How to Make Delicious and Healthy Bar Cookies: Buttery Almond Shortbread

How to Make Delicious and Healthy Bar Cookies: Buttery Almond Shortbread Bar cookies are not only very tasty, they are easy to make. No baking in a couple of batches, watching that the edges don't brown too much, switching out cookie sheets, etc, but conveniently 1 pan and 1 oven time. When cooled they are easy to cut into bars, serve and/or store. Try this yummy recipe for a quick and easy treat. These Buttery Almond Shortbread Bars are quick and easy to make. Give yourself a half hour to make, bake and set to cool. And another good thing about these cookies is that shortbread makes great cookies for lunchboxes, picnics, etc as they are not messy.These cookies are not only quick and easy but they are made with Splenda blends instead of sugar, allowing them to also fit into the healthy cookie category!

Almonds are healthy and should be eaten as part of a healthy diet a couple of times a week. You can feel comfortable offering this cookie to your family, friends, coworkers, fellow church members and others. Be sure to use raw or toasted almonds. You lose the heart healthy benefits of nuts when you add salt or sugar coatings. This recipe is also suitable for diabetics by using the Splenda blend and the almonds. Of course these bars can be made with sugar if you so desire. But why add the extra sugar when they are just as good with the baking blend? This is especially important when making cookies for your children. Let them learn early that foods don't have to be loaded down with sugar to taste good. BUTTERY ALMOND SHORTBREAD BARS 2/3 cup butter flavored shortening 2/3 cup Splenda Baking Blend 1 egg, separated 2 tbsp milk 1/2 tsp almond extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp water 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, egg yolk, milk, and almond extract. Add the flour to the mixture and blend together. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Add the water to the egg white in a small mixing bowl. Beat the mixture until foamy. Brush the egg white mixture over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the almonds, pressing them down gently with your fingertips. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Enjoy! How to Make Delicious and Healthy Bar Cookies: Buttery Almond Shortbread Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Cookies of the Soul - Chocolate Cream Kisses and a insight

Cookies of the Soul - Chocolate Cream Kisses and a insight Her connection with him was in trouble and she knew it. She had convinced herself for a long time that the important part was that she knew it. Today was the day she knew for sure that she had to fix it. Denying to herself that his situation was serious was easy to do, until she heard her Mom on the phone speaking to her some what doubtful brother, "Do you precisely know how serious this is? No, I mean how precisely seriously ill he is." Her mom does not jump to conclusions and, therefore; when she says something like that she means it.

Had it only been eleven years since he had married Mom? Ten years since he taught her how a real father treats his children whether or not they are precisely his. Nine years since, well, since the chocolate cream kisses. She was fourteen years old. It was those ridiculous diminutive chocolate cookie sandwiches with cream on the inside. She was fanatic about them. It seemed like she was always eating them. She remembered him sitting in his chair watching the Tv, his usual happiness and content. When she went to kiss him, Mom started laughing. She pointed out that he had a pair of chocolate lips on his cheek. That's when her kisses were dubbed chocolate cream kisses. To about two months ago he always said before she went to bed "Jenny, give me one of those chocolate cream kisses." whether or not she had chocolate on her lips, that's what they were called. She privately had loved it. He was in too much pain to think on it now. Jenny shook herself out of her daydream and back on her bed behind her locked door. She touched her face and it was wet. It had been a long time since she had felt them. Once upon a time they had a great relationship. It was full of laughter and friendship. Both in enterprise and personal lives. When the enterprise went down he automatically assumed that Jenny resented him for the inability to make the enterprise fly and for all the money she had invested into the business. Shortly thereafter Jenny resented him for mental so and she was too introverted to do anything about it. Then he got sick. Shortly after she moved back into the house due to her recent bankruptcy and that's when his condition got out of control. It started with his diabetes causing severe mood swings and his depression on top of it. That, the family was able to work their way through on uneven ground. Then came the leg wounds. They were four inches long on each leg and breeding infection. To see a strong private cry all day is a humbling palpate full of sadness and fear. Not being able to salvage that someone from all the pain they are feeling. Then the wall came up. That wall that is solid and large looming in the middle of her and love. She was protecting herself from the chance that she was losing someone she loved. Jenny figured if you don't love them so much then when they die it won't hurt so much. That's when their trickle of conversation became dry, there was nothing to talk about anymore. Empty and void except for the silent anger that wondered why hw wouldn't take care of himself? Why didn't he think of the population he might leave behind when eating those large plates of heaping food? There are times when she remembered that his food was an addiction and there was times when she forgot. Today the anger vanished. Exactly fifteen minutes ago to be exact, that is when Mom said Dad was going to the crisis room. The pain was becoming unbearable to him. While every brick of that wall told her she shouldn't, she went to talk to him. His face was gray, lying on that couch with bandages wrapped around his legs. When Jenny brought her fear into the room he opened his eyes slightly. Likely Page Break"Hey Jenny," he said as he smiled weakly up at her. "Hey Dad, I heard you decided to go to the crisis room." "Yeah, Sweetheart, it just hurts too much now." "Dad, I want you to know something before you...." "He starred up at her, " I know you Jenny. You don't have to say it, but knowing you, I also do know that you need to say it. Go on." "I'm sorry for how stiff I've been. I love you so much. I just don't want to lose you. You're my dad whether or not I was born that way. You can't die, you have to live, just like Mom lived. There are all those things we have to do together. The Disney Cruise and that trip we all were going to take....." Tears were flowing and they weren't about to stop. She decided that they never were going to stop. They were just going to keep going until the whole house flooded. She had to get herself under control. If she can't operate this then she can't operate anything in her life. "Jenny. It's okay. I love you and I'm not going anywhere. You and me, we're okay. Here give me one of those chocolate cream kisses." After she did he moderately got up to leave. "I'll see you when I get back." His strength came back for a minute. That Viking strength that Jenny and Mom talked about all the time. whether or not they had said anything properly it was ultimately understood and the wall crumbled in the middle of them. "Chocolate Cream Kisses"* Ingredients: ¾ cup of all purpose flour, ¾ cup whole wheat flour, 4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ tsp of baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt, ½ plus ¼ cup of margarine softened, ½ cup of vegetable shortening, ½ cup of packed brown sugar, 1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats, ¼ cup of light corn syrup dissolved in 1 tbs boiling water, 1 cup of confectioner's sugar, and ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract. 1) Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. 2) Butter the cookie sheets with cooking spray. Mix together the flours, 2 tbs cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. 3) Beat ½ cup of the margarine, all the shortening, and all the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until creamy. 4) Mix in the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats and corn syrup. Form balls the size of walnuts with the dough and place 1 inch apart of the cookie sheets. Flatten slightly. 5) Bake for 20 minutes until firm to touch. Replacement to wire racks. Then beat the remaining margarine, confectioner's sugar, remaining cocoa powder, and vanilla until creamy. Stick the cookies together in pairs with the chocolate filling. 6) Enjoy all the happiness and yumminess rushing in. * Base of formula from Cookies and then I molded it from there. Cookies of the Soul - Chocolate Cream Kisses and a insight Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Why Cookies Make the Best Wedding Favors

Why Cookies Make the Best Wedding Favors One of the most favorite wedding favors to emerge in recent years has been practice cookies. These delightful cookies come in just about any shape thinkable, and look gorgeous when iced in coordinating colors. Cookie favors can be made to work for just about any wedding style or theme and at around each they are affordable too.

These ornamental iced cookies have taken over from the more high-priced cupcakes which were favorite both as wedding cakes and wedding favors for many years. Cookies supply something separate and can be made unique by personalizing them too with iced names or monograms. For couples who are having a themed wedding it can be difficult to find favors which match the theme perfectly, which is where cookies can come to the rescue. Because they can be made in hundreds of separate shapes and designs it is easy to coordinate them to just about any wedding theme imaginable. Typically practice cookies will be plain shortbread style biscuits but you can also request flavoured varieties if you order them through a baker or your cake maker. Some favour shop offer ready made cookies in a option of favorite shapes and which can be customized to suit your wedding colors. Buying your cookies from a favour store will be cheaper than ordering practice made ones from a baker. With cookie wedding favors there is also the option of making your own. Why not create boxes of mini cookies in your favourite flavours to give out or make separate flavoured cookies for each of your guests. You do not have to be able to ice them whether instead make cookies like choc chip or sandwich style with a yummy filling. If you wanted to make your own practice cookies and decorate them with icing then you should try some practise runs first to exquisite your skills! You will probably find instructions for making practice cookie wedding favors online or you could purchase a book showing you separate techniques and embellishment ideas along with using them as place cards by icing your guests names on them. Wedding guests love edible favors! They do not need to take them home, they supply instant hunger relief after the ceremony and cocktail hour and if they do not like cookies then they can always take them home for the children! If you want to give cookies as your favors then choose clear packaging to present them in such as acrylic boxes or plastic bags so they can be shown off in all their glory! Why Cookies Make the Best Wedding Favors Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Baking The Sugar Cookies

Baking The Sugar Cookies When you look for some favorite treat other than the chocolate chip cookies then your right choice should be the homemade sugar cookies. These provide you much flexibility in terms of their decoration and are now one famous gift option as well.

The major ingredients of these cookies are sugar, flour, vanilla, eggs and butter. It is up to you to make use of baking powder or baking soda. These can be fashioned if you roll them or simply your hands can be used for this and you can either sprinkle or frost these with sugar. It actually depends on the holiday event on which these are to be used. In USA these are often used at the special occasions. As far as the details of this treat are concerned, the recipe named 'Nazareth Sugar Cookie' was developed by the settlers who were German Protestant and resided in Nazareth area in Pennsylvania in mid 1700s. As it is related to the history of the area very strongly therefore it became the area's official cookie in 2001. The probable origin for these cookies was 'jumbles' which are usually found there in England and are3 unleavened. These cookies existed already in Middle Ages. Their key ingredients included nuts, flour, eggs and sugar as well as anise. These were the treats that shaped in rolls or the rings and for the flavoring purposes sometimes used caraway or vanilla instead of anise. Sugar cookies that are homemade are amongst the treats that are most favorite ones in USA as well as around the globe. It has now become a tradition for these treats to be included in all the occasions. These include Valentine's Day, Christmas, Halloween and Easter. If you are the one who has a passion of cooking or baking? If yes then you should definitely learn to bake these homemade cookies. These days it might not be so much easy because of the recipes that you may find online. Another attraction of these cookies is that one can easily bake these cookies and fashion them as well. All you need to do is get started to decided which options fit your teammates and you correctly. There decoration is easy also and you can design these according to the occasion. Doing that involves very little effort, as they can all be easily designed on my like a piece of canvas. This is something that everyone should try at least once. Baking The Sugar Cookies Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Baking Cookies - Responsible Indulging

Baking Cookies - Responsible Indulging Baking is a form of cooking which is known to be healthier than frying as it brings food to lower temperatures. It browns and dehydrates the food, allowing it to come to be crispy and enriching its flavour. Cookies are a dessert which has taken advantage of this principle; by baking to condense a soft dough, cookies are both made edible through the chemical reactions that break down the starch in the flour, and turned into something very enjoyable to eat.

Contrary to what some people say eggs are not needed for baking whether cakes or cookies. The chemical reaction which turns cake and cookie batter into the closed cakes or cookies is straightforward dehydration and does not involve the coagulation of egg protein. If you use a non-hydrogenated vegetable fat spread, you can bake yummy cookies which have no cholesterol or unhealthy animal proteins at all. A typical recipe for cookie dough is 1 part sugar to 2 parts solid fat to three parts flour. Make the dough by kneading the ingredients together or blending them in the food processor. Then you can roll this compound out with a rolling pin and cut it into rounds with cups or special cookie cutters. As cookie batter is dryer than cake batter from the get go it needs a relatively short baking time; ordinarily about 15 minutes. You can tell if they are done by poking them with a knife or skewer. Properly baked cookies are hard to the touch and golden brown. Baking cookies is a fun pastime and has yummy results. Watch the health aspects and enjoy responsibly! Baking Cookies - Responsible Indulging

Crumbled Cookies Add Flavor and Texture to Recipes

Crumbled Cookies Add Flavor and Texture to Recipes When my daughters were little I baked homemade cookies for them every week. Now I bake them for my grandchildren. Though the cookies disappear fast, sometimes a few stale ones are left. As I discovered, these tasty tidbits may be used in ice cream, pie crusts, coffee cake, trifles, and more. Homemade cookies taste best, but you may also use store-bought. Of course, you have to sample each kind before adding them to recipes.

Chocolate or vanilla filled cookies. Place in plastic zipper bag and crush with a rolling pin, leaving a few larger chunks. Fold into soft vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. Swirl in chocolate sauce at the same time if you wish. Gingersnaps. Place in plastic zipper bag and crush finely with a rolling pin. Transfer crumbs to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine. Do not add extra sugar. No baking is needed. Use this butter-crumb mixture for pie crusts and parfait desserts. Shortbread. Put cookies in a small bowl and crush, leaving a few larger chunks. Whisk in 1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal. Sprinkle mixture over apple, peach, or cherry pie. Dot top with butter and bake pie as recipe directs. Chocolate wafers. Place in plastic zipper bag and crush until very fine. Gently press these crumbs all around the side of a frosted layer cake. You may also sprinkle a few crumbs on top. Oatmeal cookies. Put cookies in a small bowl and crush until you have 1/4 cup of crumbs. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, a half stick of cold butter (cut into small pieces) 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Swirl mixture into coffee cake and bake as recipe directs. Vanilla wafers. Leave cookies whole and use in Tiramisu. In a medium-sized bowl, combine 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese, 8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespons rum (or 1 teaspoon rum extract), and 2 cups Cool Whip Free. Put a layer of cookies in the bottom of a glass dish. Frost with cream mixture, layer more cookies, and continue layering, ending with cheese. Dust with cocoa powder. Chill at least four hours before serving. Sugar cookies or Snickerdoodles. Leave cookies whole and use in trifle. In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 small box instant lemon pudding, 1 1/2 cups skim milk, 1/2 container of Cool Whip Free, and zest of one lemon. In a separate bowl, combine 1 pint of sliced strawberries with 2 teaspoons sugar. Layer cookies, pudding mixture, and strawberries in trifle bowl. Decorate the top with 1 pint of whole berries. Chill at least four hours before serving. You may also use instant vanilla pudding and orange zest in this recipe. After you start adding cookies to recipes you will find many more uses for them. And that's the way the cookie crumbles! Copyright 2009 by Harriet Hodgson Crumbled Cookies Add Flavor and Texture to Recipes

How to Make Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies With Frosting at Home

How to Make Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies With Frosting at Home Follow this recipe to get soft, flaky cookies that melt in your mouth. This recipe makes about three dozen cookies. You can store your cookies in an air-tight jar for up to one month.

Things you will need: To make homemade melt-in-your-mouth cookies, you need the following ingredients: Self-rising flour/All-purpose flour 150g Baking powder 1/4 teaspoon Butter 120g Castor sugar/Regular sugar 90g Eggs 1 Vanilla essence 3 drops Cornflakes 1 cup Cookie cutters Any shape you want You need the following ingredients to make a simple frosting: Fresh cream 4 tablespoons Butter 2 tablespoons Castor sugar 1 cup Food coloring (optional) Sprinkles (optional) How to make Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies 1. In a pan, melt 120g of butter. 2. Turn off the heat and then add 90g of castor sugar. If you are using regular sugar, blend it into a fine powder using a coffee polisher before adding. 3. Beat well until sugar dissolves into butter to form a creamy mixture. 4. Now add the egg to the combination and mix gently. Unlike a cake, you don't need to isolate the egg white and egg yolk. Plainly add the whole egg. 5. Add a few drops of vanilla essence to give a fantastic aroma to your cookies. 6. Now add self-rising flour. In case you are using all-purpose flour, first add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder to it. 7. Mix the flour well into your mixture. Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball. The dough should neither be too soft nor too firm. The cookies will only be soft, flaky, and moist if the dough is of the right consistency. 8. Lightly sprinkle a exterior with flour. Now take some of your dough combination and roll it out until it remains 1/2cm thick. 9. Use cookie cutters in any shape you like. Round cutters work best as they hold their shape well. Kids will love helping you cut the cookies into various shapes. 10. Reuse the strips of dough left after cutting out the cookies. 11. Using your hands, slightly crush the cornflakes and spread on a tray. Coat your cookies with the cornflakes. Be gentle, otherwise the cookies may lose their shape. 12. Arrange the cookies on a baking tray. 13. Preheat the oven to 425 F. 14. Bake the cookies for ten minutes or until golden brown. Check every two minutes to avoid getting the cookies burnt. 15. When taken out of the oven, the cookies will be very soft. Let them sit aside to cool down. As the cookies cool, they will get the soft, flaky crunch. 16. Store the cookies in an air-tight jar after they are cooled to room temperature. These delicious, melt-in-your-mouth cookies taste great when eaten as such. To add extra taste, top the cookies with your beloved frosting, or use the basic frosting recipe given below Simple Frosting Recipe Simply beat all the ingredients together. Dip the cookies into the frosting mixture. Decorate with sprinkles and let the frosting set. Delicious, "Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies with Frosting" are ready. How to Make Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies With Frosting at Home

How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate chip cookies can be soft, crunchy, or whatever you like, but a popular of many is soft chocolate chip cookies. Making soft chocolate chip cookies is not hard if you just succeed these tips that I will give you.

First you'll need to make the chocolate chip cookie dough. If you're seeing for a good recipe, hunt colse to or use the method on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. This is ordinarily a approved chocolate chip cookie recipe. Mix together the sugars and butter thoroughly. Use an galvanic mixer to do it fast and well. Don't be until it's as a matter of fact fluffy, just consolidate to take off all lumps of butter and/or sugar. Then add in the eggs and vanilla. This step is leading to get soft chocolate chip cookies. Do not beat the batter with the eggs so that it becomes fluffy and airy. You are not trying to make a cake or a meringue. Just stir until combined and that is it. Next, in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir it with a spoon and sift according to the instructions. If it says sifted flour sift it and then portion it. If is says flour sifted, portion it and then sifted it. This makes sure that you get the right whole of flour. Now you can moderately add the flour aggregate into the wet ingredients. Add a exiguous bit out of time and mix in thoroughly. Again, there is no need to be just mix it completely. Then stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or preferably overnight. Preheat the oven to make sure it is thoroughly heated before you put the cookies in. Roll the cookie dough into 2 inch balls and place then about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Make sure the cookie she is not warm especially in the middle of batches. Put the cookie sheet in a refrigerator beforehand to make a cold to ensure that it's not warm. Bake according to the instructions until very lightly golden brown over the whole cookie. You do not want dark brown or it will be hard and crunchy. Still, make sure you cook all the way or else it will just be gooey dough instead of soft cookie and gooey chocolate. How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

For development Shaped and Decorated Fancy Cookies This Is an exquisite Recipe!

For development Shaped and Decorated Fancy Cookies This Is an exquisite Recipe! Do you ever wish you could make cookies as pretty and tasty as the ones in the bakery shop windows? With this formula for perfect Sugar Cookies and Icing, you can. Bring out the cookie cutters and bake up a batch soon. You will soon find yourself seeing for occasions to bake up a batch of this yummy cookies.

Excellent Sugar Cookies & Icing 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1 egg 1 tbsp corn syrup 1 tbsp grated lemon peel 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour Beat the butter, sugar, and salt together in a large mixer bowl with mixer on medium high speed. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the mixer speed to medium and add the egg, beating until egg is combined into the mixture. Beat in the corn syrup, lemon peel, and vanilla extract. Cut speed again, to low this time. Add the half the flour at a time, mixing until well combined. Shape the dough into two equal disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the wrapped dough for an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one disk from the refrigerator and roll out in the middle of two sheets of waxed paper to a quarter-inch thickness. Remove the top layer of waxed paper and cut into your beloved shapes using cookie cutters that have been lightly dipped in flour. Exchange cookies to an ungreased baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool about a slight then Exchange to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the process with the second disk of dough. Decorate the cookies with the following icing, if desired. 1 lb powdered sugar 6 tbsp water 3 tbsp Just Whites* In a large mixer bowl with the mixer at low speed, beat the Just Whites and powdered sugar. Add the water nd beat until blended. Growth the mixer speed to high and continue to beat for other 8 minutes or until thick and white. Remove any number of icing you want to color to a small bowl or bowls. Add desired food color or colors and mix just until blended. Thin the remaining icing with additional teaspoons of water until the consistency resembles slightly whipped cream. Spread the thinned icing over the cookies and let dry completely. Exchange the colored icing to a pastry bag or bags, attach suitable tips for decorating and decorate the cookies as desired. *Just whites is found in the dairy aisle at major grocery stores. It is with the eggs. Enjoy! For development Shaped and Decorated Fancy Cookies This Is an exquisite Recipe!

Quick and Easy Cookie Recipes - Drop Sugar Cookies and White Chip Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Quick and Easy Cookie Recipes - Drop Sugar Cookies and White Chip Apricot Oatmeal Cookies If you love homemade cookies but you just don't have a lot of time to indulge in baking, here are some cookie recipes for you. Maybe you are a young mother who works or just doesn't have a lot of free time, yet you would love to bake with your children as your mother and/or grandmother did with you. These recipes are perfect for you. Drop Sugar Cookies allow you to make delicious sugar cookies without rolling, cutting and decorating. And the White Chip Apricot Oatmeal Cookies take oatmeal cookies to a new level! So get out the ingredients, grab the kiddos and have some baking fun.

DROP SUGAR COOKIES 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar + additional sugar for topping 2/3 cup canola oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, whisk eggs until blended. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, and lemon zest; mix well. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well blended. Chill, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about two inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Mist the bottom of a 3-inch flat-bottom glass with water and dip glass in additional sugar. Press tops of cookies lightly with the glass, misting with water and dipping into sugar for each cookie. Bake cookies until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for two minutes then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container. WHITE CHIP APRICOT OATMEAL COOKIES 3/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1 egg 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 1/2 cups rolled oats 10-oz pkg Hershey's Premier White Chips 3/4 cup dried apricots Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour and baking soda; beat until well blended. Stir in oats, white chips and apricots. Loosely form rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until lightly browned. Do not overbake! Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 3 1/2 dozen cookies. Enjoy! Quick and Easy Cookie Recipes - Drop Sugar Cookies and White Chip Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Make Extra Money With Personalized Cookies

Make Extra Money With Personalized Cookies Just think about it; cookies are used for all kinds of celebrations and announcements. They are made for holidays and parties, and even just times when we need a petite pick me up. So it should not be a surprise to whatever to find out that the cookie firm is a big one. So in those times that you may be finding to make a petite extra wage now and then, you might want to get into this very lucrative firm for yourself.

While you could start off offering a few different kinds of cookies and maybe even some brownies, you could focus on one specific type of cookie to find your niche. One great idea is to make and sell personalized sugar cookies. They are great for any kind of party or announcement. Just think how cute personalized cookies would be at a baby shower! The ingredients for personalized cookies aren't that costly either. A basic recipe only calls for butter, sugar, eggs and flour, and the icing is just powdered sugar, milk and coloring. Even one uncomplicated batch of sugar cookie dough will make several dozen cookies that can be decorated and personalized all in a matter of hours. While most cookies can be sold for colse to five dollars for each dozen, personalized cookies can cost double that or even more! You could even start your own web site where you can sell your personalized cookies, and can be shipping them all over the world in no time at all. The more cookies you can sell, the more materials that you can buy for even more cookies! Make Extra Money With Personalized Cookies

Pumpkin Frosted Cookies

Pumpkin Frosted Cookies These cookies will be the hit of your party. I have made these cookies for years for our every year pumpkin carving party. The kids look forward to the fun of decorating them. These are made ahead and piled on a plate waiting for the faces to be added using chocolate gel. It is fabulous to see the creativity of the kids(and adults) as they decorate their pumpkin cookies.

An easy entertainment idea for your next Halloween party. Ingredients 1 cup margarine 1/2 cup peanut butter 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 whole eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Frosting 4 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon margarine enough milk to make thick frosting yellow and red food coloring tubes of premixed chocolate frosting gel that you can buy at any grocery store in baking section. Directions 1. Cream margarine and peanut butter until fluffy. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. 2. Chill for 2 hours 3. Roll out on floured board and cut into pumpkin shapes using pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. 4. Placed on greased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool 5. Make frosting by mixing powdered sugar and butter then adding enough milk to make thick spreadable frosting. 6. Add red and yellow food coloring until desired orange color is accomplished. 7. Frost cooled cookies and let dry until frosting is set. 8. Can be stored in air tight container for overnight. 9. Give kids a tube of premixed chocolate frosting gel and let them decorate their own pumpkin cookie. To see pictures of these cookies go to http://www.greatrecipesite.com/pumpkin-recipes/frosted-pumpkin-cookies.php. Pumpkin Frosted Cookies

Easy Cookie Recipe for 4-Ingredient Cookies

Easy Cookie Recipe for 4-Ingredient Cookies Cookies are a vital part of a balanced diet and one of the four food groups. Most people don't recognise this, and consequently they save cookies for special occasions such as weddings, bar Mitzvahs and tax deadline day. However, this can lead to unnecessary hunger, weakness, anaemia, loss of hearing and, in certain extreme cases, prolonged and grisly death.

Therefore, having some easy cookie recipes with few ingredients is tremendously important, since otherwise you will be forced to go out and buy some from the store, which is an unnecessary expenditure of energy and money. This recipe can be put together from basic household ingredients and cooked in an oven, an appliance many homes have but few use on a regular basis. For these easy chocolate cookies you will need: Flour, Butter or margarine, Cocoa powder; Sugar You can also add a splash of vanilla essence, coffee essence or Absinthe, to taste, if you like. Mix together a cup of melted butter (use a microwave) and a cup of sugar. Then start adding flour slowly to the mix. Throw in 2 or 3 tablespoons of cocao along the way. After you've added a bit more than a cup of flour, you will have a stiff dough mix. Roll out the dough on a counter, using more flour to stop it sticking. Use a bottle or jar if you don't have a rolling pin. Then use a cookie cutter to cut out cookie shapes, and put them on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in an oven that has been pre-heated to 325 degrees. Leave them in there for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how soft you like your cookies and how hungry you are. Then take them out and eat them, allowing them to cool first to avoid burns to your mouth and lawsuits for people who are kind enough to give you recipes for free. These cookies are best served warm with a glass of cold milk, ideally semi-skimmed. They will also go exceptionally well with a cup of coffee, because the chocolate contains theobromine which perfectly complements the caffeine in the coffee (the two molecules being very similar). However, don't even think about using instant. You're going to need to find some proper, roasted coffee - ideally an African coffee, like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Kenya Peaberry - in bean form, so that you can grind it for maximum freshness. Make it in a cafetiere to be sure, and drink it fresh, soon after you've made it, to offset that cookie really well. Easy Cookie Recipe for 4-Ingredient Cookies

Cookies of the Soul - Mint Chocolate Kisses and the Pirate's Slave

Cookies of the Soul - Mint Chocolate Kisses and the Pirate's Slave Such fear she had never know....trapped on the edge of a slow burning night. A night that had no end. One minute felt like two hours. The candle had barely burned. In this dark corner she hid, behind a door of no dignity. That material object which swings open for all men, unnoticed. How she envied that door. How tight her hand was wrapped around her dagger. If it hadn't been for the purpose of the object she would have forgotten about it. Her knuckles were white and her whole body was shaking. She hoped they couldn't smell her fear, because she was soaked with it.

She listened for their footsteps along the wooden hall. All her ears encountered above the sound of the rain was absolute and total silence. There was no sound before the hand clamped around her mouth and the smell of oil, blood, and toil insulted her very senses. She had no time to think as her hands were clamped behind her back and she was shoved out into the hall. "I got er Capt'n. Hidin' behind the door she was. Thinkin' that be help'n her." His breath was dangerously close to hers and she turned her head until the Captain approached in one swift movement cackling so hard he could bust, but unfortunately it was not so. "You be too bold lass. Grabb'n daggers and flee'n. Why we be nothing but good to ya since we picked ya away from that piece of salvage ya called a home. We be nothing but treating ya as a lass should be treated. That's not bein' nice to the men who take care of ya. Killed yor good for nothin' pa when we cared ye off." Caressing her face in such a manner she knew what "taking care" of you meant and she couldn't think of it or her father's sweet face or she would surely go mad. A man she didn't necessarily know well, but one who always had enough chocolate mint kisses to give her, hugs if she needed them, and many good stories. A mysterious man who meant more to her than anything. For he was a kind memory. All the pirates were chortling under the ir breath and wiping their mouths with low stares and she knew what that meant. She knew what it meant for three weeks. She saw above it all. She believed that she would get away. She was not meant to die with a band of dirty pirates. She was born of noble royalty. She was meant to die in comfort with no memories of fear or sadness. Gone away was that perfect image her father had hoped for her before he was murdered. Slow tears rolled down her cheeks, but the composure of her face was still intact. "Cryin? Well, I never seen that on ya before but it makes ya pretty like. Once we be getting' ye to the ship then we be talkin' more kind like. After all, I am yar capt'n, aren't I little lass?" As he stepped away a shot rang out. She felt her life slipping form her and she was surprised to feel relief. Opening her eyes from the clamor, she realized that it was not her that had been shot. More shots rang out as she dropped to the ground and felt the world slip away. As she awoke she felt herself rising like an angel above a strong hand. When she looked up she swore she saw the face of God. Instead she saw a soldier. "You're safe, fear not Lady Anne, all will be well. Float on a billion clouds and may God grant you a safe sleep." Slip away she did and into a land of dreams which although not of the purest of dreams were far above everything else in the arms of comfort. "Lady Anne's Mint Chocolate Kisses"* Ingredients: ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of whole wheat flour, ½ cup of margarine softened, 1/3 cup of margarine, 2 tbs of cocoa powder, 5 oz of bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped, 1/8 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of mint extract, 1/8 cup of sugar, 1/8 cup of Splenda, 7 oz of white chocolate coarsely chopped, 1 egg, and ½ cup of heavy cream. 1)Mix the flours, cocoa, and salt. Beat the softened margarine and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add 1 tsp of mint extract and the egg; beating just until blended. Mix in the dry ingredients. Press the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2)Butter two cookie sheets. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll and continue cutting out the cookies until all the dough is used. Transfer the cookies to the cookie sheets, placing them 1 inch apart. Bake for about 6 minutes or until just firm. Transfer to racks and let cool completely. 3)Bring the cream to a boil over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate until melted. Add the rest of the mint extract and transfer to a medium bowl. Cool for about 30 minutes. Stick the cookies together in pairs with filling. 4)Melt the chocolate and margarine in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Spread on top of the cookies and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 5)Enjoy the smooth surprise of these minty cookies. * Base of recipe from Cookies and then I molded it from there. Cookies of the Soul - Mint Chocolate Kisses and the Pirate's Slave

Christmas Cookies Recipes - Soft Mincemeat Cookies

A deliciously comforting soft baked cookie.

1/4 cup butter; softened 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup mincemeat 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in eggs and mincemeat; mix well. In an additional one bowl, incorporate flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to the creamed mixture; mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ready baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely. Makes 48 cookies. => Christmas Cookies Recipes: Orange Cookies A fresh, citrus flavored cookie that will pleasure everyone. 1 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup buttermilk 3 eggs 2/3 cup orange juice 4 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel 3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder Cookie Icing Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add in the buttermilk, eggs, orange juice and orange peel. In an additional one bowl, incorporate the flour, baking soda and baking powder; slowly add to creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Frost with Cookie Icing. Cookie Icing 4 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/4 teaspoon orange extract 1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice Directions In a bowl, incorporate the confectioners' sugar, orange citation and enough orange juice to get to the desired consistency. Frost cooled cookies. Makes 144 cookies. => Christmas Cookies Recipes: Mocha Fudge Cookies A appetizing cookie graced with coffee and cocoa flavors. 2 cups butter 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided 3 cups sugar 1 cup baking cocoa 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules 3 cups packed brown sugar 8 eggs, beaten 3 tablespoons vanilla extract 8 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven over low heat, melt butter and and 2 cups of chocolate chips. Take off from heat; stirring until smooth. In a bowl, incorporate the sugar, cocoa and coffee; add to butter mixture. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In an additional one bowl, incorporate the flour, baking powder and salt; slowly add to chocolate mixture. Stir in walnuts and remaining chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool. Makes 222 cookies.

How to Bake Designer Sugar Cookies

You have the perfect sugar cookie recipe. You've made the cookie dough and you've tried to cut out the cookies, but it just doesn't quite work. They stick, they tear, they lose their shape. No more! Here are some tips that will have you making sugar cookies that look like a pro made them.

The first step to the perfect cut out cookie is to make the dough and then refrigerate it preferably overnight. At the very least, the dough has to be chilled for a couple of hours. You know the dough is just right to work with when you really have to "mash" it to flatten it out. You absolutely cannot cut out cookies when the dough is freshly made - don't even try it. If you are in a mad rush and have to have some cookies pronto, you can take a cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper, put a blob of dough on it, cover it with another sheet of parchment and then roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. Then take the cookie sheet and place it in the freezer for about fifteen minutes. Continue to do this with several cookie sheets and you should have enough dough to work with shortly. Now, if you aren't in a mad rush, get your dough good and cold. When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 400. Make sure your oven heats up for at least 30 minutes - not just until the oven reads 400 degrees. The reason being is that your oven may not be heated to 400 in the center of the oven and will cause your cookies to bake unevenly. Take out of the refrigerator only the amount of dough that you are going to work with at one time. Leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator so it doesn't get warm or you will be right back where you started. "Flour" your work surface with confectioners sugar. Yes, you can use regular flour, but the sugar adds an extra sweetness that tastes great. Also rub your rolling pin with confectioners sugar. Roll your dough to approximately 1/4" thick. If you are going to be making cookie bouquets, they need to be 1/2" thick. Dip your cookie cutter in confectioners sugar and place it on your dough and press down to cut it out. Before you lift the cookie cutter, give it a little jiggle, wiggleing the cookie cutter back and forth. Do this until you can't get anymore cookies out of the dough that you have rolled out. Begin picking up the dough that surrounds the cut outs. Mash the dough back into a ball and put it back in the refrigerator with the other dough that is chilling. Use a spatula that is thin, preferably a metal spatula not a rubber spatula to lift your cookies onto the cookie sheet. Rubber spatulas tend to be thicker on the end and will mash and distort your cookie. Using a thin-edged metal spatula place your cookies on the cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper about 1" apart. If you have chosen the proper sugar cookie recipe, they shouldn't puff up or spread. Bake your cookies for 7 1/2 minutes at 400 degrees or just until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet and let your cookies cool for just a minuet. Taking your metal spatula again, ligtly loosen the cookies from the parchment paper without moving them. Let the cool on the cookies sheet until they are ready for you to decorate.

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes - Candied Fruit Cookies

A festive cookie featuring candied fruit and almonds.

1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped 1/2 cup each candied cherries and pineapple, chopped 3/4 cup Brazil nuts, coarsely chopped and toasted 3/4 cup almonds, chopped and toasted Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the egg; mix well. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in the fruits and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Makes 84 cookies. => Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes: Chips Galore Cookies These cookies are stuffed with a variety of yummy chips - a real treat. 1 cup butter flavored shortening 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/3 cup peanut butter chips 1/3 cup butterscotch chips 1/3 cup vanilla or white chips 1/3 cup milk chocolate M&Ms 1/3 cup Reese's pieces candy Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar and brown sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chips and candy pieces. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool completely. Makes 48 cookies. => Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies Pumpkin cookies with a burst of chocolate chips. 4 cups all purpose flour 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 (16 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin 1 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 2 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup walnuts, chopped Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add in the pumpkin, oil, eggs, milk and vanilla; beat on medium speed until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Cool completely. Makes 84 cookies.

Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes - Lemon Snowflake Cookies

A deliciously light and flavorful cookie.

1 (18 1/4 oz.) pkg. Lemon pudding cake mix 2 1/4 cups icy whipped topping, thawed 1 egg Confectioners' sugar Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, merge cake mix, whipped topping and egg. Beat with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Batter will be very sticky. Drop by teaspoonfuls into confectioners' sugar and roll lightly to completely coat. Place cookies onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to12 minutes or until lightly browned. Take off from pan and let cool. Makes 60 to 72 cookies. => Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes: No Bake Snowball Cookies These easy to make cookies look like puny snowballs. 4 cups Bran cereal 1 cup dried pitted prunes 1 2/3 cups raisins 1 1/2 cups dried apricots 2 cups pecans, chopped Confectioners' sugar Directions Place bran cereal and prunes into a food processor or blender; cover and blend until cereal is crumbled. Add in the raisins, apricots and pecans. Blend until dried fruit and nuts are finely chopped. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll balls into confectioners' sugar. Store cookies in an airtight holder and keep in the refrigerator. Before serving, roll the cookies into confectioners' sugar again, if desired. Makes 66 cookies. => Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes: Easy Strawberry Cookies These cookies are bursting with the sweet goodness of strawberry flavor. 1 (18 1/4 oz.) pkg. Strawberry cake mix 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 (8 oz.) carton icy whipped topping, thawed 2 cups confectioners' sugar Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, merge the cake mix, egg and the whipped topping; mix until well combined. Place confectioners' sugar into a shallow dish. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into sugar; roll until coated completely. Place cookie balls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned colse to the edges. Let cool. Makes 60 cookies. => Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes: Two puny Cookies Whip up these yummy cookies in a jiffy. 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup milk 2 cups sugar 3 cups dry quick cooking oats or rolled oats 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1/2 cup raisins, chopped nuts or coconut Directions In a large saucepan, heat the butter, milk and sugar; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute. Take off from heat. Stir in the oats, cocoa and raisins, nuts or coconut. Drop by the tablespoonful onto waxed paper. Cool. Makes 36 cookies.

Unusual Christmas Cookie Recipes - Cherry Snowball Cookies

These pretty cookies have a surprise cherry in the middle.

1 cup butter, softened

Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

36 maraschino cherries, well drained

Glaze Coating

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar, water and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, oats and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.

Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each cherry to form a ball. Place 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Let cool.

Glaze Coating

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

2 cups flaked coconut, finely chopped

Directions

In a bowl, combine sugar and enough milk to make a smooth dipping consistency. Dip cookies into glaze, then roll into coconut.

Makes 36 cookies.

=> Unusual Christmas Cookie Recipes: Spumoni Cookies

The favorite Italian ice cream treat becomes a delicious cookie.

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 squares semisweet chocolate, melted

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

3 to 5 drops green food coloring

1/4 cup candied red cherries, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 to 5 drops red food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add in the flour and mix well.

Divide the dough into three sections.

Stir chocolate into one section; mix well.

Add pecans and green food coloring to the second portion

Add cherries, almond extract and red food coloring to the third section.

Roll each section between two pieces of waxed paper into 8x6-inch rectangles. Remove the waxed paper.

Place the chocolate rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap. Top with the green and pink rectangles; press together lightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Cut the chilled dough in half lengthwise. Return one half to the refrigerator.

Cut the remaining rectangle into 1/8-inch slices. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until set. Cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes 84 cookies.

=> Unusual Christmas Cookie Recipes: Chocolate Dipped Spritz Cookies

These classy cookies are dipped in chocolate and decorated with nuts and sprinkles.

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

11 ounces dark, white or milk chocolate candy coating

Chopped walnuts and/or colored sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture.

Using a cookie press fitted with your choice of disk, press the dough 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until set (do not allow cookies to brown). Let cool.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the candy coating; dip each cookie halfway into coating. Sprinkle with nuts or colored sprinkles. Place on waxed paper until set.

Makes 72 cookies.

Unusual Christmas Cookie Recipes - Cherry Snowball Cookies

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Lavender Heart Cookies

Lavender, its bushy hedges wafting a delicate scent in the winter sunshine, is one of my favourite herbs. It is hardy, smells wonderful, cleanses the air of viruses and repels insects. All these virtues and you can bake with it too! I was going through my formula books yesterday, seeing for something new to try in the biscuit baking line and saw a formula for Lavender Heart Cookies. Every time I'd glanced through the book it had all the time intrigued me, but I'd never tried it before, as the idea of using lavender in baking seemed a limited bizarre...interesting but probably getting results of 'yuk Mum, what are these bits?'

Anyway, in the spirit of culinary adventure, I notion I'd have a go. The ingredients were minimal - butter, sugar, flour and flowers! Lavender florets. So off I went to pick the lavender. Not much was required, just two tablespoons of fresh florets (the limited purple flower bits off the main stalk), so I had a nice therapeutic occasion choosing the best stalks from my lavender hedge, which is still producing new flowers despite it being the middle of winter here. Then came the mixing all the ingredients together into a crumbly dough, which is more crumb than dough, but at last did all work together. After its rest in the fridge, I tentatively rolled out the dough, still crumbling madly, but it was at last persuaded to stay together by an insistent rolling pin. I churlishly refused my youngest daughter's offers of help in cutting out the hearts...mean of me, I know, but this was my journey of exploration not hers, this time!

Cookies

They came out of the oven, fragrant and golden. The occasion of reckoning drew near. Children, scenting new baking, gathered around. The girls uncritically tucked in, my son, the conservative connoisseur, turned away, but changed his mind at the appreciative noises colse to him. A cautious nibble and he was convinced - I was not trying to poison them...!

Here's the formula in case you'd like a culinary adventure too!

Lavender Heart Cookies

115g/4oz butter

90ml/6 tablespoons caster sugar

175g/6oz plain flour

2 tablespoons fresh lavender florets

Cream together the butter and 60ml/4 tablespoons of the sugar till light and fluffy. Stir in the flour and lavender and work it in, kneading with your hands till it comes together into a soft ball of dough. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out the cookies with a heart shaped cutter (alternatively a fluted-edged round cutter). Makes about 18 with a 5cm/2inch cutter. Put considered onto a lightly greased baking tray and sprinkle the remaining sugar onto the top of each shape. Bake at 200C/400F for about 10 minutes till golden. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, before putting on to a cooling rack.

So my experiment was deemed a success. The adults, later that evening, also liked them. ''Elizabethan'' recommend my sister-in-law, and "packaged in a pretty box they'd make a great gift". I have to admit here that, given the selection of a chocolate biscuit or a lavender one, the children would unanimously vote for chocolate, but the fact that they considered them edible at all, when they knew they had flowers in, is pretty high praise for this recipe. I was the one who surreptitiously accomplished them off the next morning with my tea. That fragrant flavour on the palate, clean yet sweet, was irresistible!

Copyright 2006 Kit Heathcock

Lavender Heart Cookies