Cranberry Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

This is my second year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. It's so much fun and I love that we partner with Cookies for Kids Cancer to help support this amazing non-profit!

Once you've signed up to participate in the swap, you're assigned three other food bloggers and send each one a dozen cookies. Then you get three dozen cookies in the mail! My kids were loving this and came home each day waiting for our swap cookies to arrive. The one requirement is that we're to make a cookie that is new to us. I searched high and low and found a recipe for pistachio shortbread cookies. Well...after seeing the price of pistachios (holy sticker shock!) I decided to take the base recipe and make a few modifications to use common ingredients that I always have in my pantry - dried cranberries and ground vanilla beans.

These cookies are easy to make and modify to whatever flavor you want! They would be great with fresh orange zest or lemon zest instead of the vanilla....the possibilities are endless!

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add in the vanilla extract and mix. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and ground vanilla bean. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients with the butter-sugar mixture until a dough forms. Stir in the cranberries by hand.

On a foot long piece of plastic wrap, form the dough into a log about 9 to 10 inches long, about 2.5 inches thick. Wrap the dough and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours, preferably overnight.

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the dough with a serrated knife 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick and place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your cookies. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

After packaging up the cookies, I sent a dozen off to:

A Zesty Bite
Dang that's Delicious 
Cooking with Curls

I received cookies from the following bloggers:

The Freshman Cook sent me the cutest Gingerbread Men. The kids gobbled them up!
Susan from A Less Processed Life sent delicious Billionaire Bars..I devoured these!
The Toasted Sprinkle sent a dozen Cris Kringle cookies. My husband loved these!

Shortbread cookie recipe slightly adapted from The View From the Great Island

Biscoff Blossoms - SRC Cookie Carnival

I know you're confused why I'm sharing another Secret Recipe Club post this month, but we decided it would be fun to do a cookie carnival. Just like regular reveal days for the SRC, I received an assignment, but this time I had to pick only a cookie recipe from Fantastical Sharing.

Sarah runs the SRC, along with her blog, her two (soon to be three) kids and everything else that comes with life as a military wife. Sarah and I both started our blogs the same way - sharing our recipes with friends and family and tackling the continuously growing pile of recipes we've been saving. Definitely check out all the recipes Sarah has posted - you'll get so many great ideas for new meals to make.

So after looking through cookie recipes, I decided on the traditional peanut butter blossoms, but with a twist. The only reason there's a little twist is because we're almost out of peanut butter (which is a tragedy if that happens!), so I made a substitution and used Biscoff.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup Biscoff cookie spread

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 egg

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. In a small bowl, place 1/4 cup sugar. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening and Biscoff. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda, Mix well and then add in the egg, milk and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour until the batter forms. 

Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop out small balls of dough. Roll the dough into the 1/4 cup sugar and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Remove the oven and immediately place an unwrapped Hershey kiss in the center of the cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to completely cool. 

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Oatmeal Lace Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

This month's Fill the Cookie Jar group is all about Christmas cookies! I had a hard time picking a cookie for this month's theme. I've been making a lot of cookies recently and running out of ideas, so off to Pinterest I went. I did a generic search for Christmas cookies and found a recipe for oatmeal lace cookies. This was a new recipe for me and have never seen them before.

The recipe was super simple and it made the most delicious crispy, chewy cookies! They're also buttery, sweet and reminded me of caramel. I sent the majority of them with my husband to work... they would be dangerous if they were left at home with me all day!

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

3 Tbsp flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir the mixture together often until its combined and smooth. Turn off heat and add in the remaining ingredients. 

Scoop the batter out by teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave two inches between cookies and they will spread. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until they're golden brown. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. 

Source: Add a Pinch 

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles #FilltheCookieJar

It's the first Thursday of November and that means time to Fill the Cookie Jar! Where did October go? I can't believe we're already six days into November and the holidays are right around the corner. This month's theme was Thanksgiving and I really struggled finding a recipe to make. I was originally thinking about something with cranberries, but after asking my husband for suggestions, he wanted something with pumpkin.

I found an easy recipe to make pumpkin snickerdoodles. OMG...they're amazing. I'm trying to resist eating the rest of the container as I type this up. They're what you love about snickerdoodles - soft and full of cinnamon - but with a twist of pumpkin thrown in there. 

2 3/4 cup whole wheat white flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 egg

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Mix in the egg at medium speed and then the pumpkin puree. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until the cookie batter comes together. 

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Using a small scoop, roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and continue until all the dough has been rolled into balls. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies start to lightly brown but still look puffy. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Source: Baked Perfection

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Candy Corn Swirl Cookies - #Fillthecookiejar

It's the first Thursday of the month and that means - cookie time! This month's theme for the Fill the Cookie Jar Group is Halloween/Pumpkin. I decided to go with a Halloween themed cookie this month and saved pumpkin for an option for next month. I'm behind on decorating, getting the kids costumes and looking at my calendar for the month of October, it's going to be a struggle to get everything in that I want to.

So now onto the cookies. They're a simple sugar cookie recipe, colored with dye and then rolled up. They could be made for any season or in a variety of colors. I thought it would be fun to do candy corn colors, since it's my favorite candy at Halloween. My daughter was excited for them since I haven't made cookies in a couple of weeks.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
food coloring - orange & yellow (or whatever colors you want to make your cookies)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the two sticks of butter until it's soft and creamy. Add the sugar and mix. Add in the egg, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until the ingredients are creamy and everything is combined. Add the flour one cup at time to finish the dough. If the dough is sticky, add more flour (1/4 cup at a time) until the dough is no longer sticky.

Divide the dough into three even amounts. Color one orange, color the other yellow, and leave the last one uncolored. Wrap all the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to firm up and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.

Once the dough is firm, roll out the dough until its 1/2 inch thick. Stack the rolled dough on each other, I started with uncolored,  yellow and then orange. Starting on the long side, roll the dough to form a roll. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. With a knife or piece of thread, cut the dough into 1/2 inch thick cookies. Place the cookies two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cookies are no longer shiny. Allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheets.

Source: The Simple Sweet Life

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Oatmeal Cream Pies with Maple Cream - #FilltheCookieJar

I'm excited for this month's Fill the Cookie Jar reveal! This month's theme was Fall and it gave me so many options to choose from. My sister in law gave me a copy of The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook and I knew it was a great place to start looking for a recipe. The cookbook is broken down into the four seasons, so I went right to the fall section and found this recipe for oatmeal cream pies.

As a child I loved Little Debbie's oatmeal cream pies, but have never made a homemade version. These are so much better than them! I called them a grown up version. They had the perfect amount of spice and toasting the oats brings out an amazing nutty flavor. The original recipe called for a ginger cream but I knew finding crystallized ginger would be difficult, so I substituted maple syrup instead. The cookies are crisp, but I had put the cookies in the fridge due to the heat and humidity and they softened up. That's what I loved about them and really reminded me of my childhood.

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment papers and set aside. On a separate baking sheet, spread out the oats. Place on the baking sheet on the upper rack and make for 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep the oven on to make sure it's preheated to bake the cookies. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the toasted oats by hand. 

Scoop the batter into two tablespoon sized balls and place them two inches apart on the baking sheet. With dampened hands, flatten each to 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes until they were lightly browned and then remove and allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. 

While the cookies are cooling, beat the cream cheese with confectioners sugar until smooth. Add in the maple syrup until combined. Spread the filling onto half of the cookies and then top with the remaining cookies. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

It's time for the August edition of Fill the Cookie Jar! I love cookies and was so excited for this month's theme - Back to School/Kids Favorites. I polled my friends on Facebook to find out their kids favorites since my kids like any variety of cookie. The overwhelming comment was chocolate chip cookies...but I have already made several recipes and next up was oreos. That was a good idea! I love a good sandwich cookie and you can't beat the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

These cookies are soft and not crisp like a traditional oreo. The peanut butter filling was AMAZING! I could have just eaten it right out of the bowl, but that probably would have not been good for my "diet." I didn't realize these cookies would be so big, and would make them half the size next time. I made them for a playdate my daughter was having and one cookie was too big for each of the girls...though one was perfect sized for me. :)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups flour

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars. Add in the vanilla and egg until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until combined. 

Scoop two tablespoon sized balls (or 1 tablespoon if you want smaller cookies) onto the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they lose their glossy shine. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to completely cool.

Once the cookies are cooled, make the filling. 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tsp whole milk or heavy whipping cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and peanut butter. Add in the salt and slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Stir in the vanilla and 2 teaspoons of milk. Add another teaspoon of milk if the filling is not the consistency you want. Transfer the filling into large ziploc bag and cut one of the corners off. Pipe the filling onto half of the cookies. Place another cookie on top and press down softly to spread the filling out. There will be left over filling as the recipe makes a lot. I froze the remaining in an airtight container and plan to use it the next time I make zucchini muffins. 

Source: Crazy for Crust

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Lemon Thins

As you know, cookie recipes are pretty common around here. When I was looking for recipes to review as part of a new cookbook group I joined, I saw this recipe for lemon thins. I liked that they were simple and I had to only pick up a lemon at the store when I went shopping. I was worried that these cookies didn't include a leavening agent, but they turned out pretty good. I prefer a little more substance with cookies, but they were the perfect little snack for the kids. I think if I make them again, I'll bake them a little longer and make sandwich cookies with them...maybe a raspberry filling. Hmm.....

Don't miss your chance to win a copy of Home Made Summer! Click over to my cookbook review to enter!

2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sguar
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup flour
pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until the mixture becomes foamy, approximately 5 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside. In another bowl, beat the softened butter until it becomes whipped and turns lighter in color.

Alternate adding the butter and flour into the egg mixture in small batches. Once the butter and flour have been completely mixed in, then stir in the pinch of salt. Drop small teaspoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. The original recipe calls for only a 5 minute baking time, but my cookies were still soft and jiggly after 5 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to completely cool.

Source: Home Made Summer Cookbook by Yvette van Boven 

Madeleines - The Secret Recipe Club

It's reveal day for The Secret Recipe Club! This month my assignment was Smells Like Brownies. When I saw the assignment email, I was so excited. I've been following Melissa's blog for awhile and always love everything that she posts, so I knew it would be a hard time picking a recipe. I knew I wanted to make a dessert, I mean how could I not especially with the name of Melissa's blog! She's a mommy to a toddler and I'm jealous that she has the time to spend working on complicated recipes during the week.

So after scouring Melissa's blog, I decided on a recipe for Madeleines. My sister-in-law bought me a Madeleine pan for Christmas a couple years ago but I hadn't used it yet, so it was about time! I knew this recipe would take a little time chilling in the fridge, so I made the batter one more before I started working. I work from home, so after I dropped Madeline and Cooper off at daycare, I whipped together the batter before I started working and then baked up the cookies after dinner that night. It worked out perfectly. I substituted lime for lemons - they didn't look that great in the store and I needed limes for another recipe. They were really good and I loved the texture of them. The lime was just what they needed and I can't wait to try them with lemon zest the next time I make Madeleines. 

1/2 cup sugar

zest of a lime

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup flour

3/4 tsp  baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, rub together the sugar and lime zest until the sugar is fragrant. Add the eggs and whisk on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns pale and thick. Beat in the vanilla extract. 

Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and then fold in the melted and cooled butter. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated, but take care not to overmix the batter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter to keep a skin from forming. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. 

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a madeleine pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon the batter evenly into the two indents. The batter will spread, so there's no need to spread it prior to baking. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed on. Remove the cookies from the pan by gently tapping the edge of the pan on the counter. Serve the Madeleines at room temperature or slightly warm with a cup of coffee or tea.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Apple Pie Cookies - #FilltheCookieJar

I'm excited to share this recipe for July's Fill the Cookie Jar Facebook group! This month's theme was patriotic. I didn't want to go with a red,white, blue theme, so I thought more about what exactly patriotism meant. I did a little research to find out what others things they felt were patriotic - answers ranged from flags, freedom, stars and stripes, and someone suggested apple pie. Perfect, but how could I turn that into a cookie?

Of course, where else do I go when I have an idea but need inspiration - PINTEREST! I found this great recipe for apple pie cookies and knew this was it. I loved the recipe, it was super simple and the flavor was perfect. Plus, who doesn't love handheld apple pies?!? The crust, tender apple and spices - YUM!

2 refrigerated pie crusts or a homemade recipe for pie crust
2 medium apples, peeled and shredded
squeeze of lemon juice
3 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp flour
3/4  tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 egg
2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, shred the apples and squeeze out as much juice and discard. This will keep your crust from getting soggy. Return the apples to the bowl and add in the lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, flour and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside. Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl, set aside.

Roll out the pie crust and cut 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles. Make sure to have an even number of circles to have a top and bottom for each cookies. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoons of water to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash on half of the pie crust circles. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the apple mixture onto the egg washed circles. Top each bottom with another piece of crust and crimp the edges to seal the cookies together.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each of the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on each cookie. Cut a small x into the top of each cookie to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely before eating.

Source: Eat Your Heart Out

Coconut Macaroons - #FilltheCookieJar

Today's the reveal for June's Fill the Cookie Jar. We're a group of bloggers that are given a theme for the month and then need to bake a cookie based on the theme. It's fun and I always know I'll be baking at least a dozen cookies each month, that's a win in my book!

This month's theme was Father's Day favorites. This was hard for me as my dad would have celebrated his 56th birthday on Tuesday, but he'll be gone 6 years this August. My dad was diagnosed with melanoma in 2004 and fought a 4 year long battle. My dad loved these chocolate pudding cookies with walnuts, it was always the one cookie we made over the holidays, but I know he would have loved these coconut macaroons too. I remember we would go to a local farmer's market and the Italian bakery would have these giant chocolate covered macaroons. They were so good especially as a child. So to honor my dad and celebrate his birthday, here's a quick and simple recipe for these amazing, delicate cookies.

3 large egg whites

1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

14 oz bag of sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whip together the egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract and salt until the mixture is glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Gently fold in the coconut. 

Scoop the batter on the prepared baking sheets in 2 tablespoons sized balls about 1 inch apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets half way through the cooking process. Let cool completely. I melted about 1/3 of a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I wish I would have dark chocolate) and placed a teaspoon on top and then sprinkled a little fleur de sel salt on top.

Source: Pinterest

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Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

It's time for May's Fill the Cookie Jar! If you're not familiar with Fill the Cookie Jar, it's a group of bloggers that are given a theme to make cookies about and then we all share them. It's a lot of fun and I'm glad I participate monthly!

This month's theme was Mother's Day. Since I've already made a few of my mom's favorite cookies (as well as mine), I decided to make a cookie with a few of my favorite things. I apologize for the lack of posts last week, I was doing a detox and was only eating mainly vegetables and few fruits...nothing fancy or exciting. But I did lose almost 6 pounds, so it was worth it and definitely something that I would continue doing occasionally.

So back to cookies, these are the perfect bite of a few of my favorite things - oatmeal, dark chocolate and coconut! YUM!! They were chewy and best when they were still slightly warm. To make it even better, the batch was donated to my daughter's school for their staff appreciation luncheon. I hope all the teachers and support staff loved them as much as me. I know I'll be making them again!

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup shredded coconut

7 ozs bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. 

Fold in the oats, coconut and chocolate chunks in by hand. Scoop the batter into rounded tablespoons and place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. 

Source: The Greyston Bakery Cookbook 

Carrot Cake Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

Welcome to April's Fill the Cookie Jar - the group of us bloggers who share cookie recipes monthly based on different themes. This month, we were given the theme, Easter/Spring. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Easter and spring is carrot cake. I know...it's random, but once spring hits, it's time to start thinking about what's going in the garden and the beginning of new things. I searched for several recipes and finally settled on the one below. I liked it because it was paleo and took me outside of my baking comfort zone.I had all the ingredients in my pantry except for almond meal, but I knew the nut stand at the local farmer's market would have it.

These cookies are really good, even Cooper gobbled them up! I made them smaller than the original recipe suggested but it was the perfect size for the kids to eat one and be done. The original recipe also recommended them to be topped with coconut butter, but I thought they were perfect as is and decided to skip that step.

2 cups almond meal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup very finely shredded carrots (I used a microplane grater)
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a small bowl, heat the maple syrup on high in a microwave for 10 minutes. Add in the melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and whisk together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the shredded carrot and coconut. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place on the prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches apart. Using the back of the spoon, press down slightly on the balls to form a disc.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are cooked through and starting to turn golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cook. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Source: Healthy Food for Living 

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Chocolate Mint Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

Welcome to the March edition of Fill the Cookie Jar. This month's theme was Green / St. Patrick's Day. When I think of green and cookies, the first thing that comes to mind is mint! I was looking for a St. Patty's day cookie but everything was shamrocks and as you know, I'm still working on finding a sugar cookie recipe...plus I need to start adding cookie cutters to supplies. Speaking of cookie cutters, there's this guy at a farmer's market. His stand is so tiny and he has just about every type of cookie cutter you can imagine and if he doesn't, he'll custom make one for you!

Back to the cookies, I love the combination of chocolate and mint and thought these would be perfect for this month's theme. I love the little swirl of green from the melted Andes Mint on top. I ran out of mints (someone opened the box and ate a few before I made these), so I was able to try them both with and without the melted mint on top. The mint flavor was perfect for me but my husband said he would have preferred them to be "mint-er". I don't think he'll have a problem eating them though. 

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 - 4 drops peppermint essential oil (I use DoTERRA oils)

2-3 packages Andes Mints (4.5 oz)

In a medium pan, melt the butter, brown sugar, water and salt together over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate chips. Stir to melt the chips and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted chocolate with one egg. On low add in the other egg, vanilla and essential oil. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry ingredients until its just combined. If the batter is too sticky or thin, refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Scoop dough into round tablespoons and place two inches apart on a the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, while you're unwrapping the mints. Place a mint on top of each cookie and let it melt for a few minutes. Once it's melted, gently spread the melted chocolate over the mint. Transfer to a cookie sheet to cool completely and the chocolate to set. 

Source: Cooking Classy

Spritz Cookies

I've had a cookie press for many years but have never attempted to use it. It's Pampered Chef, so I'm assuming it's one of the items I bought from having a party. I thought last weekend was the perfect opportunity since I signed up to make cookies for Cooper's daycare and wanted something with few ingredients and I would be comfortable with him eating.

I substituted vanilla extract in place of almond extract in the original recipe because I wasn't sure the kids would like the flavor and because I was out of almond extract. I loved the texture of these cookies and it was fun to have Madeline help me with the sprinkles. If we're feeling better tomorrow, we'll be baking up another batch to leave for Santa.

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in the egg. Add in the dry ingredients, except for the sprinkles and mix until just combined.

Fill the cookie press with the batter and follow the instructions of the cookie press. Press each cookie on an ungreased cookie sheet. It took me a few attempts but I finally figured out the hang of it and was able to go through the batter quickly making cookies. Decorate unbaked cookies with sprinkles, sanding sugar or just leave them plain.

Your cooking temperature will be dependent on the thickness of the cookies. My cookies were on the thicker side so they took around 12 minutes. I started checking them at 7 minutes to make sure I didn't burn them. Remove when they're golden brown and place on a wire rack to completely cool. Store in an air tight container.

Source: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Chocolate Orange Sugar Yeast Cookies - The Secret Recipe Club

Welcome to the December reveal of The Secret Recipe Club! My assignment this month was Cafe Lynnylu. I'm always intrigued by Lynne's recipes as they're unique and something that is usually outside of my comfort zone, which is something I love about the Secret Recipe Club. It forces me to pick a recipe that pushes the boundaries and expands my knowledge and expertise in the kitchen. As usual, I had a hard time narrowing down a recipe but settled on a recipe for Torcettini di St Vincent. I had never heard of these cookies before but thought it would be something that my ancestors would have made. I know very little about my great grandfather who immigrated to the US from a small town in southern Italy, Macchiagodena; even though these cookies originated in Northern Italy.

These little cookies are made with yeast! I loved that they were different than the cookies I have been making, plus I had all the ingredients in my pantry...perfect since I made them during this weekend's snowstorm. I love the hint orange and I would love to try the lemon ones Lynne made as well. Thank you Lynne for sharing these delicious cookies!

1/2 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups flour (remove 2 tablespoons)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp orange zest
40 grams  unsalted butter (a little more than 2 3/4 Tbsp butter), cut into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar

In a small bowl, combine the water and yeast and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, cocoa and salt together. Add in the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is mixed into the flour and it looks powdery.

Add in the orange zest and the yeast/water mixture. Pulse until the mixture comes together in ball. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Allow to rise for at least an hour. The dough doesn't rise like bread does, but if you pinch off a piece, the inside will look like a honey comb. Punch down the down. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerator for at least an hour, maximum of 24 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a small plate, spread out the the 1/3 cup of sugar.

When ready to make the cookies, roll the dough out to a 6 inch square. If it's tacky, sprinkle lightly with sugar. Cut the dough into 4 equal width strips. Cut each strip into 6 pieces, making a total of 24 squares. Roll each square into a rope (pencil thick) approximately 5 inches long. Continue rolling the squares into ropes. Roll the ropes into the sugar and then shape them into a loop crossing the ends over each other.

Bake for 25 minutes until they're golden brown. Cool completely on a rack before storing in an air-tight container.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I'm so excited to post today! This is my first time participating in the annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap - this is the third year of the swap. It's a simple little idea - sign up for the swap, get three bloggers who you're going to treat to a dozen of your homemade cookies and then blog about them. The best part, we've partnered with Cookies for Kid's Cancer and all the proceeds from our participation go to them! The total this year raised was..... $13,778.40! AMAZING!!! I can't wait to participate again next year!


Now onto the part about picking the recipe for my cookies. I had a hard time deciding on what to make and wish I would have had more time to experiment with this recipe. It was good but it was the first time making sugar cookie dough and I wasn't super happy with it. I know, shocker that I've never made sugar cookies before but in my old kitchen, it just wasn't feasible with the limited countertop space I had. The cookies turned out good and I liked the subtle flavor of the cinnamon and sugar, but I'm going to experiment the next time I make them with a different sugar cookie recipe and I think making the filling a little thicker would be better too.

Before I get to the recipe, I have to thank the three bloggers who had me. I enjoyed all their cookies - check out their blogs for their cookie recipes!

A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen - Ginger Explosion Cookies

Chocolate Castles - Chocolate Thumbprint Raspberry Cookies

Whisk and Heels - Pumpkin Crinkles

Now finally, the recipe for cinnamon roll cookies.

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour slowly until it's just combined. Separate the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the filling, you'll need:

2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator at a time. Divide it into two pieces. On a floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with the melted butter and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture liberally over the dough. Roll the dough up starting from the long side. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Repeat with the other disk of dough.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take out one log of dough and cut it into 3/4 inch slices. Place slices approximately 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are starting to turn golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and than transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Once the cookies have cooled, mix together the following ingredients until smooth.

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp dried vanilla beans

Drizzle the icing over the cookies to give them a little coating of the glaze. Store in an air-tight container.

Source: Baked Perfection

Dark Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies #fillthecookiejar

Welcome to the December edition of Fill the Cookie Jar Facebook group! This month's theme was to share your best holiday cookies. Since I've already blogged about my favorite one a couple years ago, I had to pick a new recipe! I picked a recipe that had quinoa in it...it's all the rage so I had to try it out. I absolutely loved them and can't wait to experiment with different flavors! The quinoa makes them chewy and nutty plus I don't feel as bad when I eat a couple of them...I mean quinoa is super good for you!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1 cup dark chocolate morsels

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, both sugars and honey until its light and fluffy. 

Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until the batter is pale and fluffy. Mix in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at time and then stir in the quinoa and chocolate chips. 

Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls onto the prepared cookie sheets about an inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container. 

Source: Loves Foods, Loves to Eat

Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

Welcome to November's Fill the Cookie Jar. I missed last month, I seriously don't know what happened to be beginning of October but I'm glad to be back this month. The theme this month was Thanksgiving cookies. I had to really think about it...I couldn't do a pumpkin cookie since I did one in September but what else represented Thanksgiving. So off to Pinterest I went and searched for Thanksgiving cookie. I came across so many different types of cut out sugar cookies but I wanted something different and that's when I saw a picture of cranberry thumbprint cookies. Perfect! I always have leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving dinner and this is another great way to use it.

The cookies are a little messy to make and I didn't get too many out of the recipe but one of these hits the spot. I love the addition of orange zest and cornmeal in the cookie and the cranberry sauce on top is the perfect way to sweeten up the cookie.

1 cup flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, stone-ground

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp finely grated orange zest

1 egg, separated

Cranberry sauce:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 inch strip orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt until mixed well. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy with a hand mixer. Add in the orange zest and egg yolk. Mix together. On low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. 

Whisk the egg white until frothy and place the 1/4 cup of sugar on a plate to prepare to make the cookies. Scoop 2 teaspoons of dough into your hands, roll into a ball and place on a plate. Continue rolling the cookies until all the dough has been used. Dip each dough ball into the egg white and then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet about one inch apart. Gently press down on the center of the dough with your thumb to make a small impression. 

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven to completely cool. 

While the cookies are baking, make the cranberry sauce. In a small pan, add the cranberries, water, sugar and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer gently. Mash the cranberries until they're thick and almost like a jam, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl to cool. 

Once both the cookies and cranberry sauce have cooled and you're ready to serve the cookies, spoon a dollop of the cranberry sauce into the middle of each cookie. Enjoy!

Source: We are Not Martha

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies #FilltheCookieJar

Welcome to the second month of Fill the Cookie Jar! This month's theme was fall cookies. I'm so ready for fall but this past weekend we had a burst of summer that we haven't dealt with much this year...not really the ideal time to be baking fall cookies. I'm so ready for fall and it's definitely feeling like it this week. I'm looking forward to low temps in the upper 40's later this week - time to break out the comfy blankets and some new "old" clothing.

I loved these cookies and so did everyone else in my family. Both kids enjoyed them and my little guy couldn't get enough. They're the epitome of fall - pumpkin, molasses and spices! They're soft and not too sweet.

To update you, we moved two weeks ago into our new house and we love it! We're almost completely unpacked on the two main floors but need to eventually work on getting our finished basement and my office setup. I am loving my kitchen and getting used to having a dishwasher and so much more counter space. Yes, we didn't have a dishwasher in our old house and this is the first time in my life with one....oh the little conveniences in life!

2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie puree)
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and black pepper.

Using a stand mixer, cream the softened butter on medium speed. Add in the brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 minutes. Add in the egg and mix for an additional minute. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until fully combined. The dough will be very, very soft.

Take the dough and divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. I left half my dough in over night and it was much easier to work with.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take one of the dough packets and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then roll in the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet and press down on the ball with the bottom of glass so the dough is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Continue with this packet of dough until all is made into cookies.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the top feels set. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then move to a cooling rack to continue cooling. Repeat the process with the other packet of dough.

Source: My Baking Addition