Other Christmas Cookies

Today was cookie making day at our house. The biggest girl helped add the ingredients to the mixer while the littlest girl screamed in protest that she was not able to eat the dough or even reach the mixer. We had fun to say the least.

We made three different kinds of cookies...all types that I have never made before for Christmas, two of which I have never made at all before. They have all been tasted and passed with flying colors!

The first cookie we made was the Homemade Oreos which you can find at Smitten Kitchen and my tips in this post.

The other two I found in my current issue of Ladies Home Journal. (I have no idea how I got a subscription to. It comes in my name but I never paid for one. It is not a magazine I would generally look at but it's free and it comes to my mailbox.)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (found on a Betty Crocker advertisement in the magazine)
1 pouch or box of sugar cookie mix
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 t. mint extract
6-8 drops green food coloring
1 egg
1 c. creme de menthe baking chips (***see note below)
1. c. semisweet chocolate chunks

Mix cookie mix, butter, extract, food coloring and egg in bowl, until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.

***I could not find creme de menthe baking chips so I bough a box of Andes chocolate mints, unwrapped them (with the help of two beautiful little girls), and chopped them up.

White Chocolate Thumbprints
2 2/3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract
9 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and salt. In another bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium high until fluffy, about 4 min. then beat in egg and vanilla. On low speed, stir in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Roll 1 inch balls of dough and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly; using your finger or a round half teaspoon, make an indentation in the center of each. Bake cookies about 15 minutes until cooked through but not golden. Re-indent center if needed and cool on baking sheets. Melt chocolate in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring between each pass until just melted, 1 - 2 minutes total. Spoon white chocolate into cookie indents. Let set about 1 hour. Makes 5 1/2 dozen.

***I also sprinkled green and red sugar on the white chocolate before it set. They look really pretty with that.

So...go bake! YUM!

Homemade Oreos

That title alone should have you drooling! I stumbled on a recipe for Homemade Oreos from Smitten Kitchen a couple of months ago and knew they would be made some point at Christmas. They have now been made twice. I made a batch for my mom's group cookie exchange and have a batch ready to be filled on the counter.

They are delicious! I do not get as many cookies as the recipe says it will yield. I actually only get like half so hers must be much smaller. I LOVE using my mini ice cream scoop for cookie dough so it must not be small enough. She also says to use your fingers to flatten the cookie, I dipped a glass with a flat bottom in warm water and flattened them. I thought that worked much better.

Also follow the recipes directions! When I made them the first time I creamed my butter and sugar then added the dry ingredients like I was taught to without paying attention the actual recipe until after I was done. This time I followed the directions and they turned out a little different, probably how they are supposed to turn out.

The filling is super, super thick and sweet. When I make it today, I'm going to add a little milk to the mixture. Last time I also did the peppermint extract in place of the vanilla which I will do again because peppermint screams Christmas! Then I divided the frosting in half and made half green and half red. They were so cute!

You definitely need to try these!

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies

The rhubarb in my fridge has been screaming my name for a few days so today I quieted down and made Frosted Rhubarb Cookies. This is a recipe that I found in a Taste of Home magazine a few years ago and it is scrumptious!

I am happy to say I have enough rhubarb left for one more recipe! YEAH! That is even better to me than eating the cookies. Ha! I have to make something for my Mom's group on Thursday so I will definitely be making some rhubarb muffins to take with me.

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies

1 c. shortening

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. diced fresh rhubarb

3/4. flaked coconut

Cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in rhubarb and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

(I have never used the coconut. I never have any on hand and they are superb without.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 T. butter

3 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually add in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies. Store in fridge.

Yield: 5 dozen

These do freeze well. It is also best to use tender stalks of rhubarb.