Classic Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Classic peanut butter kiss cookies.  One of my favorites.  Also a Christmas tradition in our house.  I always looked forward to the day my mom made these.  You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.  Not at all.  

 These cookies will be one of the cookies at the cookie bar at our wedding. Believe it or not, I've never attempted to make these cookies on my own. D had a request for these cookies from a co-worker....so I tested them out for the last USF football game today. I used the Betty Crocker recipe for the peanut butter cookies and placed Hershey kisses on them when they came out of the oven. I followed the recipe below, but put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour after mixing, before baking.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Heat oven to 375ºF.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Pretty Pumpkins

Look at what a little ribbon can do!
I bought a bunch of pumpkins after Halloween on sale from JoAnn Fabrics. I found decorative fall ribbon and hot glued it around the pumpkin. It ended up making a perfect little gift and was a great decoration for the house!

Candy Cookie Surprise

I love to bake, but that doesn't mean I like spending all day in the kitchen. I like recipes that are easy, different, and delicious. This recipe is all of the above! I needed a quick recipe for a going away party and this was sure to be a hit! I found the recipe in the Taste of Home magazine Best Loved Cookies and Bars. I followed the recipe exactly and they were fantastic.

Ingredients:
1/2 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1/4 cup all purpose flour
24 miniature Snickers candy bars

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, beat cookie dough and flour until combined. Shape 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of dough around each candy bar.
2. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Makes 2 Dozen

Personalized Sugar Cookies

A great friend of mine is getting married soon and I wanted to add some personal touches to her Bachelorette weekend. A friend from work let me borrow a martini glass and a diamond ring cookie cutter (www.cookiecutter.com). They provided the perfect personalized touch that I was looking for. I used a sugar cookie recipe from All Recipes.com and an icing recipe from my friend Danielle. The cookie dough was a little difficult to work with. If I made these again, I would chill the dough overnight. I was concerned with the cookies spreading, but everything worked out. Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before putting the icing on.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

PUMPKIN COOKIES

Those who know me well, know I LOVE anything Pumpkin. I was so excited for October to be here so I made these pumpkin cookies for work. They were pretty simple to make and came out great. The cookies were a little cake like (which was good), and I added a little extra pumpkin than the recipe called for. Many people have asked for this recipe, so here it is! Happy Fall =-)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies III from All Recipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.