Sugar Cookies!!

This recipe is from my friend Stephanie's website.

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg 
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Combine sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg.  Add dry ingredients.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface.  Bake at 400 for 5-9 minutes.

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

Enjoy!

Reindeer Cookies

(You could make these with sugar cookies too!)
Printable Recipe

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-covered mini pretzels

Mini brown M&Ms

Regular-sized red M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown. 

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer's antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color... some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.). 

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely. 

Makes about 40 reindeer cookies.

Recipe found HERE

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowls

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 325° F. Grease twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups.

Prepare your favorite Cookie Dough recipe.  Grease muffin pan, or it has been suggested to use cupcake liners to make it easier to get out.  Fill muffin pans 1/2 to 3/4 full. I haven't made these yet, but supposedly the middle will indent.  However, to make bigger bowls, I imagine you can press it up the side or even flip your cupcake pan upside down and form them over the outside of the cups and cook them.  If you try this, you could also try putting a cupcake liner over the outside of the pan before you form the cookie dough to make it easy to get it off.   You may also have to adjust cooking time accordingly.  It probably won't take as long that way.

BAKE for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack*. Center of cups will indent slightly upon cooling. With tip of butter knife, remove cookie cups from muffin pan.

FILL cookie cups as desired.

Yogurt & Fruit Cookie Cups: Top each with a spoonful of yogurt and cut-up fresh fruit of choice.

Ice Cream Cookie Cups: Top each with a small scoop of Ice Cream (any flavor). Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

* Rocky Road Cookie Cups: Immediately after cookie cups come out of the oven, top with a mixture of  Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, mini marshmallows and chopped nuts. 

This recipe was found HERE

Andes Mint Cookies

This is my go-to cookie whenever I need to bring cookies to something or take cookies to a neighbor. They are AMAZING! (And very rich . . . warning- you WILL need a glass a milk to go with them!)

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.
These are so yummy when they are warm and gooey!! They are also delicious when they set-up for a little while . . . who am I kidding? They are divine no matter their temperature . . .



Recipe Found HERE

Pretzel Hugs

You will need:
2 bags of Hershey’s Hugs
1 “Pounder” bag of Pretzel Snaps
Big baking sheet
Waxed paper – for easy removal.
Preheat oven to 300
1. Unwrap Hugs2. Line baking sheet with waxed paper – if you don’t have waxed, use parchment, but I strongly suggest you use paper just for ease. If you don’t have either, just use a non-stick
baking sheet.
3. Lay one pretzel down for every Hug and top each pretzel with a Hug.4. Pop in the oven for 2 min, just until they are glossy and softish.
5. Remove from oven and let sit for 1 more minute, to continue the softening process.
**This is the only step you can make a mistake on – by laving them in the oven too long they will completely melt and run through the pretzel and all over your sheet and you won’t have a sandwich, just a mess.
6. Now top each hug with another pretzel pushing down gently, so it sticks together.7. I pop the baking sheet in the fridge for 20-30 min. to cool them off.You could most certainly let them dry at room temp, it will just take a little longer and trust me, you are going to want to eat these right away!!

Easy Santa Hat Brownie Bites

Santa Hat Brownie BitesAdapted from The Crafty Kook

1 box brownie mix
24 small strawberries
2 cups white chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 1 mini-muffin pan
- Prepare brownie mix according to box's instructions and fill cavities 3/4 of the way full (I had some leftover brownie mix that I just baked off as regular brownies because I didn't have enough strawberries)
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean
- Let brownies cool and use this time to hull and clean the strawberries
- Once cool, place strawberries upside down onto brownie bites
- Melt white chocolate in a double boiler and transfer into a piping bag
- Pipe a ring around the base and a small dot on top -- work quickly, the white chocolate can dry fast and clog up your tip!

Candy Cane Blossoms

 A couple tips, don't roll them too large and make sure your butter is not too soft or warm.  If your dough is too sticky, just add up to 1/2 cup more flour. 

Candy Cane Blossoms

recipe from Hershey's

1 bag Hershey;s Kisses brand Candy Cane Kisses

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons milk

Red and Green colored sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove wrappers from candies (approx. 35)

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternatively with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in red and/or green colored sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 - 1o minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookies is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Yields approximately 35 cookies. 

Coconut Joys

1/2 c marg
3 c coconut
2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c  chocolate chips

Melt butter, add sugar and coconut.  Form mixture into balls.  Make an indentation in center of each bal.  Melt chocolate and fill the center of balls with chocolate.  Allow to cool.

Oreo Truffles

1 package of Oreos
1 package of Cream Cheese
1 package of vanilla or chocolate almond bark

Mix cream cheese with whole package of Oreos.  Shape into balls.  I usually use a cookie scoop, and sometimes I freeze them so they hold their shape better while dipping them.

Melt almond bark in a double boiler.  In order to keep the chocolate from getting cold and lumpy, I usually keep it in the double boiler while I dip them.

Place truffles on wax paper and refrigerate 1 hour.  You can drizzle with left over chocolate for added touch.

Here is a cute version you can make with decorating gel or icing:

Chocolate Fudge

3 c sugar
1 c evaporated milk
1 pt jar of marshmallow cream (2 cups)
6 T marg
1-12oz pkg chocolate chips
1 cup nuts, chopped (I prefer walnuts)

Boil sugar, butter and milk to soft ball stage. (236 degrees-NEED TO USE A CANDY THERMOMETER, temp is VERY important)  Stir frequently.  Remove and add marshmallow cream, chocolate chips, and nuts.  place in a greased 9x9 pan and allow to cool completely.

Tip:  If making this ahead of time for Christmas, it will stay fresh and soft if you store it in the freezer.

Dipped Pretzel Rods

1 cup  Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Milk Chocolate,

Premier White Morsels, or white or chocolate almond bark

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

16 pretzel rods

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels and/or sprinkles (optional)

Additional Chocolate for drizzling (optional)

1.	Line baking sheet with wax paper.
2.	Microwave 1 cup morsels and vegetable shortening in small, dry, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; stir. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted.
3.	Dip pretzel rods about 3 inches into melted morsels, tilting bowl to easily dip. Use side of bowl to remove excess. Sprinkle with morsels or sprinkles. Place on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Best when eaten within a few days.

Buckeyes

5-1/2 c powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 cup marg

2-12 oz pkgs chocolate chips

Mix powdered sugar, peanut butter and marg together.  Form into balls.  In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips.  Once chocolate is melted, dip balls into chocolate, but not all the way.  This makes them look like real buckeyes.  Place dipped balls onto wax paper and allow them to cool until chocolate is firm.

Peanut Clusters

1 lb salted peanuts
12 oz chocolate chips
1 lb almond bark

Melt almond bark, add nuts.  Spoon onto wax paper or into mini muffin cups.  Allow to cool before eating.

Melting Snowman Cookies

This recipe was found at Recipes to Warm the Heart. Thanks Wendy!

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Also, you will need frosting, you can make your own frosting or you can easily pick up some already made and also  giant marshmallows.

For the cookies: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. 
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. 
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.  

Once the cookies are cool, load them up with the cookie icing and spread it around with the back of a spoon, let some dribble over the edge for a "puddle" look.  Spray a microwave safe plate with cooking spray and place your giant marshmallows on it.  Cook the marshmallows for 20 seconds.   Be sure to really watch them because you don't want the marshmallows to double in size. 
Spray your fingers and then pull off the plate and place on cookie.  The simply decorate the cookies how you want them to look!  So cute and kids love them!

Kringla

2 c sour cream
1-1/2 c sugar
4 egg yolks
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1-1/2 t baking soda
4-1/2 c flour

Combine sour cream, sugar, eggs, salt, and soda.  Beat with electric mixer for 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  With a spoon, add flour and baking powder mixture and mix together.  Chill over night or a few hours in the freezer.  Roll dough into the thickness of a pencil.  Make figure 8's out of dough.  Bake at 425 about 15 minutes.  Do not overbake!

Peppermint Bark

Here are some different ways to make delicious peppermint bark for Christmas!
1 lb chocolate - either white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or both.  Or try almond bark. 
1/2 c crushed peppermint candies or crushed candy canes. 
Peppermint Flavoring (optional)

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Ritz

• 76 Ritz crackers (2 packs)
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 21 ounces white chocolate candy melts (1 1/2 bags) or 21 ounces almond bark (chopped into smallish chunks)
• 1/4 cup candy sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Spread about 1 tsp peanut butter on a Ritz, top with another cracker to form a sandwich. I like to be generous with the peanut butter, and aim for a layer about as thick as one cracker. Repeat with remaining crackers and peanut butter until you have exhausted your supply.
2. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper out that is large enough to place all of the cookies on.
3. Warm the chocolate pieces up: I have a fondue pot so I simply pour in the chocolate, turn to high, and stir occasionally until melted. Once its all melted, reduce the heat to low. If you have a double boiler, use the same method, except heat over medium, and when its melted, remove from heat.
4. - OR - In a microwave safe dish, add candy and microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir well, and continue to microwave for 3-5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
5. Next, dip the cookies. Its up to you if you want to dip the whole thing at once, or dip one half and let it set, and then dip the other half. It looks better if you can dip the whole thing at once. Sprinkle them fairly quickly before the chocolate begins to set.
6. Allow to set for 1 hour before moving. Store in an airtight container for a week. (They may stay good longer, but we've never had them last that long :-) ).

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-dipped-peanut-butter-cracker-sandwiches-274173#ixzz1cK90zZga

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

This recipe is from RecipeGirl.com.  For step-by-step directions, check out her sight!

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
chocolate bark, to melt for dipping
additional chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc., optional for topping the truffles

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until it is incorporated and you no longer see chunks of brown sugar (if you spot any, just squish them). Beat in sweetened condensed milk and mix until well-combined. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
2. Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm (at least 1 hour- maybe more... you want the dough to be quite firm). Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out heaping Tablespoonfuls, roll into balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Place all of the rolled balls back into the refrigerator until you are ready to dip them in chocolate.
3. Melt chocolate bark in a glass bowl- easiest to do in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each heating time, until smooth. Use a spoon to help you dip the chilled dough ball into the chocolate and roll it around to cover all sides. Place it on a waxed paper-lined platter. Sprinkle with any desired toppings. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. They'll begin to set pretty quickly. Keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.

Tips:

*You may wish to speed up the chilling process and place the balls into the freezer, but it's not such a good idea. The dough freezes up and then when it begins to warm up again- it expands and may cause the chocolate coating to crack.
*Have your own favorite cookie dough recipe? Leave out the eggs, add a little milk to compensate for any dryness in the dough, and try making truffles with your own recipe!

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Food Network)

Truffle Fudge

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided (or substitute chocolate chips)

1 can  (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

3 Tbsp. whipping cream

2 tsp.  vanilla

LINE 8-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Melt 4 chocolate squares in microwave as directed on package; spread onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate 10 min. or until firm.
MICROWAVE remaining chocolate and milk in same bowl on HIGH 2 to 3 min. or until chocolate is almost melted; stir until completely melted. Add cream and vanilla; mix well. Spread over chocolate layer in pan.
REFRIGERATE 2 hours or until firm. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.  

Mint Thins

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, slightly cooled

1/4 tsp.  peppermint extract

1 sleeve RITZ Crackers (36 crackers)

1   candy cane (6 inch), crushed

Make It

MIX chocolate and extract.
DIP crackers in chocolate mixture, turning to completely coat each cracker. Carefully scrape off excess chocolate. Place crackers in single layer on waxed paper-covered baking sheets; sprinkle with crushed candy.
REFRIGERATE 30 min. or until chocolate is firm.