Monster Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup LAND O LAKES(R) Butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (such as M&M's(R))

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 8x8-inch baking pan.
2. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and sea salt together. Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly.
4. Stir in creamy peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and candy-coated chocolates. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking pan.
5. Bake until set, 25 to 27 minutes. Allow to fully cool before cutting into bars.

Peppermint Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of red food coloring
• For the glaze
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and powdered sugar until fluffy.
2. Add egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Reduce mixer speed and add flour and salt, mixing until well combined.
4. Divide dough in half.
5. In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine 1/2 the cookie dough with red food coloring.
6. Shape cookie dough into disc and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate one hour or up to overnight.
8. Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Measure one tablespoon of each color dough and gently roll into 6 inch long log shapes.
10. Twist cookie dough together and transfer to parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet.
11. Chill shaped cookie dough for 15 minutes before baking.
12. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are a very light golden brown.
13. While the cookies are baking, prepare peppermint glaze. Spoon over cookies after they have cooled slightly.

Source: http://www.number-2-pencil.com/

Snickerdoodle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening (we use Butter Flavor Crisco)
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 2/3 cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• Cinnamon & Sugar Topping
• 1 TBSP Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add butter, shortening and sugar in a mixer on beat together on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients one at a time while continuing to mix together.
5. Turn off mixer and set aside.
6. Make the Cinnamon and Sugar Topping in a small bowl.
7. Roll the cookie dough into small 1 to 1 and 1/2 inch balls.
8. Roll each cookie ball in the Cinnamon and Sugar mix.
9. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet.
10. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
11. Should be a nice golden brown color that is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Source: The Idea Room

No Bake Cheesecake Cookie Tree

INGREDIENTS:

• Biscoff Cookies (Speculoos Cookies)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 envelopes gelatin
• 5 tablespoons water
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: Holiday candies

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare Speculoos dough and place in refrigerator.
2. Lightly oil 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Press plastic food wrap onto bottom and sides of pan and set aside.
3. In a cold bowl whisk heavy cream to soft, mousse-like consistency. It is very important not to whip until it forms a peak. Set aside in refrigerator.
4. In a small bowl combine gelatin with 5 tablespoons water and set aside.
5. Select a saucepan and bowl which fit well together and where bowl does not hang over saucepan. Fill  saucepan with one inch of water and bring to boil, turn to a low simmer.  In a bowl whisk together egg yolks and water. Add sugar and whisk well. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture reaches 165°F. Remove from heat as at this temperature egg yolks are safe to eat.
6. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until dissolved.
7. Add cream cheese and vanilla extract and whisk smooth and until all lumps are gone.
8. Add soft whipped heavy cream and gently fold into above using a spatula.
9. Pour mixture into prepared pan and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
10. Meanwhile roll Speculoos cookie dough as described in recipe. Cut star shapes and bake as described. Allow to cool.
11. Using the same star cookie cutters, cut cheesecake to obtain as many stars as possible.
12. Place cheesecake onto prebaked star cookies and stack into a tree form.
13. Decorate with candies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

DIXIE CRYSTALS INSIGHT

NOTE: To create the tree, choose star-shaped cookie cutters that scale down in size. We used 6 different sized cookie cutters. You can stack as many as 8 or as few as 4, depending on the size of cutter.

This recipe also works well with round, flower or hexagon shaped cookie cutters. 

S’mores Blossom Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
8 whole graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs (1 cup)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows, halved crosswise
24 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses, unwrapped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.

2. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, sugar, and 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until just combined.

3. Place remaining 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs in shallow dish. Working with 1 tablespoon dough at a time, roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Toss dough balls in graham cracker crumbs to coat. Space them evenly on prepared sheets, 12 per sheet. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until just set and beginning to crack on sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes.

4. Adjust oven rack 10 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place 1 marshmallow half, cut side down, in center of each cookie. Broil cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until marshmallows are deep golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds, rotating halfway through for even browning, if needed. Transfer sheet to wire rack and immediately place 1 Hershey’s Kiss in center of each marshmallow, pressing down gently. Repeat with remaining cookies, marshmallows, and Kisses. Let cookies cool completely before serving, about 1 hour.
Source: Cook's Country

Pretzel Snowman Cookies

Source: BuonaPappa

PERFECT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Yield: 24-25 cookies


Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted half way
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth with no lumps. Beat in the egg,vanilla and peanut butter until completely combined. Pour in flour and baking soda and mix until just incorporated without over-mixing. Dough will be very soft and sticky. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.

Measure granulated sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Roll 1" rounded tablespoons of dough, roll in sugar and place about 1" apart on prepared baking sheet (they don't spread much). Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool for only 5 minutes on baking sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish.

These perfect peanut butter cookies will stay soft and fresh for up to 6 days stored in an airtight container.

Source: Sprinkle Some Sugar

Apple Pie Cookies

https://www.facebook.com/tiphero/videos/10154396704563761/

Lumps of Coal

Melt in your mouth Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
3 oz. package of cream cheese
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk (reserve white)
2 cups all purpose flour

Blend together sugar, margarine, cream cheese, salt, almond extract, vanilla, and egg yolk with mixer. Mix in flour until well blended.
Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for two hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough, one third at a time, on a lightly floured surface. Using a cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out cookies as close together as possible.
Place the cookies one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. To prevent breaking, move cookies to and from baking sheets with a wide spatula or pancake turner.
Leave cookies plain or, if desired, brush with slightly beaten egg white and spring with colored sugar.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are a light golden brown. Cool completely.
{My mom always told me the most important part of making sugar cookies was to take them out as soon as they were even slightly brown on the bottom, or not at all. I took mine out before they had even browned and left them on the cookie sheet to cool. That made them extra soft and delicious.}
If desired, use the almond glaze below.

Almond Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 Tb. water
4 drops of food coloring

Stir all ingredients until smooth.
Pour 1 teaspoon of glaze on each sugar cookie. Use the back of the teaspoon to spread glaze evenly over cookie. Let glaze dry.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/BeneathMyHeart