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.

 

Chocolate Covered Candy Coated Pretzel Sticks

Now that's a mouthful!!!! These are so simple to make and taster delicious, not to mention, people will think you spend hours slaving over a hot stove making these... NOT!

 Here you have all the little guys drying on the pan before they go into the fridge.

Here is what you do... this recipe comes out of my head... so no 'official' recipe.  Place your 'candies' in little dishes.

I chose: Mini white chocolate chips...

 ... skor bits (my favourites)...

 ... red cinnamon sugar...

 ...little Christmas balls...

 ... and chopped nuts...

This whole recipe is brought to you by Bulk Barn. This is where I found the thick pretzel rods. They are perfect for this.

I bought dark chocolate 'pastilles', they are meant for melting.

All I did was place them in the microwave for 30 seconds in a Pyrex cup then stir the melted chips, then for another 30 seconds and stir again until they are all melted. 

 Dip the pretzel into the melted chocolate and shake off any excess.

 Sprinkle your candies on top and lay them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

 Check out my dips. The cinnamon sugar.

 The skor bits.

 The mini white chocolate chips.

The little Christmas balls.

And last but not least... the peanuts.  Let me tell you, these were a hit... Just ask all my work friends who got a little 3-pack for Christmas!

Light and Delicious Baking for the Holidays - Part 3

Two-Toned Mini Cheesecakes (adapted from http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/two-toned-chocolate-mini-cheesecake-127045.aspx)

Ingredients:

3 Peek Freans Lifestyle Selections Dark Chocolate with a hint of Cherry, crushed (about 3 Tbsp.)

1 pkg. (250 g) Philadelphia Light Brick Cream Cheese Spread 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar blend sugar replacement

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 egg

1 square Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted 2 Tbsp.

HEAT oven to 325ºF.

SPRINKLE 1 tsp. crumbs onto bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups.

BEAT cream cheese spread, cottage cheese, sugar replacement and vanilla in medium bowl with mixer until well blended. Add yogurt and cornstarch; mix well. Add egg; beat just until blended.

MIX 3/4 cup batter with melted chocolate. Pour remaining batter over crumbs; top with chocolate batter. Use a toothpick to swirl the 2 colours around.

BAKE 26 to 30 min. or until centres are almost set. Cool 30 min. Refrigerate 3 hours. I topped each mini cheesecake with a dark chocolate covered pomegranate. I used little paper liners, but I wouldn’t recommend that as they just got ‘wet’ from being in the fridge.

This will make 12 little cakes or 24 mini cakes (which I did)

Nutritional information for 1 of 12 mini cheesecakes or 2 of 24 mini cheesecakes

Calories 110

Fat 6g

Sugar 5g

Carb 9g

Protein 6g

Light and Delicious Cookie for the Holidays- Part 2

Skinny Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles (adapted from Skinnytaste.com)

These are the other ones my mother baked for Christmad, the are pictured at the back of the plate. They were more 'bland' and would be good with a cup of coffee or tea. They are quite low in calories so you could enjoy a couple at a time.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tbsp agave

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats and spray with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Combine1 cup of sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.   Add the agave, vanilla and egg; beatwell.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating just until combined.  Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine 3 tbsp sugar with cinnamon, stirring with a whisk to combine.  With moist hands, shape dough into 42 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets (I slightly flattened them).   Bake 375°F for 5-7 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft).  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.  Enjoy!

Servings:42

1 cookie

Calories: 50.9

 • Fat: 1.3 g

 • Carb: 9.5 g

 • Fiber: 0.7 g

 • Protein: 0.8 g

 • Sugar: 5.9 g

Light and Delicious Cookie for the Holidays

Almond-Orange-Cardamom Cookies (adapted from http://www.besthealthmag.ca/recipe/almond-orange-cardamom-cookies)

My mom made these nutty cookies that are packed with heart-healthy almonds and delicately flavoured with orange and cardamom (which she says is quite expensive by the way- but they were our favourites this season)- check tomorrow for the other cookie recipe on this plate.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) slivered almonds

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (10 mL) ground cardamom

1/4 (2 mL) teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup (90 mL) powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons (10 mL) grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon (3 mL) almond extract

28 whole natural almonds

Directions:

Spread almonds onto an ungreased baking pan. Place in a 350ºF oven and bake about 7 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant; stir once or twice to ensure even browning.

Place slivered almonds in a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside. Stir together flour, cardamom and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the butter in a medium bowl and beat at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in the egg yolk, orange zest and almond extract. Add flour mixture and ground almonds and beat at low speed just until blended. Cover and chill.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Press a whole natural almond in the centre of each ball. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the underside is lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes 28 servings.

Nutritional information PER SERVING

80 calories

6 g total fat

<1 g fibre

6 g carbohydrate

2 g protein

A little Christmas Indulgence... it's ok!

So alot of what my healthy living mentors (Wharton Clinic, Dr. Oz) mention is that you should not try to lose weight during the Holidays, but just maintain your weight. Some of the great strategies they all mention is to make sure you still get some activity... well let me tell you on Boxing Day, Melanie and I went for a good hour long walk outside exploring the neighbourhood! And think of all the time you might have spent cooking, preparing, getting your house clean for the Holidays... that's activity too!

The other thing they mention is that it is ok to have a small portion of a special food on a special occassion. Well let me tell you... I did just that and 'logged' all the food I had on myfitnesspal.com for the day and it was all within my calorie count. That's because I ate so many veggies those days...

...when I knew there might be a little treat to indulgence in- like this one...

My mother received these beautiful gourmet truffles as a hostess gift over the Holidays and she decided to share them with us on Christmas Day. Well, I tried the truffle with the 'red splat' and it was a delicious and decadent dark chocolate and raspberry dream. One of my favourite combinations!

  

We enjoyed some delicious Christmas turkey, I had some breast meat of course, but I did indulge in a little skin let me tell you! 

We wore our 'Indulgent Christmas Hats'! 

This was my Christmas dinner plate. See, half the plate is vegetables (okay, I know potatoes are counted as a vegetable). I had some turkey with a little bit of gravy, some homemade cranberry sauce, some steamed broccoli in lemon and cashews, some boiled potatoes with cranberries and walnuts and some shredded brussel sprouts with a bit of bacon. I did not have the bun/bread with butter on the side that I would have usually enjoyed- I could have that stuff any day. This was a special meal so I ate really beautifully created special Christmas food. Like these ligther versions of traditional Christmas Baking.

These you all saw on previous blog entries. These are the Christmas cookies I baked. Deep Dark Chocolate cookies, 'Sugar Cookies', Orange Ginger Molasses cookies, Almond, Cranberry dark chocolate chip cookies and these 'weird almond cinnamon merringue' mistakes (won't be sharing that recipe).



Happy and Healthy Christmas at my Parents Home

This year my mother and I decided to revamp the Christmas Eve/Christmas Dinner menu and make it healthier and lower in fat and calories. I think we did a great job and no one noticed that it wasn't 'regular' Christmas food.  Check it out...

I got this idea from another blogger (http://jensownroad.blogspot.com/search/label/baby%20shower)
and thought this would be a great substitute for the usual and very heavy chocolate foundue. Since strawberries are usually our favourite things to dip in chocolate... this was a great alternative

So you take some Angel Food Cake and cut it into small cubes and skewer them with strawberries. Lay them on some cookie sheets covered with wax paper.

Take some dark and delicious chocolate and melt it in the microwave. I chose this delicious/organic/good for you Green & Black 70% Dark Organic chocolate bar. You can melt it in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, only do 1 minute at a time and then stir it so you don't scortch it.

And there you have it. Art with chocolate! Just use a fork to drizzle it on the skewers and then place in the fridge.

Close up shot.

My sister and I enjoying them on Christmas Eve, pretending to have a skewer sword fight...Corny, I know.

Talking about my sister.... look at her and her husband... and her little- but getting bigger- pregnant belly. She is now 6 months pregnant. Yipee!

So this is a Christmas Eve "Healthy Food Mash Up" for you to check out and see what we enjoyed.

• For appetizers we had veggies and light ranch dip
• Cold shrimp and cocktail sauce
• Zippy Hot Broccoli Dip. This delicious hot dip- lightened up- was delicious with rice crackers http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/zippy-hot-broccoli-dip-91892.aspx
• For Dinner we enjoyed a fresh Boston Bibb salad with almonds and cranberries
• A French-Canadian Tourtiere (ok, that's not a light choice- but I just had a small piece)
• Some pickled beets and olives
• Here's my plate- lots of salad, small tourtiere, small piece of ham and some olives
• And finally, some delicious Strawberry/Angel food cake skewers.

But Christmas is not just about food, it's about family and celebrating love and sharing and of course- the birth of baby Jesus, but check out what happens when my family gets together...

Present explosion!!!!! My parents have always spoiled us like crazy and this year was no different. Here's Melanie standing on top of the mountain of presents on Christmas Eve.

Here's a Happy Holidays from the Hallidays Pose!

Ok, here's another one of Julie's baby belly, I couldn't resist, it's so exciting to think that next Christmas we will have a brand new baby to love and spoil and share the magic of Christmas with!

My wonderful parents-thanks for the memories!

The ladies of Christmas say 'Cheese'.

Christmas Baking- Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies (divine-baking.com)

Holy Cow! These are the most deep, rich, dark tasting chocolate cookies I have ever made. I bought a large organic bitter sweet chocolate bar and chopped it up and boy, let me tell you, it was absolutely decadent. Dark chocolate virgins, beware!!!

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided

3 large egg whites, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Yield: Makes about 24

Nutrional Information:

83 calories

15g carbs

3g fat

 1g protein

 2g fibre

12g sugar (look laila, I added the sugar content for you)

Christmas Baking- Low Fat Gingerbread Cookies

Low Fat Gingerbread Cookies (http://www.skinnytaste.com/)

This recipe makes soft gingerbreads. Not the kind that break your teeth.

Here's the final picture. I call them Gingerbread Freaks because my icing piping skills kind of 'suck' and they all look a little freaky!

I made the dough the night before, so the next morning Mella and I had to pick a shape... what to choose....

She was such a helpful little elf with these cookies. Rolling the dough...

Cutting out the cookies... we chose the tradtional gingerbread man shape and a little teddy bear too.

After I had a piping nightmare, Mella tried to make them a little prettier with a few little sprinkles.

  

Ingredients:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1/3 cup dark molasses

3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

For the Icing:

1 1/2 tbsp egg whites

1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

Directions:

For the cookies:

In a large mixing bowl, Beat the butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth.  Add the egg and molasses, mix well. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices. Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well. Divide the dough into two flat balls; cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously dust the surface of your working area with flour before rolling out the dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keep the other refrigerated while you do so.

 Roll the dough out to 1/4 or 1/8-inch thickness, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough if it's a little sticky. Cut the gingerbread with a cookie cutter shape of your choice. Place cookies 1 or 2 inches apart on a silpat-lined baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

For the icing:

Mix the egg whites with lemon juice.  Combine with powdered sugar, mixing well. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if it's too thick add a drop of lemon juice.  Add to a piping bag to decorate cookies when cookies are cooled.

Servings:48

Calories: 66.2 , Fat:0.8 g, Carb: 14.9 g , Fiber:0.1 g , Protein:0.9 g , Sugar: 8.5 g 

Christmas Baking- Low Fat Holiday Sugar Cookies

Low Fat Holiday Sugar Cookies (lowfatcooking.about.com)

You know the kind you leave out for Santa....

With almost half the butter of most sugar cookies, you can treat yourself to one of these low fat Christmas cookies without feeling too guilty.

Ingredients:

•5 tbsp butter, softened

•3/4 cup sugar

•1 egg

•1 tsp vanilla extract

•1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

•1 tsp baking powder

•1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter and sugar until dough forms. Don't worry if the dough seems a little crumbly at first; it will come together. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for two hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch or 1/8-inch thickness. Use holiday cookie cutters dipped in flour to make cutouts. Gather scraps and re-roll until all the dough is used.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack after 1 minute to cool.

Makes 30 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters used.

Nutrional information:

Per serving: Calories 65, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2.2g (sat 1.3g), Cholesterol 12mg, Sodium 38mg, Carbohydrate 10.3g, Fiber 0.2g, Protein 1g

More Healthier Christmas Baking Recipes- Almond Cranberry Bites

Almond Cranberry Bites (adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/)

These are delicious. I love the Almond Extract Flavour, it makes them taste them so 'Almondy'.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whole almonds

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries or cranberries ( I used cranberries)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon canola oil

1 large egg white

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Grind almonds and sugar in a food processor to desired texture: a coarser texture will give you small almond pieces in the cookie; a fine grind will give great almond flavour without any crunch from the almonds. (Be careful to not overgrind: you will get almond paste.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add cherries/cranberries, flour and chocolate chips; mix to combine.

3. Add oil, egg white, and vanilla and almond extracts; mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.

4. Shape the dough into walnut-size balls with your hands or a small cookie scoop (about 1 rounded tablespoon each) and place 1 1/2 inches apart on a large, ungreased baking sheet.

5.Bake until the bottoms are golden (the top will stay white), 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutriotional Information per cookie:

101 calories

4 g fat

15 g carbohydrates

2 g protein

1 g fibre