Cooking with Chip

Sorry for the delay in getting my third week cookie recipe posted for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, this week has been insane!  Hopefully more to post on the insanity later for anyone interested! I am having a very difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit yet.... here in Colorado its still in the 60's and I am getting ready for my first Halloween party tonight so the thought of a cold snowy Christmas day hasn't even entered my mind yet!  With all of that in mind I thought what really screams Christmas to me and how can I make that into a cookie?  Cranberries and Cinnamon!  These cookies are wonderul and remind you of oatmeal cookies that have been kicked up a notch!  Enjoy! White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups quick-co...

This week for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies I decided that chocolate was in order.  And what goes great with chocolate?  Why more chocolate of course!  If you have a sweet tooth and a craving for chocolate these cookies will hit the spot!  Makes you want a nice cold glass of milk to wash it all down!\ Ultimate Chocolate Dipped Cookies 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate pieces 3/4 cup butter, softened 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces or white baking pieces Chocolate Ganache Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the 2 cups chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Set aside to cool slightly. In a...

Fall has finally arrived in Colorado and it brings with it some great rainy days (considering October started with 90+ degree days we were not sure it was coming).  I thought, what shall I do with myself now that my plans have been cancelled for today?  Well the answer was obvious of course!  See what is in the cabinet to make a great batch of cookies... and what did I find?  Peanut butter and Heaht Toffee Bits!  Sounds interesting, lets try it! If you have kids or a spouse, have a plate of these on the table when they come home with a glass of milk and you will be their favorite person in the world! Toffee Peanut Butter Cookies 1/2 cup Shortening 3/4 cup Peanut Butter (I used creamy only because I was out of chunky which is my favorite) 1 1/4 cups light Brown Sugar 3 Tablespoons Milk 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract 1 egg 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda 3/4 teaspoon Salt 1 1/3 cups Toffee Bits Heat oven to 375 degrees. In ...

I know I know I promised to back off of the pecan recipes for a few weeks but I was asked to make a Pecan Pie for a friend of mine today and here in Colorado is a very gloomy rainy day so I thought, I have some free time, why not take some pictures and share my recipe with my readers. One thing you will find is that I love working with natural ingredients as much as possible so I do not use corn syrup in my recipe. I find that corn syrup gives you a very "candy" like taste in the pie and by using sugar you end up with a pie that is more like "pie" than a thick goopy candy! Try it once and you will never use corn syrup to make your pecan pie ever again! Pecan Pie 2 Eggs 1/2 cup Butter, melted and cooled 1 cup Light Brown Sugar 1/4 cup White Sugar 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour 1 Tablespoon Milk 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 cups chopped Pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter.  (Make sure t...

For my second week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies I wanted to make something with mint...  These great little cookies certainly didnt disappoint.  If you read my blog you know that I grew up learning how to cook from my Grandmother and her favorite candy is Andes Mints, so this is for her this week... something sweet and minty and oh did we mention the butter? Mint-Glazed Butter Thins 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt 11/4 cups all purpose flour 2 cups powdered sugar, divided 2 tablespoons (or more) heavy whipping cream Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat first 4 ingredients, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, and salt in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in flour. Place 1 cup powdered sugar in bowl. Working with 1 level...

I actually started making these cookies in high school of all things.  I took some to class one day and shared them and the kids started paying me to bake them at home and bring them in.  I love the soft buttery cookie with the cinnamon sugar topping.  I may have to head to the kitchen and have one now! Snickerdoodles 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Large pinch of grated nutmeg 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange rind 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to coat 2 tablespoons sugar, to coat Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.   Prepare baking sheet by brushing with melted butter. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and grated nutmeg. Cream together the butter and sugar and add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon or orange rind. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix well. Scrape ...

I love making truffles at Christmas and they can be a bit time consuming but the different variations you can make with them is endless.  Here I took one of my favorite drinks and turned it into a favorite bite size snack! White Russian Truffles 3/4 cup Kahlúa 1/4 cup vodka 1/2 bag (5 1/2 ounces) Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips 1/2 bag (5 1/2 ounces) Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips 1 cup finely diced walnuts 3 cups finely crushed Pepperidge Farms Milano Cookies Chop walnuts in a food processor or by hand. Crush cookies in a food processor. Combine the walnuts and cookies in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Set up a double boiler. When the water is boiling rapidly, put the white and milk chocolate chips into double boiler. As the chips begin to melt, stir them together with a whisk. When the chips are fully melted, add the Kahlúa and vodka to the double boiler. Whisk until smooth and the edges begin to bubble a bit, about 5 minutes. Pour the hot Kahlúa-chocola...