween Linzer Cookie Cutters)
  • Place on greased cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for about 7-10 minutes.  Check often- take out when cookies have risen and are easily removed from sheet.
  • To make maple cream, combine powdered sugar, melted butter and a little water until a thick frosting consistency is reached.
  • Add maple flavoring (you can add vanilla if you don’t like maple)
  • Divide cream into 2 bowls and color as desired with food coloring. (my maple flavoring added a brown tint to my filling, so I just experimented with coloring to reach the shade I wanted– use gels so that you don’t dilute it!)
  • Frost one cookie’s back and top with another cookie.  The filling will harden up and make these very easy to store and serve.
  • ENJOY!

My thoughts:  These are a really unique flavor.  I love them– ginger and maple– YUM!  The ginger cookies are my grandma’s recipe and they don’t rise much so I thought they’d be perfect for this type of cookie cutter.  Roll them thin though– thicker cookies don’t keep the inside cut-out shape as well.  I’ve never used a Linzer cookie cutter (I’ve no idea how its SUPPOSED to be used-  I will probably read the directions eventually!) but it worked just great with this cookie recipe and these make me smile 🙂

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Caramel Pecan Cookies

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Ruthanne

Have you ever tried Duncan Hines Caramel Cake mix?  It is soooooo good!  As a general rule, I use Duncan Hines when I bake cakes by mix.  This is one of the BEST flavors out there.  A couple of weeks ago I posted a recipe for German Chocolate Cake cookies that use a cake mix for the cookies.  The cookies turned out so yummy that I decided to try a different cake flavor….caramel!  These caramel cookies are topped with chocolate and pecans– a perfect fall treat!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box of Caramel cake mix
  • 1/3c. softened margarine
  • 1/2 box of cream cheese (4 oz.)
  • 1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (melted)
  • 1 egg
  • 24-30 chocolate stars or kisses
  • 24-30 pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cream together margarine and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add egg, stirring until smooth.
  • Blend in melted chocolate.
  • Add cake mix last and stir until combined.  Use your hands to knead mixture into a heavy cookie dough.
  • Make evenly- size small balls of dough (I use a Small Cookie Scoop) and place on cookie sheets.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and press chocolate (star or kiss) into center of cookie.  Return to oven for 1 minute.
  • Press pecan into softened chocolate on the top of each cookie.  Cool until chocolate is hardened.
  • ENJOY!!


My thoughts– easy easy easy and wonderful caramel yummy-ness!  you can’t go wrong with these cookies!

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