White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

This is a recipe we found on Better Homes & Gardens and every one ranted and raved about this being the BEST Christmas cookie of 2011, so we tried it!

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Makes: 60 servings
Prep: 40 mins
Bake: 325°F 10 minsper batch
Stand: 30 mins

Ingredients
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter
12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 teaspoons shortening
White nonpareils and/or red edible glitter (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball.
3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set. Makes about 60.

Storage: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

nutrition facts (White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread)
Servings Per Recipe 60, Calories 87, Protein (gm) 1, Carbohydrate (gm) 9, Fat, total (gm) 5, Cholesterol (mg) 9, Saturated fat (gm) 3, Vitamin A (IU) 97, Sodium (mg) 28, Calcium (DV %) 10, Iron (DV %) 0, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet



Our review? They were a different mix to our bunches of cookies. It is definitely a thicker shortbread cookies, so the white chocolate is necessary. I liked the cherry taste, but some others didn't. My only problem was in the dipping of the cookies in the white chocolate: the chocolate was too runny and would need to harden some before I did the sprinkles, but even after that, the cookies didn't fully harden till HOURS later. We had NO room in the freezer or fridge... so they just stayed out for a long time. They may make it into the yearly cookies bunch, or may not. We shall see how others feel about it next year :)

Christmas Cookies!

A HUGE tradition for my family has always been making tons and tons of Christmas Cookies! We don't make a lot of cookies through the year, especially since they seem to get eaten too quickly! So, when we have an arsenal of cooks in the kitchen, we make a TON and share them with family and friends and enjoy them for days on end!

Now, I can't share ALL my family's cookie recipes... some need to be secrets so that people will come to our annual Christmas Eve Party craving cookies! But I did take a picture of the ones we made! I missed taking a picture of a few, but you will get the idea ;)


My favorites! White Chocolate, Macadamia, Dried Cherries


These were a new recipe for us! They are Italian Anise Cookies


Another favorite: Scandinavian Almond Cookies


Peanut Butter Kisses


Wreath cookies


Chocolate Crinkle Cookies


New this year: White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread


My husband and my brother decorating the TONS of gingerbread cookies! It was my husband's first time decorating gingerbread cookies and he did an AMAZING job!


Gingerbread with royal icing

Snickerdoodles

One of my favorite cookies (and I have A LOT of favorites!) are the Snickerdoodle cookies. Something about their fluffy, crisp, cinnamon sugar nature just takes me back to childhood instantly. They seem to melt in your mouth with nostalgia. And serve them with a nice cold glass of milk? Heaven!!!!!

Well, although I have made Snickerdoodles a jillion times, I can make mistakes. And boy, did I make a HUGE mistake once... and I would love to share it with you, so you can learn from my mistakes!
The snickerdoodle recipe calls for baking powder, and my pantry only had baking soda. Now, I KNOW baking is about chemistry, but I thought they were both rising agents so they should be interchangeable to some degree, right? WRONG!!! Although my internet research said I could use 1.5 baking soda : 1 baking powder Let me just tell you.... YOU CAN'T. The cookies came out beautifully and looked delicious. But after two bites, you tasted this bitter nasty after taste that didn't agree with your stomach afterwards.
LESSON: Follow the recipe. And use baking soda for baking soda, and baking powder for baking powder. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!

Now, another reason I love these cookies (when baked correctly! hehe) is that they use ingredients you normally just have in the kitchen. No special or exotic ingredients needed. So they are easy to just whip up and enjoy!

Ingredients
2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (don't microwave!)
1 1/2 c plus 2 tbs sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp ground cinnamon



Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
Put butter and 1 1/2 C sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Mix in eggs.
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.



Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tbs sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into about twenty 1 3/4" balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or use a Silpat. Place fork lying on top of cookies to give them a line look (which looks pretty when they are done).



Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through if necessary, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.



Makes about 20 cookies.

Funfetti "Cake-ies"

My husband gave these cookies the name "cake-ies" because they are cookies made from cake mix! I kid you not! They are so easy, so soft, and so tasty! This is one quick recipe that people will love and gobble up!

Ingredients
1 pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
1/2 can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

Directions
Heat oven to 375°F.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.
Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing.
Store in tightly covered container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies!

Best Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes, the best recipes are the ones that have been around forever. And sometimes, they are sooo Classic, they keep the recipe right on the box! This is the classic case with Oatmeal cookies. My family has had this recipe in our recipe boxes forever, and the Quaker Oatmeal company has been printing it on the lid of their cylinder boxes forever! Just in case Quaker Oatmeal ever gets the horrible idea of taking the recipe off the lid, here it is:

Ingredients
1/2 C (1 stick) plus 6 tbs butter, softened (Don't MELT the butter! It can ruin the chemistry of baking the cookies!)
3/4 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 C Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 C of raisins/ or 1 C of chocolate chips/ or 1 C peanut butter chips / basically 1 C of whatever you want! Be creative!

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In 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 (or whatever you choose!); mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. I prefer to use a Silpat on my cookie sheet, for mess free and non sticking cookies.
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.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.