Pin 59, 60 & 61 Cheesecake Cookies, Lemon Crinkles with Glaze, Chocolate Crinkles with Candy Cane Hershey Kisses and a, Bonus M&M Cookies

Holiday baking is all that was on my agenda today.....and let me tell you I do think that I am baked out.   It's all fun in the beginning, but after so many batches of cookies the fun is gone!  Probably because the clean-up is what's left!  Almost all our baking for Teacher Baskets is complete.  One more batch of cookies to be pulled out of the fridge and baked, then that's it!  (at least for the next couple of days)

Pin 59  Cheesecake Cookies

I had really high hopes for this recipe.   I could live on cheesecake.   I thought how perfect would a bite size form of cheesecake be.........well I strongly suggest you stick with actual cheesecake.   These were extremely dry.  I even tried under baking a batch to see if that would make a difference and it didn't.   We added a cinnamon glaze to some ( I had made it for some muffins) and it helped a little bit, but this is a recipe I won't be trying again.

 

Source: abbysweets.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

What you need for this recipe:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
Graham Cracker Crumbs, for coating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese, and sugar, then add in the vanilla.  Once they are all mixed add in the flour until well combined.

Take scoops of dough and form  1" balls. Then roll in the graham cracker crumbs.  Place the balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.



and with some cinnamon glaze



At least they aren't  a bad looking cookie........If anyone has made these with success I would love to hear what you did to keep them moist!

Pin 60  Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I keep seeing these posted all over Pinterest, boasting that they are amazing, award winning cookies.  Who doesn't want to try a recipe that seems like a winner even before you make them!

 

Source: ldsliving.com via Nicole on Pinterest

What you need for this recipe:

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar   *** For Rolling the Cookies in ***

If you want that really nice tangy lemon taste make sure you use fresh lemons, not extract or ReaLemon. 

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add in  the vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. DO NOT ADD THE POWDERED SUGAR. Put your powdered sugar in a bowl. Take a teaspoon full of dough, it will be slightly sticky, roll it in the powdered sugar and place on the cookie sheet, continue till your cookie sheet is full.  I found that it helped if I dipped my fingers into the powdered sugar then took the dough and rolled it in the sugar.  It kept the dough from sticking to my fingers.  Bake for about 9-11 min.

These were pretty good.  Not the best Lemon Cookie ever, but good none the less.  They weren't zesty enough for us so we added a Lemon Glaze.  Just squeeze a few Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and mix in powdered sugar till you get a consistency you like.  Then just drizzle over the cookies.   This gave them a really nice lemony kick.

Pin 61 Chocolate Crinkles with Candy Cane Hershey Kisses

These babies were the star of the show!   This recipe made well over 50 cookies,  smelled great while baking, and even better when cooling with a candy cane kiss on top.  If you love chocolate and peppermint like I do this is a must try.........if you don't you can still try the recipe and add whatever kind of Hershey Kiss your heart desires!

Source: sulia.com via Nicole on Pinterest

What you need for this recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar  *** This is for rolling the cookies in ***
Assorted Hershey Kisses

These need to be put in the Fridge for a few hours after they are mixed up.

Bake at 350 degrees (Always preheat an oven when baking, unless otherwise stated)

Mix together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. DO NOT ADD THE POWDERED SUGAR. Stir flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, stir just until combined.  You don't want to over do it.  Then cover and put in the fridge for a few hours. 

Roll into balls, we did about little over a teaspoon.  Truthfully I just went with whatever looked good to me.  Roll the ball in the powdered sugar then place on your cookie sheet, continue to your sheet is full.  Bake for about 11 min.  You should see your cookie start to crack,  once they are cracking and the cracks look cake like you can take them out.  Place your Hershey Kisses of choice on top as soon as they come out of the oven.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.

My air bake cookies sheets are non stick, if you are using regular cookie sheets, or something that is non stick, I recommend using some parchment paper while baking these.



These were almost like eating Brownies.   The melting kisses just add to the yumminess of this cookie.

Pin 35 Re-Visited  M&M's instead of Chocolate Chip Cookies

We also made some cookies using the recipe from the chocolate chip cookies featured in pin 35.  You can get the cookie dough recipe here.  Only thing we did different was add in some red and green M&M's.  It's a nice change and the cookies are a hit with kids and adults alike.

Pin 57 & 58 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mexican Wedding Cookies

We are spending our week doing a lot of baking.  Tons of tins waiting to be filled up and given as gifts.  Usually I like to "test" a recipe first, not try it for the first time when I'm giving it away, but I just couldn't help myself.  Sometimes you just get tired of making the same 'ole things.....

Pin 57  Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies  

Ok, seriously who knew that browning butter could make a cookie taste so different.  Browning the butter takes the chocolate chip cookie to the "gourmet" level.   After making these I wrote the recipe down in my recipe book labeled  "The Grown-Up Chocolate Chip Cookie".

Source: heathersdish.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Source: tiptopshape2.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Now if you have never browned butter before, don't sweat it.   It's all about timing.   You just melt your butter, and continously stir, and after a few minutes you will see your butter go from a yellowish color to a brownish color, when this happens take it off the heat ( DO NOT STOP STIRING) after you take it off the heat continue to stir for another 30-40 seconds.  Allrecipes has good tuturial with pictures here.

For this Recipe you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup oats (not quick-cook)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chunks

 

I had planned on taking some detailed pictures of the the mixing and baking process, but my camera/phone decided to walk away.  It walked away in my teenage daughter's hands whose phone broke!

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

In a small saucepan brown your butter. if you aren't sure how to do this follow the link listed above

 

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and oats. Set aside.

Let the butter cool, then mix with your dry ingredients.  Add your chocolate chunks. If your dough is slightly sticky throw it in the fridge for about 30 min.   Mine was good to go, so we skipped the fridge.

Drop by tablespoons or use a cookie scoop (love my cookie scoop!) on to your pan.  Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms are golden brown.  Mine were closer to the 10 min. mark, but it really does vary by oven. 

 

This recipe made 17 cookies.  These cookies are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  The touch of cinnamon and oatmeal on top of the brown butter really dress this cookie up.  One word.......YUMMY!  

Pin 58  Mexican Wedding Cookies

These are one of those cookies, that I dare you to eat just one!  These babies just melt in your mouth....seriously just melt in your mouth. 

Source: bakedperfection.com via Nicole on Pinterest

I first had these when I was a kid,  my Mom would make these and they were always wonderful.  I  couldn't find the recipe (Which I KNOW is somewhere in my kitchen) so when I saw this on Pinterest I was forced to make them.  My mouth was watering just thinking about them. I had no doubt this recipe was safe to try since it's from the same blog as the Butterscotch Gingerbread cookies I tried earlier.  If you love to bake, or are looking for some awesome recipes check out  Baked Perfection.  It is an awesome Blog!

For this Recipe you need:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (can use pecans as well)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

We left out the nuts since most of the kids don't eat them, but the next batch I do think I will add them, so they won't disappear as fast!

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar (Just the white sugar!). Stir in vanilla and water. Add the flour and almonds, mix until blended. Cover and chill.  I put mine in the fridge for about an hour.   It was pretty thick to begin with. 

Roll your dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet.  You can place these pretty close together because they don't expand very much at all.  I had 3 dozen on one air bake cookie sheet.  Bake for about 15-20 min.   When you take them out they may not look like they are done.  That is how they should look.

This is what mine looked like coming out of the oven



Let them cool, then roll them in the powdered sugar.  These little critters are really simple, don't have a lot of ingredients but are so darn good it's ridiculous!  My kids were literally fighting over them!  It's no exaggeration to say that these melt in your mouth.  I didn't even dare eat one, because I knew I would not be able to stop at just one.....or even two!



If you make these to give away, I urge you to make a separate batch to keep at home.......

Pin 43, 44 & 45 Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles & gingerbread butterscotch)

Busy, Busy weekend.  Seems like as it gets closer and closer to the Holidays there are less hours in a day.  This weekend just seemed crazy.  It was a sad weekend, no big time college football.  I think everyone felt lost without their Beloved Buckeyes.  My oldest daughter wanted me to take her out Christmas Shopping.  I will admit I am terribly spoiled!  I am used to being able to go out during the weekday, especially early in the morning when stores are first opening and they are completely bare.  Saturday the stores were packed!  It was madness!  She was thankfully able to get most of what she needed at one store.  The plan was to come home and do some baking, but I just wasn't feeling it.  Still trying to get over being sick mixed with a bad sinus headache equaled no baking.  That left it for Sunday.  My Baking Assistant, Miss Scarlett and I made 3 different batches of cookies.  All new to us recipes, but 1 was a new to us cookie too!

Pin 43 Peanut Butter Blossoms

Who doesn't love some good ole' Peanut Butter Blossoms?  Peanut Butter and Chocolate just go so well together.  We make these a lot during the holidays, but decided to try a new recipe.

 

Source: completelydelicious.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1/2 cup  butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup  peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup  sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups  all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon  salt
48 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
About 1/3 cup  sugar, for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

First you want to cream your butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and peanut butter.



 Then mix your other dry ingredients together (or have your handy dandy baking assistant do it for you) and add to the mixture and fold them in.



Once they are folded in you will be left with a pretty stiff dough. 



If you didn't get it ready before, put about 1/3 C of sugar in a small bowl.   Take the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough by the Tablespoon full and roll it into a ball, then roll the ball in the sugar, then place on a cookie sheet.



Put them in the oven.......bake until you start to see the cookie cracking on top.   They may look like they are not done, but once they start cracking you want to take them out.  As soon as you take them out, place your unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the middle and press down slightly.



These weren't bad, but I do think I will go back to my tried and true recipe.  These were a little on the dry side.  The kids didn't complain one bit though, and if I hadn't hid some away they would have eaten them all.   The recipe made a total of 3 Dozen.

Pin 44 Christmas Snicker Doodles

Who doesn't love a Snicker Doodle.   We love Cinnamon in this house, but this is one cookie that I have yet to find a real tried and true recipe that we love.  We decided to experiment with this one.

 

Source: lovintheoven.com via Nicole on Pinterest

  

 1/2 Butter, softened 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

You will also need 1tsp of cinnamon mixed with 2 T of Sugar to roll the cookies in...

First you are going to want to cream your butter, sugars, vanilla and egg.



Then you are going to want to mix your dry ingredients in a smaller bowl.



Add them into your main bowl and fold them in.   Then if your like me and need your mixing bowl to mix up another batch of cookies, scoop the dough into a different bowl and cover.  Then place in the fridge for about an hour.



After an hour they should be stiff enough to roll into balls.  Take about a Tablespoon full of dough and roll it into a ball, then roll into your  cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Press on to the cookie sheet.



Bake them for about 12 min.   Of course all ovens are different so just keep an eye on them.  This is another one of those cookies that you should take out right before they look completely done. 



This made about 20 cookies.......They were GOOD! We really liked them fresh out of the oven.  I'll make this recipe again, but I'm still not sure if this will be my "go to" recipe.

Pin 45  Gingerbread Butterscotch Cookies

I know, I know! Your reading the name of the cookie and thinking YUCK!  That is exactly what we did.  No one in my family is a fan of Butterscotch.  I have a few bags of chips (not really sure why) so I thought why not give it a try.  After all we do like Gingerbread.

Source: bakedperfection.com via Nicole on Pinterest

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup light molasses
1 (11 ounce) package Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 Cream your butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses ( I just love the smell of molasses)



Then mix your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.



Throw your dry ingredients into your  main bowl and fold them in.  Once they are folded in, it's time to add your Butterscotch Chips.



Drop the cookies on to a cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (or tablespoon)  Throw them in the oven.
They took about 10 min. to bake.  and made about 4 dozen cookies.



These pictures don't do these cookies any favors.....I took them out of the oven and they smelled wonderful.  But, then again, gingerbread usually does.  Put them on the cooling racks and watched the kids gather and gawk at them.  They thought they smelled good, but you could tell they were all too afraid to try them.   So I "manned" up (I hate trying new food!) and picked one up and took a bite.  OMGosh!  These are delicious!  I guess my face must of said it all because the kids were moving past me to get their own.   They all loved them, and out of the 3 cookies we made,  these were the ones that were disappearing the quickest.  I know the gingerbread mixed with butterscotch sounds weird, especially if your like us and don't like butterscotch, but please dont' be afraid to give them a try!

Pin 35 Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have made my fair share of Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes over the years.  With 6 kids we go through a lot of cookies!  For the longest time I would keep reverting back to the Nestle Toll house Cookie Recipe.  Then one day while going through recipes at AllRecipes.com I found this.

Source: allrecipes.com via Nicole on Pinterest

It differed from the normal recipes I used....It has Cream of Tartar in it and it has you dissolve your baking soda in hot water before you add it in.  Seemed a little odd to me, but why not give it a try!

 

Once again, gather everything you need, and put it away as you use it.  If your like me and forgot to set out your butter, your first step will be putting it in the microwave for a few seconds.

 

It's important that you only put it in for a few seconds.  I think I did 10-15.  You just want to slightly soften it, not melt it.  Dump it in the bowl for your mixer, then add your white and brown sugar.




Once you have creamed the butter and sugars add in your vanilla and your eggs one at a time. Next get a small bowl and put your baking soda in it, then add your hot water and dissolve. Then add it to your main bowl.



Add in the rest of ingredients and remove the bowl from your mixer....You should have a pretty stiff cookie dough.



Add in chocolate chips of your choice.  I went with the first thing I grabbed. I left out the nuts so all the kids could eat these cookies. 



I prefer to bake my cookies on air bake cookie sheets.  They help prevent me from burning the bottoms of the cookies.  I also always use a cookie scoop.  This saves me from hearing "His cookie is bigger than my cookie" 




The recipe says they take around 10 minutes to bake.  Every one's oven is different.  I set my first tray at 9 min. then checked on them.  On average they took around 12 min. in my oven.  Can I say Thank Goodness for oven timers!  If I didn't use mine I would ruin so much food.......I get too easily distracted.



Just let them cool a brief minute, then remove them and put them on cooling racks.  Make sure you test one before they are completely cooled off.....It's a must!   This recipe made 31 cookies.  I think they are pretty darn good.  The kids were in LOVE with them.  They asked for more this weekend.