Colorful Christmas Swirl Cookies

2 cups flour, plus possibly a few more tbsp


1/2 tsp baking powder


1/4 tsp salt


2/3 cup unsifted powdered sugar


1/4 cup granulated sugar


2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (cut in chunks)


1 tsp vanilla


1/2 tsp of food coloring of your choice


(and/or 1/2 tsp of any desired extra extracts)


1 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles





1. In a stand mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars with paddle on medium until well blended.





2. Add butter in, gradually, and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on your paddle.





3. Remove all your dough and divide into two equal parts. Return one portion back in to the mixer and add the food coloring and any extra extracts. Or use gel food coloring.


(You could coordinate your colors and flavors, for example green food coloring matched with a mint extract or yellow with a lemon extract, etc. Also, if you are using liquid food coloring, you will need to add a few tbsp of flour to keep the dough from becoming too wet. Mix until the color is spread out evenly.)





4. Roll out each portions of your dough, between two sheets a wax paper until is reaches about 11 x 9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both unto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.





5. When firm, remove the top sheets of wax paper from both. Brush the uncolored vanilla dough lightly with water using a pastry brush. Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even. Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together. Using a small pairing knife, trim the edges of the dough to make straight, even lines.





6. Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside. Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible. Once it's ready, begin rolling the long side of dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style. Now, don't get nervous if the outer layer of uncolored dough tears a bit. It's no problem, just pinch and pat those tears and voila, then just keep rolling.




7. Now gently lift your dough log onto the sprinkles and roll away. Cover the log completely with your sprinkles. Wrap the colorfully decorated log in plastic wrap twice. Depending on when you want to bake the cookies, either place the wrapped dough into refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or you can put it the freezer and keep it there for up to 2 months. (If freezing, give yourself time for the dough to defrost in the fridge overnight before cutting.)

8. Slice your dough into 1/4-1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cookie rack to finish cooling. Enjoy your whimsical Christmas cookies!





Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2 cup(s) sugar
1 stick(s) unsalted butter
033 cup(s) cocoa powder
1/2 cup(s) milk

1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup(s) peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
2 1/2 cup(s) rolled oats, plus 1/2 cup more if necessary

Kiss Pies

Kiss Pies
1 refrigerated pie crust, thawed
14 Hershey Kisses of choice, I used Mint Truffle today
1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp water
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out pie dough onto a lightly floured counter top.

Place 10 kisses around the edges of pie dough, about 2 1/2 inches apart (as in the photo above). Take a knive and cut a 2 1/2-3 inch circle around kiss.

Fold half of pie dough around top of dough and pinch edge around top of kiss.

See Photo, step 1). Now, fold up both sides of remaining dough up to the tip of the kiss pinching edge.

(See Photo, step 2). Now press together edges and form criss cross as shown in photo, step 3. * *Continue cutting dough around kisses until all dough is used up.

I got about 14 rounds cut when I re-rolled my scraps **

2. Brush all little pies with an egg white wash then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20-28 minutes or until little pies are golden.

Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Dust each with powdered sugar and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Turkeys

Check this out!! So cute just got it emailed to me from my SIL!!

Turkeys....Turkeys....Turkeys

1. Start with your favorite chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies would also work
2. Take a cookie, and frost it with chocolate frosting
3. Stick 8-10 sliced almonds in the frosting at the top
4. Place two white chocolate chips on for eyes.
5. Place a mini chocolate chip in the center of each white chocolate chip.

6. Place a candy corn front and center for the beak

7. Break the center from a twisted pretzel for the feet

Play Dough Cookies

I have to say when I read this I thought of you Brandee! I know you'll have so much fun with Rylie making these!

Play Dough Cookies

3/4 C butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
assorted food coloring (gel or paste works best)

...1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir until soft dough forms. Divide dough into Fourths. Tint each with a different food coloring. Wrap in plastic and chill for two hours. (I stuck it in the freezer for 15 minutes because I hate to wait!)
3. Preheat oven to 350. Shape colors into 3/4 inch balls. For each cookie place one pink, one orange, one green, and one blue ball together and roll to make one giant ball. Roll into a 12 inch long snake, and then starting at one end coil roll to make a cookie. Place cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on greased cookie sheet to allow for spreading.
4. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool and store in an airtight container.Enjoy!
I found this at
http://sitsgirlsrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/somewhere-over-rainbow-by-little-momma.html & the pictures are from this post http://ourcutiekids.blogspot.com/2009/11/play-dough-cookies.html
If you liked this post, you'll love Little Momma & Company!

Maple Pecan Cookies

Maple Pecan Cookies
http://www.calamityanne.com/

You'll Need
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (Hellman's)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for three minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mayonnaise and mix until well blended. Add the maple syrup and blend well.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture by spoonfuls to the brown sugar mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the pecans until well incorporated. Cover the cookie mixture with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Using a 1" scoop, drop spoonfuls of the cookie batter onto either a wax paper -or- parchment-lined cookie sheet (I recommend using a new sheet with every batch). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool for a minute before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 1 cookie shy of 5 dozen

Peanut Butter Candy

So I was checking out blogs and found some recipes on this blog!! Its the Z103 blog, how funny!

Here is a delicious recipe for Peanut Butter Candy from Brad's wife. (Brad from Z103)
If you don't know, Peanut Butter Candy is the dessert that school cafeterias serve where it's like an inch of peanut butter goodness topped with a small layer of chocolate ecstasy.
(I think this and chili & cinnamon rolls, were the best thing the school ever cook!!)

Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Candy

2 C. creamy peanut butter
8 T. butter; softened
2 3/4 C. powdered sugar
6 C. rice krispies; crushed
1/2 bag of Chocolate Chips (melted)
*Mix butter and peanut butter together.
Mix powdered sugar and rice krispies together. Combine mixtures. Press into 8x8 ungreased pan.
Melt half bag of chocolate chips and pour over peanut butter mixture.
Place in fridge to harden chocolate.*How do you melt chocolate?
Here are 3 different ways to do it.
Just be careful, cuz if you burn the chocolate, it stinks up your place, and it makes little children and me cry.
Method 1
Place the chips in a microwaveable bowl just big enough to hold them.
Place in microwave on low heat setting and microwave in 30-second increments.
Stir after each 30 seconds to ensure all chips melt.
Method 2
Place water in the bottom of a double boiler and chips in the top.
Melt the chips over medium heat, stirring them with a wooden spoon until just melted.
Method 3
Place the chips in a small ovenproof casserole or metal mixing bowl.
Heat oven or toaster oven to warm (150 to 200 degrees F).
Using the potholder, check the casserole and stir the chips every 3 minutes until they are melted

Spider Cookies and Witches Hat Cookies

My sister in law had this on her blog:

Black string licorice

20 orange creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies

1 teaspoon chocolate ready-to-spread frosting (from 16-oz container)

40 miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces

1. For each cookie, cut eight 1 1/2-inch pieces of licorice for legs. Insert 4 pieces into filling on each side of each cookie.

2. With frosting, attach 2 miniature chocolate pieces to top of each cookie for eyes.

32 Hershey®'s Kisses® milk chocolates,
unwrapped 1 package (11 1/2 ounces) fudge-striped shortbread cookies
(32)1 tube (4.25 ounces) orange or red decorating icing1.
Attach
1. 1 chocolate candy to chocolate bottom of each cookie, using decorating icing.
2. Pipe decorating icing around base of milk chocolate candy.

Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat over to 375 degrees

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
Chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate....whichever you prefer)

*Combine sugar, shortening, and egg. Add pumpkin, then dry ingredients. Add Chocolate chips. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

-1 cup sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 cup butter, softened
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 eggs
-2 1/2 cups flour
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-48 rolos

-In a large bowl combine brown sugar, sugar, and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda in a small mixing bowl. Mix well. Add to sugar mixture. Blend well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

-Preheat oven to 375. For each cookie (with well floured hands) use 1 T dough around each rolo covering rolo completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes or until slightly cracked. Cool for 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool for 15 minutes....