Butter Spice Cookies

So here is what was in the Valentine's Day tin. Butter and Spice and Everything Nice!

I found this recipe on the web and since I didn't have heart shaped cookie cutters that were small enough, I used this small undulated shaped. I didn't follow the details about the cookies being in the fridge ... but them in the freezer instead.... but for too long. So they were very hard to handle, but they turned out absolutely delicious!

Heart-Shaped Spice Cookies

(adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/heart-shaped-spice-cookies-10000001892164/)

Ingredients:

·         2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour 

·         1 teaspoon  ground ginger 

·         1 teaspoon  cinnamon 

·         1/2 teaspoon  ground nutmeg 

·         1 teaspoon  baking powder 

·         1/8 teaspoon  salt 

·         16 tablespoons  unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1 cup  packed light brown sugar 

 

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt.

In a separate large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, and beat until mixture forms a stiff yet pliable dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. ( I added my sprinkles here). Bake until cookies are firm in center, about 10 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Merry Christmas Cookies

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year filled with out-of-this world amazing new adventures! I thought I would share a very Christmasy Cookie recipe with you today. Taken from the old Canadian Living Cookbook I had in my cupboard.

 I hope you celebrate and share these with the ones you love!

Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies

     

Ingredients

    2 C butter -- softened

    1 C sugar

    1/2 tsp peppermint extract

    4 C flour

    1/3 C crushed candy canes

Directions

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the peppermint extract. Gradually add the flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, and mix well. Shape dough into 4 logs, each about 4 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 3 days. Can be frozen in airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Using a serrated knife, cut logs into 1/4 inch thick slices; place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes; remove and sprinkle 1/4 tsp crushed candy in centre of each. Return to oven; bake for 2 minutes or until firm to the touch, bottoms are golden and candies are melted. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes; transfer to rack and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Christmas Baking Time- Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

I love Christmas Baking time. It brings me joy, knowing I will be sharing these goodies with family and friends. This year, as in previous years, I will be focusing on healthier ingredients. This recipe fulfills my goals, it contains: oatmeal, walnuts and cranberries. I brought them to a pot luck Christmas party and they were a hit! 

 

 

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

(adapted from http://happyhourprojects.com/holiday-baking-cranberry-walnut-oatmeal-cookies/)

Ingredients

•2 sticks (1 cup) softened

•1 c. sugar ( I used 1/2 cup)

•1 c. brown sugar

•2 eggs

•1 tsp. vanilla

•2 c. flour

•3 c. quick cook oats

•1 tsp. baking soda

•1 tsp. salt

•½ tsp. cinnamon

•1 c. dried cranberries

•1 c. chopped walnuts

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375F.

2.Cream together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.

3.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and oats.

4.Stir your oat mixture into your wet ingredients a little at a time until well-blended.

5.Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

6.Drop by tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (About the size of a walnut.)

7.Bake for 8-10 minutes. Baking times will always vary with your altitude and weather pressure, so keep a close eye on new recipes to find the ideal baking time for your oven! Less cooking time will yield a softer and chewier cookie – if you prefer your cookies more crunchy, try baking them on the longer side.

 

To make them nice, round even shapes, I used a small ice cream scooper to portion them out.

This recipe yields 4 dozen cookies.

 

A few of my huband's favourite things...

Peanut butter and some football, to start...

I love my husband, and so when I want him to enjoy some healthy alternatives to the usual Sunday NFL snacks, I make him some homemade, heart healthy snacks. Quacamole is one of his favourites, and I thought I would try incorporating Chia seeds -full of Omega-3 and fibre- into some oatmeal peanut butter cookies.  Of course, served warm from the oven with a cup of his favourite tea in his team mug, it was a recipe for success!

... and for me, a little dark chocolate, just a few little chips, makes the whole thing a totally delicious snack. Check his little cute smile in the background!

Here's the recipe:

Chia Seed Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

 (adapted from: http://www.hungryhealthygirl.com/2013/02/26/chia-seed-peanut-butter-oat-cookies/)

Yield: 24 cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie, Calories per serving: 133

Ingredients

    1.5 cups rolled oats

    1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

    1 tsp baking powder

    2 tbsp Chia seeds

    1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature & unmelted (I used butter)

    1/2 cup Stevia baking blend (brown sugar would also work)

    3/4 cup peanut butter or other nutbutter

    2 eggs

    2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine oats, flour, baking powder and Chia seeds in a medium bowl and set aside.  Add coconut oil, Stevia, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat ingredients together using an electric mixer.

Gradually add oat mixture to wet mixture and stir together with the electric mixer. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon about 1.5 tbsp of dough onto baking sheet that has been prepared with parchment paper or natural cooking spray. I like a flatter cookie, so I used my hands to flatten dough and shape it in to a circle. These cookies will not spread, so you can set them on the baking sheet close to another cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes.

...couldn't wait to taste those golden, puffy mounds of chia, peanut butter, oatmeal goodness!

 

Oh, there's one of my husband's favourite things-  Kiss... and me serving him some fresh baked wholesome peanut butter cookies in his old Kiss concert tee, PRICELESS!!!

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

You wanna add some health to some homemade cookies?  Here's what you do... add oatmeal and whole wheat flour.

I present to you the....

Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Adapted from (http://www.versagrain.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal-cookie-recipe.html)

Ingredients (Serves 30)

·         1 cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)

·         1 cup Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1/2 cup butter, softened

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

·         1/2 cup peanut butter

·         1 egg

·         1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

·         6 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, add butter, sugars, and peanut butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Then mix in egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture a 1/2 cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in chocolate.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto non-stick baking sheets. (Avoid using baking sheets you have to grease because the grease can cause your chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies to burn.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Two extra minutes can mean the difference between rocks or soft chewy oatmeal peanut butter cookies.

Allow cookies to cool 1 - 2 minutes before removing and placing them on wire racks to cool completely.

Check our the gooey batter.

Big scoops...

...they come out so delicious...

...just look at the up close and personal shot after my first bite!

My first attempt at Biscotti

Yup, this was my first attempt at making Biscotti.... and let me tell you.... they turned out real good! So here are the details.

Biscotti is a healthy alternative during the Holidays as they are made with very little fat and you can fill them with healthy things such as almonds and cranberries.

Here's the recipe I tried:

Cranberry-Almond Biscotti

Adapted from http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cranberry-almond-biscotti

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped (2 1/2 ounces)

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.

2.In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar at medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the butter and almond extract. Pour the egg mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the dried cranberries and almonds.

3.Using lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 2 slightly flattened 10-inch logs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. Let the logs cool slightly.

4.Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the logs 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet cut sides up and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the biscotti are lightly browned and crisp. Let cool completely before serving.

SERVINGS: MAKES 2 DOZEN BISCOTTI

Nutritional Details for one cookie:

Calories 111 kcal, Total Fat 3.5 gm, Saturated Fat 1.2 gm, Protein 2 gm, Carbohydrates 18 gm.

I would definitively make these again, next time pecans and dried apricots or dried cherries and dark chocolate chips... ok stop me!!!

Best Ever Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

Seriously speaking, this is the best cookie I have ever made in my life. It's a soft ginger molasses cookie and it comes out perfectly round and delightfully delicious!

 Here's the recipe to follow, I suggest doubling-tripling it for the holidays!

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/big-soft-ginger-cookies/

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened (I used butter)

1 cup white sugar (I used organic cane sugar)

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar (I used organic cane sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container

Makes 2 dozens cookies

Calories:

 143 calories,    Carbohydrates   21g, Fat  6 g, Fiber   0.4 g,   Protein 1.6g

I don't usually place the percent daily value, however, look at how high the levels are. This is about triple the amount of a 'regular' cookie.  Iron 8 %, Thiamin 10 %, Niacin 8 %, Vitamin B6 2 %, Magnesium 4 %, Folate 13 %. 

Part of my goal is to eat 'clean' when I can. this product is inexpensive and can be found at Loblaws in the Organic Food section. 

 Here's the molasses- it's so good, check out what I found...

"A by-product of sugar extraction from either sugar cane or sugar beet, molasses retains a variety of minerals, making it a nutritious source of energy compared to plain sugar, which is stripped of non-energy nutrients during processing."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/506766-the-healthy-benefits-of-molasses/#ixzz2EOukP9e9

Oooooh, if you scratch this picture, you can smell what heaven smells like, cinnamon, ginger and sweet spice! Or is that girls????

Look at the before and after.

 And a great big picture of the Big Soft Ginger Cookie and her friends! Trust me, make them and watch them disappear!