12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies Archives

Crinkled Fudge Truffle Cookies {12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies}

December 13, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 4 Comments

This is our last week of the 12 Weeks Of Christmas Treats! Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? Wow, the time sure has flown by! I hope you’ve enjoyed the recipes I’ve shared over the weeks as well as those from the other participating bloggers. Next week I’ll do a wrap up post of all the cookies and you can always find the recipes by visiting my Recipe Index Page or the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Pinterest board!

My very first job as a teenager was in the bakery of a local grocery store. I don’t remember getting to actually bake much (they had bakers that did that) but I do remember I got to write on cakes. And I remember that one of the most popular cookies we sold were these double chocolate cookies. They were super soft gooey chocolate cookies and I made sure to sample them as often as I got the chance (I would buy them to eat on my break!)

Flash forward to last year and I received one of those mailers from Better Homes & Gardens for their annual holiday ideas and recipe book. I didn’t end up purchasing the book but I did hold on to the free recipe that came with the advertising. These Crinkled Fudge Truffle Cookies looked EXACTLY like those cookies that I used to sell at the bakery. So I HAD to try them!
The good news: these look and taste just like those cookies from the bakery. The bad news: they are so gooey that they can be somewhat tricky to work with. My first batch was somewhat of a flop. I tried to substitute chocolate chips for the baking chocolate and that was a bad move because my dough was way too melty. So I added more flour and baking soda (so they would rise a bit) and while the cookies actually turned out ok taste and texture-wise, they were a little difficult to get off the baking sheet without destroying their shape.

So with my second attempt, I followed the recipe exactly and used the right ingredients. One note: the batter looks a lot like brownie batter instead of thicker cookie batter but it actually kind of sets up as it sits. Also, these cookies do flatten out so be sure to let them sit on the baking sheet the couple of minutes that the recipe suggests so that they can set up a bit more. I also got interrupted during my baking session and had to put some of the batter in the refrigerator. That seemed to help a bit with the spread and “setting-up” of the cookies while they baked so my tip is to refrigerate the dough if you’re having trouble with spread.
All in all these cookies were a hit—both with my family and with my friends when I brought them for a cookie exchange party. hey were so full of fudgy chocolate-ness, it brought me back to my bakery job days. Yum!

Crinkled Fudge Truffle Cookies {12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies}

Ingredients

3 4-ounce bars sweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 T butter-flavored shortening
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
3 eggs
1 ¼ C granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C chopped pecans
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Nonstick spray coating
Pecan halves (optional)
Powdered Sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan over very low heat, heat and stir chocolate and shortening until chocolate begins to melt and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add coffee. Stir until combined. Cool.
Using an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon colored (3 or 4 minutes). Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. On low speed beat in chopped pecans, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until combined.
Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray (do not skip this step or your cookies will stick to the pan!) Drop teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. I used a cookie scoop to make them even. If using, place a pecan half atop each cookie. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until just set on surface (do not over bake). Cool for 2 minutes on pan then transfer to racks. Cool completely. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes about 4 ½ dozen cookies.

Notes

My suggestion: Do not substitute chocolate chips for the bar chocolate. The ratio is just not the same. I hope to try this with butter instead of shortening but am not sure how that will change things.

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All the ingredients ready to go!

I used my Pampered Chef chopper to chop the chocolate easily!

I like the bars of shortening–makes it so much easier to measure what I need!

Use low heat to melt the chocolate and shortening slowly to avoid burning.

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop… you’ll have no excuse of “I don’t know what to make!” And be sure to check follow our Pinterest board.

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas Tagged With: christmas, cookies

Fudgy Ginger Shortbread

December 7, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 4 Comments

This week I was short on time—in just about every direction! So I knew I wanted a recipe for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats that I could whip up in a jiffy! I made most of my wait time at the orthodontist’s office while waiting for my daughter and thumbed through the many holiday magazine/books that I have and came upon this yummy sounding recipe for Fudgy Gingerbread Shortbread by Land O’ Lakes. I do love a good shortbread (like this chocolate peppermint shortbread I made last year). The ingredients looked simple enough and the time to make and bake easy too. I had a winner!

I ended up substituting the powdered ginger for the crystallized because that’s what I had on hand. Actually I *thought* I had crystallized ginger but I think I must have used it up because it had gone missing in my spice rack.

These delicate little cookies did not disappoint. With just a few ingredients–all of which I already had on hand–they went together quickly. Plus they have a terrific chocolatey flavor with just a hint of ginger. I think they would be great paired with a cup of tea or coffee. I hope you enjoy them too!

Fudgy Ginger Shortbread

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger*
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
*Substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°F. Line 2 (9-inch) round pie or cake pans with aluminum foil, extending foil over edges. Set aside.
Combine flour, cocoa, ginger and salt in medium bowl until well mixed; set aside.
Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture and scraping bowl often, until soft dough forms.
Divide dough in half. Press each half into bottom only of prepared pans. Prick all over with fork.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until firm and set. (Center will be slightly soft.) Cool 10 minutes. Lift shortbread out of pans using foil; cut each shortbread into 16 wedges. Cool completely.
Combine powdered sugar and vanilla in small bowl. Stir in enough water for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over shortbread wedges.

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Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop… you’ll have no excuse of “I don’t know what to make!” And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas

Pecan Tassies

November 29, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 13 Comments

When I was a young girl, I remember my grandmother making these Pecan Tassies and bringing them to our house for Christmas. I also remember that I did not really like them at all! But now I’m a huge fan. Blame it on the 30+ years of living in Texas and my taste for native pecans and there’s not a whole lot that I’ll refuse if it includes pecans. Now I will say I’m still a little bit picky about pecan pie. It can’t have too many pecans nor, have too much of the filling. I like it to have a balance. So I dug out my recipe for grandma’s Tassies and I’m glad I did. (Remember, last week I posted a Peanut Butter Fudge recipe from my grandmother? That was from my grandma on the other side of the family).

These little gems offer just the right balance of pecans to filling to crust. I’d venture to guess that they freeze well although I’m not a great judge since I’ve probably eating half a pecan pie’s worth since I made them! That the downside, they’re just so darn easy to pop into your mouth and enjoy. I’m pretty sure it’s been awhile since my mom and dad have had these so I may just need to make up an extra batch to share with them this Christmas!

Pecan Tassies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: PT25-27M

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 32-40 tassies

Serving Size: 1 tassie

Ingredients

Shell:
1 cup butter, softened
6 oz. of cream cheese, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 eggs
1 ½ cup light brown sugar
2 T melted butter
¼ tsp vanilla
Dash of salt

Instructions

For crust:
Combine butter and cream cheese until creamy and smooth (original recipe suggested just using spoons but I used my stand mixer). Add flour, ½ cup at a time, blending thoroughly until smooth dough forms.
Pinch off small pieces of dough and shape into balls (I used my small scoop to make this easier). The original recipe said you would get 48 balls. I got about 32 but probably could have gotten 40 if I was a bit more conscious about it. Place balls in mini-muffin cup pan. Shape in pan with fingers to make it into a cup. Or you can use a mini-tart shaper tool like I did.
For filling:
Beat eggs only enough to combine white part with yolk. Add brown sugar. Beat well after each addition. Add melted butter, salt and vanilla.
Sprinkle half of chopped nuts in unbaked cups. Add about a scant tablespoon of the liquid filling over the pecans. Top with remaining nuts. Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes or until filling is almost set. Reduce heat to 250° and bake an additional 10 minutes longer until firm.
Remove to cooling racks until fully cooled.

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Just a few simple ingredients are all you need to make these tassies.

Add the flour a little at a time.

You can use your fingers to press the dough into the cups. This neat mini-tart shaper tool that I have makes it a bit easier!

Tassie cups waiting–first step to fill–use half the pecans.

This is what it looks like with the pecans on the bottom and the filling but before the final pecan topping.

I used a butter knife to help me pop the tassies out of the pan.

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas, Recipe-Sweet Treats Tagged With: mini sweets, pecan pie bites

Peanut Butter Fudge

November 21, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 9 Comments

I’m just going to come right out and say it but this fudge recipe is in no way healthy. Nope, not one bit. But it sure is delicious and simple to make! We’re in the 9th week of the 12 weeks of Christmas Treats (can you believe it?!?) and I’m bringing my recipe to you one day early because of Thanksgiving being on our normal Thursday posting.

Many years ago, my grandmother used to make Mexican fudge. It was like a praline fudge and it was so delicious. But I could never seem to duplicate it myself. Then she gave me the recipe for peanut butter fudge. Now, the planets seem to have to align and the humidity needs to be low here in Texas (kind of a rare thing) for the fudge to come out. I blame candy making on the humidity!

But this time I timed it right and chose a day that was a bit cooler AND I had the time to make it. This fudge has just the right hint of peanut butter to that sweet fudge taste making them perfect little bites for any holiday sweets table spread.

Having a candy thermometer is a must so that you can keep an eye on the sugar mixture for it to come to soft ball stage. And it seems as though it stays stuck on 220°F FOREVER! I think it was about 30-40 minutes for me. But once it makes it to the soft ball stage it is quick to mix up and spread in a pan. Easy. Now I will say that this batch turned out a little more crumbly than I would like but my family thought it was delicious! I think it’s because of the disparity in my candy thermometers and I let it get a little too far into the soft ball stage (see my pictures below for explanation). It does freeze well though. Just put it in a freezer safe container separated by wax paper. I know I’ll have plenty for gift-giving and holiday sweets trays and tables!

I hope you’ll give it a try!

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients

1 can evaporated milk
4 C granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 20 oz. jar crunchy peanut butter*
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream

Instructions

Combine evaporated milk, sugar and butter/margarine. Cook and stir constantly over low heat until candy reaches soft ball stage. To test for soft ball stage, either use a candy thermometer (temperature at 235º-240º--seems like it is “stuck” at 220º forever!). Or use a cup of cold water and drop a teaspoon of mixture into water and if it makes a soft ball it is ready.
In large bowl, put in crunchy peanut butter and marshmallow cream. Pour candy mixture over peanut butter mixture and beat until candy loses its gloss. Turn into a buttered 13” x 9” pan and cut into 1” squares when cool. Store in refrigerator.

Notes

*Since this recipe was my grandmother's the size of the peanut butter jars has changed from the 20 oz. jar called for to 18 oz. So I added an extra tablespoon or so to give it the boost of peanut butter flavor I wanted it to have.

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Just five simple ingredients is all it takes. And a whole lot of sugar–yikes! Eat a big salad the day you make these so you can indulge a bit!

The sugar milk butter mixture will boil and get really foamy and big. Just keep an eye on it and keep stirring!

It seems to stay at 220 degrees for a really long time!

I lined the pan with foil and greased it so it makes it easier to pull out and cut.

This is the mixture after about a half hour of it coming to the soft ball stage temperature.

This is what the soft ball stage looks like in the cold water. I like how the drizzling made a pattern–kind of makes me think of a dancer!

This one shows it at the soft ball stage but I think it was a little too high in reality.

This was my grandmother’s candy thermometer. It read a little higher than mine. And I think this one was really the one I should have followed.

Just dump the mixture out of the bowl into the pan–then spread!

I used the back of a metal spoon to smooth the mixture in the pan.

I used my giant pizza cutter to make cutting the fudge into squares so much easier!

You can find all sort of sweet treats inspiration and much more on my Pinterest boards. And be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop… you’ll have no excuse of “I don’t know what to make!” And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas, Recipe-Sweet Treats

Fudgy Brownie Cake Balls

November 15, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 10 Comments

It’s the 8th week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! Next week is Thanksgiving so be on the lookout on WEDNESDAY for my next recipe.

So, now on to this week’s recipe! Fudgy Brownie Cake Balls. This past summer I picked up this fun Nordicware cake pop pan at Target. I’d been eyeing it for a while and decided to splurge. It’s about $15. But since I don’t really like the regular cake pops that are so popular these days with the cake mix and frosting, I wanted something that would give me a similar treat without those ingredients. (By the way, I’ve read on the Nordicware Facebook page that they are coming out with a cookbook for more pop recipes! That’s the one downside to this pan–I don’t think you can use a regular cake mix recipe.)

These are SO easy to make. I didn’t even need to get the mixer out! And my son helped me too. Now I will say these cake balls never really fill the whole sphere but still make a nice truffle-like shape. I dipped them in baking chocolate, added a few sprinkles (which you can change up the color of if you like) and voila! Easy dessert. I made these recently for a luncheon at school and they were a big hit!

Fudgy Brownie Cake Balls

Yield: Makes about 24 cake balls.

Ingredients

¾ semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 eggs
¾ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
24 lollipop sticks
12 oz. white or chocolate bark coating

Instructions

Heat oven to 325F. Grease and flour pan. In medium saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips together. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a medium bowl. Add sugar and cocoa. Stir until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and salt. Mix until blended. Spoon batter into bottom half of pan (without holes) filling each well so it mounds over the top of the pan. I used a medium scoop for this—so easy!
Place top half of pan on top and secure with keys. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove cake pops from pan to cool completely.
Melt white chocolate or chocolate bark according to package directions. Dip cake ball in melted chocolate. Dip cake pop in melted chocolate, spinning to let excess chocolate drip off. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Repeat with all balls. Place on cooling rack or parchment paper to set.

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Simple ingredients!

The pans come in all sorts of fun colors!

The instructions call for spraying the pans. Although I found that there is enough butter in the batter that I didn’t have a problem with them sticking.

No mixer required–easy!

Batter is mounded slightly in each well.

I used a knife to poke the balls and dip into the melted chocolate.

For me, the cake balls really don’t mound too much but still have the nice round shape from the pan on one side at least.

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas

Cranberry Amaretto Chutney with Cream Cheese

November 8, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 9 Comments

Here we are in the 7th week of Christmas Treats. Crazy! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it and then, boom! December holiday season! Good thing we’re getting some baking done ahead of time, right?

This week I’m taking a little diversion from the baked goods I’ve been bringing you each week to share this delicious Cranberry Chutney recipe with you! My mom first shared this recipe with me several years ago. It is SO easy and oh so yummy! You can even make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator and pull it out when you’re ready to serve. I normally serve it over cream cheese with crackers but I have also found it is delicious on its own too. I made this recently to bring to a PTO meeting and celebration after a successful school event. I was on the planning committee for the event and we all got together afterwards to enjoy some fun time together. This Cranberry Amaretto Chutney was a hit!

I like to buy cranberries this time of year from my local wholesale club. I can get a HUGE bag for less than $5 (which is almost what it costs from the grocery store!) And I keep them in the freezer to use year-round. They freeze beautifully!
Now on to the recipe:

Cranberry Amaretto Chutney with Cream Cheese

Ingredients

2 – 8 oz cream cheese
2 C cranberries – fresh (or frozen)
1 C sugar
1 T +1 t lemon juice
½ t of lemon rind
¼ C amaretto
1 T orange marmalade (I have subbed apricot jam before too and it's tasty!)

Instructions

Combine 2 C cranberries and sugar. Heat until it comes to a boil stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients(not the cream cheese). Let cool and pour over cream cheese block or you may spread cream cheese in a shallow dish and spread cranberry mixture over the top.

Notes

Sometimes I only use one block of cream cheese to serve. It just depends on the proportion of chutney to cheese that you like.

Also, even though the original directions call for you to stir the amaretto into the boiled cranberry mixture OFF the heat, I will bring it back to a boil so some of the alcohol cooks off. Just remember that if you will have children (or others who are alcohol averse) around who might be sampling this appetizer!

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Just a few simple ingredients are all you need!

Don’t these frozen cranberies look so yummy?

Cranberry/sugar mixture just stirred–before heating!

Cranberry/sugar mixture at a boil!

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas, Recipe-Soup/Sauces

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bars

November 1, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 11 Comments

Can you believe that we’ve made it to the halfway point of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats? I know I sure can’t! But I’m glad to have been stocking up on some holiday treats and filling my freezer! This week’s treat is not going into the freezer though. I’ve taken a little diversion and am making more of a fall treat this week. Our school is having a luncheon for the teachers and I offered to make a dessert. This one seemed a little bit healthier at first glance but realized that it’s got a fair amount of sugar and butter in it. Oh well, the bars are small at least!
And the bonus is I got to use up some of the dried apples I bought at Trader Joe’s a month or so ago and the extra cream cheese I had in my refrigerator (which I don’t even remember why I bought in the first place!) which goes along nicely with my Pantry Challenge!

I love the apple, cinnamon and ginger flavors in these bars. They smelled delicious even before they were baked! And I do love a good bar cookie—so easy and quick. These have just the right sweetness to apple flavor and are perfect for any fall holiday table. I hope you’ll give them a try!

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies special issue

Apple-Cinnamon Streusel Bars

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Yield: 32 bars

Serving Size: 1 bar

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
3 - 4 teaspoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For crust, in a large bowl stir together flour, oats, granulated sugar, the 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and ginger. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. For topping, set aside 1 cup of the crust mixture. Press remaining crust mixture evenly and firmly onto the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. For filling, in a medium bowl beat cream cheese, apples, walnuts, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, and the 1 teaspoon cinnamon with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Spread filling over crust in pan. Sprinkle evenly with reserved topping.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
4. For icing, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar and enough of the milk to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over uncut bars. To serve, cut into bars.
Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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NOTE: I didn’t take any extra pictures of the process this week. I was in a rush and just didn’t have the time–I needed to just get them done! But I know y’all are smart enough to figure out how to put them together.

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas

Chocolate Covered Cherry Delight Cookies

October 25, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 10 Comments

Here we are nearly to the end of October (and Halloween next week—I’m not really ready for that yet!) and the 5th week of Christmas Treats.

When it comes to chocolate covered cherries cordial candies (say that three times fast!), it seems you’re either a fan or you’re not. Well, I am and if you are too, you are going to LOVE these little cookies! I first discovered them a couple of summers ago on vacation after reading Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, the first in a mystery series by Joann Fluke about bakery owner and accidental sleuth, Hannah Swensen. You see, Hannah is the owner of The Cookie Jar bakery in the fictional Minnesota town of Lake Eden. I love mysteries and especially cozies like these that also include a food theme! What’s really neat about Fluke’s books is that she includes recipes too. She’s written so many books in the series that last year, she released a whole cookbook with all the recipes from her books and even included some never-before-published recipes! If you love food related mysteries like I do, I encourage you to check out this fun series. And be sure to check out the Lake Eden Cookbook too!

It wasn’t a month later that I tried these yummy little treats and now I’m excited to share them with you. And don’t worry, they’re not nearly as drippy with that gooey filling as the candies but the flavor still delivers. They’re soft and chewy with a hint of the cherries. This recipe is relatively simple and the freeze well when packed in an air-tight container with wax paper in between layers. That is if they last that long—I dare you to eat just one!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Delights cookies

Yield: 4-5 dozen depending on size

Ingredients

1 cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, for baking)
3 cups flour
2 small, 10-oz. jar maraschino cherries
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Melt the butter and mix in the sugar. Set aside to cool.
After the mixture has cooled to a temperature that won’t cook the eggs, stir in the eggs and mix thoroughly.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cocoa, stirring after each addition. Add the flour and mix well. The dough will be stiff and a bit crumbly.
Drain the cherries and reserve the juice (you will need some of the juice later).
Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 per sheet. I like to use a scoop for this so they’re all evenly sized. Press down in the center of each ball to make a deep indentation. Place one cherry in each indentation.
Combine the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat them on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir. If the chips are not melted, process on HIGH in 10minute increments until they can be stirred smooth. Add about 2 tablespoons of the reserved cherry juice to the melted chocolate mixture until the frosting is thick and will glob off a spoon. If it won’t glob off, keep adding juice until it is the right consistency.
Spoon a small bit of the frosting over the center of each cookie – just enough to cover the cherry. It shouldn’t drip down the sides.
Bake at 350°F in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Brenda's Notes: This makes a pretty large batch but the recipe can be easily halved.

Hannah Swensen’s NOTES: If you don’t like cherries, you can substitute well-drained pineapple tidbits, using the juice for the frosting. You can also use pecan halves or macadamina nuts and thin the frosting with cold coffee or water. If you don’t have anything to go on top, just use the frosting because that’s good too!

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This book has all the recipes from Joanne Fluke’s fun Hannah Swensen mystery series!

Simple ingredients–easy!

This dough is so easy to whip up–I didn’t even need to use my mixer!

I ended up using my double boiler to melt the chocolate for the frosting.

I use my 1 3/4″ (also one tablespoon) size scoop to make the cookies evenly shaped.

Rolling the balls of dough is easy when they’ve been preportioned.

Don’t these look so yummy?

The frosting should be thick but still kind of flow-y.

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas

Peppermint Fudge Cups

October 18, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 16 Comments

Here we are in the fourth week of Christmas treats. I’m starting to feel a little mixed up and realized today that I’d better at least make something Halloween related in the next week otherwise I’ll miss it entirely. I know my kids won’t let me get away without at least making our annual cat-face cookies!

This week’s cookie treat is one my son chose. Awhile back he sat down with a bunch of my holiday cookbooks and chose several that looked good to him. These were originally called Coconut-Fudge Cups but since I’m really the only one in my family that likes coconut, I decided to do my own variation and make them with peppermint instead. My son was glad to help too!

This is the little holiday cookie cookbook I found the original recipe in. Who else collects these each year? I just can’t help myself!

These were originally supposed to have coconut..can you tell from the picture in the book?

These little treats are like little bites of fudge with a burst of peppermint. And here’s a little tip: buy peppermint candies when they go on clearance after the holidays and you can use them in recipes all year long. They work great when a recipe calls for crushed peppermints.

And one more tip: I used crushed peppermints in place of the coconut and I will say that they took a little longer to bake than what the original recipe called for. They were also a little chewy in the center which I attributed to the melted peppermints. Now I brought these to a special activity and they were gobbled up before I knew it so I don’t think too many people minded the textural issues. But if it might bother you, you can substitute ½ tsp of peppermint extract to get that peppermint flavor without the chewiness. I will definitely be making these over and over!

Peppermint Fudge Cups {12 Weeks of Christmas Treats}

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Serving Size: one cookie cup

Ingredients

Cookie Ingredients
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened.
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 t. vanilla
Peppermint Fudge Filling
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3-1/2 C crushed peppermints
1/3 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
Garnish, if desired:
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 t. whipping cream (I used 1% milk and it was ok!)
1/2 c. crushed peppermints

Instructions

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining cookie ingredients.
Shape dough into 24 1-inch balls. Press 1 ball into bottom and up side of each of 24 ungreased mini muffin cups. Mix filling ingredients until spreadable. Spoon about 2 teaspoons filling into each cup.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when filling is touched lightly. Cool slightly; carefully remove muffin cups to cooling rack.
In 1 cup microwaveable cup, microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream on high 30 seconds, stir until smooth. Frost tops of fudge cups with chocolate and sprinkle with crushed peppermint.

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Pretty simple ingredients for this yummy cookie cup!

I use just about any kind of peppermint candy to crush. Ignore the label on the bag–it was reused from a bag of frozen blueberries that we picked one summer!

Smashing the peppermints–a great way to get out frustrations too!

I have this neat cookie cup shaper tool from Pampered Chef. Certainly not necessary but it sure does make things easier!

Filed Under: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, recipe ideas

Goat Cheese Brownies With Honey {12 Weeks of Christmas Treats}

October 11, 2012 By Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) 17 Comments

We’re cruising right along into Week 3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! We have had some great participation by the other bloggers and a TON of new recipe ideas. I hope you’ve been enjoying them as much as I have!

In case you’re joining us for the first time this week, here’s a brief rundown of how it works. Each week starting today and for the next 12 weeks, I and a bunch of other bloggers will be sharing some of our favorite holiday treats with you. The idea is that not only will you get a lot more recipe ideas but ideally you can make up these treats ahead of time and freeze so that you will have goodies ready to go for gift-giving, hostess gifts and even your own holiday tables. Be sure to check out our Pinterest board for all the great ideas too—it’s a great way to keep track of your favorites.

This week I’m sharing with you a recipe that I found in one of those holiday special baking magazines. I have far too many but still, I cannot resist the newest one each year. I found this recipe for Goat Cheese and Honey Brownies in the Better Homes and Gardens Special issue. Now my family was puzzled by that strange sounding combination but since I liked all of those things I wanted to give them a try. And I’m glad I did because these turned out great. I will let you know that they are a denser bar and almost fudge-like. But I like fudge so I was ok with that too!

Like last week’s Toffee Bars, I do like a good bar cookie or dessert. Just mix up the ingredients, spread in a pan, bake, cut and serve. Easy! And it means less time in the kitchen with big payoff too. These were a huge hit with my local blogging friends at one of our monthly meetings and I loved them too. My family thought they were so-so but they are pretty rich so maybe that’s why. These are definite keepers in my book!

This recipe is adapted from Better Homes & Gardens’ Christmas Cookies 2011.

Goat Cheese Brownies With Honey {12 Weeks of Christmas Treats}

Yield: Makes 32 brownies

Ingredients

FOR THE BROWNIES:
8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 T butter
6 oz goat cheese, softened
2 T butter, softened
1/4 Csugar
1/4 C flour
2 T honey
3 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
1/3 c water
1 t vanilla
1 c flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c chopped almonds (I used sliced)
FOR THE FROSTING:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
3 c powdered sugar
2 T honey
1 T milk

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°. Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil, leaving some foil hanging over the ends so you can lift the brownies out of the pan when cool to cut. Spray foil with cooking spray; set pan aside.
In a medium heavy saucepan heat and stir chocolate and the 3 tablespoons butter over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the brownie batter.
To make the filling, combine goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of softened butter in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar; beat until fluffy. Add 1/4 cup flour, honey, and ONE egg. Beat well and set aside. Wash and dry beaters thoroughly.
For the batter, add the remaining 2 eggs to a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until frothy. Add 1 1/4 cup sugar, the water, and the vanilla. Beat well. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat well. Stir in 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Stir in almonds.
Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Spread the goat cheese mixture over the chocolate batter. Drop mounds of the remaining chocolate batter on top of the goat cheese mixture. Marble the chocolate and goat cheese batters by dragging a knife through the batter to swirl.
Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the center is set. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. If desired, frost brownies with Honey and Cream Cheese Frosting. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into bars.

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All the ingredientes ready to go!

I used my scale to measure out the cheese. Since I had purchased mine in a larger block from Sam’s Club this made it easier to estimate what the recipe called for.