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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hello Magic Layer Bars

These cookies come with many many different names. Hello Dolly, Magic Cookie Bars, 7 layer bars, etc. There maybe more that I do not know, but they are yummy, easy and FAST

Hello Magic Layer Bars
1 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chocolate chips (this time I used Christmas chips, red, green and chocolate)
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup coconut
1 cut walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk


Preheat oven to 350
Melt butter, add graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Pat into the bottom of a 11x8 inch pan.
Sprinkle on chips, then butterscotch chips, coconut and finish up with the walnuts
Pour the sweetened condensed milk over all. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes
Cool, cut into bars. 
YUMMY

Cranberry Bread Cookies


Cranberry Bread Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs
3 1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice


Cream shortening and butter until light. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, continue to cream until light and fluffy. 
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cream of tarter and cinnamon.  
Add flour to creamed mixture. Beat in cranberries, walnuts and orange juice.
Cover and chill overnight (at least 8 hours)
ready to chill!

Preheat the oven to 375, line baking sheets with parchment (this time it really is important! The cranberries were sticking to the parchment!)
Put the rest of the sugar into a small bowl. Use the medium scoop, drop balls of dough into the bowl of sugar.  Roll to cover completely. The dough is still sort of sticky, so I dipped the scoop into the sugar to make it not stick.  Place the sugar covered dough balls onto parchment lined baking sheets

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are browned. 
Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 
Makes about 3 dozen

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

India Flowers

Happy Diwali!

India Flowers
2 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons ground cardamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
Decoration
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment

Combine powdered sugar and cardamon for the decoration step. Set aside
Combine flour, cardamon and salt in a small bowl, set aside
Cream butter, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 
Beat in flour and add the nuts
The mixture will seem very very dry, keep beating and it will come together. 
Use the medium scoop, and scoop out a ball of dough. Roll in your hands to 
make it smooth. Then roll them in the powdered sugar/cardamon mixture. 
Place those on the parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in the powdered sugar 
mix

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
Cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely. 
Makes 1 1/2 dozen. 




Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Pumpkin no prints

This cookies was supposed to be a thumbprint kind of cookie, but I just did not want that much icing. If you want to do a thumbprint, you can!

PUMPKIN NO PRINTS
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg, separated
1 teaspoon water
1 cup pecans finely chopped (more or less)
Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon softened butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons milk

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 
In the bowl of the mixer combine butter and brown sugar. Beat at medium speed till well mixed, about 2 minutes. 
Add pumpkin, egg yolk  and continue beating till well combined
Reduce speed to low, add the flour mixture. Beat one minute, or until well blended. 
Cover, refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight. 
Preheat oven to 350
Line baking sheets with parchment
Whisk egg white and water till egg white is frothy. Place pecans in another small bowl. 
Using the medium scoop, make 1 inch balls. Dip the tops of the balls in the egg white, then roll in the pecans and place on prepared baking sheets.  You can either flatten them slightly or make a thumbprint in the middle. If you make a thumbprint you will have to push it down again while the cookies are warm out of the oven

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are set and the bottoms are slightly browned. 
Just out of the oven

FROSTING
Mix butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl and add to butter/sugar mixture.  The frosting should be thin, you want it to be drizzled on top. 

Makes 1 1/2 dozen