Tag Archives: holiday cookies

Gingerbread Easter Eggs

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Delicious gingerbread cookies drizzled with colored chocolate- who says you can only have these cookies at Christmas?!?

I love gingerbread. Goodness, it is probably my favorite cookie at Christmas. My go-to recipe is my grandma’s, and it is already shared on Easybaked (here)- but it is TOTALLY worth sharing again! I made these last week for a friend who requested gingerbread cookies, and I couldn’t resist decorating them up for Easter. They were so cute that I thought I’d share them with you! Once Easter has passed, cut these into flowers or butterflies for spring! So. Fun!

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 36 medium egg-shaped cookies)

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of dark molasses
  • 2 tablespoons of vinegar
  • 5 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of cloves
  • Wilton’s candy melts in a variety of colors (just maybe 1/4 cup of each color)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
  • Cream together butter and sugar.
  • Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar.
  • Blend in sifted dry ingredients.
  • Chill 2-3 hours (this is optional- I have found that the dough rolls out pretty well right away)
  • Roll 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick on a floured counter or board and cut into egg shapes.
  • Place on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.
  • Check often- take out when cookies have risen slightly. Slide parchment paper off cookie sheet onto counter with cookies on top. Cool.
  • Melt Candy Melts in individual bowls in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted and smooth. 
  • Spoon each color into a small zip-top bag and seal. 
  • Clip a tiny corner off, and pipe back and forth over each cookie, adding as many fun colored stripes as you wish!
  • Enjoy!

My thoughts: I love these cookies all year round. There is something fun about having the scent of gingerbread in the house during spring. New tradition I think!!!  😉 I hope you get a chance to try these! ~r

Other spring recipe ideas: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

 

 

Turtle Cookie Cups

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Turtle Cookie Cup

Chocolate cookie cups full of creamy caramel, chocolate and pecans.  So many fun fall flavors in one little dessert!

There’s something about November that makes me think caramel and pecans. Comfort food, maybe? Thanksgiving?  I’m not sure, but these yummy little treats hit the spot!  They are fun to make, and a pretty mini dessert for all those November and December get-togethers.

Here’s how they are made: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies:

  • 2 sticks (one cup) butter (softened)
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

Toppings:

  • 1 bag of Wilton’s candy melts in milk chocolate
  • 2 cups of chopped pecans and about 60 whole pecans
  • 32 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
  • 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

DIRECTIONS:

Cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl
  • Blend on medium speed with a mixer until smooth
  • Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (use clean hands at the end, and knead into a soft ball of dough
  • Use a small cookie scoop (I used one that holds ½ tablespoon of batter) to portion your dough into mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick spray
  • Use a tart shaper, or a wooden spoon to press the dough into a cup shape.

Making cookie cups

  • Bake at 350F degrees for 7-8 minutes and remove from oven.
  • Press centers in a second time and allow cups to cool for just a couple of minutes.
  • Use a small paring knife to pop each cup out and allow them to cool on the counter.

Toppings:

  • Place caramels, sweetened condensed milk and butter into a medium saucepan and heat on medium over the stove until all of the caramels are melted.
  • Heat milk chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.
  • Place chopped pecans into a small bowl.
  • To assemble, dip top edge of cup in candy melts and then in chopped nuts.

Dipping tops of cookie cups in chocolate

  • Place caramel sauce into a sturdy zip top bag and clip a corner.
  • Pipe caramel into each cup until filled completely and top with a whole almond.
  • Allow caramel and chocolate to firm up.
  • Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
  • Enjoy!

Turtle Cookie Cup2

My thoughts: These are a little time-consuming to make, but sooooo yummy. They are a perfect mini-dessert for any of the upcoming holidays, and they got RAVE reviews in my little world! That caramel….!!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun mini desserts here at Easybaked (click on a photo to see the recipe)

Cheesecake Sundaes Mint Creme Brownie CupsCake balls filled with cream cheese frostingMini chocolate chip cookie cheesecakes

Halloween Cookie Swirls!

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Halloween Swirl Cookies!!!
These festive, fun cookies are made with refrigerated cookie dough, and are SO easy!  A little chocolate on the bottom and you have not only cute cookies, but really yummy ones as well!!!!

I keep seeing these swirled cookies online and I decided I simply had to try them in halloween colors this year.  They were a little time consuming, simply because you need to color your cookie dough and then blend the colors together.  Not hard at all– but set aside a little prep time.

Want to see how to put these together?  Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tube refrigerated cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
  • Gel food coloring in the colors you desire
  • 1 bag of Wiltons dark chocolate candy melts.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Divide cookie dough into 4 equal parts and color each part using food color gels. (I recommend wearing food-prep gloves to save your hands from being colored along with the dough!   Also, start with the lightest color 1st)
  • Starting with the lightest color, divide each part of dough into small balls (about the size of a small grape)
  • Take one ball of each color in your hand, and gently squeeze it into a 4-color ball.

Halloween Cookies How-to2Halloween Cookies How-to3

  • Roll each ball out into a long strip and then gently coil it together into a cookie.  Tuck end under cookie and gently place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Halloween Cookies How-to4Halloween Cookies How-to6

  • Bake at 350F degrees for time recommended on cookie dough tube.
  • Remove from oven by sliding parchment paper off cookie sheet and on to a flat surface.
  • Cool cookies completely
  • Melt Wiltons candy melts in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring between until smooth.
  • Spoon a bit of melted chocolate on a clean piece of parchment paper- make it about the size of one cookie.
  • Gently press a cookie on top of the chocolate until you can see it around the edges.
  • Allow chocolate to cool and harden.
  • Peel away parchment paper and ENJOY your cute cookies!!!!

Halloween Swirl Cookies!!!
My thoughts:  These were a fun Halloween baking project.  I really enjoyed how each cookie looked so unique and I learned as I went how to swirl them most effectively (so that all the colors can be seen on top).  I loved using the pre-made cookie dough, that saved a lot of time!  I hope you get a chance to try these!!!  Enjoy!!  ~r


Halloween Swirl Cookies!!!!Halloween Swirl Cookie!!!!
Other fun Halloween ideas from Easybaked:

Halloween Bundt CakeGinger Maple CookiesSpider Cupcakes!Pumpkin Roll