This and that: cookies
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies. Show all posts

Friday, February 8, 2013

Ideas for Valentines

Ideas for Valentines


Valentine's is coming fast ~ Less then a week.
I am off this year, so I am sure that I will make something special for Dinner and maybe for Breakfast
I wrote an article over at the Daily Dish Magazine with meal ideas that could be used.
If you need some ideas head over there.
Last year I made BBQ ribs, boiled smashed potatoes and a Caesar salad


I also made some Valentine Chocolate Caramels and Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries.

 Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries
1 lb strawberries, washed, hulled and bottom of strawberries trimmed so they will stand
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
chocolate for melting
toffee bits for garnish

Wash, hull, (taking a little more of the strawberry out to leave a hole) and cut the bottoms of the strawberries slightly so that they will stand.  Set aside. Once the strawberries are dry, melt chocolate and dip the bottom half of the strawberry in the chocolate.  Let chocolate harden.   Whip Cream Cheese and powdered sugar together, place in decorator bag. Pipe cream cheese mixture in the hulled part of the strawberry.  Sprinkle toffee bits over the top of the cream cheese.  Serve and enjoy.

I had a Valentine's Party on my Facebook page, a couple of weeks ago and got many great ideas to share that could be made for this occasion.  Or any occasion for that matter. 
I hope you enjoy this wonderful array of goodies to make.
Photo credit goes to the owner of the blog from which the recipe is from ~ see descriptions below

Starting from the top and going across:
Black Bean Brownie Cupcakes from Nom Eat Nom ~ I have always wanted to try baking with black beans and these sound so good.  Maybe these will get me started on my Wheat Free Diet.
Princess Cupcakes from My Foodie Universe ~ These cupcakes are vegan and use beet puree or raspberry puree for the colouring instead of food dye.  Perfect for those that don't want their children to be hyper.
Truffles from Sandi's Allergy Free Recipes ~ Truffles that are gluten free and milk free using coconut milk and dairy free dark chocolate.  I am going to have to try these.
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles from Couponing & Cooking ~ Snickerdoodles with a Valentine twist.. I am going to have to go out and find some Heart Dove chocolate.
Madeline's Paris Apple Cake from Cozycakes Cottages ~ Anything with Paris in must be for Valentines... as isn't Paris the city of Love.
Candy Heart Chocolate Cupcakes from Just Dip It in Chocolate ~ I love anything chocolate and the stained glass appearance of the candy hearts makes them beautiful.
Cheesecake Balls from Real Housemoms ~ Another one of my favorite things cheesecakes and decorating them with valentine sprinkles make them oh so special.
Truffle Tart from The Baking Fairy ~ This tart is describe as a buttery short crisp shortbread filled with a chocolate filling that tastes like a Lindt truffle.  Heavenly.
Chocolate Cake Hearts with Cream Cheese Frosting from Who Needs A Cape ~ No one will be able to resist these cute heart cupcakes.
 Chocolate Covered Strawberries from Sandi's Allergy Free Recipes ~ I don't think Valentine's can be complete without chocolate covered Strawberries and they are even more perfect if you make them yourself.
Old Fashion Fudge from Yesteryears ~ I know that I would be putty in your hands if you gave me a piece of this melt- in - you mouth fudge..
Black Forest Brownies from Bibi's Culinary Journey ~Black Forest in a brownie shaped as a Valentine, now this would be perfect.
Almond Toffee Bites from Sandi's Allergy Free Recipes ~This would be perfect in our house as it is made with Almond Butter instead of Peanut Butter.
Mini Chocolate Cups with Strawberries from I Like to Bake and Cook ~ An easy dessert made of chocolate and strawberries
Red Velvet Cupcakes from Feeding Big ~Red velvet a perfect Valentine's treat
Chocolate Raspberry Shortbread from The Rowdy Baker ~ I am a big shortbread fan and combine it with chocolate... YUM!


So many ideas, so little time.  They are all so perfect, I am going to have a hard time to pick out something for my Valentine as I would like to make them all.
What have you made for Valentine's Dinner? I would love to know.


Ϡ₡✻   Marlys

(¯`
´¯)
`*.¸.*
✻✿*.¸.* Enjoy your day....`*.¸.*✻✿*.¸.*



 , Links Foodie Friends Friday, Iron Chef Mom,  In and out of the kitchen 
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Maple Leaf Creme Cookies

A while back I had found some Dare Maple Leaf Creme Cookies in the local store
They brought memories of my childhood.
As I was eating them, my mind went to making my own.


First I had to find a recipes... so onto the web to search.
I found a recipe from Food shed that looked good as they said that they were imported to New England,
 I knew that the author knew how they tasted...
Great a recipe, now onto finding maple leaf cookie cutters...
I searched high and low in our area but couldn't find any, found every other kind of leaf but not maple leaf.
So I ended up making flower cookies instead of maple leaf...




Maple Leaf Cream Cookies
adapted from  Food Shed
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla

In bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.  Set aside.  In separate bowl mix butter and brown sugar until fluffy, scraping sides down.  Mix in maple syrup, once mixed well add egg and vanilla and continue to mix, scraping sides.  Mix in dry ingredients on low until everything just comes together.  Form into a ball and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours or over night.
 Once chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and using cookie cutter, cut out shapes.  Place parchment paper or liner on cookie sheet and place cut out cookies on the cookie sheet, 1 inch apart.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, or until golden brown colour.  Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.  Once cooled arrange cookies according to size and frost the bottom cookie, lying the other cookie on top.

Frosting:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups icing (powdered) sugar
1/4 cup milk

Whip butter until soft, add about 1/2 cup icing sugar and continue to whip.  Add maple syrup and milk.  Add icing sugar until the frosting becomes stiff but spreadable.  You may have to add more icing sugar or milk to make it spreadable without being watery.



                 






Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pumpkin, Biscoff YUM and in a Cookie.....

When I saw this recipe on last week's Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party... I just knew that I had to make them.  For one thing they had pumpkin, second biscoff and then third I can add whatever my little heart desired to make them mine.  They had everything I loved in a recipe.  And I had to make them right now, no waiting, no hesitating but right now... But first I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store to find some Hershey Pumpkin Spice kisses as that is what I wanted to put on them for sure.... Well, the grocery store didn't have them and I really didn't want to run 14 miles to Wally-world to get them so I thought I would stop in Shopko to see if they by chance had them... SCORE! they did... I did have to buy more then one package and a few other candies... Harvest M&M's and Candy Corn M&M's but those will be used for the next great discovery..
Onto where I found these great morsels... I found them at Cooking to Perfection.

Pumpkin Biscoff Cookies/ This and That #pumpkin #biscoff #cookies

Pumpkin Biscoff Cookies
adapted from Cooking to Perfection
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup biscoff spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup turbinado sugar ( I didn't have any brown sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract  
1 cup Pure Pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
optional:
dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, pumpkin spice kisses
Icing:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tsp butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp Oregon Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

* note links on some of the ingredients are so if you haven't seen these ingredients you would know what to look for, they are not where I buy them from.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with baking mats or parchment paper.
In mixing bowl, add butter, biscoff spread and sugars, cream for 1 -2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.  Mix in Pumpkin making sure to scrape sides and mix thoroughly.
In separate bowl  mix cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and flour.  Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend until just combined, do not over mix.  Add optional ingredients of cranberries, white and milk chocolate chips.
I added the cranberries and white and milk chocolate chips to half the mixture and left the rest as original.  Drop large tablespoon size dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes until set (they should not be brown).
If using kisses, unwrap kisses before cookies are ready to come out of the oven and once out place on top of baked cookie pressing slightly. Do this while warm or they won't stay on cookie.  I use the original mixture for the cookies with the kisses on.
Mix icing ingredients together until thoroughly mixed.  Place small amount of icing on top of cookie once cooled.  I iced the plan and some of the cookies that I put the dried cranberries and chips in.  Enjoy, I bet you can't eat just one.

Pumpkin Biscoff Cookies/ This and That #pumpkin #biscoff #cookies


Pumpkin Biscoff Cookies/ This and That #pumpkin #biscoff #cookies


   Til next time <3 <3 <3 Marlys