Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

And then I was  procrastinating and a little depressed, which can only lead to one thing: baking.  My mom and I were talking about what we do when we're sad; she eats, I bake.  I'm not sure if we're perfectly made to be depressed together, or if we're a dangerous, fat-enabling duo.  Unfortunately, my mom isn't here to eat these cookies, so the task has been left to me.  I am a dangerous, one woman, fat-enabler.

Moving on...I decided to choose a cookie that didn't require me leaving the house, and these soft beauties were it!

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

From Martha Stewart

Hit the link for the recipe.  They're soft and delicious.  A few reviewers noted that they're perfect for add-ins: sliced almonds, mint chips, toffee bits.  Next time I make them, I'll have to spice them up a little.  I always prefer to experience a cookie for the first time without any fancy touches.

Did I mention they're rolled in sugar?  Reminds me of the Gingerbread Softies I made for the holidays.  The recipe calls for sanding sugar, but, come on, Martha, I ain't that fancy.

Not only am I getting great recipes out of my cookbooks, but I'm picking up tricks for my own food photography.

Baby Shower: Cranberry Orange Pinwheels

This baby shower was a great opportunity to try baking new recipes.  I had never made a cake that wasn't chocolate or from the box before this party and I had never made pinwheel cookies.  Something about rolling out dough, mixing the filling, chilling it, and cutting it down to size turned me off.  Too many steps for this self-professed lazy baker?  Probably.

This party made me face my pinwheel fears and attack them head on!  I was so wrong about pinwheels.  They were super easy and yummy.  They are a crunchier cookie, which usually I'm not a fan of, but these were good.  A few people who tried them said they'd be great for a Thanksgiving treat - apparently cranberry is only allowed out in public when the turkey comes out.

Give em a try!

Cranberry-Orange Pinwheels

From Better Homes and Gardens

I highly recommend buying the BHG cookbook. :)

1 cup cranberries

1 cup pecans

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1. For filling, in a blender container or food processor bowl combine cranberries, pecans, and brown sugar. Cover and blend or process until cranberries and nuts are finely chopped; set filling aside.

Hidden bonus: you get to eat a whole orange while making the pinwheels!

2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and orange peel until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

3. Roll half of the dough between pieces of waxed paper into a 10-inch square. Spread half of the filling over dough square to within 1/2 inch of edges; roll up dough. Moisten edges; pinch to seal. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Chill for 4 to 24 hours.

4. Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices . Place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degrees degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 60 cookies

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

More importantly, happy birthday to my awesome mother and to my adorable niece!

In honor of Valentine's Day (and my apparent need to bake something every week) I made sugar cookies over the weekend.

The heart cookie cutters were a gift, but I believe they're sold at Target.

The sugar cookie recipe can be found here - I Am Momma Hear Me Roar

I used the same buttercream frosting recipe from the Cherry Vanilla Cake - Allrecipes Easy Buttercream Frosting

When you're baking these - err on the side of caution and pull them out as soon as you think they're ready.  I left my first batch in a little too long and they're crunchy.  I learned my lesson and the rest were happy and soft.

Baby Shower: The Spread

Today's baby shower installment is all about the spread!  This will be mostly pictures, and I'll post recipes for a few of the treats made later this week.

Check out that spread!  The shower was at 2 in the afternoon, so I opted for desserts and snacks.  The fruit salads and tomato tarts (I think that's what they're called) were made by three of the party's attendees.  Thank you again, ladies!  There were a few other treats brought, unfortunately there were no photos of the table once everyone got there.  There was just too much fun being had to remember picture taking!

The flowers were inexpensive bouquets from Publix.  The paper lanterns were purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I had originally planned to hang them, but ran out of time, so they became giant "bubbles" on the main table.

It was very convenient that the shower happened to be around Valentine's Day.   I had no problem getting colorful M&Ms.

The mom-to-be requested something of the peanut butter and chocolate variety, so I whipped up some from-the-box brownies and drizzled melted peanut butter on top before baking.

It wouldn't be a party without oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  Just sayin'.  I live and die by the OCCC.

This is the first time I've made a pinwheel cookie, and they were easy and yummy.  These have orange peel in the dough and crushed pecans, cranberries, and brown sugar in the filling.

This cake was my baby.  Cherry-almond cake with vanilla buttercream frosting.  Sadly, I have no pictures of the inside, but it's PINK, which was the whole reason I decided to make it.  It was seriously yummy, as was the frosting.  I'll post a recipe for this one later this week, fo sho.  The heart toppers are from the Dollar Tree.

So that's the food spread.  In case you're wondering, the little glass ornaments floating around the table are bubbles.  They were super easy.  I'll post a little how-to for those in this series, as well.

Peanut Butter Cookies for Dogs

Words on Wednesday will be back next week.  Today, I'm continuing to share my holiday baked goods with you.

I won't lie, I love my dog.  (As I write this, she's having an intense, barking dream on her new bed.)  I completely spoil her.  4 out of 5 Target trips I come home with a new toy for her, which means we have about 40 dog toys lying around.  (She's not the kind of dog who rips up her toys, so they last a lot longer than most.)

As most of our friends are just as crazy about their pups, I opted to bake up a couple varieties of dog treats, along with the human treats I've been whipping up.  Here's today's recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies (for Dogs)

Throw Me A Bone

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil/Non-stick cooking spray

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup chopped peanut, walnuts, or pecans (optional)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Mix peanut butter and milk until smooth.  Add the nuts, if using (I was lazy and didn't feel like chopping peanuts).  Add the flours and baking powder and mix until it forms a ball.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Roll out into 1/4-inch thickness and cut with a bone-shaped cookie cutter (or any other cookie cutter you have handy, like holiday-themed cookie cutters) or scoop tablespoon-size balls onto the sheet and flatten with your palm.  Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Store in an airtight contained in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Yields approximately 36-48 cookies.  I doubled the recipe, so I have a LOT of cookies in my fridge waiting to be handed out.

It was very difficult to get a picture of Shadow with the treat in front of her nose without her eating it up right away.  She only has so much self-control and she really liked these treats.


Tomorrow: A break from the recipes to show you how my terrariums progressed (I'll give you a hint, not well) and what I did to revamp 'em.

Gingerbread Softies

These cookies are AMAZING!

Seriously.  And they are super easy to whip up, which is my favorite kind of cookie.  The fewer the steps, the happier the Mo.

Gingerbread Softies

from dana-made-it.com

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups shortening

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

4 cups flour

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and beat until thick.  Add molasses and stir until combined.

Isn't my girl so pretty?

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Add to creamed mixture and stir just until blended.  If dough is very soft, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in freezer for 30 minutes.

Anything rolled in sugar is going to be delicious, and you know it.

Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Bake 7-10 minutes or just until set, but before they start to brown.  Mine were perfect at 8 minutes.

I stuck mine in the freezer as soon as they were cool, otherwise I'd eat every last one.  Happy baking, INM readers!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have probably made these cookies for almost every party or holiday in 2011, including Valentine's Day.  They are a definite crowd pleaser, and with seasonal M&Ms they work with every holiday.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Or Oatmeal Anything Cookies

Betty Crocker Cookies: 100 Favorite Recipes

Ingredients

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3 cups oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)

1 cup flour

1-2 cups add-ins (M&Ms, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts)

For this batch, I did 1 cup M&Ms and 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I've also made these with 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup toffee bits.  I would say don't go over 2 cups of add-ins.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat all ingredients except oats, flour, and add-ins with electric mixer on medium speed.  Stir in oats, flour, and add-ins.

On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoons (or, if you're me, huge globs) about 2 inches apart.

Bake 9-11 minutes, or until light brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Enjoy warm, dipped in milk, or they're just as good at room temperature.  Maybe in a bowl of ice cream...with some whipped cream on top...