Lemon Pie Cookies

Ingredients 

•1 cup all-purpose flour

•6 tablespoons butter, diced and cold

•¼ cup sour cream

•½ teaspoon vanilla, divided

•2 tablespoons Lemon Curd (store-bought or see Lemon Curd Recipe)

•1/3 cup powdered sugar

Instructions 

1. Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add sour cream and ¼ teaspoon vanilla and pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball. Place dough ball on a sheet of waxed paper and cover with a second sheet of waxed paper. Roll to ¼” thick. Chill at least 30 minutes.

2. Removed rolled out crust from refrigerator. Spread lemon curd in an even layer and roll up crust. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Once the roll is chilled, preheat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice roll in ½” thick slices and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

4. Make the glaze by stirring powdered sugar and remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla. Dip tops of cookies in glaze, or you can pour glaze over cookies. Let set before stacking.

http://www.crazyforcrust.com/p/recipes.html?recipe_id=6014506

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

 2 Cups sugar

 1 Cup butter, softened

 3 eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla

 1 Cup sour cream

 6 Cups flour

 2 teaspoons baking soda

 2 teaspoons baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)

 1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups

 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

Frosting

 8 oz softened cream cheese

 1/2 Cup powdered sugar

 2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined. 

2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results. 

3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches.  Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.  Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape.  Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. 

4.  To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency.  Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  These are 100 times better chilled, trust me!!

Makes at least 6 dozen.

http://picky-palate.com/2010/02/11/cinnamon-roll-sugar-cookies-yes/

Easy Reindeer Cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated gingerbread or peanut butter cookies

 64 small pretzel twists

 64 semisweet chocolate chips (about 1/4 cup)

 16 red gumdrops

Heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap the roll of refrigerated cookie dough. With hands, shape the roll into a triangle-shaped log. (If dough is too soft to cut, place in freezer 30 minutes.) 

With thin sharp knife (or cheese cutter), cut dough into 32 (1/4-inch-thick) triangular slices. Place triangular cookie wedges on ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Place 2 pretzel twists on each triangle near corners to form the reindeer antlers. 

Place cookies in the oven and bake according to package directions (about 7 to 11 minutes). While still warm, lightly press 2 chocolate chips into each cookie for eyes and 1 red gumdrop for nose. Let cookies stand on the sheet for a few minutes to cool. 

Remove from cookie sheets and move to cooling rack or hard surface. Let cookies stand until chocolate chips are set, about 15 to 30 minutes. If the kids don't eat all the reindeer cookies, they can be stored between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.

http://www.squidoo.com/christmas-reindeer-cookies

Date Nut Pinwheel Cookies

Yield: 30 cookies 

Ingredients:

Filling

•1 1/2 cup of chopped pitted dates

•1/2 cup sugar

•1/4 cup melted chocolate

•3/4 cup water

•1 cup chopped walnuts of pecans

Dough

•2 cups of flour plus additional for work surface

•1/2 tsp baking soda

•3/4 cup brown sugar

•1 tsp vanilla

•1/2 tsp salt

•1/2 cup of butter

•2 eggs

Directions:

 1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped dates, 1/2 cup of sugar, water and melted chocolate and stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped walnuts or pecans.

 2. In a mixer add butter, brown sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Refrigerate for about an hour.

 3. After an hour roll the dough on a floured surface. Spread the date mixture evenly over the dough. Roll the dough jelly-roll style and trim the edges off. Brush off any excess flour. Refrigerate the roll for another half hour.

 4. With a serrated knife cut into 1/4 inch rolls and place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/cookies-bakery/date-nut-pinwheel-cookies/

Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies

Yields: 90 cookies 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup(s) sweetened dried cranberries

1 cup(s) cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

1/2 cup(s) honey

2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom, or allspice

2 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour

1 cup(s) whole-wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda

1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom or allspice

1/3 cup(s) canola oil

3 1/2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted and cooled

1 cup(s) sugar

1/3 cup(s) honey

2  eggs

3 tablespoon(s) low-fat milk, plus more as needed

2 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon(s) almond extract

Directions

1. To prepare filling: Combine dried and fresh cranberries, honey, orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a medium nonreactive saucepan (see Note) over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, until the fresh cranberries burst and soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor and puree. If the mixture seems dry, stir in up to 2 teaspoons water. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive container and refrigerate while preparing the dough.

 2. To prepare dough: Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a large bowl. In another large bowl, combine oil, butter, sugar, honey, eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer first on low speed, then on medium speed, until well combined. Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until evenly incorporated. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, stir in up to 1 tablespoon more milk. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 45 minutes to reduce its stickiness.

 3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a 6-inch-long log. Working with one log at a time, center it on a 16-inch-long sheet of baking parchment or wax paper. Cover with a second sheet. Press and then roll into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle of even thickness, inverting the dough occasionally to roll out any wrinkles and patching it to make the sides as even as possible. Transfer the dough, in the paper, to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining log of dough and transfer to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough is slightly firm, about 15 minutes.

 4. To prepare pinwheel rolls: Place one sheet of dough on a work surface. Peel off the top sheet of paper. Spread half the reserved filling evenly over the dough (it will be a thin layer). Working from a 15-inch-long side, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll style, leaving the bottom sheet of paper behind. While rolling, slightly stretch out the center to yield an evenly thick roll. Wrap the roll in a clean sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends to prevent unrolling (see Tip). Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of dough and place on the baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 3 to 4 hours.

 5. To bake cookies: Position racks in the upper third and center of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one pinwheel roll at a time, trim the uneven ends. Cut the roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices using a large serrated knife; periodically turning the roll to maintain a relatively round cookie shape. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Bake the cookies until puffed and barely golden brown, 12 to 16 minutes, switching the pans back to front and top to middle halfway through baking. Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cut and bake the remaining pinwheel roll.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate filling (Step 1) for up to 2 days. Tightly wrap pinwheel logs (Step 4) and freeze for up to 2 months. Do not defrost before slicing. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. 

Kitchen note: A nonreactive pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when cooking acidic foods, such as cranberries, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods. 

Tip: To produce perfectly round pinwheel cookies, enclose the rolls in cardboard tubes (from foil or paper towels, for example) before freezing (Step 4). Slit each tube lengthwise and insert the wrapped pinwheel log. Secure the tube around the log using rubber bands or tape.

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/cranberry-honey-spice-pinwheel-cookies-recipe-5354

Holiday Sugar Cookies

Ingredients 

3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 c  granulated sugar

2 sticks (unsalted) butter, cold

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup red jimmies

good quality  green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350. 

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside.   Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

Knead the dough together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for mixing. 

Next divide up your dough into two parts of equal size.  Start adding food coloring for the desired shade to one part.   Add jimmies to other part and knead until blended.  Then divide each mound into 3 equal balls totaling 6 mounds. 

Roll onto a floured surface what will be the green color trying to make them the same size.  Next roll out the other parts again the same size.

Next stack the layers alternating colors.  Cut in half and stack again keeping the shape the same. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm. 

Cut the dough in slices just smaller than 1/2 inch or however thick you want them to be.  Try to slice them with the grain as to not blend the colors. 

Place on parchment lined baking sheets or use baking mats on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until just turning golden brown.  Baking times will depend on the thickness of the cookies.  Do not over bake.  Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

http://www.warningsugarygoodness.com/2011/11/30/holiday-sugar-cookies-with-tutorial/

Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze

For the cookies

10-1/2 oz. (2-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbs. finely grated orange zest

2 large egg yolks

1 whole egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

For the glaze

4 oz. (1 cup) confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbs. Grand Marnier

1-1/2 Tbs. heavy cream; more as needed

2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

Pinch of table salt 

 

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and zest on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until blended after each addition. Add the vanilla extract along with the last yolk. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until moist clumps form, about 1 minute. 

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal piles on sheets of plastic wrap. Using the plastic as an aid, knead into a smooth dough, shape into flat 5-inch disks, and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.) 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 or more cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners. 

Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough between lightly floured parchment or on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Dust with additional flour as needed. Using a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Arrange them about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Gather, re-roll, and cut the dough scraps up to 2 more times. 

Bake cookie for 9 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, Grand Marnier, cream, zest, and salt. Mix until well blended and smooth. If necessary, add more cream a few drops at a time for a thin, spreadable consistency.

Top each cookie with about 1/2 tsp. of the glaze, using the bottom of the measuring spoon to spread the glaze to within 1/4 inch of the edge.

Let sit at room temperature until the glaze is set, about 2 hours. Serve the cookies immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com/2012/01/limoncello-cheesecake-squares.html

Black and White Coconut Slices

Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel, 1997), page 164.

Chocolate and coconut - a favorite combination.  These cookies remind me somewhat of a Mounds candy bar. The soft, chewy coconut and pecan center is surrounded by a chocolate cookie that has a soft, sand-like texture.  

You will notice that my cookies have a circular shape. The illustration in the book shows a square-shaped cookie. I'm not sure how this happened but I doubt the shape of the cookie affects the taste. 

The recipe is comprised of two parts - the filling and the dough. There are many steps but they are not that difficult. 

The Filling 

1 cup packed shredded coconut

3 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped 

Chop the coconut into short pieces, either with a sharp knife or in a food processor. Set aside.

Cream the cheese in a mixer. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts and the sugar. Lower the speed and add the coconut and nuts.

Take an 18-inch piece of wax paper and spoon the filling down the length of the paper (about 14 inches long). Fold the long sides of the paper over the filling and form the filling into an even, compact roll or rectangle 14 inches long. Wrap the filling in the paper and transfer it the freezer.

Chocolate Dough 

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate

3 oz. (6 TBS) unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 egg 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Set is aside to cool.

Cream the butter in a mixer. Beat in the vanilla and sugar and mix well. Beat in the egg and then the chocolate. Lower the speed and add the flour mixture, scraping the bowl occasionally and beating only until smooth.

Take a piece of wax paper about 12 inches long.  Place the dough down the length of the paper, forming a strip about 8 inches long. Fold the long sides of the paper up around the dough and form the dough into a fat roll or a rectangle about 8 to 10 inches long. Refrigerate for about half an hour. 

Tear off two 16-inch pieces of wax paper. Place the chocolate roll on one piece of the paper and cover it with the other piece. Roll over the wax paper with a rolling pin and form the dough into a 14x6 rectangle.  

Remove the filling roll from the freezer and place it lenghtwise in the center of the chocolate dough.  (Sorry for the bad photo!) 

Wrap the chocolate dough around the filling, overlapping the edges slightly and pressing firmly to make a smooth, compact roll. 

Wrap the roll and freeze it for a few hours or overnight, until you are ready to slice and bake.

Baking the Cookies 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

Remove the dough from the freezer and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. 

Bake for 10-11 minutes, reversing the sheets halfway through baking to ensure evenness. The filling will feel semi-firm to the touch. Do not overbake or the chocolate will burn. 

Carefully remove the cookies with a wide metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack.

http://madaboutmaida.blogspot.com/2011/11/black-and-white-coconut-slices.html

Pinwheels and Checkerboards

60 Servings 

Ingredients

•1-1/4 cups butter, softened

•1 cup packed brown sugar

•1/2 cup sugar

•2 eggs

•1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

•4 cups all-purpose flour

•1 teaspoon baking powder

•1 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon baking soda

•Red and green gel food coloring

•1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 

Directions

•In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

 • Divide dough into fourths. Tint one portion red and one portion green. Stir chocolate into another portion. Wrap chocolate and plain portions in plastic wrap; chill for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

 • For pinwheel cookies, divide red and green portions in half. Roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 9-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 • Remove waxed paper. Place one green rectangle over a red rectangle. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.

 • For checkerboard cookies, divide plain and chocolate portions in half. Roll out each portion between waxed paper into a 6-in. x 4-in. rectangle. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into eight 1/2-in. strips.

 • Stack the strips in groups of four, alternating plain and chocolate strips and forming eight separate stacks. Form a four-stack block by alternating chocolate-topped and plain-topped stacks. Repeat. Press together gently. Wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours.

 • Unwrap and cut pinwheel and checkerboard dough into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 6 dozen pinwheel and 4 dozen checkerboard cookies.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pinwheels-and-Checkerboards

Marzipan Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients:

 •250g flour

 •2 teaspoons cinnamon

 •pinch of salt

 •130g icing sugar

 •100g butter

 •1 egg

 •1 egg yolk

 •80g chopped pistachios

 •Weight 400g marzipan

 •5 tablespoons milk

 •2 tablespoons rum 

Method of preparation:

 1. Sift flour, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 80g icing sugar, butter, cut into chunks, egg, egg yolk knead to a uniform mass. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

 2. 10g pistachios set aside. The rest of the grind. Add to the weight of the marzipan and knead smooth. From mass to form three rollers with a length of 30cm.

 3. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Each roll posypanym flour on the counter, into a rectangle measuring 10 X 30 cm. The dough spread with a brush with milk. The dough roller weight put marzipan and roll. The resulting three rollers arranged on a baking tray lined with baking paper merging down. 

 4. Bake in preheated oven about 25 minutes. at 180 ° C.

 5. 50g caster sugar mixed with rum. Still warm rolls spread with frosting and sprinkle with pistachios odłożonymi. Cool on a wire rack of the oven. Successively cut into slices with a thickness of about 1.5 cm.

http://www.domowe-wypieki.pl/przepisy-ciasteczka-bez-nadzienia/157-przepis-na-ciasteczka-pistacjowe-z-marcepanem

Raspberry Ribbon Cookies

If you’re looking for a cookie recipe that will look gorgeous on a tray and will WOW! your friends (for both beauty and taste), this is your cookie.  I don’t believe I have ever taken these cookies to a party and brought any home.  I particularly love these because they all bake up on one tray in the oven.   

And if you don’t like raspberry preserves, I am sure these would also be wonderful with apricot preserves. 

Some tips: 

The dough does not spread out much on the tray.  If you use a large cookie sheet you can get all eight of the rolls onto one sheet and be done with it. 

I use a wooden spoon handle to make the indentation.  Keep in mind that the indentation will rise a bit in baking.  Don’t be shy.

This does not use much jam at all – maybe 4 oz. at the most.

Raspberry Ribbon Cookies

1 cup softened butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

Raspberry jam, jelly or preserves 

Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 to 4 Tbsp. milk 

In a mixing bowl beat the butter on medium/high for 30 seconds.  Add about 1/2 the flour, along with the sugar, vanilla, egg and salt.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  Beat in the remaining flour, mixing until dough forms a ball.  Gather dough into a ball and knead slightly on counter (mine is sometimes crumbly at first – work it with your hands until it forms a nice ball of dough). 

Divide the dough into eight equal portions.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 9″ rope, being careful to keep an even thickness throughout (so they’ll bake evenly).  Place the ropes on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2″ apart. 

With the side of your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon, press a long groove down the center of your ropes. 

Bake at 375degrees F for 10 minutes.  Remove tray from oven and spoon raspberry preserves/jam into the groove.  Bake about 5 minutes more, or until the edges just start to brown. 

Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes.  While they’re cooling, prepare glaze by stirring all ingredients in a bowl.  You want the glaze to run off the spoon. 

Using a large spatula, move the cookie logs onto a large cutting board (I use the back of a wooden one).  Drizzle glaze over the HOT cookies.  Cut logs into 1″ pieces.  Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.

http://spectaculareats.com/recipes/cookies/raspberry-ribbon-cookies/

Samoas / Caramel DeLites



Recipe Adapted from Home Cooking in Montana

Makes about 3 – 4 dozen cookies, depending on the size of them obviously 

Cookies

1 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup sugar

2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

up to 2 tbsp milk (I only had to add 1 tbsp)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky. Place dough unto a plastic wrap and from into a log (about 2 inch in diameter). Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours until hard.

Preheat oven to 350F.  

Unwrap cookie dough and cut into 1/4 inch or slightly thicker slices. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  

I know these don’t have the holes in the center. We tried to do that, but it just wasn’t working. Not 1 person made a comment about holes not being there. The comments that were made involved words like, “yum, insane, delicious, wonderful, unbelievable.” You get the point. So don’t sweat it if you don’t put holes in the middle of your cookie. 

Bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.

*You may need to cook them slightly longer or shorter depending on your oven temperature, so pay close attention so you don’t burn them.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (I made homemade caramel and used about 2 cups worth)

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

12 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (you might need more chocolate)

vegetable oil (for thinning the chocolate)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. You don’t want burned coconut! Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside. 

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt.

Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

*If you are using homemade caramel, melt it in the microwave with the 3 tbsp milk for less than a minute and then stir in the toasted coconut. 

Using the small spatula, spoon or fork, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with. 

While topping sets up, melt chocolate and vegetable oil in a double boiler.

*You will probably need a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. 

Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet). Using a spoon, drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

*You can put the cookie sheet with the cookies on it in the freezer for them to harden quickly (less than 10 minutes), or in the refrigerator (about an hour).

http://www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com/2010/03/samoascaramel-delites-pho-free/

Colorful Spiral Cookies

  Yield: About 3 dozen                                                         

2 cups unsifted cake flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

⅔ cup unsifted powdered sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2½ sticks unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon strawberry(or other)extract

½ teaspoon(or more)Rose food coloring

2 tablespoon unsifted cake flour

1½ cups multi-colored nonpareil decors 

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugars in a food processor and process briefly to mix. Add the butter in pieces; process with on/off bursts until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Add the vanilla and process until the mixture just forms a ball. 

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions then return one of the portions to the food processor. Add the strawberry extract, food coloring, and the extra tablespoons of flour to the processor and process until just incorporated. 

Roll out each portion of dough between sheets of waxed paper. You want a rectangle about 11 × 8½ inches by ⅛ inch thick. Leave the dough between the sheets of waxed paper and slide onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. 

Remove dough pieces from refrigerator. Pour the nonpareil decors into a shallow rectangular dish (such as a 9 × 13-inch pan. 

Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper from both doughs. Brush the vanilla dough very lightly with water. Using the waxed paper, lift the strawberry dough and flip it onto the vanilla dough so they are stacked. Press with your fingertips to seal the two doughs together. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and trim the edges even. 

When the dough is just pliable (but still cold), roll up the dough(begin with the long side) like a jellyroll. As you begin to roll, gently curl the edge with your fingertips so you don’t get any air pockets as you roll dough into a log. As you roll, the vanilla portion may want to tear, pinch tears together as they happen and keep rolling.

After forming the dough into a log, throw away the waxed paper. Gently lift the log on top of the nonpareil decors in the dish and roll until the log is completely coated with decors. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice (from 4 hours to a week, or freeze for up to 2 months; defrost in the refrigerator overnight before slicing). 

Heat oven to 325°. To bake, slice the log into ⅛- to ¼-inch-thick cookies and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies are no longer shiny on top and the bottoms of the vanilla portion are golden.

EDIT 12/19/11 -PLEASE READ:

 I have reviewed this recipe, and cannot recommend another method other than making it in the food processor.  Making it in the Kitchenaid was problematic and I ended up with a poorly rolled, tough cookie. The cookie itself is a French sable/shortbready-tasting cookie.  It's subtly sweet, so if you are a fan of drop cookies with lots of sweetness and chocolate chips etc., then this may not be the cookie for you. 

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2010/01/colorful-spiral-cookies.html

Holiday Cookie Pinwheels

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring.( I highly recommend the gel variety. You can buy it at any craft store. It is much brighter and you can use less)

Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

3 tablespoons milk

Directions 

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together in another large bowl. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and peppermint extract, and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the dry mixture, beating until combined. Remove half of the mixture from the bowl. Add red food coloring, beating until fully combined. You may have to knead the colored dough a bit to get it mixed thoroughly. On a sheet of waxed paper, roll out dough to form a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat this step with the other half of uncolored dough with no food coloring. 

Now very carefully, slide the red dough on top of the white dough and slide the parchment paper out. Trim edges if uneven and patch if necessary. Roll dough into a log, creating a swirl effect. NOTE: do not worry if the dough starts to tear a little when you are rolling it. This is normal. Simply mend it with your fingers as you go along. 

Now place a generous amount of sprinkles in a shallow dish and roll the cookie dough log firmly over the sprinkles until they stick and it’s covered. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and place the dough back in the refrigerator and let chill for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the dough into 1/2-inch slices and place on a parchment lined sheet tray about 1-inch apart. Bake fo2 10-15 minutes depending on how thick you sliced the cookies.

http://www.myshineproject.com/2011/11/handmade-holidaycookie-pinwheels.html

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are awesome! They taste like peanut butter fudge wrapped up in a cookie.

I recently stumbled upon a New York Times article about the science and history of how chocolate chip cookies became so popular and why. 

The article revealed an important theory when baking chocolate chip cookies. I have tested this theory out a few times with different batches of dough and it seems to be true! 

Theory: Cookies bake to perfection, perfectly crispy on the edge and gooey in the middle, only after the dough has had at least 24 hours to sit in the fridge. The article even suggests letting the dough sit for up three days before baking.

The reasoning: Waiting allows the wet ingredients to soak into the dry ingredients. When given the proper amount of time to do this, the cookie will bake to perfection.  

If you are a lover of the peanut butter and chocolate flavor combination, then I highly recommend conducting an experiment of your own to see if this theory stands true for you. Test it out with this double peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Ingredients

 •    1 3/4 cup flour

 •    1 teaspoon baking soda

 •    1/2 teaspoon salt

 •    1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

 •    1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter

 •    1/4 cup white sugar

 •    3/4 cup brown sugar

 •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 •    1 egg

 •    1 cup chocolate chips

 •    1 cup candy-coated peanut butter candy

Directions 

1.    In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. 

2.    With a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg until it’s smooth. 

3.    Gently beat in the dry ingredients until the dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and the candy-coated peanut butter candy.  

4.    Place a piece of wax or parchment paper on a clean surface and spoon the dough onto the middle of the paper. Form the dough into a long log and then fold the paper over the dough, wrapping it inside the paper. Let the wrapped dough sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before slicing and baking. 

5.    If you’d like to freeze the dough, I recommend letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours, then transferring it to the freezer. 

6.    To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the dough into 1/4 inch circles. Bake in the pre-heated oven for nine to 11 minutes. If baking from frozen dough, bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack before serving.

I challenge you to let your cookie dough sit in the fridge for at least a day to see if you discover a difference in the way the cookies bake. Try it and let me know how it works out for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

http://scjohnson.com/en/family/family-economics/food-for-thought/11-10-07/Double-Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies.aspx

Iced Vo Vo's (Raspberry Coconut Biscuits/Cookies)

For the pastry

¼ c butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 eggs

2/3 cup plain flour

2/3 cup self-rising flour  

For the icing

½ c pink marshmallows

3T butter

1/4 cup sifted icing sugar

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/3 cup raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line two oven trays with baking paper.

Pastry:.

Beat the softened butter and the sugar until light and creamy.

Add the egg and beat until combined.

Fold in the sifted flours.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently for 1 minute or until smooth.

Roll dough out between two sheets of baking paper to 4mm thickness.

Use a knife of fluted pastry wheel to cut dough into 4.

5 x 6 cm rectangles and place on prepared trays- allow room for spreading.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cool on the trays.

Icing:.

Combine the marshmallows and butter in a small pan and stir over low heat until melted and smooth.

Stir in icing sugar.

Put coconut on a sheet of greaseproof paper and working quickly, spread about a quarter teaspoon of icing along each side of biscuits, leaving a bare strip the length of the biscuit in the middle.

Dip the iced biscuit in the coconut and shake off the excess.

Put jam in small pan and heat gently until thinned and warm.

Spread the warmed jam down the center of the biscuit.

Makes 2 dozen.

Recipe Source: http://baking.food.com/recipe/iced-vo-vos-raspberry-coconut-biscuits-cookies-111284

Halloween Icebox Cookies

 1/2 cup Margarine 


 1 cup Sugar


 2 teaspoons Vanilla


 1 Egg 


 1 3/4 cups Flour


 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda


 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt


1/2 cups chopped Nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and bean until blended. Sift dry ingredients together, and add nuts if desired. Gradually add to sugar mixture stirring after each addition. Shape into long rolls on waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator for several hours. Slice into 1/8 to 1/2 inch think. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes.  

You can also make pinwheels by dividing dough into two equal sections, add food coloring of your choice, and roll out even sections of the two colors of dough. (You would put one color of dough on top of the other and roll into a log. Chill. Then slice and bake as stated above.)

http://www.copykat.com/2009/02/09/ice-box-cookies/

Cherry Almond Cookies

Makes about 25

7T butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1c flour

1/2  teaspoon almond essence

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

5T almond slivers

5T whole glace cherries

6 oz. dark chocolate

1) Use butter at room temperature.  Combine butter, sugar and egg yolk with a large spoon, mix until it forms a paste- do not cream. 

2) Stir in sifted flour, lemon rind, essence, almonds, cherries, mix well. 

3) Pull out a large sheet of plastic food wrap.  Drop dough onto food wrap, roll up in plastic wrap like a bonbon and push it into an oblong shape, measuring 20cm x 4cm (8" x 2").  Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

4) Once firm, cut bar into 5mm (1/4 ") thick slices with a sharp knife.  Place onto lined baking tray.  Bake in modertae oven for 13-15 minutes of until light golden. 

5) Cool on tray for 5 minutes, then place on rack. 

6) Melt chocolate, dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, shake off excess chocolate.  Fill a small nozzled piping bag, or plastic ziplock lunch bag (just cut a tiny corner) and drizzle a fine run of chocolate across the biscuit as shown in the picture.  Refrigerate on rack until set.

Recipe Source: http://ingridcreates.com/recipe-for-cherry-almond-cookies/

Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies

Aren’t these the cutest little Christmas Tree cookies you’ve ever seen? I’ll bet you are scratching your head and wondering “How in the world did she do that?  Is there a fancy new gadget from WS that I’ve missed, a new cookie cutter perhaps or mold that forms the tree with lots of fiddling and frustration involved?” Ha..ha..ha…not this time.

The process is one of dividing the dough and adding color.  Then the dough is layered in a loaf pan which is lined with parchment.  One thing to remember is that the depth of the layers will equal the size of the cookies. Cathy explains the process in detail, here.  A quarter inch slice is taken from the slab of dough.  Triangles are then cut from the slice.  A red base is added to each triangle tree.

They are then dipped into sanding sugar and baked.

 Preheat oven:  375°

Bake time:  7-9 minutes

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, (2 sticks) at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp cream/milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla 

Sift flour with baking powder and salt and set aside. 

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, creaming well.  Stir in egg, cream, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  Chill if necessary. 

Divide dough in half. Add green food coloring to one of the halves.  Blend well.

Divide the second half into two parts.  Leave one part plain.  Add red food coloring to the other and blend well.  Use enough food coloring to make vibrant colors.  The colors tend to fade during baking. 

Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  

Bake the cookies at 375° for 7-9 minutes. 

Recipe Source: http://aspoonfulofthyme.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-tree-sugar-cookies.html