Cooookies

We did all of our holiday baking last week. It took 7 hours, but it was fun. Derrick practically made everything. He is the baker in the family, after all! I would love to send everyone a plate of cookies, but since I can't, here are all the recipes we used, and you can make it yourself if you want! Some of these I've posted before, but here they are again!

Speaking of cookies, I was supposed to go to a cookie exchange tonite, but since it's been DUMPING snow since 6 this morning, it's off. Boo. School was canceled today, but by the time we found out we were already at the hospital. Lame. But we got out at noon so that was nice. Now I'm all snuggly on the sofa watching TV. Love it.


Neiman-Marcus Cookies

2 cups butter (that's 4 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp soda
5 cups blended oatmeal (in the food processor)
1 8 oz Hershey bar blended (again, in the food processor)
24 oz milk chocolate chips (2 bags)
3 cups nuts (optional)

Blend butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, salt, baking poweder, soda, and oatmeal. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Oreo Balls

1 pkg. oreos (not double stuff)
1 8 0z. pkg. cream cheese, softened
White Almond bark

Process oreos until ground into a fine consistency. Blend in cream cheese. Form into balls, chill. Dip balls into melted almond bark. Chill to set.

Puppy Chow
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
6 c. Crispix cereal

Combine chocolate chips and oil. Microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate melts. Stir in peanut butter. Pour mixture over cereal. Stir to coat. Place powdered sugar into gallon size storage bag. Add coated cereal and close bag tightly. Shake bag gently until cereal is thoroughly coated with sugar. Refrigerate in bag or other air tight container. Makes about 8 cups.

Peanut Blossoms

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Peppermint Bark

2 bags white chocolate chips (or Almond bark)
20-30 starlight mints

Break mints into pieces. I use a hammer to break them apart--in a zip lock bag. Sift the pieces, saving the dust. Melt the chocolate and stir in the peppermint dust. Spread onto wax paper. Sprinkle mint pieces over chocolate, pressing the pieces into the chocolate. Chill to harden. Break apart into small peices.

Holiday Biscotti (courtesy of Giada)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Sugar Cookies
From the Lion House Cookbook

1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Shape dough into a ball and chill for a couple of hours.
On floured board, roll out dough (about 1/3 at a time), and cut shapes. Thicker dough will make softer cookies, thinner will make crispy ones. Bake at 400 on lightly greased cookie sheet for 8 minutes, or until light brown. Cool on a rack. Decorate.

I like my cookies soft, so I cut em thick. Don't let them get brown, either. Brown is bad. They will look like they aren't cooked, but they are. Trust me.

I like to ice them--

1 stick butter, 1 egg, 3 cups powdered sugar, and almond extract. Color if you want. Beat, beat, beat until combined.

Snappy George's (Gingersnaps--I don't know where the name George comes from....)

3/4 c. shortening
1 1/3 c. sugar (reserve 1/3 cup)
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 c. flour

Cream shortening and one cup sugar. Add egg and molasses. Beat well, mix in all remaining ingredients except for the 1/3 cup sugar. Shape dough into small balls. Roll the balls in remaining sugar and put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oven. Makes 24-36 cookies.

Root Beer Float Cookies (courtesy of Kaylynn)

1 box white cake mix
1 stick melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp Root Beer extract
Sugar for rolling cookies in
Betty Crocker vanilla frosting

Combine all ingredients except for sugar and frosting. Roll into balls, roll balls in sugar. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Frost with vanilla frosting.