Category Archives: Dessert

Red Velvet Cookies

Posted in Christmas Baking, Cookies, Dessert by

Normally I like to make things from scratch, but sometimes even I am not in the mood to get a ton of ingredients out. This is where these cookies come into play. All you need is a cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla extract and a little extra flour. You can easily make them with a hand mixer or go ahead and pull out your stand mixer.

Originally I was hoping to make these like the recipe, which are red velvet crinkle cookies. But my dough was very oily and sucked up the powdered sugar so the first batch didn’t look like crinkles. I decided to do the rest of the cookies without rolling them in the powdered sugar. When I tasted them I decided they needed a little extra something, so I whipped up a glaze of powdered sugar and water. I drizzled that over the cookies and they looked beautiful and tasted great. These are quick and easy to whip up for your Valentines.

Red Velvet Cookies:

  • 1 box red velvet cake mix
  • 2 tbs all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar, for rolling the cookies or for glazing
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Take about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and form into a ball. *NOTE* If your cookies look oily and shiny, omit the rolling in the powdered sugar and place cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet, flatten slightly with your palm. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
  3. Roll the ball in powdered sugar until fully coated. Place cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set and cookies begin to crack.
  4. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.
  5. If wanting to use glaze… Take 1 cup of powdered sugar and add 1 tsp of water. Whisk till it’s smooth and it’s at a drizzle consistency. You may need to add a bit more water or powdered sugar to get the right consistency. You really can’t mess it up.

Source: Slightly adapted from Two Peas and their Pod

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Posted in Christmas Baking, Cookies, Dessert by

If you are going to make anything this holiday season; you must make these! I’ve always seen crinkle cookies but never made them. I was ready to make something new and try these and I am so glad I did. They are AMAZING! Soft and chocolaty and oh so good. You do have to plan a little ahead to make them. The dough requires to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours to set up. I ended up making the dough and got busy and wasn’t able to actually bake them for a couple days. There was no problem in letting the dough sit in the fridge for a couple days. So, if you are busy this week, make the dough and let it sit in the fridge till you are ready to roll and bake. The kids will love to roll the dough into a ball and into the powdered sugar. But be warned, it will be messy but that’s the fun part for the kids.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies:

  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  1. In a stand mixer, set with paddle attachment, or a hand mixer, cream together white sugar and butter.
  2. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then stir in the vanilla. Once mixed add the cocoa powder slowly making sure to mix very well.
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. (The dough is very thick and sticky at this point)
  4. Cover the dough and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Roll dough into one inch balls and place them on a plate (I used paper plates). Chill the cookies for 10-15 minutes just to firm them back up.
  7. In a bowl add the confectioner’s sugar. Roll each dough ball in the sugar making sure to coat the cookie as much as possible. Place the cookie balls onto the parchment lined cookie sheets.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they are crackly and puffy. Do NOT over cook or they will get very hard. Once done, let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.
  9. Store in an airtight container. For up to 5 days.

Source: Simply Love Food

Snickerdoodles

Posted in Christmas Baking, Cookies, Dessert by

Snickerdoodles are a classic cookie that everyone loves. It’s easy to make and fun to eat or should I say fun to make and easy to eat? Either way they are the perfect cookie to make around the holiday’s; especially if you have kids. My kids love to roll the dough into a ball and roll it into the cinnamon sugar. We had a really good time in the kitchen baking these and I know you will too.

Snickerdoodles:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tbs ground cinnamon
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each until well incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
  2. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls with moistened hands (we found that we did not need to have wet hands) toss in cinnamon sugar to coat, then place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake each sheet separately until edges are light golden brown and centers are soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating each sheet halfway through baking. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Americas Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies 2010

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Posted in Dessert by

Do you know what today is? It’s National Pumpkin Day!! Yes, only the coolest food day of the year. I have to tell you, I was on the phone with my best friend this morning while I was at the grocery store. I was passing the canned pumpkins and said to her that I could never have enough of canned pumpkin. She called me out on my pumpkin obsession. The first step is to admit when you have a problem, but to me this is not a problem. Being obsessed with pumpkin is very sane. Pumpkin has many vitamins and other qualities that are really good for you. So, having a healthy obsession is good. How can you turn something so good into something so sinful? Make these pumpkin whoopie pies.

I’ve been searching for the perfect pumpkin whoopie pie. I’ve made several different recipes from Martha Stewart to old Amish recipes and I was never really happy with any of them. My dear friend Angie from Florida has been perfecting the whoopie pie. She is now selling her pies in a restaurant and I am so proud of her. I asked if she would share her recipe for the pumpkin one with me. And I was so happy she was willing to give it to me and that I can pass them off to you.

I don’t even know where to begin, these are seriously the best pumpkin whoopie pies you ever make/eat. They are moist and full of flavor and just plain awesome. I love the icing the best. The vanilla flavor in the icing compliments the pumpkin very nicely. I did keep them in the refrigerator and I loved eating them cold. You can also make any size whoopie pies you want. I experimented and made small ones (with a cookie scoop) and big ones (with an ice cream scoop). They all turned out perfect.

If you are wanting to pumpkin whoopie pies, do not use any other recipe, this is the one you want.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies:

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 15oz can of pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 4 cups flour
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ground ginger, set aside.
  3. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer), cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Once combined; add the eggs, pumpkin and buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  4. Add the flour mixture in a couple batches; scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Do not over-mix.
  5. Using an ice cream scoop (or any size scoop you want) scoop out the batter on the lined cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. With slightly wet fingers, flatten the tops and shape them if you need to. (they really puff up) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the center is firm and comes out clean with a toothpick and the bottoms are a light brown. Do Not Overbake! Let cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
  6. Once the pies are cooled and ready; match up the pies and spread or pipe the icing on one side then sandwich with the matching piece. Enjoy!
Icing:
  • 3 sticks butter, salted softened (I only had unsalted and it tasted great)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 TBS vanilla
  • 4 cups Confectioners sugar
  1. In a bowl fitted with paddle attachment (or hand mixer), cream together the butter, milk, flour and vanilla. Add the confectioner sugar and beat together till light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
Source: My dear and wonderful friend Angie Scarpelli

Pumpkin Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert by

Have I told you lately how much I love fall? I can’t get enough pumpkin and these soft pumpkin cookies are the best of the season! The cookies are super soft and have a cake-like texture. I was planning on putting a spice glaze on top, but when I tasted them I realized the hard glaze would ruin the texture of the cookies. Since discovering this recipe I’ve already whipped up several batches to give out. Everyone loves them and I know you will too.

As a side note: I will soon be posting what I have found to be the best Pumpkin Whoopie Pie recipe. Look for that on Friday.

Pumpkin Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chilled pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
  5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert by

Hi, did you forget about me? I haven’t forgotten about you! I’ve just been a tiny bit busy with my daughters cheerleading. We got through homecoming week and I am hoping to be able to breathe for a little bit. I like being busy but that also means not as much time in the kitchen as I hope. I am going to work hard to change that.

Now, onto these delicious cookies! I can’t begin to stress to you how awesome these are. They have become my favorite cookie. I have always loved the store- bought soft sugar cookies, but the icing usually is kinda eh. These cookies are much better than the store-bought kind. They have a lot more flavor and the icing is simply the best. One piece of advice I would give, is to use vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar. I found that using the vanilla sugar gives the cookies that extra punch of flavor. But don’t worry, if you don’t have vanilla beans stored in your sugar, you can use regular and they’ll still taste better than the store-bought.

Soft Sugar Cookies:

Cookies:

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (Vanilla)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
  5. When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.
  6. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set  (The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all).  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
 Frosting:
  • 5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 7-8 tablespoon milk (plus more, as needed)
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • Sprinkles (optional)
  1. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
  2. Tint with food coloring, if desired.  Use a spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable).  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container.

Source:  Sing for your supper who got it from Annie’s Eats, originally from Hostess With the Mostess

Giant Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert by

If you are looking for a big cookie with tons of chocolate flavor, then look no further. This cookie has it all! Dark chocolate mixed with semi-sweet chocolate chips. What more could a chocolate lover ask for? The cookie is really big and chewy in texture. Everything I want in a cookie. I’ve made it a couple times now and the second time I made it, I wanted to see if changing the size changed the texture. When I did that, I made sure to cut back the baking time by a couple minutes. Thankfully, the smaller cookies tasted just as good as the huge ones I made before. This recipe will become a favorite of yours and your loved ones. It won’t disappoint.

Giant Double Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Makes 12 very large cookies

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  2. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.
  3. Divide the dough into into 12 equal pieces (4 oz each). Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. (The cookie does not spread out a lot)  Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Bake 16-20 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.