Yummy little butter cookies in the shape of Shamrocks with green sugar and a chocolate coating on the back just might make the little Leprechauns in your house happy.
Pizzelles
Many years ago when we all moved into our new homes on the street, I hosted a cookie exchange. We got to know one another better, enjoy sweet treats with punch and came away with new recipes. One Italian lady brought Pizzelles that were the the best I have ever tasted.Gingerbread Cookies
It might have been rainy and windy outside today, but inside my home, trays of sweet little gingerbread boys and girls filled the house with a wonderful warmth and aroma.
 .These two seemed to be making eyes at one another |
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I have a gingerbread recipe that I have made forever but thought I would try something new. I can’t say these gingerbread are the most wonderful as the title proclaims but they are good. Anyone have a gingerbread recipe they love and willing to share?
(I made 1/2 of the following recipe)
The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookies
Source: Food.com
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves until well blended.In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium speed until well blended.
Add molasses, vanilla, and lemon zest and continue to mix until well blended.
Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.
Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
(Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated. Return to room temp before using.) Preheat oven to 375°.
Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Roll dough to a scant 1/4-inch thick. Use additional flour to avoid sticking.
Cut out cookies with desired cutter– the ginger bread man is our favorite of course. Space cookies 1 1/2-inches apart.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes (the lower time will give you softer cookies).
Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack.
After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like.
I usually brush them with a powdered sugar glaze when I am in a hurry, but they look wonderful decorated with Royal icing.
I used this recipe from Robin @All Things Heart and Home for her favorite cookie icing:
Sugar Cookie Icing
1 cup XXX sugar (powdered sugar)
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons lite corn syrup
(¼ teaspoon Almond extract, I don’t use this but some people love it!)
Put XXX sugar in a bowl and add milk…stir until smooth…
Beat in corn syrup until icing is smooth and glossy~if it’s too thick, add more corn syrup! Divide and add food coloring. You can make this the night before, just cover it!
Each cookie needs to be decorated with sprinkles immediately after you ice it because it dries to the touch pretty quickly. The icing takes a few hours to completely set.
I made about 60 sugar cookies (the size of my hand) and used 9 recipes of the icing with a bit left over.
Autumn Leaf Spritz Cookies
Colorful, autumn leaf Spritz cookies are pretty on the dessert table for the autumn season. Spritz cookies are easy to make using a cookie press. They are buttery, tender and not overly sweet.
Just combine the ingredients, fill cookie sheet with dough from a cookie press, sprinkle with colored sugar and bake. We ate some and the rest are packed in air-tight containers in the freezer.
Lavender Shortbread Cookies
This is the second season I have had lavender growing in my garden and it has yielded a nice amount of lovely flowers. I was so intrigued to come across a few recipes that use lavender as an ingredient and decided to make a batch of Lavender Shortbread Cookies.Banana Pecan Biscotti
Another way to use those extra bananas over ripening on the counter are these delicious biscotti cookies. At 72 calories each (without the chocolate drizzled on top), they are a delightful treat!
They are extra crunchy on the outside, probably because after slicing, they are baked on both of the cut sides.
They are extra crunchy on the outside, probably because after slicing, they are baked on both of the cut sides.
Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies… a perfectly delicious, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, chock full of raisins and full-of-flavor, kind of cookie! Ina form Barefoot Contessa doesn’t disappoint!Tender and Nutty Jam Thumbprint Cookies
There is just something very delightful about cookies. I love them with a tall, cold glass of milk but you might prefer to have them with a cup of tea or coffee. These wonderful little gems are very tender, very nutty, and filled with your choice of jam. I used raspberry (darker color filling) and strawberry (the lighter colored filling).
After combining equal parts ground nuts (I used walnuts) and flour and then adding to beaten butter and sugar, with vanilla and almond extract, the dough is rolled into little balls. I used the back of a my melon-baller to form an indentation which was filled with heated jam after the cookies were baked.
I wiggled the end a bit to form a larger opening to make room for plenty of jam. 
A sprinkling of confectioners sugar adds sweetness to this shortbread cookie and looks pretty as well.
Even though my husband insists he dislikes walnuts, he (and I) loved these cookies.
THUMBPRINTS FOR US BIG GUYS
by Dorie Greenspan from “Baking: From My Home To Yours”
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups finely ground hazelnuts
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flower
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
About 1 cup raspberry jam (or the jam or marmalade of your choice)
GETTING READY: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Whisk together ground nuts and flour.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the extracts and beat to blend. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the nut-flower mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated into the dough.
Working with a teaspoonful of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms to form small balls and place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Steadying each cookie with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, use the pinkie of your other hand (or the end of a wooden spoon) to poke a hole in the center of each cookie. Be careful not to go all the way down to the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies should be only slightly colored–they may even look underdone, which is fine: they should not be overbaked. When the cookies are baked, remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula and sifting confectioner’s sugar over them.
Repeat with the remaining dough, remembering to cool the baking sheets before baking the next batch.
Bring jam to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat, or bring to a boil in a microwave oven; remove from the heat. Fill the indentations of all the cookies with enough of the hot jam to come level with the tops. Cool to room temperature.
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Minty Ice Cream Shamrocks
Easy recipe for homemade chocolate cookies cut into shamrock shapes with a cookie cutter. Spread with mint chocolate chip ice cream to create festive St Patrick’s Day Minty Ice Cream Shamrock treats.
TWD- Honey-Wheat Cookies
Dorie baker, Michelle, of Flourchild picked Honey-Wheat Cookies, found on page 81 of
Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Visit Michelle for the recipe.
Dorie says this recipe is an adaptation of a back-to-the-earth movement recipe from the 1970’s.It includes the wholesomeness of wheat germ along with honey and lemon.
When I think of the 70’s, tie-dye comes to mind. So, having a little fun, I checked Abbey’s room for something reminiscent of that era. I found a batik she made in art and used it as a backdrop.
Dories recipe does not call for frosting and the cookies are good with their honey and lemon flavors shining through the hearty taste of wheat.Since I had some left-over frosting in the fridge from Ina’s delicious cupcakes, I spread it on a few and made little sandwich cookies.
A humble cookie as presented, this cookie is easily dressed up with a dunk in melted chocolate and a sprinkling of chopped nuts.
Visit other TWD Bakers to see their results by clicking above button!
Dorie’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kait of Kait’s Plate selected My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, page 68, for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie.
Since I have my own favorite Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I decided to follow Dories Playing Around suggestion by substituting 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter for 1/2 cup butter. I also added 1 1/2 Tablespoons instant espresso just to see how the flavor would be enhanced.They tasted good but we still prefer the flavor and texture of our old cookie recipe.
a little quilling and a little baking…
The Sweet Shoppe
The snow day on Saturday was perfect for filling the house with the scent of baking cookies and treats like those in a sweet shoppe. Outside was a picture of white drifts of falling snow and inside was filled with Christmas music and lots of sugar, butter and baking sheets.Continue Reading
TWD ~ Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
This is just my forth time baking with the Dorie bakers and sadly, this time, I didn’t achieve the results I was hoping for. Mine were missing the beautiful cracks and crevices that were present in the cookbook photo. They were tasty enough , slightly crisp outside, chewy inside, but were flatter than I would prefer. Dorie said the dough would be smooth and soft but I think my dough needed a bit more flour. I will give this recipe another try as I want them to come out just like the ones Dorie and other bakers made.
Remember the comparison posted about here? I suppose it has more to do with familiarity but my family still prefers our old recipe. Plus, they were easier to make.
Please visit the other Dorie bakers to see how splendid their cookies turned out. Our host for this recipe is Pamela of Cookies with Boys. Visit her for the recipe and to see how wonderful hers baked up!
Ginger Crinkles Cookie Recipe
So autumn… So yummy!
Ginger Crinkles Cookie recipe came got from a friend (who got it from a friend, who got it from her grandmother) back in the early 80’s. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. It has been a favorite at our house all these years.
Cake Mix Lemon Cookies
Cake Mix Lemon Ricotta Drop Cookies
Ingredients
¼ cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 cup ricotta (not non-fat)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
Canned or homemade lemon frosting (optional), whipped well
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Position rack in the middle of the oven and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Parchment can be reused one time.
2. In a stand mixer beat together butter and ricotta until fluffy. Add egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy. Add the cake mix and beat until combined.
3. With a mini or standard size cookie scoop drop dough onto parchment two inches apart. Dunk scoop into a glass of hot water and shake well after every few scoops when the dough gets difficult to release.
4. Bake a sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. I used a mini cookie scoop; it might take a minute or two longer for standard sized cookies.
5. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
6. Once cool, whip frosting until fluffy and pipe a dollop on top of each cookie.
Recipe by Laura Flowers