Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

This sugar cookie recipe is my fav.  The cookies come out soft yet crispy and they do not spread.  I get a lot of inspiration from lifeloveandsugar.com.  Lindsay has some delicious recipes and they are easy to follow.

So, tell me what you think?  Not bad for my first time eh???

The key to a good sugar cookie is to have all your ingredients at room temperature.  Another good thing about this recipe, you don't have to refrigerate the dough for hours.  When it's time to move your cookies onto the sheet pan, you may have to use a spatula.  Some of my cutouts were stuck to my counter. 

Place your cookies on parchment paper or a silpat.  You don't won't these babies sticking to the pan.

Once cooled, let your creativity blossom!  I used this royal icing recipe.  It dries hard but not enough to chip a tooth like some others. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• decorations: royal icing, sprinkles, pink and red tinting gel, icing bags, Wilton tips ( i used sizes 2 and 3)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line your pan with parchment or these babies might stick to your pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  It takes a few minutes.
3. Once fluffy, add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk all dry ingredients.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.  You may have to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice.
5. On a clean, floured surface, roll out about 1/3 of the dough to 1/4 inch thick.  You will have to flour the rolling pin also.
6. Now's the fun part, cut out your cookies shapes with whatever floats your boat.  I use a simple heart.  Move cookies to your baking sheet.  You may have to wiggle a metal spatula under the cookie to get it loose.
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes.  They won't look done but will finish cooking out of the oven.  Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Move to cooling rack to completely cool.
8. While cooling, you can make the icing.

Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a gem and would be a perfect St Paddy's Day dessert.

Ingredients:

    Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

       Mint Ganache Filling:

• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

        Mint Frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp heavy cream
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring
• Andes mints for garnish

Directions:

1. To make the cupcakes, Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, add cocoa.  Heat milk until hot but not boiling.  Pour milk over cocoa and whisk until smooth.  Let cool.  Once cooled, add sugar, oil, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until combine.  Don't over mix the batter!
2. Pour into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cool completely.
3. While cupcakes are baking, go ahead and make the filling.  Melt chocolate chips and cream in the microwave on 30 second intervals until melted.   Stir in mint extract and powdered sugar.  You can taste it at this point and add more mint if you'd like.  When cupcakes come out the oven, Add ganache to a squeeze bottle and fill cupcakes.
4. Mint Frosting:  Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add powdered sugar, mint extract and heavy cream.  Add green food coloring and stir.  A small amount will give you a nice pale green.  Taste it.  If you want a more stronger minty flavor, add more.  Be careful! You can go from perfect to overpowering real fast!  Once cupcakes have cooled, frost cupcakes and decorate with left over ganache and Andes mints.

Eat and enjoy!


 Adapted from: http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/05/andes-mint-cupcakes.html

* makes 12 cupcakes

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• splash of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp raw sugar, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil and egg.  Beat together and add to dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined; do not over mix.
3. Fold in blueberries and vanilla.  
4. Fill your muffin tin and sprinkle with raw sugar.  You can also use regular white sugar.  The raw sugar gives the muffins a nice crunch.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.  Remove and let cool on a baking rack.

Eat and enjoy.

** makes approx. 10-12 muffins

White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnap Cookies

Gingersnap cookies is my husband's all time fav!  I just hope he leaves enough for our friends and family to enjoy... and Santa too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, optional
• 12oz bag white chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp vegetable shortening
• garnishes: sprinkles, colored sugars, etc.

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, shortening and both sugars
2. Add egg, vanilla and molasses.
3. In another bowl whisk flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Then gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Cover dough and chill for 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  Scoop out small balls of dough and roll them in the turbinado sugar.  This is optional but it gives the cookies a nice crunch.
5. Place dough onto baking sheet and gently smash a little.  Space out cookies 2 inches apart.  They will spread.
6. Bake for 12 minutes.  The cookies will be soft to the touch.  Let them sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. Once cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate and shortening in microwave on 30 second intervals until melted.
8. Dip the cookies in the melted chocolate and place on a wax paper.  Decorate as desired.  Let the chocolate set up before stacking the cookies in an air tight container.

Eat and enjoy!

Pralines

I am a candy making machine today.  The holidays always bring that out in me even though it's 80° outside with 100% humidity!  My pralines didn't quite turn out right with this outrageous weather we're having but I still decided to share them with you all.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups pecans, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large pot fitted with a candy thermometer, combine sugars, butter, milk, salt and pecans.  Cook over medium high heat, stirring continuously.  Mixture will start to boil.  Keep cooking until candy reaches a temperature of 238°(soft ball stage)
2. Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Keep stirring until mixture thicken.  It will start to look grainy.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let it set up.

Eat and enjoy!

* I like to make my pralines big so I usually get about 20 out of this recipe.

Fantasy Fudge

 Fantasy Fudge is a must at Christmas time.  It's rich and delicious.  Now, I love all types of fudge but this fudge (IMHO) is so much better than those condensed milk ones. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 jar(7oz) marshmallow creme
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Line 9x13 pan with foil.  Make sure foil hangs over sides of pan.  This makes a handle to easily remove from pan.
2. Set up large pot with a candy thermometer.
3. Add sugar, milk and butter to pot.  Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Continue cooking until thermometer reaches 234°F.  Remember to keep stirring or it will burn!  
4. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme.  Stir until combined
5. Add vanilla and nuts, if that's your thing.  Mix well.
6. Pour into foil lined pan.  Let cool completely on counter or in fridge.  Remove foil from pan and cut into squares.

Eat and enjoy!

Cinnamon Pecans

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 lb pecan halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  
2. Beat egg white with a fork until frothy
3. Add cinnamon and sugar and stir until a delicious paste is formed
4. Add pecans and throw on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
5. Toast for 15 minutes.  Cool and transfer to a air tight container.

Eat and enjoy!