French Macarons-Daring Bakers

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

I was excited about this challenge, I have been wanting to make these for a long time. But, as it looks like my little bites of heaven turned out..unfortunately, they did not. This picture is as good as it gets, my friends. The taste was wonderful, looks like I did get the feet, or I should say more of a ruffle...but every one of them stuck and crumbled.

I won't give up on these though. I will try again...someday. :)

Chewy Chocolate Cookies-week 4

This week I chose to make these cookies from the new Holiday Taste of Home Magazine. I love this time of year when all the holidays start, although, I wish it didn't come and go so fast. I made these cookies three days ago and they are still chewy in the middle. I am guessing that it is from the 2 1/2 sticks of butter it uses!! Oh well, I didn't say that they were healthy! :)



My one gadget that I have to have when I am making cookies is my little cookie scoop. I use it with almost every cookie that I make, unless it is a slice and bake, but you know, sometimes I am a little impatient to let my dough chill, and I use the scoop anyway. With this batch of dough, I got 6 dozen cookies out of it! So, if you need a good cookie that makes alot, this one is it!



Need some more cookie ideas? Check out my other cookie bake along friends! They are listed on my side bar.








Chewy Chocolate Cookies



1 1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips




In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.




Combine flour, cocoa,, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.




Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on pans for 1 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutella Swirl- Week 3!

I have a confession, I adore Nutella. I actually have a problem. I could eat it on anything, really, my favorite way is right out of the jar with a spoon. When I saw these from The Doubled Dipped Life, I knew I had to make them for this weeks cookie recipe. Actually, these looked so good, Barbara had the same idea that I did!

I had a little trouble with these cookies. I found the dough to be really soft and sticky. I chilled it for a good 30 minutes before rolling it out. Once I started to roll it out, I had to add more flour. Once I finally got it rolled, without sticking, I went to spread the Nutella, this took a little patience. I would start to spread it and my dough would rip. Finally, I got it spread, and rolled the dough, I stuck the roll in the freezer for about 20 minutes to make for easy slicing. My roll was really skinny, but they baked up nicely. After slicing, I got right at 20 cookies. The taste, I wasn't crazy about them. I don't know what it was..maybe I was just frustrated with my dough sticking..but, today, they are really good! I'm glad I didn't throw them out!

Make sure and check out Megan, Barbara, Megan, Kim and Denise to see what they have baked up this week!

Nutella Swirl Cookies
From:The Double Dipped Life

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaped cup sifted all purpose flour
1/4 cup Nutella
2-3 Tbsp chopped toasted hazelnuts, I left these out

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla. The mixture should be light and well combined. Stir in the flour and refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes for easy rolling.

Next, roll out the dough into a rectangle of 1/4 inch thickness. Spread the Nutella, leaving 1/4 inch space on all four sides. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the Nutella. Roll up the dough jelly roll style. Refrigerate another 10 minutes before slicing. Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Put on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake 12-15 minutes until slightly golden around the edges.

Snickerdoodle Blossoms

I first saw Denise make these,then Ingrid twisted my arm to make these, so I really had no choice but to make them. I am glad that I did! Who doesn't love snickerdoodle cookies and who doesn't love chocolate? You add them together and you have one to die for cookie!!

These little blossoms are a little work, but not anything that will make you just hate to make them. Mix the dough and let it chill for a good 30 minutes. Don't skip this step, it is a little sticky if you don't. Roll into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar and bake them. I used my handy little cookie scoop and got 4 short of 4 dozen cookies, I could have gotten 4 dozen if I watched my scooping..some of them were a little on the chunky side.

I'm thinking that these will make it on my cookie platters this year!

Snickerdoodle Blossoms

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed, brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
48 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Heat oven to 375.
Combine 1/2 cup white sugar,brown sugar and butter in large mixing bowl.

Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and salt; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; and add flour and baking soda. Beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 1/2 hour. I recommend doing that, makes it easier to handle. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll dough balls into cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place balls in mini muffin tins. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate kiss in center of each cookie and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over them while they are still warm. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.

Orange Chunk Cookies- Week 2

This week I chose to bake Orange Chunk Cookies, they should have been chip, but my grocery store didn't have white chocolate chips, WHAT?! I know, so I had to substitute a bar of it and chunk it up. That just added to the fun, I don't know why, but food prep makes me happy. The more I can chop, the happier I am. I know, I have issues!

So, here we are at week 2, and that means 11 weeks until Christmas now and I don't have the slightest idea of what I will be buying the kids. I asked Abby what she wanted and she said "Joy". I said, "Joy, as in happiness? Are you not happy?" She said, yes, I am happy, but that is what I want. Crazy child!! Maybe I'll get something that has JOY written on it and stick it in her stocking.

On to the cookies, I liked them, the hubby and kids liked them. The hubby was a little concerned of the orange, he doesn't like orange flavored things, but the orange flavor was subtle. It mostly tasted like a white chocolate chip cookie and once you chewed it and swallowed was when you get the hint of orange. So, I would give this cookie a thumbs up!

You also need to go and see what Megan from Megan's Cooking, Barbara from Barbara Bakes, and Megan from My Baking Adventures is joining us as well!

Orange Chunk Cookies

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into small bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture, until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips and zest. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

Martha Mondays-Warm Vanilla Cider

This weeks Martha Monday was chose by Teresa of A Homemade Life in Iowa. She chose this cider from the October issue of Martha's magazine. I made it this morning and it was perfect since it is finally starting to feel like fall here. This recipe called for fresh apple cider, so I went to the local fruit and berry patch here to pick it up. I got there just in time, I got the last gallon! It is some good stuff, and I wasn't sure on how it could get any better. Well, it did! This warm vanilla cider was perfect! Warm, with a little bit of spice and a little bit of comfort from the vanilla bean. The only thing that could have made it better would to have been to top it with whipped cream.

Warm Vanilla Cider
By: Martha

6 cups fresh apple cider
2 nutmeg seeds
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Put all ingredients in a pot. Simmer for 15 minutes, discard the solids and serve.

Cinnamon Crisps-Week 1

I know this is crazy, but do you realize that there is only 12 weeks until Christmas? When you look at it that way, it seems like it is so close, I guess it really isn't that far away. This brings me to this...12 weeks of Christmas cookies. I do alot of baking at Christmas and always wait until the last minute to try to get it all in, and then I am left with no time to try new recipes. So this should fix that problem. A batch of cookies a week, I think I should be able to keep up. :) Megan is baking along each week as well, so I am hoping to get some new ones from her too! If you have a cookie/bar that you want to share feel free!!

Every year I look forward to the new Better Homes and Garden Christmas Cookies magazine. It is out by the first of October every year and it is loaded with cookie recipes. Any where from drop cookies, to cut outs, to bars...to layered cookies. I have them from the past 12 years. I love them and can't make myself part with them.

These cookies are really good. Crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, even when they have cooled completely. The picture of these in the magazine, showed them rolled in pearl sugar. I love the look of this, but can't find it here...it is on my "look for and buy" list. Instead of the pearl sugar, I rolled these little babies in granulated sugar and I liked the extra sweetness and glisten that it gave. The addition of molasses in this mixture reminded me of gingerbread, only you don't add any ginger, cinnamon is the only spice in these. So here we have it, cookie #1 in the 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies challenge.

Cinnamon Crisps

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup light molasses
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
pearl sugar or granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.

Add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until well combined. Add egg; beat until blended, then beat in molasses. On low speed, beat in flour until just blended.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are light brown around edges and tops crackle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.