Christmas Cookies #4: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

December 13, 2012 by Mackenzie

I love these cookies! Peanut butter and chocolate… who wouldn’t love this combination?

Peanut Blossom Cookies
Recipe from joyofbaking.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Directions:

Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 – 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in the milk. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Cover and chill the batter for about an hour, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven.

Roll the batter into 1 inch round balls. Place the turbinado sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each ball in the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, place a unwrapped Chocolate Kiss into the center of each cookie, pressing down gently until the cookie just starts to crack. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Christmas Cookies #3: Spritz Cookies

December 12, 2012 by Mackenzie

If I had to pick one recipe that says “mackenzie”, that people get so excited over, that people know me by… This would be it.

I first tried spritz cookies when I was maybe 9 at our Christmas dinner with my grandparents. My aunt had made them and I took one bite and my destiny was sealed – my and spritz cookies would have a long history together…

I went out and bought a spritz cookie making gun (no idea what they are really called) and set to work. That year and every year after, I made a double batch right before school got out for Christmas break and gave a little bundle to all my friends and favorite teachers. 11 years later… I am STILL bringing spritz cookies back to a couple of those teachers and friends because they love these cookies so much. I have no idea what it is about these cookies, and why these people can’t make them the way I do (one teacher has tried for years!) but for whatever reason… this recipe and I are best friends.

True to tradition, I brought the spritzer out to school with me and Libby and I made them during out cookie baking extravaganza. So good. So so so good. Now I have a whole bunch of friends out here who I’ll need to be baking these cookies for for the next several years! Yay!

Spritz Cookies:

(Spritz “gun” from Crate and Barrel and the recipe is the one in the box :D)

1 ½ cups butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 375°. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill. Place dough into Cookie Pro and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sprinkles (if you want!) Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies from sheet; cool on rack.

Makes 7-8 dozen (little) cookies.

A couple of tips:

– Silicone baking mats ensure that these little guys don’t burn and so I highly recommend using them!

– Don’t try to press the cookies onto a warm pan, it needs to be room temp for the cookies to stick

– I have certain pans that work a lot better than others with this recipe. Don’t get frusterated if a batch doesn’t turn out quite right, or burns easily… try a different pan.

Christmas Cookies #1: Libby’s Sugar Cookies

December 8, 2012 by Mackenzie

We had a Christmas cookie-making extravaganza today and of course, we had to make sugar cookies! These are Libby’s family’s recipe and they are oh so good! Soft and sweet and perfect for decorating!

Libby’s Sugar Cookies

Recipe from Libby’s family!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
2. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour (or overnight).
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake 6-10 minutes on ungreased pan. Cool completely.

Mackenzie

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