Russian Tea Cakes

Also known as "Wedding Cookies". This is my mother-in-laws recipe and my first attempt at baking them. A co-worker and friend gathered on Sunday to bake and put together Christmas goodie boxes for fellow physicians and their staff members. We made a variety of treats, including these Russian Tea Cakes. They looked great in the boxes and tasted like the ones we had as children. Enjoy!

The Ingredients:
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans chopped fine in a chopper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cream together the first two ingredients, add the vanilla and then stir in the flour and salt. Add the nuts and mix well. Roll into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet. (These will not expand so they can be placed close together). Bake for 12 minutes. After removing from oven roll each ball into the powdered sugar while hot. Set aside and let them completely cool and then roll each ball in the powdered sugar again.

Yields approximately 4 dozen.

Russian Tea Cakes

The Great Food Blogger Swap 2012: Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This year I was excited to be able to participate in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.  Money collected by each participate went to support Kid's Cancer through the organization Cookies For Kids Cancer.  The cookie swap was a really fun event in that I received names and addresses of three fellow bloggers, and three bloggers received all of my information.  No one knew who got who's name until you received your packages of cookies in the mail.  As the deadline grew closer my boys waited patiently for our cookies to arrive and once they did we were treated to some delicious tasting treats and I have been introduced to some pretty amazing bloggers.

The cookies I made, packaged and mailed were Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The recipe I used was a new to me recipe that I discovered from the blog Six Sisters' Stuff.  Not only are they the easiest cookies to make, they are very yummy too!

For these cookies you will need:
1 (18.25 oz) box cake mix, any flavor
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder.  Add the eggs and oil.  Mix until blended well and then stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Be sure to check out these fabulous blogs that have been introduced to me through The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap:

Meet Claire at www.claireknudsen.wordpress.com (your chocolate-peppermint cookies are delicious!)
Carrie can be found at  www.kissmywhisk.com (the Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate and Caramel were AMAZING!)
Kelli blogs at www.thecornerkitchen.blogspot.com (the Snickerdoodles with White Chocolate Chunks instantly disappeared!)
Say Hi to Toni at www.atasteofalaska.blogspot.com
Laura's blog is www.ringfingertanline.com
Stephanie can be found at www.munchimunch.blogspot.com 

A HUGE Thank You to Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen for organizing the event!  Now, what to bake next year...

The Great Food Blogger Swap 2012: Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

My life has been a crazy blur these past few weeks.  Big changes at work (positive, exciting changes I should add), track meets, school activities, last minute tax preparation...you get the picture.  What better way to relax on an activity-free Saturday than with a cookie that you mix and cook right in the skillet.  Spoon a scoop of ice cream on top, pass out some spoons, and dig in.  Talk about a yummy treat to indulge in after a long busy week.  Go ahead, you deserve it!

Recipe adapted from: Sophistimom

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What you need:
1 stick 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks


How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Next, stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let the mixture rest until the pan is warm, but no longer very hot, (about 5 minutes).
2. Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

Thumbing through recipe cards last weekend while looking for my chocolate chip muffin recipe, I came across a recipe card that a dear friend of mine from Texas gave me about a year ago.  I used to babysit her two little munchkins and most mornings they would arrive at my house with these delicious looking cookie bars.  I finally gave in and asked her what she was sending with them and if I could have the recipe because they looked amazingly delicious.  A few mornings later she arrived with the kids and the recipe for the breakfast cookies and I stuck it in a recipe book, completely forgetting about it.  I was so excited to come across this forgotten card of yumminess and decided to make the cookies instead of the planned muffins that morning for breakfast.  Just picture the surprised looks on my boys' faces when I called them to the table for breakfast and served cookies to them on their plates.  I can proudly say I got the mom award that day.

These cookies taste incredible, they are filling and best of all...freezable!  After we were done with breakfast I put the remaining cookies in a zip lock freezer bag and put them in the freezer.  These are wonderful to eat straight out of the freezer with a hot cup of coffee or cold glass of milk.

My favorite recipes are the handwritten ones given to me from friends....

Printer Friendly Version


What you need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup oats

1 cup chocolate chips  (or your favorite chip, white chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.)

3 cups cheerios 

*the cookies pictured above were made with 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips)

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl combine butter and peanut butter with electric mixer for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, baking soda and salt.  Beat until combined.  Beat in water, egg and vanilla for one minute.  Beat in flour, followed by the oatmeal until well combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and cheerios.  Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Let cool on pan for 3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  

A few substitution suggestions:

*3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup splenda 

*1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat 

Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

Red Velvet Chip Cookies!

Tonight I am baking Red Velvet Chip Cookies for my boys' teachers, friends and of course for my own little Valentines.  I wanted a red cookie, something festive, something a little unique and of course something ridiculously delicious!  I stumbled upon this cookie recipe posted by Sweet Dreaming and knew this was the cookie I had been looking for.  I just finished my first batch, and not only are they a beautiful red cookie, they are moist and absolutely delicious!  I am so pleased with how these turned out, I wanted to immediately share with all of you, just in time for your own Valentine's Day celebrations!  Happy Heart Day dear friends!  Much love!

What you need:

1 box Red Velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until a dough forms.  Dough will be thick!  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cookies stand on pan for about 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 30 cookies.

the dough...

Roll them into balls...

Yumtastic!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Chip Cookies!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earlier this week I baked these cookies for a cookie swap I was invited to by a large group of woman from my husband's company.  It was my very first cookie swap and it was SO MUCH FUN!  We had a wonderful white chicken chili prepared by the host and had a fabulous time eating cookies and chatting.  To top it off at the end of the night we filled our bags full of each others cookies to bring home and I can't wait to get my copy of all the recipes that the host is in the process of compiling.  For the swap I decided to try a new cookie.  This one caught my eye because it was minty and green, a perfect cookie for a Christmas get together.  These cookies were so moist, minty and chocolatey, I have decided to make them for my neighbors and am including the recipe in with my Christmas cards!

PRINTABLE VERSION
The Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1 egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
8 drops green food coloring
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color, and egg until soft dough forms.  Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.
2.  Using a small cookie scoop drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until set.  Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
4.  Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Makes 36 cookies  

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some pretty fantastic cookies.  I really enjoy trying out new recipes I find on the back of products, which is where I found this recipe, on the package of some Ghirardelli Premium Baking Chips.

The only thing I changed up was instead of two cups of the Milk Chocolate Chips I used one cup of the Milk Chocolate and one cup of some white chocolate chips I had on hand that needed to be used.  The combo of the white and milk chocolate was pretty yumtastic...just ask my kids!

PRINTABLE VERSION
the yummies:
2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.  Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
3.  Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy.
4.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.
5.  Gradually blend dry mixture into cream mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).
6.  Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets.
7.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies