Witches Fingers

For me, there are two manditory food items when it comes to Halloween.  The first, is something with pumpkin, and the second is witches fingers.  These cookies are a Halloween party staple.  The recipe makes a lot, and is a bit labour intensive, but the result is perfect for Halloween - fun, tasty, and just a bit spooky.

Witches Fingers

1 Cup Butter, softened

1 Cup Icing Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Almond Flavour

2¾ Cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 Cup Whole Almonds (can be blanched or not)

1 Tube Red Gel icing

1. Mix all of the ingredients together except the almonds and red gel.Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
2. Working with ¼ dough at a time, roll heaping teaspoons into finger shapes.
3. Use a knife to cut knuckles and press in almonds for nails.
4. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook at 325º for 20-25 minutes.
5. Cool 3 minutes, then lift the almond, squeeze in gel and press almond back.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

A few weeks ago, Emily and I did a guest post over at The Mother Huddle as part of their Story Book Recipe series.  The Mother Huddle is a great blog that we have lots in common with.  The ladies over there are also sewing, crafting, and doing plenty of kid-friendly activities, so please pop over and see what else they are up to.

As you know, both Emily and I love reading good books to our kids, and one way to make story time even more exciting is to bake something related to our favourite books.  Monster Mama by Liz Rosenberg, illustrated by Stephen Gammell is among our very favourite books.  The story is clever and the illustrations are so fun.  I just love the messy illustrations in all of Gammell's work.

When we found out about the Storybook Recipe series, Emily knew that this would be the perfect book to highlight.  We immediately thought of making 'messy' sugar cookies with the kids, since the pictures are full of life, colour, and look a little 'messy' as well.  Sweet sugar cookies with drippy and goopy icing are just the thing for a couple of preschool aged children.

While his cousin enjoyed the story (in Alberta), my son helped with making and mixing the cookie dough (here in New England).



We used my best sugar cookie recipe.  My husband, who usually complains that sugar cookies aren't nearly as sweet as you would think based on how much sugar goes into them, loves this recipe.  I love it too, and it is always the one I make despite the fact that it takes a little extra time to properly chill the dough.  After it had chilled, I rolled it out, and he cut out our shapes.

After our cookies were baked and cool, the fun began!  I had some leftover cream cheese icing in my fridge, so I spooned a little into several small ziplock bags with a couple of drops of food colouring in each bag.  You could mix the icing yourself, but this part is fun for kids and doesn't make a mess (win-win).



My son and his friend had a great time squishing the bags to mix the icing.



Once the icing was all mixed together, they decorated their cookies.  I clipped one corner from each bag and let them squeeze the icing all over their cookies.  The cookies were drippy and goopy looking, a lot like the illustrations, and they tasted just as sweet as the book.  This part was pretty fun! 



Oh, and of course they liked eating them too!  And so did I, since I'm not one to say no to a cream cheese cookie with cream cheese icing.     



Here is the recipe for your cookie making, decorating, and eating enjoyment:

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 almond and 1/2 vanilla)
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1. Combine everything except for flour in a large mixing bowl.  Beat until smooth.
2. Stir in flour until combined.  At this point, the dough will be very soft.
3. Chill in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
4. Remove dough from refrigerator and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Roll out 1/3 of dough at a time to 1/8" thickness onto a floured surface.  The dough will still be soft, so be sure your hands and rolling pin are covered with flour as well.  Cut out shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. 
6. Bake on cookie sheets (I like to use my silpat) for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
7. Wait until cookies are completely cooled to decorate (I used a simple cream cheese frosting, but any kind would work).

Healthy Cookies

Whenever it rains, my daughter wants to make cookies.  I usually agree, especially in the hot summer; rainy weather is the perfect kind of weather to bake cookies in.  Sometimes, however, when a request for cookies is made I think: "No!  I don't want another dessert in my house, just lurking on the counter, teasing that I'll never loose that baby weight."  Oh yeah, and I don't think a steady diet of chocolate chip cookies is very good for my kids either.  It is times like these that I pull out the Healthy Cookies recipe. 

This recipe was found in a well-loved church cookbook that my mother gave me.  It has so many good recipes it in, but this cookie recipe really is the humble star of the book.  I love that it contains whole wheat, but still tastes yummy.  I'm not going to lie, it is not a decadent dessert, just a little something to satisfy that sweet tooth.  It is pretty versatile as you can add whatever you like for extras - I chose craisins and chopped pecans.

Healthy Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup additive of choice (raisins, crasins, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips)

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat until mixed very well.
3. Add oatmeal and flour, then mix in additive.
4. Roll into balls, and slightly flatten each ball.  Then bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

I still plan to experiment with applesauce and bananas to reduce even more of the fat and sugar and make it even more natural.  Does anyone have a "healthy treat" recipe that they use as a go-to?  Please share!

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

The other day I was at my friend's house, and she served the most amazing chocolate chip cookies ever.  Seriously.  I am a bit of a cookie fanatic, but these cookies are the best.  Which is why the name "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies" is so fitting.  There are two secrets to these cookies: #1 make the balls really big (golf ball sized), and #2 freeze the balls first, and then bake the cookies from the frozen state.  The result is amazing cookies!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe source: My awesome friend Adriel

Ingredients:


3 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups butter
1 ½ cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips



Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients.  Set aside.
2. Beat sugar and butter, then add eggs and vanilla. 
3. Mix in dry ingredients into mixture just until incorporated. 
4. Fold in chocolate chips. 
5. Form cookies into large balls (the size of golf balls) and freeze on a cookie sheet for at least 1 hour.
6. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Wash the cookies down with a large glass of milk, and enjoy!

Easter Nest Treats

The other day I was dreaming of a dessert that would be: easy to make, made from basic ingredients, satisfying to my chocolate/sweet tooth, and spring themed (so I could share it for spring week).

Ta-da!  I found it!  There are quite a few nest treat variations on the Internet, but I'm loving this version, and I hope you will too. 



No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Easter Nests

(source: a no-bake cookie recipe from my mother-in-law, adapted slightly by me)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine or butter

2 tablespoons cocoa (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup coconut

1. Combine sugar, milk, margarine, and cocoa in a pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

3. Add oats and coconut and mix well.

4. Spoon out tablespoon sized nests onto counter or waxed paper and let cool 5-10 minutes.

5. Using your fingers or a teaspoon, push in centre to create a well.

6. Once cooled, add mini chocolate eggs or jelly beans and enjoy!

Painted Sugar Cookies

If there is something that you should know about me, it's that I love sugar.  Every holiday should involve lots and lots of sugar and Valentine's Day is no exception. 

We decorated some the conventional way (think butter cream icing, cinnamon hearts, sprinkles and chocolates).

The real hit this year was cookie painting!

My three year old had so much fun.  I love the vibrant colours, and the fact that this was something she could do by herself (icing a cookie is too hard for a three-year old, but this paint spread so nicely, which made things a lot easier).

I mixed food colouring with white corn syrup.  I used one tbsp corn syrup to five or so drops of food colouring.  We used baby spoons as paintbrushes.

 

I've had great success with my Sugar Cookie recipe.  Here it is, for anyone who is interested.

Plain and Simple Sugar Cookies

(from The Clueless Baker)

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat until creamy.  Stir in the flour and baking powder alternately with the evaporated milk to make a stiff dough.  Knead a few times by hand to make it workable.  Refridgerate at least 10 minutes before using.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut shapes.  Bake 8-10 minutes.

4. Let cool and decorate.

Happy cookie baking!