Peggy''s Shortbread Cookies

Happy Sunday friends!

I am going to warn you this blog post will be fairly short.  There will be an update on my YouTube channel about my eyes, so make sure to watch for it.  They aren't cooperating to say the least.  I can't see well enough to do a very long post,  I am frustrated and it is especially hard when I had such huge amounts of family recipes planned for here and the YouTube channel.  If you aren't subscribed come join me!  There is more than cooking, there are tons of life stuff, crafts, etc.  There is pretty much nothing that is off limits there.  (Sounds questionable doesn't it?)ChefWannabe's Life

My sister Peggy is precious.  She and I have a special relationship and she is the baker of all bakers!  This woman is awesome in the kitchen!  She used to always be famous for her sugar cookies, now it is her shortbread cookies!  You can leave them plain, add chopped pecans to make them Pecan Sandies, or dip in chocolate, which is what I did!  I dipped ad drizzled!  I did chocolate on some and cherry on others!


Here is the recipe......

3/4 lb Softened butter (unsalted)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/ tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
Mix all ingredients just until it holds together.  If you dough is a bit wet or sticky add another 1/ cup of flour.  
Roll out fairly thick and cut into whatever shapes you fancy and bake for 9-11 minutes! 

Remember shortbread cookies are supposed to be a bit crumbly and these are perfection!
You could also frost these with buttercream at Christmas and cut into shapes!

Oh the places these cookies will take you....!

ENJOY and thanks sissy!

 

5 Cups of Something Cookies

Hello!!

It has been awhile you guys!  As most of you know I have undergone 2 eye surgeries in the last 6 weeks which have simply rendered me unable to cook or bake really at all until a couple of days ago.  It was the best feeling to be able to get in the kitchen and jut get away from life for awhile and bake  Christmas is coming and I had planed such a great barrage of cookie recipes from my family.  I am sorry this eye stuff all came up so suddenly but it is how it worked out and it had to be done.  Don't worry though, I will still get you some fun and very versatile recipes.

Speaking of versatile, this recipe is one of the most versatile I have seen.  My sister Peggy was in for a super quick visit recently and she brought me this recipe.  It is one she makes at the holidays and when I saw the recipe I knew immediately I had to make it and share it.  While I made this with ingredients of my choice, this would be a perfect recipe for your end of the baking train recipes.  You could use up whatever you have left on hand which makes complete sense to me and it will to you as well.

This is a base recipe and the you add 1 cup, of 6 more ingredients.  Genius!  The options you guys, endless.  ENDLESS! (Just on a side note, I am typing this entire thing with my eyes closed because it is easier than the blurriness of my vision right now.  I am just imagining the spell check is going to have to work in overdrive.)
ANYWAY.....

I am going to give you some options for your "5 cups"....
I know you can come up with them on your own, but, you might not have thought of some of these!

cornflakes, rice krispies, coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, ay chips, M^M's, nuuts, peaut butter, oatmeal, cocoa kirspies, crushed up pretzels, mallow bits, golden grahams....you get my point.

This is why I think it would be a great recipe to use up leftovers on.  All t hose odds and ends of what you have left from your other recipes.

Here we go!

1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brow sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups of something else

Get your oven preheated to 350 degrees F.  Cream together shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda and salt, mic to combine.  Add your 5 cups of any combination of ingredients.

Drop by small scopp or teaspoons on greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bake for 9-10 minutes.  Take them out and let them cool 10 minutes.  They will seem MAYBE under cooked but they aren't!  Trust me.  Let them cook and bacm, get a glass of milk and ejoy your Christmas tree!

I used sprinkles on some of mine to fight the "brown cookie syndrome".  I think this would easily be a non issue with red and green candies, etc.  Oh the possibilities!

I hope you are enjoying your holiday preperations!

BE JOYFUL!

Russian Tea Cake Christmas Cookies

Christmas is coming!  Christmas is coming!  I am unusually excited.  Perhaps it is the new home, maybe it is my deeper faith, or perhaps, it is that I am excited to be back in the swing of life after a hard 18 months. I think I can attribute it to being the happiest, and most content I have ever been in my life.  I have a gracious heart, especially about all of you.

I am late out of the gate but I will be posting as many recipes as I can before Christmas Eve!  I work best under pressure!  I will be filming some of my recipes, as many as I can as well, so make sure you hit up my YouTube Channel and subscribe!  Here is the link: FoodThoughtsOfaChefWannabe YouTube Channel!  If you haven't hit the FOLLOW on this website, I would love for you to do that as well.  I love having you all in my life, everywhere!  You see, and learn, and experience different parts of me on my different social media outlets.  Not sure why, but, it seems to be that way!  I am weird, like so weird, but I am fun!  I mean at least I think I am! HA!

Now, on to the recipe.  These were a staple Christmas cookie as a kid.  My mom never skipped over making these.  I wasn't a huge fan of them as a child.  But, I think, these are more appealing to grown ups.  I love them now.  I of course changed mine up, just a little updating on my moms recipe, but hers were awesome as well.  As you can see in the video, I can't keep anything the same size.  I think you should get 2 doz out of this recipe, but I made a few of mine for the jolly green giant so I didn't get quite as many.

Please feel free to change the type of nuts you use to what you have on hand or love.  I wanted to just go with hazelnuts because I love them, I had some some and it was definitely the right choice.  What if you did almonds, with a WEE bit of almond extract?  Ohhhhhh!

1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely ground hazelnuts
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract (maybe a heaping tsp)
pinch of salt
1 cup extra powdered sugar for dipping

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

Combine butter and powdered sugar until combined.  Add in nuts, and let it mix until completely combined.  Add in a pinch of salt, your vanilla extract and again, mix until combined.  Add in flour and mix just until it is all incorporated.  Your mixture will appear to be dry and crumbly, but I promise it will stick together!  

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out your cookies, dump into your hand and roll into a ball.  The warmth of your hands will melt that butter enough to make them roll nicely.  Do this will all of them, place on your parchment lined cookie sheet and then bake for 10 minutes!  Let cool completely and then roll in your additional powdered sugar!  Place on a platter and waaa-laaaa, time to enjoy!

PS Did I mention to just double this recipe from the start?!  DO!
PSS These will be perfect for your #nobrowncookietray Christmas cookie trays!

Kris Krinkle Cookies

 Hello friends!  I am sorry it has been this long between recipes, but I think it is "game on" again, and nothing is in my near future, but baking and cookies, I mean cooking.  Craft show season is over, and the holidays are upon us!!  I LOVE Christmas!

At a recent show, my daughter in law bought some crinkle cookies and I, in my old age had completely forgotten about crinkle cookies!  Oh they were so good, my memory just went back to my childhood!  I remember one of the nuns at CCD made these often, and I loved it.  See, I KNEW before my life ended I would find something nice to say about Sister Michaeline.  My mom would be so proud.  Anyway, I found an old recipe and wanted to make it a bit more festive and into a "Red Velvet" sort of cookie . I mean, Santa's suit IS red velvet, and it would only be fitting to leave a red and white cookie out for him to eat on his travels, right?  This would be an awesome one to make for my "NO BROWN" cookie trays!  I have discussed my disdain for brown cookie only cookie trays, in case you are new.  You know the ones, right?  Someone delivers them and they all look like they could be dried up poo, but nobody wants to try one to make sure.  You know it now......

One more thing.  I can tell you this dough can be refrigerated for days.  Don't ask me how  know.  Ok, do.  I mixed up the dough on Monday evening.  Maybe it was Tuesday.  Crap.  Anyway it is Friday and I just baked them off.  SO, keep that in mind if you are doing weekend baking, mix up one kind of cookie every night and have the dough all ready!  This one will stand up for sure!

When you roll these out, make sure to pop the dough into the fridge between batches.  It gets a bit messy when it warms up but isn't impossible.  They are so worth it!

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup oil
6 T cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
red food coloring (gel or paste)
2 cups flour
PINCH of salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder together, set aside.  In a large bowl combine the sugar, oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and eggs.  Mix until combined well.  Add in milk and continue to mix.  Carefully add in the flour mixture and mix until it is completely combined and smooth.  Now, add in your food coloring, you can add a bunch at once or go little by little until you reach the read you like but I can assure you, it will take quite a bit!  Once you get there, cover your cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Place your powdered sugar in a bowl.  Roll your dough into about 1 inch balls, and roll in the powdered sugar and place on to a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for approx 10 minutes and let cool on the cookie sheet 2-3 minutes before removing.  Remove to cooling rack and carry on with the rest!

ENJOY!

PS My dough doesn't look very red.  Ugh.......it was!

Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

ACK! 15 more days until Christmas!  Are you ready?  How are you doing on the shopping?  Are you at the "OMG I have no have to pay more than the price of the gift to get it shipped in time" phase yet?  I started wrapping last night.  We discussed, if you follow me on Facebook about how I am about that kind of thing.  Yikes.  But I enjoy soft lights, Christmas music and beautifully wrapping the gifts we have chosen for those we love.  It is relaxing, and my husband always says I should start a gift wrapping business at the holidays!

I did get in the kitchen yesterday and get these wonderful treats made.  They are a favorite in our family, and I wanted to make sure to share the really special treats we love with you this year.  It is a really busy time and developing new recipes this time of year, (which actually started 2 months ago for me.  I am like retail!) I just want to enjoy the beauty of the season, the reason for the season, my family and friends and spending a lot of time developing anything new isn't in my game plan for this month, especially this year with my grandchildren now living in the same city.  They are our families Christmas miracles as they were born last Christmas Eve, 6 weeks early and yet, they have grown into beautiful, funny, healthy little monkeys who we can't imagine life without!  Though this isn't technically their first Christmas, it kind of is.

I have to share one of their Christmas photos with you!


These cookies are so good.  The chocolate flavor is rich, and though the actual cookies isn't super sweet, the addition of the white chocolate drizzle and crushed peppermint, makes it the perfect cookie.  When you see the amount of sugar you might say, "WHOA", but using the unsweetened chocolate, in addition makes the flavor so much richer.  It makes over 5 dozen cookies, don't worry, you won't consume it all at once! They are easy, the dough is beautiful, and they don't take long to bake or cool.  I think it would be fun to let the kids drizzle and sprinkle them with anything they like! 



Here is what you will need:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate (I used the already melted variety because I had it on hand)
1 cup white chocolate chips melted
crushed candy canes (how many is up to you)
You can use any other candy or decoration to sprinkle over the top as well it doesn't have to be peppermint!

In a large bowl or the bowl of your standing mixer, cream together, cream cheese, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract together until creamy.  Add in baking soda and mix well.  Start adding in  your flour and beat (stand or hand mixer) slowly at first, so you don't get covered in flour and add until it is all incorporated!  Now, pour in your melted unsweetened chocolate and let it mix until well combined. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Take a tablespoon size scoop or actual spoon and roll that amount into a ball. Next roll it into a long snake shape, you can do them as small or as big as you like, but the size I did, I got a nice size cookie, and ended up with over 5 dozen.  Shape them into a candy cane shape and place on parchment lined or non stick cooking spray, sprayed, cookie sheets.  I easily get 12 on a sheet, they don't spread a lot but they do spread a bit. 

Bake for 10 minutes.  That is the exact time that I find keeps them soft, even with the carry over cooking.  Place them on a cooling rack to cool!

Melt white chocolate in either a double boiler set up or in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time on half power.  Trust me, just trust me.  Place into a piping bag or Ziploc that you have cut the tip off of.  You can even just use a spoon or fork to drizzle.  While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with your crushed peppermint candy or whatever you choose to sprinkle on them.  Let sit until the chocolate is set and enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Cookie Teaser!! Ricotta Cookies!

First off on a side note, I am in Nebraska.  I moved here from Jersey.  I wore a PENN State sweatshirt into Walmart, the Huskers are playing them today.  Oh the looks!  I was in all my glory.  My sister was sure her tires would be slashed when we got done.  Oh these NE people and their beloved Huskers.  Weird!

Is it really almost Thanksgiving?  Acck!  You know that means Christmas is right around the corner.   I was i the store today and was greeted by a 20 foot Christmas tree and Elvis singing, "Blue Christmas".  Not just some nice instrumental holiday music, no, they brought out the big guns, ELVIS.  Ok, I get it!


I decided it was time to give you an easy, delicious cookie recipe.  Some people start making them so early and in case you are one of those people, here is a new one!  For the record I am NOT a ricotta cheese fan.  My husband could eat it with a spoon right out of the container and for the record, HE HAS.  I am not a huge fan of ricotta in cannolis either but,  I have been making these cookies for a long time.  They are sort of like the softest, most delicious sugar cookie you have ever had but they are so much better.  It makes a large batch and trust me when I tell you the dough looks *and tastes* good enough to eat the whole thing.  I mean, not that I ever eat cookie dough...just tasted some one time a few years ago..... :)  It is this gorgeous, creamy white and looks like thick whipped cream!

Let me go over a few things you could change up if you needed or wanted too.  Now, you COULD use cream cheese instead of Ricotta.  Now, I don't know WHY you would do that, but in an emergency situation I would approve it. :)  You could also use half cream cheese and half ricotta.  Like I said, these are RICOTTA cookies so that is what I recommend.  Also for the glaze on top, you could use lemon or orange juice in place of the milk, or add some zest.  You can also ALWAYS use a flavored liquid creamer as well.  It's up to you, I am a traditional girl, so tradition is what I roll with.  Also I will give you the amount of milk I use but it really is your taste, if you want to drizzle it or make it thicker like a frosting.


RICOTTA COOKIES

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk, juice, or flavored creamer
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 
  
• In a large bow, with the mixer a low speed, beat the sugar and butter until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes) This step is very important, no cheating! Reduce speed to medium and beat in the ricotta, vanilla and eggs.
• 
  
• Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat until dough forms.
• 
  
• Drop dough by level tablespoons,I use a small cookie scoop,  about 2 inches apart; onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). With spatula, remove cookies to wire rack to cool.
• 
  
• When cookies are cool, prepare icing. In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. With small spreader, spread icing on cookies or dip.

Dipping cookies

Enjoy these delicious cookies!  I am sending some into work with my husband tonight!!

Your "it's almost Christmas cookie time" chefwannabe

Chris