Sunday, December 15, 2013

Spreading the Christmas Spirit...

This week was my last full week of work for the year and also a week from home.  It was great to be back home, but unfortunately, Joe was traveling up north to Minnesota so I was on my own.  Thursdays, I delivered some Christmas cookies to my colleagues at WIKA  who deal with my never ending questions, demands, and requests.  I couldn't do my job without them and they make my life on the road much easier, so I wanted to make sure that they knew how much I appreciated them.  Last year I made a wide variety of treats to deliver, but this year I wanted to limit it a bit more to cookies.  So, with that, below you will find some incredibly tasty holiday cookie recipes that I hope my colleagues enjoyed.

Hot Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients
2 and 1/2 sticks room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Marshmallow Bits (make sure that they are bits, smallest marshmallows possible...otherwise your cookies can turn out incredibly flat because the marshmallows spread out too much)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Cream together your butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. And in eggs and vanilla and blend well. In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients, including your hot chocolate packets.

Add the dry ingredients a little at a time to your wet ingredients. After mixed well, mix in chocolate chips and marshmallow bites.  Dough should be very think so you can hand mix if necessary.
Drop on to your cookie sheets.  Again, the dough was dry, but the end result was fabulous.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes. Allow to cool for approximately five minutes then remove from cookie sheet. Enjoy!!!


Carmel Apple Cider 

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 (7.4 oz) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix (10 packets)
2 eggs
1 full tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 full tsp cinnamon
1 bag of chewy caramels

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° Line cookie sheets with parchment or silpat mats. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.  With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut (about 2 tablespoons). Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Shape the dough into a ball, and place on parchment covered cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. They may not look quite done in the center but that is OK. Once the cookies are done, carefully slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down on the parchment or on a rack.  


M&M Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
one 12-ounce package of mini M&Ms (I use Christmas ones this time around)

Directions
In a bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda. Set aside.   In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream together butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy . With the mixer on low, add in egg and vanilla. Return mixer to medium and mix until incorporated but be careful to not over mix. Scrape sides if needed.   With the mixer back on low, add dry ingredient mixture gradually until dough forms. Stir in M&Ms by hand. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside.

Form balls from approximately 1-2 tablespoon of dough. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes on baking sheet before removing and placing on wire rack to finish cool. Store in airtight container.

The last cookies were made are cookies I have made before and not "Christmas" themed but who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (2stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg
1 1/2cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
1 cup Peanut Butter Reese's Chips

Ingredients
Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Scrape down the sides as needed. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

Chill both doughs for at least 1-2 hours. 2 hours is preferred.  Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line cookie sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Measure 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter cookie dough. Roll into a ball and place on silpat about 2 " apart.  Bake for 11-12 minutes


I hope you enjoy all of these cookies!  The weekend was quite a relaxing weekend for Joe and I and we didn't have too many things planned.  Friday evening Joe's company had their Christmas party so we attended that and had a wonderful dinner and evening.  Saturday we relaxed the majority of the day but enjoyed dinner at Flip with Reza and Kellie Ann and then an evening out at 5 Paces with our favorite bartender :)

And now....of to make some Shark Skewers for dinner!




  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
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  • 1 (7.4 oz) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix (10 packets - found next to hot chocolate mix)
    campaignIcon
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 (14 ounce) bag of Kraft chewy caramels

  • Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/11/caramel-apple-cider-cookies.html#vDx6DEp0rkwu79TP.99

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    campaignIcon
  • 1 (7.4 oz) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix (10 packets - found next to hot chocolate mix)
    campaignIcon
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 (14 ounce) bag of Kraft chewy caramels

  • Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/11/caramel-apple-cider-cookies.html#vDx6DEp0rkwu79TP.99

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