Week of Holiday Treats: No Bake Chocolate Cookies

These no bake cookies are the easiest cookies in the world! They don't require an oven and from start to finish only take half an hour. With a blend of chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal these cookies are delicious on top of being a cinch to make.


No Bake Chocolate Cookies
From my home church's cookbook
Printable Version
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted this since I used butter with salt)

Directions
In a large bowl mix together oatmeal, peanut butter, vanilla, and butter. In a small saucepan boil sugar, milk, cocoa, and salt. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in the large mixing bowl. 

Drop into cookies on waxed paper and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before eating or storing in an airtight container. 

Week of Holiday Treats: Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Last week I participated in my first holiday cookie swap.  It required that I make six dozen cookies. I've never made so many cookies in my life! I decided to modify my favorite cookie recipe, Snickerdoodles, by rolling them in crushed peppermint. 

The result was a festive and yummy cookie and one that I think I will add to my Holiday baking in the future.

Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Printable Version

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Six candy canes or peppermint sticks, crushed

Directions

In a stand mixer or medium sized mixing bowl beat the butter with electric mixer on high speed for 30 seconds or until creamed. Add the 1 cup of sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour slowly until mixture is throughly combined. Cover and chill the dough for about 1 hour or until easy to handle. Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the 1 tablespoon of sugar, cinnamon, and crushed peppermint in a small bowl. 

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the peppermint mixture to coat. 

Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. 

Bake for 10 - 11 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. 

Week of Holiday Treats: Brownie Cookies

The next round of goodies for my Week of Holiday Treats are Brownie Cookies from Tasty Kitchen. I actually made these cookies way back in October to take to work for my hubby's birthday. Apparently one co-worker told him that these were the best cookies she's ever had. These cookies in brownie form are pretty yummy - soft in the middle and a little crispy on the outsides. They are a fun variation to the typical chocolate cookie.

Brownie Cookies 
From MelodySoul on Tasty Kitchen
Printable Version
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions
In a saucepan or in the microwave gently melt butter and chocolate chips until the butter is melted and chocolate begins to melt. 

Remove from heat and stir until all the chocolate has melted completely. 
In a separate bowl beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until throughly combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir in the remaining ingredients. 

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or until manageable. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon or mini ice cream scooper drop cookie dough onto baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches between each cookie. 

Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool on the tray for about one hour before transferring to a plate or wire rack to cool. 

Week of Holiday Treats: Almond Bars

I have so many goodies to share with you for the holidays that I decided for the next week I will only post yummy treats. Today I am starting with my Aunt Chris' Almond Bars. These bars are a family favorite and every time Aunt Chris makes them they're gone in a flash. Pure almond paste is the shining star in this recipe. I had never bought it before and still haven't! A friend who was moving gave me a can of it (Thanks Racheal!) and right then and there I knew I had to make Almond Bars. 

These bars are like a thick almond sugar cookie bars, sprinkled with toasted almonds. I brought these to a neighbor's going away party and everyone complimented me on them. Perfect for the Holidays when you are tired of chocolate and frosting (if you get tired of chocolate and frosting that is!).

Almond Bars

From my Auntie Chris

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine

8 ounces almond paste

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this since I used butter that had salt)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Cream together butter and almond paste, beat in sugar and eggs. Add in flour and salt. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with almonds. 

Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and and cut into bars. 

Red and White Velvet Cookies

This is a first for me - I've never blogged about a recipe the same day that I made it. But I am so excited to share this recipe with you that I just couldn't wait! The cookies are still cooling while I am blogging away. 

Today there was no school because we had three inches of snow (everything in Virginia shuts down with the slightest amount of snow, I love it!) so I decided to do some baking. I'd bookmarked several red velvet recipes to try around Valentine's Day, but I had a hard time finding one that seemed in my league. Whoopie pies are most definitely not in my league, but maybe someday. I found the recipe for these cookies on the Duncan Hines site. They are super cute and festive, not to mention buttery, crisp, and delicious! I am sending them with hubby to work because I do not want them sitting around my house - too dangerous! I hope these inspire you to make a Valentine goodie yourself!

Red and White Velvet Cookies
From Duncan Hines.com
Makes 4 dozen
Printable Version


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used Homemade Vanilla Extract, pictured in the vodka bottle)
12 ounces white chocolate
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening


Directions
Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Place cake mix, egg, cooled butter, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until well blended. (I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer, of course!) 

Form dough into smooth 12-inch log on wax or parchment paper. Make sure it is even in thickness from end to end. Wrap in wax paper and seal in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets. Unwrap dough log and set on wax paper. Use a sharp knife to cut into 48 slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Place on cool baking sheets about 2 inches apart. 

Bake 1 sheet at a time in center of oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Make chocolate dip by placing white chocolate in a small dry microwave safe bowl along with shortening. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir to blend. If needed, continue to microwave at 15 second intervals. Stir each time and avoid overheating.

Dip each cookie halfway to coat in chocolate. Place on wax paper or baking sheet and refrigerate about 15 minutes until chocolate is set.

 Store in an airtight container with wax paper separating each layer. 

Cake Batter Bark

For my first post of 2011 I decided to share this beautiful Cake Batter Bark that I found on How Sweet It Is because it's so fun. 

I don't think I've enjoyed photographing any other thing I've made as much this colorful, whimsical Bark. I had to hold myself back and only share a few of the pictures instead of the 15 I took. 

I made this for our New Year's Eve party and everyone seemed to really like it. It is perfect for Christmas Goodies or birthday parties too. The only downside is that it melts in your hand as you eat it, so keep it refrigerated until right before you are ready to serve and eat it immediately!

Cake Batter Bark
From Jessica at How Sweet It Is
Printable Version


Ingredients
6 ounces good dark chocolate (Jessica recommended Lindt 70% so that's what I used, too)
12 ounces good white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)
1 teaspoon yellow cake mix
At least 3 tablespoons of sprinkles of your choice 

Directions
Melt dark chocolate either in microwave or double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate. Whisk in cake mix and stir well until no lumps remain. Let it set for a full 3 minutes until it slightly thickens. 

Remove from baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. 

Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve and eat.

Peppermint Pattie Brownies

A confession: I did not have any part in making these. My Momma made these and I got to eat them. That's the beautiful thing about coming home for the Holidays. I can blog the yummy things my Mom makes and share them with you without having to put in any of the work except for snapping some photos and blogging. That is why there are only pictures of the end product. No ingredient photos, no step by step photos, just the lovely fudge covered brownie and peppermint ice cream photos that I took right before eating a huge bite!


Except for the peppermint patties, everything is made from scratch. I guess that must have been a lot of work for my Mom. :) I think while she was making them I was taking a nap. If you are mint and chocolate person, you really need to make these. They are thick, rich and perfect for this time of the year when you can actually buy peppermint ice cream in the stores. 

Peppermint Pattie Brownies
From the York Peppermint Patties Bag
Printable Version


Ingredients
24 small (1 1/2 inch) York Peppermint Patties
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, melted
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for glass baking dish). Remove wrappers from peppermint patties. Grease a 9X13X2 inch baking pan. Stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and blend well. Reserve 2 cups of batter. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Arrange peppermint patties about 1/2 apart in a single layer over batter. Spread reserved 2 cups batter over patties. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares to serve. Serve with mint chocolate chip or peppermint ice cream.

Peanut Butter Fudge and Chocolate Fantasy Fudge

It has been a family tradition for several years now for my Mom, my Aunt Chris, my cousin Lindsey, my Gram Walters and I to get together right before Christmas to make candy. It's a special night I always look forward to because the five of us always have a lot of fun and laughs together. This year we decided to carry on the tradition in honor and memory of Grandma, who passed away in September. We knew Gram would want us to keep cooking together. So the night I flew home to Michigan the four of us made peanut butter fudge and chocolate fudge. The peanut butter recipe is from my Aunt Chris and is in our family cookbook, but the chocolate recipe is from the back of the marshmallow fluff container. No family secrets in that one! 


My favorite is peanut butter so let's start with that one first. We took a big plate of these to our family Christmas and it was all gobbled up.

Peanut Butter Fudge
From Ashley's Cooking Adventures
Printable Version


Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions
Combine sugar, corn syrup, milk, and salt and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves. 

Cover for one minute. Boil until temperature reaches 236 degrees on candy thermometer or soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and peanut butter until dissolved.

Pour into greased pan (we used a pie pan but a 9X9 pan would work as well). 



Chocolate Fantasy Fudge
From Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme Bottle :)
Printable Version

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine)
1 small can (5 oz) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) *Do not use sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (we used chocolate chips)
1 jar (7 oz) Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions
Grease a 9X9 pan and set aside. Place sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a large heavy saucepan. 

Bring to a full roiling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Boil for 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees (soft ball stage), stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted.
 
Add walnuts, if desired, and vanilla. Mix well.

Pour immediately into prepared pan and spread to form an even layer. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or until completely cooled. 

Cut into 1 inch squares. Store in air tight container.