Sweet Potato Casserole

As a kid you would not have caught me eating a sweet potato but as an adult…. I love sweet potatoes fixed many ways!

Chocolate Pretzel Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Are you catching your breath since Thanksgiving and before Christmas gets in full swing?  I still have not.  We have gone right from Thanksgiving to trying to get part of our kitchen remodeled before we have Christmas dinner at our house.

Melted Snowman-Snowgirl Cookies

My Christmas baking is finished.  Today I made these melted snowman/snowgirl cookies.  I saw these on the internet last year on Truly Custom Cakery and never got around to making them.  I thought they were the cutest cookies I had ever seen.  For iced sugar cookies they were also the easiest sugar cookies I have done.  No need to use a cookie cutter because melted snowman/snowgirls are all out of shape from melting.

I just took a scoop of sugar cookie dough and rolled it out into a circle shape.  Then placed them on the baking sheet to bake.  After cooling I iced them.  You can use your favorite icing recipe to ice these cookies.  It just needs to be a little thin to make it look like it is running over the top of the cookies.  After icing the cookie just place a large marshmallow on top of each cookie.  Before I added more water to my icing to thin it out I took a small amount out and colored it black and orange.  With this black and orange icing I piped eyes, buttons, arms and a nose with a Wilton icing tip #3.  I also used some Wilton snowflake sprinkles to decorate with.

I received an early Christmas present last weekend before I started making my cookies.  If you remember back to this summer I had made a post for cookies and in it I showed you my scraping paddle attachment  that I broke mixing up those cookies.  Well Cally remembered and while she was away at school she had bought me a new scraping paddle and brought it home to me......Luv U Cally!

Last night we were hit with a winter storm here in Ohio.  The really bad part of the storm is the wind gust that are reaching 50 mph.  It looks like we have about 2 inches of snow but the wind is blowing the snow so hard we are having white outs and drifting on the roads.  It started out yesterday as rain so there are roads that are very slick.  I need to finish my shopping and go to the grocery.  Cally and I started out for town and only made it about 5 miles down the road to Lawrenceville.  We did our few errands that were close and came back home.

The first picture is out our back door and the second picture is out the front door.  I did not want to go to far out because the wind was blowing the snow so bad, you can really see the white out in the first picture.

The dough recipe I used for these snowman/snowgirl cookies is my favorite sugar cookie dough recipe.

Snowman/Snowgirl Cookies
source: The Girl who Ate Everything

1 C sour cream
2 C sugar
1 C butter
4 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
6 C flour
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine sour cream, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla.  Beat for 2-3 minutes
Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Let dough chill in fridge for 25 minutes or until firm.
Roll dough out until about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to make shapes or circles
Bake until light golden brown, about 8-10 minutes (I baked for 8 minutes)
makes about 4 dozen

Icing
source: Taste and Tell

2 3/4 C powdered sugar
2 t vegetable shortening
3 T water
1 T corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla
food coloring and sprinkles

Beat all ingredients well, the icing should be a little stiff.  Spoon out enough icing to pipe the decorations for your snowman/snowgirl cookies.  Add food coloring and stir well

To the remaining icing add about 1 T water to make the icing a little runny.  Spread the icing on the cookies almost to the edge.  Place a marshmallow on top of the cookie for the head and use the orange and black icing to decorate.  May also add additional baking sprinkles to decorate cookies.

Snowman Cookies

Cally and I have been busy in the kitchen today.  We made snowman cookies and candy bark.  These snowman cookies are delicious and also very cute.  We decorated them with Mike and Ike and JuJu candies.  The cookies are really soft and the icing is a vanilla butter cream.

Snowman Cookies
source: The Girl who Ate Everything

1 C sour cream
2 C sugar
1 C butter
4 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
6 C flour
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine sour cream, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla.  Beat for 2-3 minutes

Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Let dough chill in fridge for 25 minutes or until firm.

Roll dough out until about 1/4 inch thick and use cookie cutters to make shapes or circles

Bake until light golden brown, about 8-10 minutes (I baked for 8 minutes)

makes about 4 dozen

Easy Buttercream Frosting
source:  Brown eyed Baker

1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla
4 C powdered sugar
3 T heavy whipping cream

To make frosting, Cream butter and vanilla.  Slowly add the powdered sugar.  Once smooth and creamy add the heavy whipping cream and beat at medium -high speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.

Almond Spritz and our shoe boxes were delivered to Ukraine

Billy may have a new favorite cookie.  He always favored the cooky press almond Christmas tree cookies but he really liked this new cookie.

This cookie has cream cheese as one of the ingredients.  It is a lot softer than the Christmas tree cookie.  It also has a vanilla glaze on top and then sprinkled with sugar and decorated in the middle with a little pearl ball.  Besides it being really good I thought they looked nice on my cookie trays.

Back at the beginning of the month I had blogged about Cally and I packing shoe boxes with gifts for children for Samaritan's Purse.  This organization was founded by Billy Graham's son Franklin.  Each year Cally and I along with our church fill shoe boxes for children around the world.  Cally and I paid for our shipping on line, that way we received a special bar code that went on our boxes so we could track where they ended up being delivered.  We received an email a few days ago and our boxes were delivered to 2 little girls in the Ukraine.  How fun it is to know we put a smile on the faces of 2 little girls all the way around the world.

This is a picture of the shoe boxes that our Church family filled and sent, we gathered 71 boxes!

Here the children in our Church are laying hands on the packages to pray over them and for the children that will receive them.  This is such a great ministry!

Almond Spritz
source: Better Homes and Gardens Very Merry Cookies


1 C Butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar
1/4 t salt
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
2 1/2 C flour


1 recipe powdered sugar glaze (optional)
small decorative candies (optional)
colored sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese on medium for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla and almond extract until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.


Pack unchilled dough into a cooky press fitted with desired shape plate.  Force dough through the cooky press 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.


Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.  If desired, brush or drizzle cookies with powdered sugar glaze and decorate with candies or colored sugar.


Powder sugar glaze:  In a small bowl stir together 1 C powdered sugar, 1 T milk and 1 t vanilla.  stir in additional milk 1 t at a time, until glaze reaches desired consistency.  If desired, tint glaze with food coloring.

Miss Polly's Perfect Potatoes

Today has been a busy day.  I spent most of my time in the kitchen.  I was preparing out Christmas Eve dinner and also making cakes for the soup kitchen tonight.  Bill, Cally and I served dinner at the soup kitchen tonight.

For our dinner we had Ham, Green Beans, Scalloped Corn, Miss Polly's Perfect Potatoes, Spicy Sweet Potatoes, Deviled Eggs, Rolls, 7-up Salad, Lemon Meringue Pie and Cherry Pie.  I am stuffed and it was all sooooo goooood!

Miss Polly's Perfect Potatoes is a recipe that was entered in the fair for the cheese category and took 2nd place in 2005, it was made by a friend of our family, Gaybrielle R.  I think the secret ingredient of these potatoes is the french onion chip dip.  The dip makes these potatoes really flavorful.  And a nice thing about these potatoes is you do not have to peel them, I love that part!  These potatoes have become a favorite for our family.

I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas!!!

Miss Polly's Perfect Potatoes
source: Gaybrielle R

5 lbs red skin potatoes (I used white skin potatoes)
1/2 C butter, no substitutes
1 (12oz) container French onion chip dip
1 (8oz) cream cheese
1 t salt
1 T pepper (optional)
1 (12oz) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 oz french fried onions

Place potatoes in a large stock pot, add water to cover.  Bring to a boil; cook until tender; drain.  Mash potatoes with butter, dip, cream cheese, salt and pepper.  Spoon potatoes into buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Sprinkle onions over top and bake for 1-2 additional minutes.  Serves 6-8

Shortbread Swirl Cookies

These cookies are a shortbread cookie that I have made into a swirl cookie.  It is the same as my previous post except these cookies are a little softer than the pink swirls.  


Super easy 4 ingredient cookie.


Cally and I entered a cookie contest at the fair where we were given this recipe and everyone had to follow the same recipe and present 12 cookies for judging.  It is amazing that you can give 10 people the same recipe and they will all show up with different looking cookies.  I placed 2nd and Cally placed 3rd in this competition...it was fun!

Shortbread Swirls


1 C butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 t almond extract
2 C flour
food coloring is swirling

Let butter sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours.  Cream butter and sugar together til light and fluffy.  Blend in almond extract.  Add flour small amounts at a time and mix until smooth.  If you want to swirl your cookies, divide the dough in half and place one half back in the mixing bowl and color your dough.  Knead dough slightly to make it smooth.


Roll our each portion of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper.  You want a rectangle 11 x 8 1/2  inches by 1/8 inch thick.   Place white dough on table and take off the top sheet of wax paper.   Take the top sheet of wax paper off of the colored dough and flip the colored dough on top of the white dough.   Roll dough starting at the long end up like a jelly roll.

Pour colored nonpareils in a dish, roll the dough log in the nonpareils until the sides are coated.
Slice cookies 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I used dental floss to slice my cookies as the knife was pushing the dough down and not cutting well.  Place on Parchment lined cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.

Christmas Trees

This is one of Billy's favorite cookies.  It reminds me of an almond shortbread cookie.  I made these cookies with my cooky press.  The recipe is from my Mom's cooky press recipe book.  The summer before Bill and I got married my Mom and I went to garage sales looking for some household items.  Mom always made these cooky press cookies every year for Christmas.  So when I found an old cooky press (probably an antique and that must by why it is called a "cooky" my spell check is telling me this is wrong...hehehe) at the garage sale for $1.00 I had to have it.  The only thing is it did not have any recipes, but that was ok, I just copied my Mom's recipes from her cooky press.  I love this old aluminum cooky press.  I had bought a new one thinking new and improved would be better, but it quit working right away with the batch of cookies I was trying it out on so I am back to my old and trust worthy antique cooky press.


Christmas Trees


1 C shortening ( I use crisco)
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 C flour
1/8 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
2 t almond extract
green food coloring


Cream shortening, adding sugar gradually
Add unbeaten egg, dry ingredients, almond extract and a few drops of green food coloring
Mix well
Fill a cooky press with dough.  Form cookies on ungreased cookie sheet, using the tree plate.  Decorate with tiny candies.

2 for 1 Cookies Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints & Marshmallow Surprise

We originally made these as Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints but after Cally tasted them she thought they tasted like the Martha Stewart Surprise Cookies.  After pulling out my Martha Stewart Cookies book we found that the recipes were very similar so we decided to just drop some of the dough onto the cookie sheet bake them then top them with a half marshmallow.  Martha does make a chocolate icing and she puts the icing over the marshmallow, that is how it gets it's name "Surprise"  These are Cally's favorite cookies without the icing.  They remind me of the Devils food cookies with the marshmallow in them.

To make both version of cookies we just made a double batch of dough and used half for each cookie

Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints and Surprise Cookies
Better Homes and Gardens Very Merry Cookies

1 C flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg, separated, reserving the egg white
1/2 C butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
2 T milk
1 T vanilla

for Thumbprints you will need:
16 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
3 T whipping cream
1 1/4 C finely chopped pecans

for Surprise cookies you will need:
13-15 large marshmallows cut in half crosswise

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat until combined.  Beat in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla until combined.  Beat in flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

for Thumbprint cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet ( I just use parchment paper on my cookie sheets) Lightly beat the reserved egg white.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll balls in egg white then in pecans to coat.  Place balls on the prepared cookie sheet.  Press your thumb into the center of each ball.

Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm.  If cookie centers puff during baking, re-press with the back of a small spoon.  Spoon melted caramel mixture into the indentations in cookies.

In a  small saucepan cook and stir caramels and whipping cream over medium-low heat until melted and smooth.  Slightly cool the caramel and spoon onto the cookies.


For surprise cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet (I just use parchment paper on my cookie sheets) Using a 1 3/4 " ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 minutes, take out of the oven and press a half of marshmallow on top and return cookies to the oven for 2 more minutes.

If you wish to make your cookies a Marshmallow surprise you may make this icing and cover the marshmallow.

3 C powdered sugar
6 T butter
1/4 C plus 1 1/2 t unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 C plus 2 T milk
3/4 t vanilla

Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl.  Melt butter with the cocoa powder in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Add butter mixture to powdered sugar.  Whisk in milk and vanilla.

Spread about 1T of frosting on top of each cookie to cover the marshmallow.  Let stand until set, about 10 minutes.  Cookies can be stored in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

This icing reminds me of the icing on Schuler's chocolate cream filled donuts.

Fudge

This chocolate fudge is good but I think I needed to add more chocolate chips to it.  It just has a hint of chocolate taste and the color is very light.  In my pictures you probably can not tell the chocolate fudge apart from the peanut butter fudge very well.

The peanut butter fudge is the best I have ever had.  It is smooth and just melts in your mouth...mmmmm

I used the same recipe for both fudges but I changed to all white sugar and added a bag of chocolate chips and deleted the peanut butter for the chocolate fudge.

Chocolate Fudge

adapted from Sweet Treats and More peanut butter fudge recipe

5 C sugar
1/2 butter
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream
1 bag chocolate chips
1 t vanilla

lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

In large sauce pan combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk over medium heat.  Stir consistently until boiling and let boil for 7 minutes

Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallow cream until blended and melted.  Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla until smooth.

Spread into pan and let cool.   Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Fudge
from Sweet Treats and More


4 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1/2 butter
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream
1 jar (16oz) peanut butter
1 t vanilla

lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

In large sauce pan combine sugars, butter and evaporated milk over medium heat.  Stir consistently until boiling and let boil for 7 minutes

Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallow cream until blended and melted.  Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Spread into pan and let cool.   Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Colorful Spiral Cookies

I saw these cookies on Kara B's facebook and fell in love with them.  I think the spiral dough is neat and I love the pink, red and white sprinkles on the sides of the cookie.  


I have something to confess though....I did not follow the directions in the recipe.  It says to mix these up in a food processor and I did not want to dig mine out so I just mixed them like I would a regular cookie recipe starting with creaming the butter and sugar and then going from there.  They turned out just fine.


I baked cookies all day yesterday and today I made 2 batches of fudge.  I have more to make but I am taking a break...I will be back in the kitchen tomorrow.


I have lots to share with you this week so keep checking back!


Colorful Spiral Cookies
Inspired by Kara B
adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

2 C flour
½ t baking powder
¼ t salt
⅔ C powdered sugar
¼ C granulated sugar
2½ sticks butter
2 t vanilla
2 T flour
1½ C multi-colored nonpareil decors
food coloring of choice for spiral color


Cream butter and sugars until smooth.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Mix in the 2 C flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.  Return one portion to the mixer and add 2 T flour and your choice of food coloring color.  Mix until flour is incorporated and dough is the color you want.
Roll our each portion of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper.  You want a rectangle 11 x 8 1/2  inches by 1/8 inch thick.  Refrigerate until firm.
Place white dough on table and take off the top sheet of wax paper and lightly wet the dough.  Take the top sheet of wax paper off of the colored dough and flip the colored dough on top of the white dough.  Let sit until it is soft enough to roll the dough from the long to short end like a jelly roll.
Pour colored nonpareils in a dish, roll the dough log in the nonpareils until the sides are coated.
Slice cookies 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Place on Parchment lined cookie sheets at 325 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes.