Alison & I make this every year for all of her friends, and she tells me that they love it.  It’s peppermint bark!! It is so easy & so tasty I am blown away at how expensive it is to buy already made in the store….

the ingredients are simple… white chocolate discs (or bark)
                                             peppermint extract
                                             red food coloring (not pictured)
                                             assorted candy canes ( broken ones work perfect) or starlight mints

first, melt the white chocolate.. I use my microwave & melt it in 40 second intervals, stirring after each one. YOu can use the double- boiler method, or my friend, Glenda uses a mini crockpot.. all methods work, just make sure that your bowl is clean 7 DRY before adding chocolate or it will seize up into an unrecoverable globbly mess.

you can melt multiple bags at a time..

when chocolate is all melted, add peppermint extract…. about 1/2 tsp per bag ( be careful, this stuff is strong).. stir well.

pour mixture onto parchment – lined cookie sheet ( or if you ran out of parchment like I did, then use aluminum foil) & spread randomly around. Have fun…. make funky shapes..

Drop random drops of red food coloring over melted chocolate & use the tip of a knife ( or a kebab stick) to swirl the color all throughout he chocolate…. I like to swirl in all different directions.

put all of the candies ( unwrapped) in a heavy zip- lock bag & crush candies with a mallet. Sprinkle candy pieces on top of chocolate ( while still melted)

Allow chocolate to chill… this is where a negative degree day is great.. I just go to my fancy deep-freezer

my porch!!!!

When fully hardened ( today it took only minutes)

 Remove from tray & break into assorted pieces…..

This is so easy & perfect for gifting. I put pieces in clear plastic bags with fancy ribbon  and voila!!

when I get around to packaging some, I’ll post a picture 🙂

now to decorate our tree …

oxox
michelle

I didn’t post yesterday’s cookie…. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t make it, I just got sidetracked & ran out of time.
I’m sure that this has happened to you *wink*

Yesterdays’ cookie was one that I first read about in Gourmet magazine in 2006.  It’s called Pistachio Cranberry icebox cookies

This recipe is great because you can make the dough ahead of time & bake off when you need to. The dough freezes nicely so that you really can have cookies whenever….They are sort of like a cranberry/ orange pistachio shortbread. And very yummy!

I usually divide the dough in half & use red sugars on one log & green on the other… they end up looking quite festive!

They taste even better than they look./.. I think that these are what I made for my cookies exchange last year…….

oxox
michelle

I didn’t post yesterday’s cookie…. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t make it, I just got sidetracked & ran out of time.
I’m sure that this has happened to you *wink*

Yesterdays’ cookie was one that I first read about in Gourmet magazine in 2006.  It’s called Pistachio Cranberry icebox cookies

This recipe is great because you can make the dough ahead of time & bake off when you need to. The dough freezes nicely so that you really can have cookies whenever….They are sort of like a cranberry/ orange pistachio shortbread. And very yummy!

I usually divide the dough in half & use red sugars on one log & green on the other… they end up looking quite festive!

They taste even better than they look./.. I think that these are what I made for my cookies exchange last year…….

oxox
michelle

 Today is is big sugar cookie day!!  Making sugar cookies is a commitment due to all of the steps, but when you have many elves like I did today…. it’s no so bad 🙂

my helpers are my daughter, Alison, my daughter-in-law, Amanda, and my favorite 5-year old, my Leah!!

 We used
Emeril’s Recipe for sugar cookies for both the cookie & the icing

again.. simple ingredients turn into an awesome cookie… The salt isn’t in the picture.. I don’t know why.

and would you just look at the trouble that Farkle got himself into….

making the dough is serious business….

 so is making sure that nothing goes to waste!!

Ali rolling out the sugar dough sometime in the late 90’s!!!!!

we finally got to the fun part… decorating

  and sneaking tastes…..

just look at the creations that we made!!!

and….

AND……

  AND>>>>>>>>>

I have made Sugar cookies for years… and ATTEMPTED royal icing before.. this recipe is 5-star…. simply amazing……

and after a long cookie day…..

so sorry, Erika…. you know, about her sugar high…..

thank you for letting her join my family today!!!

xoxox
michelle

In the hopes that Jay & Amanda soon would be there…

and my grandpuppies, Bruin & Kalli 🙂

They are leaving Florida tonight, (well in the middle of the night, technically tomorrow, but I will be sleeping, so my plead for thoughts comes now…) for the long drive up here to Massachusetts… I’m a mom and, yes, I’m worried… (sorry guys, It’s not that I don’t trust  you *smooch*).. thoughts & prayers are appreciated!

When I was younger, my friend, Sara (or maybe it was her mom?), used to make a cookies called snickerdoodles. I used to think that the name was so funny.. ( c’mon, it is a funny name…) say it out loud!

Now my sister makes them for my cookie exchange every year and my mother-in-law make a version called ‘hollydoodles’.

I think of these three people each and every time that I hear the name *giggle* snickerdoodle!

I’ve never actually made them before.. but every has to start somewhere, right?

here goes….

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
2TBSP ground cinnamon

once again.. that baking powder makes it way into the picture… we will not be using baking powder in this recipe…. *sigh* or the vanilla hiding… maybe tomorrow, you two….

HEY!! how did Farkle get into the picture?????

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix 1 1/2  cups sugar & butter together; add eggs, 1 at a time, thoroughly mixing each one before adding the next.

Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda & salt.

In small bowl, mix remaining sugar & cinnamon together.

Shape into dough into balls with about 2 tsp of dough per ball. Roll each ball in sugar/ cinnamon mixture & place on parchment-lined cookie sheet  2 inches apart; bake for 8-11 minutes.

Ok.. these made my kitchen smell DIVINE!!!  Why have I not made these before??

seriously.. look at this cookie

My friend, Breezy has a much simpler recipe, but also quite tasty….

1 box yellow cake mix
6oz of fat free vanilla yogurt
dash of cinnamon

Mix all together, will make a thick dough. Roll into balls(I sprayed my hands to keep it from sticking to my fingers) and arrange on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and bake for 15 minutes on 350. Makes about 30 cookies.


and if you are weight watchers, as so many of us are… it is quite point -friendly!


Thanks, Breezy!!!

….and for some real excitement??? the ‘good’ butter went on sale today… only the best for the upcoming sugar cookies *wink*

did you notice the size of my stocking compared to everyone elses’? Thanks, Mom~ *wink*  santa puts all sorts of wonderful things in that big baby……….

oh, and tomorrow.. Fenway will give away a dozen of her favorite new biscuits… She can hardly contain herself…

oxox
michelle

Todays’ ‘real cookie’  (sorry Scott) is actually a bar cookie.. and very, very easy.. a special Thank-you to my friend, Erika, who shared this recipe with me. *smooch* ….. this is Perfect for whipping up after a day of shopping, watching your favorite football team get their butts whipped or just put up the icicle lights that your wife has been jonesing for…..

AND.. they have  a remarkable resemblance to the ever famous ~peanut butter cup 😉

Ingredients…

Todays’ ‘real cookie’  (sorry Scott) is actually a bar cookie.. and very, very easy.. a special Thank-you to my friend, Erika, who shared this recipe with me. *smooch* ….. this is Perfect for whipping up after a day of shopping, watching your favorite football team get their butts whipped or just put up the icicle lights that your wife has been jonesing for…..

AND.. they have  a remarkable resemblance to the ever famous ~peanut butter cup 😉

Ingredients…

I mentioned it in one of my first posts, but my dishwasher has been broken. Baking cookies & hand washing all of the dishes that go with baking cookies in addition to normal everyday family dishes.. well, my hands have seen better days…

Scott ordered the parts to fix the dishwasher & (without electrocuting himself ) *golfer’s clap* (not the kind of golfer’s clapp that Tiger has.. ouch.. did I just type that?.. bad me)

Tada!!! he fixed it!! I never thought that I would love the sound of a dishwasher running as I do right this very minute. *sigh* it’s the little things in life…

So with a working dishwasher.. I will continue my promise of cookies …. He had asked me if he could bake today’s cookie. Shocked to hear this, of course I accepted his offer.

I give you

Scott’s creation!!! .. I am marveled (as I’m sure you are as well) at his culinary expertise!!!.. To think that he went through all of that trouble, hand-carving out designs on the cookies..

multiple designs!!!

.

And he hand carved the word ‘oreo’ onto the back of each one….. filled them all with this beautiful red filling!

I’m speechless!  What a guy.. the things that he does for me 😉

It has come to my attention ( being the mathlete that I am ) that I am still short one cookie from day 3…. once I clean up the disaster left in the kitchen from Scott’s cookies, I will bake another batch of cookies this afternoon….

be back later…

Nestle Dark Chocolate & mint chips!!!.. Y*U*M*!!   when I saw these I just HAD to turn them into a cookie….. I took a favorite recipe of mine & tweaked it a bit.. this is what I came up with…

how could I go wrong?

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1 bag Dark Chocolate & mint chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line  cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Finely chop the oats in a food processor. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs and peppermint extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts and stir just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

For each cookie, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart (do not flatten dough). Bake until the cookies are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

they looked good, but I was hoping that a bit more of the green mint chips would show through…. they looked a little boring.. so I melted a chocolate bar & drizzled melted chocolate over the cookies then put on my frigid porch for a few minutes.

VOILA!  honestly…. it may surprise you to learn that I am not a cookie lover. I would happily take cheese a ( I LOVE cheese) any day of the week.. but these cookies… they are OUT OF CONTROL!!!! move over Girl Scout thin mints.. these cookies are the BOMB!!.. If you stumble across these chips in your travels, I urge you to try this recipe… and if you can’t find them and would like to make them.. let me know,, I’ll happily send you a bag ;).

Farkle somehow made it to the top of my tree…….. he is one sneaky, yet very thoughtful dude!!!

ok.. now I have a long-awaited date with my sewing machine!

oxox~michelle

I had another recipe that I had wanted to make today, however, my 16 year-old son has been patiently waiting for peanut butter cookies. Each day he asks me. “is TODAY the day for peanut butter cookies?”

He forget to ask me this morning *wink*

While in culinary school, I had the coolest job ever. I still cannot believe that I got paid to do something that I loved so. I worked behind the scene on a cooking segment that aired nightly during the news.

I would take each featured recipe & do all of the prep work twice. I would them prepare one of the recipes and give the chef the prepped ingredients for the other. He would prepare the second set of the recipe on the air and the one that I had made was the display.

Seriously? Most. Awesome. Job. Ever.

In this episode we made stuffed bologna.

don’t ask.

One episode that we filmed featured 3 ingredient recipes. Here is a 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie!

Since I like to live on the edge (  being the wild child that I am) I pushed the limit & made it a 4 ingredient recipe!!!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg.

(this is where I get wild.. brace yourselves…)

a bag of Hershey’s kisses

directions~

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat egg in a mixing bowl. Add peanut butter & sugar; mix well. Drop by rounded Tablespoons ( I use a cookie scoop) onto parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart ( these babies spread).

Unwrap Hershey’s kisses & place in the center of each cookie. Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on your oven.

Since the ingredients were so simple, it was easy to double the recipe, which I did

I didn’t even need a calculator!!!!!

what can I say? I’m a mathlete!

The cookies came out great. Ryan will be very happy today.. not only because it’s Friday….. but also because he has this whole tray of cookies waiting for him form his crazy mama!

oxox
michelle