Eggnog cookies

Eggnog cookies?! You may be thinking complete blasphemy but they are actually really good. When I made these they went over extremely well and they were gone within the first day. Not by me mind you, I actually really dislike eggnog but between my parents, brother, Chris and other members of my family they went poof very quick! These will definitely make another appearance this Holiday season!

To see how you make them CLICK on!

Molasses Sugar Cookies

These are my Mom's all time favorite cookies. When I asked her what cookie she wanted me to bake she said this one, hands down. These are so good and actually addicting. I've eaten my fair share and so had my Mom. I wont tell how many I have eaten because it is a disgusting amount. tis the season! This recipe is really old, it even is written in "old" lingo, which I think is really cool. I didn't know what oleo was until I asked my Mom. Turns out, that is what they used to call butter. ! :O 

What you will need:

1. ¾ cup Butter - melted
2. 1 cup Sugar
3. ¼ cup Molasses
4. 1 Egg
5. 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
6. 2 cups Flour
7. ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
8. ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger

Directions:

Melt Butter and allow to cool.

Add Sugar, Molasses, and Egg to mixer, beat well.

Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients, mix well.

Let dough chill at least 3 hours or over night would be BEST.

Preheat over to 375°F

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Tips!

♥ROLL them in sugar before you bake them. They come out 10x better if you do that step. It doesn't call for it in the recipe, but that is what I have always done when I make these. 

♥If you use two pans at a time, start them at 4 minutes, switch the pans and go for another 4 minutes. you could go longer, but with 8 minutes, they stay soft and chewy. If a firmer cookie is wanted cook longer.

 Let me know if you try this out how you like it!! xx

Raisin-Nut Filled Cookies

My Dad wanted raisin-nut filled cookies and I've never made them before, so I went searching on the good ol' trust Google. I figured I would give it a try. These were a bit difficult for me to make to be honest. It took me almost 3 hours. From having to cook the filling to mixing and rolling the dough. If you live in Florida, you know the humidity and how hard it is to roll out dough. It just does not want to work out.I myself am allergic to pecans, so I opted for walnuts. I don't eat nuts or raisins, so I wont be enjoying these cookies. However, I made Chris, My Mom, Brother AND Dad try these and they all said they were fantastic! :D Which makes me proud because this was my first time making them. These smell absolutely amazing, it kind of stinks that I can't eat them. I do plan on making this recipe, but using jam instead. :) You really can switch up the filling to whatever suits your taste! 

Filling:

1 cup (201grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

1 cup (136) raisins

1 cup (122grams) nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dough:

1 cup (201grams) granulated sugar

1 cup (220grams) brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113grams) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (102.5grams ) shortening

3 eggs

5 cups (640grams) flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. To make filling, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until thickened. Let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)
3. To make dough, combine granulated and brown sugar with butter and shortening; cream well; add eggs and blend. In a separate bowl, sift flour with baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture along with buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Roll dough 1/8-inch (3.2mm or 0.32cm) thick on floured board and cut with cookie cutter. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on a cookie; place another cookie on top, press edges together. Seal with a fork. Place on a greased baking sheet. (or use parchment/grease proof paper)
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

TIPS:

♥These cookies can be made omitting the nuts. I made 2 mixtures, one with nuts and one without. The one without you have to cook a bit longer before it starts to thicken. 

♥If you don't like raisins or nuts, you can also just fill them with jam.

♥In my person opinion, instead of rolling out two rounds for a top and bottom, put the filling on one side of the round and fold it in half. It would be a better cookie-filling ratio. 

♥You can also use an egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon water) and brush over top for a glossy look, it will also help to brown it more. I did not do this step on mine. 

♥You can really use any filling or nuts. 
♥For this recipe I suggest using only one circle of dough and folding it over in half instead of two pieces of dough. I felt that having two pieces of dough was a bit much, then again that it just me. 

If you try this let me know! I would love to know what you think of it and if you switch up the recipe!

Pfeffernüsse

Pfeffernüsse cookies are of German decent. The name translates too pepper nuts in German. These cookies are spicy (not the hot kind of spicy) tasting, but kind of remind me of Gingerbread to a point because of the molasses and cinnamon. Some recipes call for almond or walnuts but this particular recipe does not. This recipe does call for black pepper, even though some recipes don't. Pfeffernüsse are typically very hard when cooked and soften with age, but these are slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside. They are the perfect blend of softness to "hardness" in my opinion. 

This recipe is one from Chris' family and this was the first time that I ever had made them, it was even his first time as well so I had no idea what to expect! These turned out better than I thought they would have! Especially after having a bad experience with the store bought ones. These I feel will become a tradition to make for the Holidays. 

Pfeffernüsse

3/4 cup Light Molasses (225g)

1/2 cup Butter (113g)

2 Eggs

4 1/2 cups Flour (576g)

1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Dash of Pepper

Confectioner sugar (icing sugar) *you maybe will need 1/4 cup (34g) IF that*

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
2. In a saucepan, combine molasses and butter. Cook and stir till butter melts. Cool to room temperature
3. Stir in 2 beaten eggs. 
4. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper.
5. Add to molasses mixture; mix well.
6. Chill well. (About 2 hours)
7. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
8. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 12 minutes. Cool slightly; roll in confectioners sugar.

I basically took these straight off of the pan to the confectioners sugar and has no problem with the cookies being too hot. Since you are not holding them for a long period of time, you won't feel the heat. 

Tips:

●These don't have to be perfectly rounded balls, mine definitely were not. Mine were a bit flat on the bottom, that way they were a bit easier to manage on the sheet. These don't have to be a certain length apart on the cookie sheet either, since they don't really spread out. 

●If the mixture looks funky and crumbly to you, no worries! On  my first time making them, that gave me a heart attack because I was convinced I made the dough the wrong way. Just make sure to kind of pack it together lightly, don't make it too tight or then the cookie will be too dense.

● You could also leave the powdered sugar off, but then it wouldn't be a real Pfeffernüsse cookie. But, it's really your preference. 

If you make these cookies send me a picture! I would love to see how yours come out! 

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

These cookies have been a family favorite since around 2008 when we first found the recipe. My family absolutely LOVES these, especially my brother. I myself am not a fan, but I don't like orange creamsicle flavored things lol. I'm thinking of putting semi-sweet chocolate chips in, just to mix it up. :P Maybe then I will eat them. Hahah.

Not only does my family love these. These are a huge crowd pleaser every time we make them. They disappear pretty quickly from the cookie plates! I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as the people around me do! :) 

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups (232 grams) all-purpose flour

1 package (.15 ounce) unsweetened orange drink mix, such as Kool-Aid

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup (1 stick)(113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (201 grams) sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 ¼ cups  white baking chips
(I couldn't figure out the conversion for this, if you know it please let me know down in the comments!)

1. Preheat oven too 350°F (177°C) 
2. Combine flour, drink mix, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and set aside
3. Cream together softened butter and sugar. Add eggs and orange extract and beat until blended.
4. Stir in white baking chips by hand
5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on lightly greased cookie sheet. (you could also use parchment paper/grease proof paper)
6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Do NOT wait for edges to brown. Cookies should be slightly under baked. Immediately remove to rack and cool.

Makes approximately 2 ½ dozen

Tips:
♥ If the edges start to brown, that is okay. As long as the cookie itself turns brown, it is way over baked.
♥If you happen to make these smaller then a rounded tablespoon, adjust the time accordingly. I made some using a teaspoon and the edges started to brown when cooked for 10 minutes.
♥It does not matter what brand of orange drink mix you use. They are all the same but made by different brands. Just make sure it is in one of those packets and is unsweetened.

I hope you all try this recipe out and enjoy them! let me know down below or tweet me on twitter! I would love to know! xx