Apple Jack Cookies....

We made these cookies today for school.  We are working my measuring cups and spoons.  The kids loved them and even Anna, which is amazing because she doesn't like many sweet things. 


Ingredients:
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. butter
1 egg
1 1/2 C. flour
2 T. ground flax seed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. chopped peeled apple (I used my little mini food process, which I love.)  Also the next batch I make I may chop up some carrots with the apples. 

Directions:
Cream togeher sugar and shortening.   Beat in egg.  Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture.  Beat until well blended.  Stir in apples.  Drop in the shape of ball on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Almond Biscotti....


2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix these first six ingredients together and then set aside. In another bowl mix together:

2 eggs
3 Tb. oil
2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. water

Mix the wet ingredients together with a mixer and then add the dry ingredients and mix till everything is come together. If you need a little extra liquid then add a little. Then with floured hands transfer the dough to a baking sheet and form it into a rectangle shape that is about 1 1/2" thick. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then take the biscotti out and little it cool for about 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 250 degrees. When the biscotti is cooled slice it into 1 inch stripes and lay the stripes on there side. Put them back in the oven for 15 minutes on one side and then turn them over and another 15 minutes on the other side or until they look browned. Then take them out and let them cool. Store in an air tight container.

If you want drizzled chocolate on top just melt down some chocolate chips and drizzle on the top after they have cooled.

Enjoy them with some coffee or tea:)

Chocolate Cookies.....

I am planning on going easy on the cookies this year. I tend to eat too many of them (don't we all) especially if they are chocolate cookies. I have started to get the e-mails for the "12 Days of Cookies" and one of the first cookies posted was the Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies. These look really easy to make and would be a great recipe to use with kids. So what are your favorite cookie recipes to make with your kids during Christmas time???

Here is also another of my favorite Chocolate cookie recipes......

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
• 6 (2-ounce) packages chocolate-caramel cookie bars, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 (2-ounce) vanilla bark coating squares

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape 1 tablespoon dough around each candy piece, covering completely, to form balls.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently press the top of each ball into pecan mixture. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Melt coating squares in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

*These chocolate cookies are my absolute favorite. If you don't want to go to as much work this cookie dough is also wonderful if you want to add just some white chocolate or peanut butter chips to the batter. Also you can just roll the balls in some red & green sugars and bake them. There are lots of variations that can be done with this batter. I have also cut up little bites of Snicker bars and wrapped the dough around them. Those are also yummy.

Some of my favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes......

Can be found here..... If anyone has a favorite that they think I should try leave me a link.

Also we will be heading out of town in a couple of days. I will try to post while I am gone to let you know what we have been up too & how the kids have been. I am really looking forward to some time away from cleaning up the house. Unfortunately laundry follows me everywhere, but it will be nice to see family that we don't get to see very often. I know the kids are excited and I just pray that the van ride goes well and the weather is good.

Also lets not forget the yummiest caramel corn and so easy to make. To find the recipe go here. I am planning on making this when I get to my moms house and probably several batches, since we all love it so much.

Sugar Cookie Icing


This is so simple to make, but I like to have some good flavor to my frosting, so this is what I have come up with. I think using the flavored creamer helps to make some really good frosting and a little butter

2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 Tb. soft butter
4 tsp. french vanilla cream or any flavored creamer of choice
4 tsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. almond extract
assorted food coloring

In a bowl, stir together confectioners sugar, butter, milk, corn syrup & almond extract. If you think you need the frosting a little thinner just add a little more milk or more powder suger to make it thicker. Enjoy:)

So So Good.....

This recipe is fast and easy. Also to make them look like Christmas cookies roll them in some red & green sugars or if you would like a bit of chocolate put some chocolate chips in them. The dough is very sticky, but I sprinkled a bit of flour on it and mixed it up, so I could handle it better. If you have more patience then me or time you could refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours to make the dough easier to handle. My husband, who is a cookie gourmand, gives them an enthusiastic two thumbs up. I'm afraid to say that these are one of those cookies that are just hard to stop eating:)

Gooey Butter Cookies

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1inch balls and roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire rack.

The Recipe Box Swap
Please visit I have to say to see all sorts of recipes and visit some blogs to get some Christmas recipe ideas. This month's theme is Holiday Favorites.

Yesterday I made Cookies, Cookies, & More Cookies...... We have only two weeks till we leave to spend some time with family & friends and so I am baking early to try and get all the different kinds of cookies done that I want to take with us and give as gifts. So here are a couple of my favorite cookie recipes. Enjoy:)


Peanut Butter Crinkle Kisses


1 cup of margarine
1 cup of peanut butter(creamy or crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 bag of Hersheys Kisses or Chocolate Stars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap chocolate kisses-(don't eat them all) and set aside until later-you will need them as soon as the cookies come out of the oven!

Mix the first 6 ingredients until fluffy. Then mix the next 4 ingredients together and combine with the first 6 ingredients. Shape into 1" balls and roll in granulated sugar. I also mix in some red & green sugars to add some Christmas cheer. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 9-10 minutes. Take out of oven and immediately press Hershey kiss into center of cookies. Need to let the cookies cool well and let the chocolate kiss set up before putting them away. This recipe makes a little over 6 dozen, so there will be plenty to go around.

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
• 6 (2-ounce) packages chocolate-caramel cookie bars, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 (2-ounce) vanilla bark coating squares

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape 1 tablespoon dough around each candy piece, covering completely, to form balls.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently press the top of each ball into pecan mixture. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Melt coating squares in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

*These chocolate cookies are my absolute favorite. If you don't want to go to as much work this cookie dough is also wonderful if you want to add just some white chocolate or peanut butter chips to the batter. Also you can just roll the balls in some red & green sugars and bake them. There are lots of variations that can be done with this batter. I have also cut up little bites of Snicker bars and wrapped the dough around them. Those are also yummy.

Renee's Kitchen:

These cookies are crisp and loaded with goodies. If you like those pecan sandie cookies in the store you will love these and it makes a huge batch, which is so nice to be able to freeze extra cookies or dough for later. So Enjoy and let me know if you try them out.

Pecan Almond Sandies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter(no substitutes) softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add oil, eggs and extract; mix well. Combine flours, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in almonds and pecans. Shape into 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields about 12 dozen.

Renee's Kitchen

Here's a new cookie recipe that I came across in my Taste of Home Simple & Delicious magazine. These cookies are very tasty and as you will notice they don't use any flour. I used all natural peanut butter that does not have any sugar added to it, which helps reduce the amount of sugar in these cookies. They turned out great. The recipe also makes a big batch, so either bake them all up and freeze a few bags for later or freeze half of the batter for later.


Peanut Butter Jumbos

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M's miniature baking bits

In a large mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine oats and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and baking bits. Note: I only used half the amount of the chocolate chips and baking bits. I find most recipes put to many chips in, but for those chocolate lovers out there feel free to use the full amount.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Press down with palm or glass. Bake 350 degrees for 12-14 mins or until edges are browned. Yields: 9 dozen

Renee's Kitchen:
Here is my new favorite cookie recipe. They are so yummy and will surprise anyone who bits into them. Also instead of Rolo's you could use Mini Snicker bars or Andie Mints or any other favorite candy bar that you think would work. These are even good if you just want a plan chocolate cookie. Just make sure that the piece of candy bar you use is not any bigger then a Rolo. These cookies are so yummy:)

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies
INGREDIENTS :

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 package (13 ounces) Rolo candies

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating just until combined.
Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each candy, forming a ball. In a small bowl, use either regular sugar or colored Christmas sugar and dip each cookie halfway in. Place suager side up 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 375° for 7-10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 5 dozen.

Renee's Kitchen
I came across this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine and tried it out and they were awesome, so much better then the ones you buy in the store. I did not put pretzels in it and you could use dried cranberries instead of raisins, so be creative and enjoy:)
No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:
4 tb. butter
1/2 c. packed browned sugar
1/2 c. honey
2 c. granola
1 c. rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/2c. raisins
1/2c. thin pretzel sticks
1/2 c. chocolate chips



1. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
2. Add the granola, rice cereal, raisins and pretzels to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce. Transfer the granola mixture to a 9-by-13-inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly to evenly fill. Gently press the chocolate chips onto the top of the granola. Let the granola mixture set in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into 2 1/4-by 3-inch bars.