Tag Archives: cookies

Cranberry Orange Butter Cookies

Desserts, Fruits, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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One day leading up to the holidays I got into a baking mood and decided to make variations of my basic butter cookie recipe. I developed two cookies that were pretty tasty and definitely blog worthy. The first cookie was a Cranberry Orange Butter Cookie with pecans. I really liked the mix of cranberry and orange which gave the cookie both a sweet and slightly tangy taste.  The second is an Amaretto Walnut Butter Cookie that I will post at a later date.  The Cranberry Orange Butter Cookie was my favorite.

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I have to say my usual taste testers were all over the map on this one. My youngest son exclaimed “yum” when he tried out the cookie. My hubby on the other hand said the cookie tasted too buttery. I explained to him that they were butter cookies so that would account for why they tasted buttery. But too buttery? That was a first for me. The second time he tried the Cranberry Orange Butter Cookies he thought they had a bite to them. This time I explained there were cranberries and orange zest in the cookies so the cookie would have a slight tangy flavor.

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Needless to say I gave up on him as my tester for this cookie. My other taste testers were equally as mixed with there opinions but for different reasons. In the end I decided to go with my gut to place the cookies on the blog. If you like the combination of cranberries and orange I think you will really like this recipe. Buttery, tangy and sweet. What a great way to wake up your taste buds.

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Cranberry Orange Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 lb butter (2 sticks room temperature)
1 egg yolk
1 ¾ cup flour sifted
1 cup powdered sugar + ¼ cup powdered sugar
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl cream together butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Stir in egg yolk orange zest and vanilla extract. Place cranberries in a sifter and then add flour. Sift flour into bowl with other ingredients. Stir to mix well then gently combine cranberries and pecans into the cookie dough.

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes until cookies are done (slightly browned on the bottom). Cookies will still look light in color. Cool then sift remaining powdered sugar over the cookies. Store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

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Fruit and Nuts Cookie Bars

Desserts, Fruits, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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I have been searching for cookie recipes that were easy to make and included mascarpone cheese. I found a couple of recipes but changed my mind and decided to come up with a cookie bar that included nuts and dried fruit. I could try to say the nuts and fruit made the cookies healthier than a regular cookie but who would I be kidding!

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I usually use pecans in my dessert recipes but I decided I wanted to use some thing different so I chose walnuts. Walnuts of course go great in any cookie. To compliment the nuts I used dried chopped plums instead of cranberries just because they looked interesting and they were on sale.

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Since I have been working on improving my baking skills I was pretty confident I could pull off making a tasty cookie bar. The issue would be whether or not my son would like them because they had both nuts and fruit. He is more of a chocolate chip cookie or oatmeal raisin kind of person. Nuts and dried plum? I was not too sure about that. I was pleasantly surprised that he really liked the cookie bars and didn’t even ask what was in them. One step closer to being a real baker!

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Fruit and Nuts Cookie Bar

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup dried cranberries or dried chopped plums
¼ cup golden raisins (optional)
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter over medium high heat then stir in brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Let mixture cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine four baking soda and salt. In another bowl mix eggs, vanilla and cooled sugar. Slowly add flour to butter mixture and stir until well mixed. Stir in nuts and dried fruit.

Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour cookie mix onto parchment paper and spread it out. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Let cool then cut into 2 inch squares.

Enjoy!

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Potato Chip Butter Cookies

Desserts, Uncategorized, , , ,

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Many, many moons ago my brother gave me a recipe for potato chip cookies. When he first told me about them I could not imagine eating a cookie made with potato chips. I thought he was crazy and I must admit I turned my nose up to the idea. The amazing thing about these cookies is that you cannot taste the potato chips at all!

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One of the things I love about my brother Gregg is that he is adventurous and willing to take risks in life. He is always moving forward no matter what life throws his way and I truly admire him for it. That is also my goal in life to always move forward no matter how many peaks and valleys I encounter along the journey.  To this day, Gregg inspires me and makes  me laugh every time we get together.

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The flavors of salty and sweet are actually a great combination. Plus the buttery taste is wonderful. The cookies basically melt in your mouth which is always a good sign of a good cookie. Although this is a butter cookie it can be made into a chocolate potato chip cookie by adding a few chocolate chips. Yummy no matter how you make them.  Potato Chip Butter Cookies are delicious!

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Potato Chip Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup crushed potato chips
½ cup finely chopped pecans
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed. Add egg yolk and vanilla to the bowl then beat together until well mixed. Gradually add flour. Gently stir in potato chips and pecans.

Grease a cookie sheet. Shape rounded teaspoons of the cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet approximately ½ apart. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until cookies are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar (or not) using a sifter while the cookies are still warm. Store in an airtight container.

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Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Desserts,

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Okay, I know my general philosophy for fixing food is “healthy, quick and easy”. But sometimes you have to try quick, easy and tasty. Stuffed chocolate chip cookies are quick and easy to make and definitely tasty. This is one of those desserts you can get the kids to help you make and gives them something fun to do.

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The first time I made my Chocolate Cherry Bomb dessert I found I had a lot of whipped topping left over and did not want to waste it. So I tried to come up with something that would pair well with the chocolaty coffee flavors in the topping. I remembered a cake dessert my daughter-in-law likes to fix with chocolate chip cookies and thought I could simplify it into an individual dessert or snack.

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If you have time to make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, go for it! If you are short on time or you do not like to bake, you can always find homemade style chocolate chip cookies at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Stuffing the cookies is easy. Just put a spoonful of whipped topping on a chocolate chip cookie and smooth it out to the edges of the cookie. Place another chocolate chip cookie on top and you have made your first stuffed chocolate chip cookie. This is so easy you can get your kids to stuff the cookies as long as you trust them with a butter knife. Refrigerate the cookies in a plastic container to keep them fresh.

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Try making this quick, easy and tasty treat the next time you have a picnic or it’s your turn to bring dessert to a party. I bet the only thing leftover are the crumbs!

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Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coffee liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened chocolate powder
½ cup sugar

In a large bowl whip together heavy whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, vanilla, sugar, chocolate powder and liqueur. Start out on a low speed to mix and gradually increase speed to high. Whip until mixture is firm and forms peaks.

Add a spoonful of whip topping to the flat side of one cookie. Spread evenly over cookie and then place another cookie on top of the filling flat side down to form a sandwich. Repeat until all the cookies are assembled and enjoy!