Cranberry Brie

The Pillsbury Appetizers and Desserts magazine was one of the best purchases this holiday season.  I found so many terrific recipes that I can't wait to share with you! You can't go wrong with bringing brie to any party.  It's easy to make and always delish.  I enjoyed this variation & know you will too!


Cranberry Wrapped Brie 

INGREDIENTS

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1

round (8 oz) Brie cheese (do not use triple crème Brie)

3

tablespoons whole berry cranberry sauce

1

tablespoon apricot preserves

1/2

teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

2

ripe medium unpeeled pears, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough and separate crosswise into 2 sections. Press dough into 2 (7-inch) squares, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
• 2Cut cheese round horizontally to make 2 rounds. Place 1 cheese round, rind side down, on center of 1 dough square. (Do not remove rind from cheese.) In small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and preserves. Spread over top of cheese; sprinkle with rosemary. Top with remaining cheese round, rind side up.
• 3With small cookie or canapé cutter or sharp knife, make 1/2- to 1-inch cutouts to look like poinsettia petals from each corner of remaining dough square. Roll 3 small pieces of dough into 3 small balls; set cutouts and dough balls aside. Place remaining dough on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese, folding top edges over bottom edges; press to seal completely. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• 4On 7-inch square sheet of foil, arrange dough petals to look like a poinsettia. Place balls in center on top of arranged petals. Lift foil square with poinsettia and place on cookie sheet next to wrapped cheese.
• 5Bake poinsettia 8 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Lift with foil from cookie sheet; cool. Continue baking wrapped cheese 25 to 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet; place on serving plate. Place poinsettia on top of wrapped cheese. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with pears

Coconut Macaroon Blossoms

This cookie recipe came off the back of an M&M package.  Even though they were very tasty, I didn't like that I couldn't tell if they were completely done or not.  I was afraid to overcook them, but think I could have left them in the over a bit longer.  If you're a fan of chocolate and coconut, you'll want to try these! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/3 c. butter, softened 1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened 3/4 c. sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tsp. almond extract 2 tsp. orange juice 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 5 c. (14 oz. pkg.) flaked coconut 54 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped Directions:  Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in 3 cups of the coconut. Cover tightly; chill 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in remaining coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately press unwrapped kisses on top of each cookie. Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on a wire rack. About 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Italian Wedding Cookies

This was another recipe from the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies.  I've found so many fabulous recipes from so many sweet bloggers.  This one came from Bites and Bliss. They seemed easy to make (mom made these) and they were delicious.  We did forget to use the parchment paper on the second batch, which was no buena.  Those ended up burnt and in the trash.  Other than that, I hope you enjoy these traditional cookies as much as I did! 

 Italian Wedding Cookies (aka: Snowballs or Russian Tea Cakes)

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar (plus more for coating)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2.25 cup flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400°.  Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add the flour and salt and mix well.  Fold in the chopped pecans until well incorporated.  Roll into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes just until set (not browned!) and roll in extra confectioner’s sugar.  Allow to cool on wire rack.

They were the perfect center for the plates of cookies I made for D's team at work. 

Gingersnap Cookies

I made these cookies along with a few others with my mom yesterday.  They were by far my favorite out all we made.  I found this recipe on a cookie blog hop, over at Two Peas and their Pod.  You must make these, they will become a Christmas tradition in your house. 

Soft Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks (I used white chocolate chips)

1 cup granulated sugar-for coating cookie dough balls

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment papers or with a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.

3. Beat in the molasses, canola oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well combined.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour. Next, stir in the white chocolate chunks.

5. Scoop the dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on lined baking sheets, about two inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, the cookies will still be soft. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 50 cookies

Candy Trains

I make these every year with my students.  They are always a great hit and yet, so simple to make.  I usually pair it with hot chocolate and The Polar Express movie.

You'll Need:
1 roll of lifesavers
1 pack of gum
1 Hershey's kiss
1 caramel square
4 mint candies


Directions:
Hot glue the roll of lifesavers onto the gum (on top).
Glue the kiss on the "front" of the train and the caramel on the back.
Finish it off with the mint candies as wheels.
That's it!

Here's another variation I've also tried:

The bottom piece is gum, mints as wheels, a Starburst as the front and a chocolate candy directly behind the Starburst. 

Ribbon Tree

Ribbons seem to be quite the hype lately in the DIY world.  I've seen ribbon wreaths, ornaments, frames, etc.  A friend of mine brought me a Michael's booklet with an adorable ribbon tree inside.  She said it was right up my alley... she knows me pretty well!  I couldn't wait to get started on this project. There wasn't directions on the booklet, so after one failed attempt- I think I got it right.  

Materials: 

Styrofoam cone (mine was the smallest size that came in a pack of 2 from Michaels)

2 spools of gross-grain ribbon (I used red and green)

Hot glue

Scissors

Additional festive ribbon for bow

Directions: 

1. Cut 4 inch strips of red and green ribbon (I cut the whole spool)

2. Fold ribbon in half. Then move the top piece down a bit, so you can see both ends.  Put hot glue on the top of the ribbon, make sure to get glue on both ends.  

3. Starting from the bottom, hot glue the ribbon to the cone. When you glue your second piece, overlap the ribbon just a bit.  This will prevent the white part of the cone from showing.  You can make a pattern with your ribbon, I chose to alternate the red and green. 

4.  Cover entire cone with ribbon.  

5. Finish it off with a festive bow.  

Happy Crafting!  

This was my first attempt.  I glued the ribbon to a piece of ribbon and wrapped it around the cone.  The ribbon spread when I wrapped it and showed the white cone.  Lesson learned.

Oreo Pops

At first, I wasn't going to post this recipe.  To be honest, I haven't even tried one yet, but my husband is addicted.  Therefore, that means its good enough to share with all of you!

Ingredients:
1 package of oreo cookies (minus the 4 I ate)
1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)
1 package of white chocolate coating (almond bark works great)

Directions:
1. Crush Oreos (I used a food processor)
2.  Mix cream cheese and crushed Oreos (make sure cream cheese is softened, you can continue to use processor if you put cream cheese in a little at a time)
3.  Shape into 1 inch balls.
4.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour
5.  Place sticks (found at Michales) into the top of the balls and then dip into white chocolate coating.
6.  Decorate and place on wax paper to set.  I placed mine back in the refrigerator and kept them there until I was ready to serve.

ENJOY!

Christmas Ornaments...3 ways

I bought a bunch of clear glass ball ornaments this year (on sale) knowing there was something crafty I could do with them.  I wanted to personalize each of them and put attach them to a bag of cookies or a gift.  I did a lot of playing around and found 3 "designs" I will make again.  I personalized each of them using my Sizzlix to cut small vinyl letters.

1.  Ornaments filled with ribbon

2.  Ornaments filled with curling ribbon *My favorite*

4.  Ornaments filled with red & green ball garland (2$ at Target)

**I apologize about the quality of the pictures, I need to work on my photog skills!

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

This recipe is one of the easiest to make and most loved holiday creations.  The combinations are endless and they'll be gone before you know it.  You can use any kind of Hershey Kiss or M&M to create different combinations.

Ingredients: 
1 bag of Hershey kisses (milk chocolate)
1 bag of mint M&M's
1 bag of mini round pretzels

Directions: 
*Preheat oven to 200
*Lay pretzels on cookie sheet (ungreased)
*Place Hershey kiss on top of each pretzel
*Bake for about 5 minutes or until kisses are soft but before they start melting (they'll have a shiny look)
*Top immediately with the M&M's.
*Place in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden.

ENJOY!

Winter Wonderland Cookies

 
Welcome to my first ever recipe creation!  After many trials without luck, I believe I've finally created a scrumptious cookie recipe, just in time for the holidays.  If you try these, please let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup shortening 
2 lg. eggs
1 tsp vanilla 
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries



Directions: 
1. Mix shortening and sugars together.
2. Add eggs- one at a time, then add the vanilla.  
3. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture a little at a time.  Mix until blended. 
5. Stir in oats.  Then, stir in white chocolate chips and cranberries.  
6. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  
7. Roll 1 -1 1/2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  (Dough can be crumbly, make sure to pack into a ball, using a cookie scoop will help)
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are brown.  

Yields: 48 cookies

Enjoy!

Holiday Surprise Sugar Cookies

This semi-homemade recipe is sure to please!  I am not a fan of cookie cutter cookies because of the amount of time they take, but this recipe was worth it.  Of course, my cookies didn't come out as pretty as the ones on the Betty Crocker website, but they sure were tasty! Enjoy!
Ingredients: 

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	egg
2	tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
	Red and green food colors
16	thin rectangular crème de menthe candies, cut into thirds
	Assorted Betty Crocker® colored sprinkles, sugars, decors and decorating gels

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg and flour until dough forms. Divide dough into thirds. Tint one-third red and one-third green with food colors; leave one-third plain. Keep dough covered tightly until ready to use.
2. On floured surface, roll each third of dough until 1/8 inch thick. For round cookies, cut with 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter; for square cookies, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares using sharp knife. (Dip cutter or knife in flour for easier cutting.)
3. On ungreased cookie sheet, place half the cookies 1 inch apart. Place 1 candy piece on center of each cookie; top with another cookie. Gently press edges together to seal, using tines of fork. To decorate before baking, sprinkle cookies with colored sprinkles, sugars or decors as desired.
4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Decorate with gels as desired.

Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

This year I feel like I've looked high and low for simple and easy Christmas cookie recipes.  I came across this one while blog hopping and thought it looked easy enough, plus I had the ingredients already.  Overall, I would give these cookies a 6.  I wasn't head over heels in love, but they were good.  Mine came out a little flat, and next time I may drizzle some chocolate or Nutella over the top.  Enjoy!

Soft Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening 
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda


Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.

Combine shortening, Nutella, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

M&M'S® CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 c. shortening 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2 1/4 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2 c. plain M&M'S® 1/4 c. chocolate chips Combine shortening, sugars and vanilla. Sift flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in M&M'S® and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Use silver cookie pan. **Recipe from Cooks.com