Cookie Overload

There is such a thing as too many cookies. I am done... for now.

Here's what I baked this past December:  sugar cookies, gingerbread, chocolate chip, and almond paste cookies.

Then I layered them in jars to give out.

I also tried meringues for the first time.  The kids loved it but I'm not really a fan.  Maybe I'll try it again but use some chocolate chips for different texture.

 
Then went overboard trying to make the perfect whipped butter cookie.  Am still trying...  then I moved onto chocolate meringues, polenta cookies, and more gingies.

It's not Christmas if I don't make big fat gingies.  Just like last year...  Although this year, I tried some hair for the girl gingie.  It didn't go over too well.

 I made walnut cookies for my mom

We don't do food treats at the new school.  Maybe that's a blessing in disguise, remember these cookies I made for Valentine's last year?  Would have been easier to buy stickers... 

We did give treats to Joshie's teacher along with a special card.  His friends got stickers, a pencil, and a stamp.

Somewhere along the way, we made some ornaments.  We also made some with clear glass balls but forgot to take a pic.

Then the ice-storm hit and we lost power just as these almond cookies went into the oven.   I forgot them in there and 2 days later, retrieved these sad looking cookies. 

As I write this post, I'm eating a polenta cookie.  Due to the ice storm, the cookies are staying here in our house and I will probably bake again when hubby's family reschedules our Christmas Eve dinner. 

Hope you're all enjoying your own Christmas traditions!

Recipe: Chococolate Sugar Cookies - Owls!

Recently we made gingerbread bat cookies which the kids loved. Today we made chocolate sugar cookie owls. They loved these even more!

To make:  Go to my Sugar Cookie Recipe Post and print off the recipe.  Add 3 TBSP of cocoa after you add the salt and flour.  Then follow the rest of the instructions! 

Note:  The dough will look like this

Cut out the owl eyes using a straw

Ta da!

Only  15 days until Halloween!

 Happy Baking!

Happy Easter Cookies

Easter Cookies! Well, maybe they are just "spring" cookies. The kids and I made these this week to get ready for our Easter Weekend. Baking and Icing cookies with a pre-schooler and toddler was way more involved than I thought it would be. Joshie and I baked together all the time but it was just the two of us. No one tugging on my pants yelling "mine" or demanding to touch everything. The addition of baby bunny to our baking party meant lots of flour and stuff on the floor.

We made the cookies using this sugar cookie recipe.   I doubled all of the ingredients so we would have enough cookies to share.  Whenever I am short on time, I go back to this recipe because it's easy (all the ingredients are always in my pantry) and mixing the dough takes about 5 minutes.

So easy!

Here are the cookies READY to be iced.  Baby Bunny knows some words but it's funny how he's figured out very quickly to say "one coogie" and "just one". 

Now to the fun part... which is decorating the cookies with Royal Icing (recipe adapted from Wilton.com)

Ingredients:

1.5 TBSP Meringue Powder

2 Cups Icing Sugar

3 TBSP warm water

Food colouring

Instructions:

1.  Beat all ingredients until peaks form (approx 10 min)

2.  Separate into individual batches and add 1-2 drops food colouring

I always test it first on the back of a spoon.  If it hardens within an hour, then I know I did it right.

Joshie was patiently waiting for his turn to stir the icing.  Meanwhile, Baby Bunny was running around the house with sugar on his face!

Remember, don't add too much food colouring at once.  Try it one drop at a time.

Ready to start icing!!

We made all kinds of shapes.  The eggs were the most popular followed by the bunnies.  Unfortunately I made the blue icing too runny so our bunny's have masks over their eyes.  Next time I will forgo the icing.  The kids loved the cookies when they were un-iced but the minute the icing sugar came out, they just wanted to lick the cookie.

Now to get ready for our easter egg hunt!

Happy Easter!

Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Today we are going to make sugar cookies.  This is my go-to recipe whenever I want to make cut out cookies.  So yummy and easy to make! 

Skill Level: Easy
Items Needed:

Mixer

Baking Sheet

Parchment Paper (if desired)

Cooling Rack
Plastic Bag/wrap

Rolling Pin

Cookie Cutter

and Ingredients (only 6)!

Average Time: 45-60 minutes

 

Get a Little Buddy to Help out

Ingredients:

3/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar

Add vanilla and egg

Add flour and salt

Mix until you have a dough. Divide and flatten into discs.  Put the discs into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface

Let little helper try it too!

 

Use fun shapes.  Since it's still fall, I used leaf cutters.  But this recipe is so easy to use for all season and holidays!

Score the "leaf" with a knife so that it looks even more realistic.

Bake in the oven at 325F for about 13-15 minutes.  Cool on a cookie rack and enjoy!

Make lots of different shapes for variety.

Put it in a nice tin and bring it to your next party!