Search Results for: blog cookie exchange lebkuchen

Cookies for Breakfast

Come on… admit it… you’ve done it once in your life… downed a few cookies during the first meal of the day. Eggs, bacon… and cookies. No? It’s not exactly the breakfast of champions, but what about bacon and eggs in your cookies? I’m not kidding. I’ve baked more cookies this month alone than I have all year and every person I’ve seen on a regular basis knows this as they have been forced to hear me lament about my kitchen failures, and likewise rejoice (and share) in my cooking successes. Last week when I was kvetching about being up … Continue reading →

Spiced Up Christmas Cookies

In a previous blog I mentioned that everyday spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, contain tiny amounts of vitamins, minerals and potent antioxidants that can help reduce heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Since then I have been trying to find additional seasonal recipes, which feature beneficial spices. Valorie has been kind enough to allow me to share the litany of Christmas cookie recipes I’ve experimented with (or enjoyed via others) this holiday season. The following cookies were included in a Christmas tin I just received from a former colleague of mine. It took me a couple of days but … Continue reading →

Low-Fat Christmas Cookies

Christmas cookies are the perfect way to end a festive meal, but after Saturday’s cookie-a-thon I really don’t have the desire to consume anymore of the sweet morsels until next year. I also don’t have the desire to get on a scale (and don’t plan to) until well after the holidays are over. If you are reluctant to undertake holiday baking because you are concerned that you will inhale the fruits of your labor before they make it to their final destinations I offer you the following recipes. They prove there’s no reason to eliminate Christmas cookies from the holiday … Continue reading →

The Ultimate Christmas Cookie

What is your idea of the ultimate Christmas cookie? For most people the answer is—-Gingerbread Men (or Women). I’ll never forget the first time my then-toddler daughter bit into an intricately decorated Gingerbread Man cookie. The sweet treat was spectacularly detailed with gumdrops, icing, mini-chocolate chips and licorice. It looked too good to eat. But that didn’t stop my daughter, who prior to that moment had very limited exposure to cookies besides her favorite chocolate chip and the occasional sugar cookie. She sunk her teeth into the Gingerbread Man’s leg and the look on her face was priceless. Her eyes … Continue reading →

Christmas Cookie Exchange: Pinwheels and Tassies

My daughter and I finished up the last of our major Christmas baking projects on Friday in anticipation of Saturday’s big cookie exchange. It wasn’t an official cookie exchange, rather a holiday party with a ton of sweet treats (I’m still peeling my 3-year-old off the ceiling). Still, we returned home with a tin full of cookies neither one of us had ever tried before PLUS this afternoon I got my hands on the recipes for two of our new favorites. Take a look: REFRIGERATOR PINWHEEL COOKIES Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 … Continue reading →

Peanut Butter Lovers’ Dream Cookie

My college sweetheart loves peanut butter. Actually, I don’t think the word love does justice to the adoration my ex-boyfriend has for the creamy peanut concoction. Not long after we started dating he revealed that for nearly 20 years his mother made him the same birthday cake… from scratch. He called it the Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cake. Whenever we would stroll by a bakery or eat at a restaurant he’d talk about his favorite cake. By our first anniversary I could have probably made the recipe from memory (it was a triple layer angel food cake with peanut butter, chocolate, … Continue reading →

Carob Christmas Cookies

The holidays can be a cruel time of the year for my best friend Lisa. She is one of the millions of people who cannot eat chocolate. (Yes, they do exist.) In Lisa’s case chocolate triggers incapacitating migraines. Others avoid the sweet treat due to allergies or they are forced to avoid the milk or the caffeine found in chocolate. For Lisa (and people like her) the word carob is an important part of her vocabulary. Carob is a substitute for chocolate that’s higher in natural sugar, lower in fat and is caffeine-free. It comes from the dried pulp of … Continue reading →

The Great Cookie Debate: Crispy vs. Chewy

I love chewy chocolate chip cookies. However, my mother loves her cookies crispy. Not burnt–just crunchy. This time of year she is busy whipping up dozens of batches of cookies she wouldn’t dare eat herself. Not because they don’t taste great, but because most people prefer traditional chewy cookies (particularly oatmeal and chocolate chip), which she’ll bake but won’t eat. My mom will also tell you that there aren’t very many recipes for crispy cookies out there. Rather, there are a number of recipes, which call for you to cream the butter and sugar extra long. Doing so releases more … Continue reading →

Chinese Tea Cookies

I ran in to my neighbor while I was getting my mail today and she was only too happy to inform me that not only were all of her Christmas decorations up, but she had just completed the last of her holiday baking. I managed to smile and congratulate her on her incredible organizational skills. Then I wryly remarked that I would be expecting my cookie tin by the end of the week. Meanwhile, I was secretly wondering who in the world completes their Christmas baking before the end of November. Good grief! It took me nearly a week to … Continue reading →

Easy Holiday Cookie Bar Recipes

Have you seen that commercial where the mom finds a note in her son’s backpack that says he needs 60 cupcakes to take to school… by tomorrow? The woman just so happens to have all the ingredients in her pantry (including frosting and decorative sprinkles) for 5-dozen cupcakes. If it were me I would have a.) Gone to the bakery and bought the cupcakes or b.) Told my son he would be taking cookie bars to school instead. Cookie bars (or bar cookies, whichever you prefer) are one of the easiest cookie recipes out there. Talk about saving time, energy … Continue reading →