This is a super cookie and the addition of white rum makes it a melt-in-your mouth favourite. Yes, it does!
- 1 cup unsalted Macadamia nuts
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. white rum
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- sanding sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for about 7 minutes until a light brown and fragrant. Transfer to a food processor and chop to a fine powder.
In your electric mixer, cream the butter until very light and fluffy. Beat in the salt, rum, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the flour and nuts until the dough holds together. Form dough into two disks, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
On a well floured surface, roll one disk into a 10 inch circle and 1/16 inch thick. The dough will be really fragile but is easily patched or re-rolled. Carefully cut into shapes with 2 inch cookie cutters.
With a thin spatula, transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet and chill. Repeat this procedure with the second disk. Use as much of the dough as you possibley can.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling racks and sprinkle with sanding sugar when cool.
Blue Cheese Cookies with Pistachios
This cookie would be great at your Wine and Cheese Party this season. The Blue Cheese gives it the tangy bite needed to pair with wine.
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese, chilled
- 1/2 cup butter
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
- 20 dried cranberries, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cheese, butter and pepper in a bowl and beat until well combined, but still showing large bits of blue cheese.
With a wooden spoon gently combine the flour into the cheese mixture and add the toasted pistachios and cranberries.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. With your hand, gently flatten until 1/4 inch thick.
Bake about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom and edges. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight tin in the refrigerator.
Really quite yummy.
Colourful Holiday Shortbread
This will make a terrific addition to your holiday baking. Honest it will. When you go through all the recipes for holiday baking, this is another of the devil’s hands to add more to the hips….if you eat equal amounts of each, it will sit there equally….I’m joking, of course. These are truly yummy.
- 1/2 lb. or 2 sticks of butter, never margarine
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 2/3 cup glace cherries- buy already chopped to save time
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- sanding sugar (buy in colours-red ,green, yellow etc.)
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolk and flour. Stir in the fruit and pecans.
Divide the dough into two and roll into logs about 2″ thick. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and roll in the sanding sugar to coat the outside.
Cut in thin slices and bake for about 10 minutes. The edges will have slightly brown edges. When removing from the cookie sheet, twist them off. This will give a slightly ‘bent’ look. (Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t work. Mine didn’t this time but they are still super tasty.)
Yummy good …..try it….. have to go to a bake sale now with all my baked goodies and jams.
Kitchen Sink Cookies
These are the best! Tied with my chocolate chip cookies…honest. I would not tell you they were great if they weren’t.
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 c up good quality white chocolate chips
- 1 cup good quality milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
- 1/2 cup granola mix
- 1 tsp. grated orange zest
WHEW!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend the first three ingredients until creamy, and then add the eggs and vanilla. Note: This is the only liquid required so don’t think I have made an error here.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to the egg mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
With the machine on low, pulse it, yes I said pulse it, when adding the remaining ingredients. Do this all at once and it is easier to mix together.
When well mixed, use a 1 inch scoop or shape by hand into golf ball size cookies and bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for approximately 10-14 minutes. Watch so they don’t burn, should be a lovely golden colour.
You can fill the cookie jar, then put the remaining cookies in a covered container and freeze. You will be the hero when you fill the jar up again after everyone complains the jar is empty.
Victorian Cookies
Why not? They are terrific and you just might cause a renewal of this. Everyone will absolutely love them.
- 3 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp. grated fresh lime rind
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- Apricot Preserves (try Saskatoon Preserves for a different flavour)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together the cream cheese and butter until very smooth and light. Beat in the lime rind.
Combine the flour and sugar; stir in one half of the flour mixture blending well. Stir in the remaining flour.
Roll dough onto a lightly floured board to about 1/8″ thick (any thicker than this and they will fall apart when baking).
Cut into 2″ rounds and place 1/2 tsp of the preserves in the center of each round. Form into a triangle by folding in 3 sides. Pinch together gently and bake for about 12-14 minutes. Cool the cookies a few minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.
If you don’t eat them all, store in a tin.
Raspberry Meringues
I am always looking for different ways to “show off” cookies, cakes, desserts in general, and this one is a goodie.
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- dash of salt
- 3/4 cup berry sugar
- 1/4 cup raspberry jelly
- 4-6 drops of red food colouring
Heat oven to only 225 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, beating until very stiff…..stiffer than that. This should take about ten minutes. Now add the food colouring and jelly. Beat one more minute at the highest speed on your machine.
Drop meringue into 1″ mounds and bake for about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and when completely cooled, EAT THEM!
Okay, so they go to the hips.; Eat enough to make it even.
Chocolate Flowers Cookies
As I mentioned yesterday, I was baking like crazy in anticipation of my teenaged grandchildren coming for a visit. I had never made these before but boy are they good. I had to freeze them or we would have eaten them all.
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup cocoa (not hot chocolate mix)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup Nutella spread
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 35-40 chocolate rosebuds
- small bowl of sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together everything up to the bowl of additional sugar and the rosettes, until well combined.
Using a teaspoon scoop (or teaspoon), scoop the dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar and slightly flatten the top with a fork.
Bake one cookie sheet at a time for about 8-9 minutes and be sure to rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
Place a rosette in the center of each one and let stand for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to completely cool.
OMG are these yummy!
Cookies, Italian and Others
With great anticipation of our grandkids coming for a visit with their Mom in a couple of weeks, other company coming and going to a concert, I thought I would bake a little to get ahead.
Well…..I have been baking almost all day as the recipes I was using will not work in a convection oven. So…..
Don sampled these and proclaimed they are almost as good as my chocolate chip. WOW! That is, indeed, high praise.
Cookies from Italy
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 scant cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup skinned pistachios
- 1/2 cup chopped, dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on your cookie sheets and set aside.
Together in a bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until really light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well mixed. Beat in the ricotta and vanilla (NO, it hasn’t curdled), gently stir in the flour mixture, pistachios and cranberries.
Drop by heaping teaspoons on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake 14 minutes and remove to a cooling rack.
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- zest from 1 large orange
- 3 tbsp. fresh orange juice (from same orange works great)
Stir until smooth and drizzle 1 teaspoon over each cookie. Store in air tight container at room temperature or freeze up to 2 weeks.
These are so darn good…different from the norm…..go ahead, say it…’damn I can do this’….
Cherry Pecan Biscotti
Store bought Biscotti, to me, is doubtful. The commercially made ones can break your teeth they are so hard. Homemade ones, even though they are baked right, don’t seem to be that way. Must be the love that they are made with.
You can combine any dried fruit and nuts for your own tastes, but this is a nice one to start with.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup unsalted pecans, toasted, chopped
- icing sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Firstly, mix together the oil and sugar. Now add the two extracts and the eggs. Beat until well blended.
In another bowl, blend together the dry ingredients. Keep the mixer running on slow and add the dry ingredients to the mixture. Fold in the dried cherries and pecans.
The dough is sticky, so dampen your hands and turn out on a lightly floured work surface. Shape into two logs approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long and it should be about 1 1/2 inches high. Lightly sprinkle with icing sugar and place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 35 minutes. They should be a light golden colour.
Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 2-3 minutes to cool down a bit and a sharp knife, slice on the diagonal.
Place the cookies, flat side down and bake for about 7 minutes. Turn them over and bake another 7 minutes. They should be dry. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Sample and enjoy! Store in a glass jar with a lid. It’s okay, this way everyone can look at them and, in a flash, you will have to make more ‘cuz they will be gone. When you notice that, it must be time for a martini. Later.
Peanut Butter Cookiwiches
I know that isn’t a word, but what the hay! This is my spot and I thought it worked with this recipe. No martini required.
Make up your favourite peanut butter cookie. Roll the dough up into 1/2 inch balls and flatten slightly witha fork, bottom of a glass, whatever you choose.
Bake in a 350 oven for about 8-9 minutes, until golden and remove to a rack to cool. Leave for a minute and move to a cooling rack. That is the good part.
Now for the ‘wich’ part.
Peanut Butter Cream
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup marshmallow creme
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
In a medium bowl whisk all of the above and gradually add 3 tbsp. icing sugar. Turn one cookie over and add a tbsp. of the cream on the flat side and top with another cookie (flat side down). Continue until all the creme is gone. Then on your own…..lick the bowl! No one is looking…
Not only the kids will love this one. Enjoy!
Afternoon Cookies
By the time 2:30-3:00 p.m. shows up, it feels like a snack would be in order. Right? Then this is a great little snack and healthy too! (sort of).
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (good quality)
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips (again,good quality)
- 1 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend the butter, and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating well to combine. Sift the 4 dry ingredients together and add slowly to the butter mixture. With the mixer on s-l-o-w, add the remaining ingredients.
On parchment lined cookie sheets, shape the dough into golf sized balls and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.
Italian Biscotti with Dried Mangoes
I like Biscotti with a cup of freshly brewed coffee but I do not like the commercially prepared cement blocks. Homemade is better in texture, flavour and taste. Try it and see if you feel the same.
- 3 cups flour
- 5 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds (toasted)
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. almond flavouring
- 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate squares, melted
- 1 cup dried, chopped mangoes
- 2 lemons, grated peel
- 2 lime, grated peel
- 1 orange, grated peel
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and chopped almonds. Whisk the remaining ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and really mix this well. It will be a very stiff dough.
On a parchment lined cookie sheet, divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll into logs. They should be about 3 inches wide and as long as your cookie sheet. Try to square off the ends and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and slice each log on the diagonal. On a second, parchment lined cookie sheet, lay the slices on their side. Reduce your oven to 350 degrees and bake another 10 minutes. Turn them over and bake a further 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Now, clean up the kitchen, make a fresh pot of coffee, grab a friend or magazine….put a couple of biscotti on a plate and enjoy!