holiday

Holiday Cookie Baking Tradition in time for Christmas Day

Dec 29, 2017

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Holiday Cookie Tradition

Every year cookie baking is our holiday tradition before Christmas day. I have the kids pick out their favorite recipe and the baking begins. Baking is therapeutic and I enjoy it during the holiday season. This year I only baked three varieties that included our favorite chewy chocolate chip, vanishing oatmeal raisin and a new sugar cookie recipe. Last year, I started substituting sea salt in all of my cookie recipes. We love the combination of extra salty and sweet. This was a very easy recipe and no refrigeration is required.

I found that after rolling cookies in sugar to try and keep the cookies slightly round. When I pressed down the dough the batch was flat.

I found the recipe on Pinterest, from AddAPinch.com:

Sugar Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Recipe Credit here

Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies for Holiday Baking

Dec 19, 2017

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found the best chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe. What is the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie? I love a homemade chewy cookie that remains chewy days after baking. On Pinterest, there are hundreds of recipes for a “chewy” chocolate chip cookie and it varies depending on the combination of ingredients. I found the perfect recipe that incorporates cornstarch(this was a first for me) and this was from GrandBabyCakes. This year I added my sea salt in place of regular salt.

This was my first time using any of these recipes and this was clearly a great recipe and KID APPROVED! My kids could not stop eating.

The recipe begins below, PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt(I used sea salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda and put aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and both granulated and brown sugars and cream together for 3-4 minutes on high until light and fluffy…………

There are some really great tips on how to get a perfectly chewy cookie. One tip includes under baking the cookie for a chewy cookie. I wanted to stick as close as possible to the recipe, however, on my next batch I am definitely going to remove from the oven a few minutes before the full baking time.

Tips*: Refrigerate for 2 hours instead of 1 hour. Watch the time closely!

We are now adding this cookie to our recipe box under COOKIES.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Batter….

Before Baking

PERFECT……..

I hope you enjoy with a cold glass of milk….

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting for Holiday Dessert

Sep 18, 2017

Carrot Cake – Thanksgiving Dessert

For this carrot cake recipe, it was a real winner for Thanksgiving. I found this recipe at AllRecipes.com. This is one of my go-to sites for recipes. A few tweaks to the recipes I omitted the coconut. I love carrot cake however I am not a fan of extra ingredients like coconut and raisins. The finale of the cream cheese frosting which is absolutely delicious.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 (15 ounces) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Click the link above for the rest of the recipe. As you can see I covered the remainder of my walnuts around the cake. A baking confession: After I poured the cake batter in my three cake pans I forgot to shake the pans to evenly spread the cake batter. Once the baking time was over I realized that two of my three cake pans were uneven. Frosting hides blunders and the walnuts was a nice added touch. I hope you enjoy as much my family!!! This is now my go-to recipe for CARROT CAKE!

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Baking with Quaker Oats

Dec 31, 2016

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is my favorite time of the year and I love to bake these Oatmeal Raisin cookies. One of my traditions is to ask the kids their favorite cookie for me to bake. This year my daughter has asked for sugar cookies (in various shapes of choice) and my son wants the peanut butter blossoms. My favorite is the oatmeal raisin cookies that I have baked for at least the last 6+ years.

You can find the recipe on the lid of the oatmeal container, Enjoy!!!! I bake these every Christmas!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup(s) (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup(s) granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla
1-1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (optional)
3 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 Cup(s) raisins(SunMaid Baking Raisins, if available)

PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Before Oats and Raisins

Serving Tips: Bar Cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. 24 BARS. VARIATIONS: Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Substitute 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate pieces for raisins; omit the cinnamon. Substitute 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit. HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Increase flour to 1-3/4 cups and bake as directed.

Snickerdoodles – Holiday Baking with Butter and Cinnamon Sugar

Dec 27, 2016

Snickerdoodles

This was my first time baking Snickerdoodles. My 10yo had them at a school event so she insisted I bake for our Christmas cookie list. I never tried a Snickerdoodle so this new for me. I scoured Pinterest for a recipe and found multiple recipes most required cream of tarter. Finally, I found a recipe that did not have cream of tartar as an ingredient. This led to me researching the need for cream of tartar and found it is leavening agent when combined with baking powder. I would say a snickerdoodle is a butter cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. My 10 yo gave these two thumbs up!

Thanks to WannaComeWith for this simple recipe:

Ingredients:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs