Chocolate Crinkles

I love this cookies! I love chocolates and this kind of cookie reminded me of home. I remember when I was young, I bought this kind of cookie when I had the money to buy it. I was in heaven when I bought and ate one. Haha! Now, I can make and eat them whenever I want! Life is good. =)

I got the recipe from a friend. She had this old recipe book. I changed a couple of things, I used unsweetened cocoa powder and I added some chocolate chips in it. (Yeah, I'm sucker when it comes on chocolates. lol).

Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Crinkles
adapted from Lili's recipe book

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purposed flour
chocolate chips about 3/4 cups
sifted pwdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
In  a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, oil, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Shape dough using 1 inch cookie scoop. Roll balls in powdered sugar to coat generously. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are crackled. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

KISSES Candy Cane Blossoms

It was my first time to make blossom cookies. The pictures I took looked perfect but after I took the pictures, the candy cane kisses started to melt. The recipe said cool for 2-3 minutes before putting the kisses. Well, I set the alarm on my stove for 3 minutes then I added the kisses. I think I pressed the kisses into the cookies too hard that caused them to melt. Oh well.

Kisses Candy Cane Blossoms
from Hersheys

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Thumbprints with Chocolate Ganache

I was browsing Martha Stewart website and I bumped onto this recipe. If you were a chocolate lover like me, this cookie is for you! I read all the comments for this recipe and most of them said that it's kinda salty. The original recipe needed 2tsp of coarse salt.  But I didn't put 2 tsp because I don't wanna have salty cookies so I just used 1/2 tsp. And also, Martha's recipe for the chocolate ganache used bittersweet chocolates and half of a vanilla bean. I didn't have bittersweet chocolates in hand so I just used semi-sweet chocolate chips and vanilla extract to subtitute the vanilla bean. (Well, I have vanilla beans but I was too lazy to cut it and do all the work so using vanilla extract was easier for me).

Chocolate Thumbprints with Chocolate Ganache

adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, and add yolks, cream, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Roll balls using 1 inch cookie scoop for each, and roll each in sugar. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. With the handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes. (If indentations lose definition, press centers again.) Let cool slightly on baking sheets. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool.

Chocolate Ganache

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate chips

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

Combine honey, cream, and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring until honey dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and chocolate chips. Let stand for 10 minute. Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly, and then use immediately.

Spoon warm ganache into center of each cookie. Let stand until firm, about 15 minutes.

I couldn't help myself from eating one.

Christmas Cookies

I just used the recipe from Quaker Oats "vanishing oatmeal raisin cookies." I omitted the raisins and added M&Ms and chopped pecans.

Christmas Cookies
adapted from Quaker Oats

2 sticks room temperature butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked Quaker Oats
1 cup M&M's milk chocolate candies for the holidays
3/4 cups chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 F
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugars until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Add combined dry ingredients.
Stir in M&M's and pecans.
Brop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade gift # 2

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

I made my own recipe. I did some trial and error to get the right taste. The only thing missing is the homemade marshmallows. Lol.

Deployent project Week #9

Homemade Gift # 1

First, I made Christmas Cookie mix. I got the recipe from Bakerella.

Christmas Cookie Mix.

I bought the paper at Michael's when I had the 50% off coupon.

I made my own label.

Sugar Cookies # 3

We had a cookie exchange a week ago. It was my first time and I had a blast! It was nice to chat and socialize with AWESOME ladies! I think I did good on talking to some of them. (I was still kinda looking for my comfort zone so sometimes I was just quiet and listened to them). ;)

So for the cookie exchange, I decided to make some sugar cookies. I have lots of blogs who I admire who make cakes and cookies and decorate them. One of the blogs I admire and wish that I was good as her when it comes on decorating cookies is Munchkin Munchies. She's the mother inlaw of a friend of mine from BYUH. Her Christmas cookies are so cute and so delicate!

She even made some SPONGEBOB cookies!

So yeah, I still have a very long road to become one of them. ;) My husband told me that it takes time and patience. Hmm... For how long though? Lol.

Here's the cookies I made. I used Sue's recipe and it's really a no fail sugar cookie recipe! The only problem I had was the icing. I didn't follow her direction about drying the icing overnight. I only dried mine for a couple of hours. It looked dry but it wasn't. Some of the cookies I brought were ruined. Oh well, I learned my lesson! The picture just shows one dozen but I actually made 3 dozen. I brought 2 dozens at the cookie exchange and Arianna and I had the rest. :)