Holiday baking

[skcin]

Snow-Topped Chocolate Mint Cookies


1 pkg (10 oz) mint chocolate chips
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ C flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Powdered sugar

Needs to chill 2 hours
Cookie sheets
Makes approx. 4 dz cookies

Melt 1C chips in microwave (reserve the rest of the chips.) Cool slightly. Cream together butter & sugar until fluffy. One at a time, add eggs, beating well in between. Beat in melted chips & vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder & salt, then gradually stir into mixture. Stir in rest of chips. Chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough into 1” balls & roll in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, approx. 2” apart. Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes until edges are set & centers are almost set. Cool on pan for 10 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely.



Rum Balls

1 box vanilla wafers (will make 3&1/4 C crushed)
1 C confectioner’s sugar
¼ C unsweetend baking cocoa
1&1/2 C chopped nuts
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
½ C rum

No bake
Need airtight container

Crush wafers. Combine with ¾ C of the sugar, cocoa & nuts; mix well. Stir in corn syrup & rum. Shape into 1” balls & roll in the extra confectioner’s sugar. Store in an airtight container for several days to develop flavor (the longer you store them, the stronger they’ll taste!) Roll in sugar again before serving.







OK, enjoy. I hope everything turns out great & I hope I didn't screw up my transcriptions due to the beer I decided to drink tonight for some unknown reason.

[Beachwood Mac]

Thanks Paula! The Chocolate Mint Snow Top Cookies are really good. I have been making them for at least 5 or 6 years. Nestle's discontinued the mint chocolate chips and I'm not sure they still make them. I've found substitutes but I wrote Nestle's and they told me to pour the contents of a bag of regular chocolate chips in a zip lock baggie and add 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract. Shake and leave it overnight and they work just as well. Just in case anyone can't find mint chips. These cookies are always a real hit.

For all you chocolate mint fans - there is a also great cookie recipe on the back of the Andes Mint chips. They don't always carry the Andes mint chips at grocery stores but I have found them at Oscos or Walgreens. Damn, I sound like Martha Stewart

Terry

[skcin]

^ Ooooh, good info! I did finally find the mint chocolate chips, but I had to go to the "better" grocery store. I think they were Hershey's actually.

[wondergirl9847]

Thanks for posting the recipes, Paula!!! I don't like to cook, but occassionally, I'll make stuff. LOL I'll try something on the list for Christmas.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

Thanks for posting the recipes, Paula!!! I don't like to cook, but occassionally, I'll make stuff. LOL I'll try something on the list for Christmas.

My suggestions:

If you're lazy: 7 Layer Magic Bars

If you want to do something a bit different: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

If you want all of your cookies to be devoured quickly: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

If you don't want to bother baking something, or if you or your loved one is a lush: Rum Balls (you can also substitute bourbon instead of rum.)

[Stephanie]

Originally Posted by skcin

Here's the platter I'm taking in to work tomorrow. If yesterday was any indication, it will be gone in a matter of minutes. BTW, this dish is about 18" in diameter. I don't f*ck around.

[IMG][/IMG]

Clockwise from top center:

Lemon Blossom Thumbprints
7 Layer Magic Bars
Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Banana Split Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Cashew Chocolate Sandwiches
Snow-Topped Mint Chocolate Cookies
Center - Rum Balls

what a beautiful display. You could go pro and sell gift boxes of cookies from home.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by Stephanie

what a beautiful display. You could go pro and sell gift boxes of cookies from home.

Thanks. Someone at work asked me if I would bake cookies for her if she payed me. Not a bad idea, but I wouldn't have a clue what to charge. Plus, I'm done for this year.

[Kelly]

Paula, you are one cool bitch. These are some hot recipes and I am going to try two of them out this year as my new selection. Still trying to decide which ones..hubby likes peanut butter so def. probably those.
BTW....I usually spend a fortune on ingredients for my cookies...I have kids to buy for too. Last week Acme had butter onsale buy one, get one free. I got alot of butter! My chocolate topped oatmeal cookies take 12 sticks alone, cause I have to triple the recipe. I like to give out tins to random people like the doorman at my office or the kids crossing guards. Buy a nice tin from the dollar store (shh, they look nice),toss some colored red and green tissue paper in the bottom, fill up with a variety of cookies, throw some Christmas Hershey kisses on top and Voila, a nice little surprise for someone. I love to give at Christmas. It is all about the kids for me. In fact today is our annual family baking day. All the women in the kitchen, the kids decorating. The only thing I hate is the damned cut outs. I do not like rolling pins. I would prefer to cheat and use premade sugar cookie dough. Grandma will not allow that! Paula, I will let ya know which ones we tried today..we all bring one or two new recipes each year.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by skcin

Anyone here bake cookies? Other holiday treats? I bake lots of Christmas cookies and I LOVE to do it! Weird thing is that I don't bake anything any other time of the year.

I like to do marathon sessions & get it all done in a day or two. I took some time off from work last week & during that time we cut down our tree & decorated it, had friends over to exchange gifts, baked a lot, had my parents over for dinner, did some shopping, etc. It was great to have the time to do everything & not stress out about any of it.

So, back to the cookies. I baked on 2 separate days, about 6 hours each day. Everything turned out really well until the very end when I accidentally knocked my hand mix over into the bowl of water in the sink. Guess who just got a new mixer? I'm not one for cut-outs, maybe if I had kids I would be. Anyhoo, here's what I did this year:

Ricotta Cheese Cookies:My mom gave me the years ago & I make these every single year without fail. People depend on me to make them, so I usually make a triple batch. They're moist & sweet without being too sweet. One of my favorites.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies: A chocolate cookie rolled in nuts, then a mini Reese's cup jammed in the center while they're still warm so it sticks in nice & snug, then topped with a dolop of melted peanut butter chips. Hubby's fave, so I make a double batch.

7 Layer Magic Bars:I got this recipe off www.christmas-cookies.com a couple of years ago & I now make them every year. So easy to make, so freakin GOOD!

Rum Balls: Made with Captain Morgan. Mix, roll & allow to ferment a few days. Delish.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies: New one for this year. A chewy chocolate cookie with a marachino cheery pressed into the center. The frosting is chocolate chips, butter-flavored shortening & cherry juice. These are a big hit & will be added to my annual list.

Banana Split Bars: Another annual fave. A mashed banana in the crust & topped with chocolate chips, cherries & marshmallows. Yum.

Snow Covered Mint Chocolate Cookies:Another new one. Soft cookie made with mint-chocolate chips & dusted with powdered sugar. I may make more of these, they are going fast.

Cashew Chocolate Sandwich Cookies:A star-shaped sugar cookie, topped with a filling made up of melted chocolate chips & crushed cashews, topped with another cookie to make a sandwich. Great with coffee, tea or hot cocoa.

Lemon Blossoms: Thumbprint cookie with a twist - they have lemon juice in it. These are really light & fluffy, I filled them with peach & strawberry preserves.

Hungry yet? Anyone else love to bake? Hate it? Any good cookie ideas?

If I win the powerball, I'm hiring you as my personal chef Paula. Man you never cease to come up with great food ideas.

[Lisa1769]

I made the 7 layer magic bars yesterday. They are really good, but very rich.

[diamondsnake]

Everyone make this recipe. Martha Stewart made it on her show the other day. I tried it, and it was so delicious. Absolutely mouth watering. And easy to make! I used natural plain micorwave popcorn instead of popping it on the stove, and it tasted great!

CARAMEL ALMOND POPCORN
MAKES 16 TO 18 CUPS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
 3/4 cup corn kernels
 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
 2 cups almonds, lightly toasted
 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
 1/2 cup light corn syrup
 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
 3/4 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 
1.   Preheat oven to 250°. Butter 2 baking sheets; set aside.
  
2.   Place corn kernels and oil in large pot, partially covered, over medium heat. Once popping begins, shake pan frequently; when popping slows down, about 3 seconds between pops, remove pan from heat and uncover. Transfer popped corn to a large bowl; add almonds. Set aside.
  
3.   In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium-high heat; stir to dissolve sugar and melt butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 255° on a candy thermometer.
  
4.   Remove pan from heat; stir in extracts, salt, and baking soda. Working quickly, pour over popcorn and almonds; toss with wooden spoons while rotating the bowl. When completely coated, divide evenly between prepared baking sheets. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour and 20 minutes; popcorn will crisp when cooled.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jh...&layout=martha

[skcin]

Originally Posted by Kelly

Paula, you are one cool bitch. These are some hot recipes and I am going to try two of them out this year as my new selection. Still trying to decide which ones..hubby likes peanut butter so def. probably those.
BTW....I usually spend a fortune on ingredients for my cookies...I have kids to buy for too. Last week Acme had butter onsale buy one, get one free. I got alot of butter! My chocolate topped oatmeal cookies take 12 sticks alone, cause I have to triple the recipe. I like to give out tins to random people like the doorman at my office or the kids crossing guards. Buy a nice tin from the dollar store (shh, they look nice),toss some colored red and green tissue paper in the bottom, fill up with a variety of cookies, throw some Christmas Hershey kisses on top and Voila, a nice little surprise for someone. I love to give at Christmas. It is all about the kids for me. In fact today is our annual family baking day. All the women in the kitchen, the kids decorating. The only thing I hate is the damned cut outs. I do not like rolling pins. I would prefer to cheat and use premade sugar cookie dough. Grandma will not allow that! Paula, I will let ya know which ones we tried today..we all bring one or two new recipes each year.

Thanks.

I spend a bunch of $$$ for ingredients too. I have finally figured out to buy the basics at a small discount grocery store (we have Aldi's here - it's cheap cuz everything's stacked up on shelves & you bag your own groceries) and look out for coupons for other stuff.

How'd your cookies turn out, kel?