Cookie Blitz-Day 3

Cookie Blitz-Day Three

Ever Ready Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Cook's Notes: 
I loved these cookies which taste like a brownie, crispy on the outside with a chewy inside. A dusting of powdered sugar gives them a festive snowball look. Check out some cooking tips for making these cookies at the end of the recipe.
Recipe adapted from cafedelites.com and makes 15 cookies.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose or plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar (for coating)

Directions:

• In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, granulated sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
• In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, espresso powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until a dough forms (do not over beat). Cover bowl with wrap and put in freezer for an hour.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper.  Roll 1 tablespoonful of dough into balls for smaller cookies, or 2 tablespoonfuls of dough for larger cookies.
• Add the confectioners  sugar to a smaller bowl. Generously and evenly coat each ball of dough in confectioners' sugar and place onto prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes (for small cookies) or 11 minutes (for larger cookies). The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool.
• Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. Use a sifter and sprinkle baked cookies with more confectioners sugar.

Cooking Tips:

• Make sure you start with room temperature ingredients so the oil and egg mix together easier.
• If you can, use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch process cocoa powder
• Make sure you chill the cookie dough in freezer for at least an hour as the dough is super sticky and easier to manage once it has been chilled (the longer, the better). Chilling also ensures thicker cookies with a fudgy texture, and less spreading while baking.
• Once they are rolled into balls and placed onto your baking sheet, there is no need to press them down. They will naturally bake into shape.
• Cookies will be super soft when they come out of the oven and harden as they cool. If you bake them for too long, the centers will not be fudgy.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
Cook's Notes: No cookie list would be complete without the classic chocolate chip cookie. The spin on this recipe is vegetable oil substitutes for butter. The crispiness and chewy center makes this cookie the perfect accompaniment to a glass of milk or a cup of coffee/tea. The recipe makes a generous 5 dozen. A Dollar Store visit for a festive plate and you are all set to give a gift of holiday cheer. 

Cooking Tip: Keep dough chilled while one batch of cookies bake. 

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups Wesson or Canola oil minus 3 tablespoons 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 5 cups flour
• 1-12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 2 cups chopped walnuts

Directions: 

• In a large bowl beat eggs. Add in sugars and vanilla, mix well.
• Measure out oil and then subtract 3 tablespoons oil and return it back to bottle.
• Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil until well combined. 
• In another bowl whisk salt. baking soda and flour together. Fold in half of flour mixture to sugar oil mixture. Mix well and then add in rest of flour mixture. Mix well. 
• By hand fold in chips and walnuts. Chill dough in freezer for 45 minutes. 
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone pads. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Roll dough into 2 inch balls, no need to flatten and place on baking sheet. 
• Bake 11 minutes and cool a few minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to cooling rack. 

Tablescape: Napkin Folding Christmas Tree

A tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUIoqUEs_RY
Advice: turn your sound down a notch as the origami lady comes on a bit loud but her tutorial is quite good and easy to follow. 

Cookie Blitz-Day Two

A visit from St. Nicholas or Santa would not be complete unless a plate of cookies and a glass of milk were left out for him on Christmas Eve plus carrots for 'Sinterklaas' horse.

These Santa Sugar Cookies would be perfect for his stop at your house. And note they are 

Crisp Sugar Cookies
Cook's Notes: A perfect sugar cookie, crisp on the outside and soft in the inside topped with sprinkles sparkling sugar.

Recipe makes 38 cookies.

Santa's Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup Wesson (vegetable oil) 
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 cups flour +2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crème of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

 Directions:

• Cream butter with sugars and add in beaten eggs. Mix well. Add in oil and extract/s.
• In another bowl whisk together flour, salt, crème of tartar and baking soda.
• Add butter/oil mixture to flour mixture. Beat well and place in freezer 30 minutes to chill.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone pads. 
• Roll dough into 2 inch balls and reroll in granulated sugar. Flatten slightly with bottom of a floured glass.
• Sprinkle each cookie with sprinkles sparkling sugar. 
• Bake for 11 minutes. Bottom of cookie should be browned. Cool on baking sheet a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. 
  

Ever Ready Mint Capped Brownie Cookies

Cook's Notes: Recipe makes 32 brownie bites and was adapted from Hershey Company
Ingredients:

• 32 Hersheys kisses brand mint truffles in dark chocolate or can substitute other seasonal ones such as cherry cordial, candy cane, sugar cane
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s special dark cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Multicolored sprinkles

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line small muffin pan (appetizer size) with paper or foil baking cups. Remove wrappers from chocolates and set aside.
• Beat butter, granulated sugar, water, and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs. Beat well. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed until blended. Place dough in freezer for 25 minutes for easier handling.
• Place a sheet of wax paper on counter and roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls, and then reroll in sprinkles and place in cookie cup liners.
• Bake 11 minutes or until cookie surface is set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake.

• Cool in pan 5 minutes and transfer each one to wire cooling rack. Cool 8 minutes before pressing chocolate piece into surface of each cookie cup. 

Note: You want to avoid candy from melting in brownie cups if placed in too soon.

Cookie Blitz

Need a gift idea for that special someone in the 4-7 age group? You can't go wrong with "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie," one of the many books in the popular series."

The delightful book started the series and is known for its playful, circular pattern. A boy gives a cookie to a mouse. The mouse asks for a glass of milk. He then requests a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair in the mirror), and a broom (to sweep up his hair trimmings). Next he wants to take a nap, to have a story read to him, to draw a picture, and to hang the drawing on the refrigerator. Looking at the refrigerator makes him thirsty, so the mouse asks for a glass of milk. The circle is complete when he wants a cookie to go with it.
Cook's Notes: Enjoy a week long cookie blitz!

Recently a friend asked me to help with her holiday baking. So I now have three new recipes to share with you. And she brought me all the needed supplies to bake. What a deal!
Each day this week I will post two recipes, one from Ever Ready and the other one from my friend. So...LET'S GET BAKING

Ever Ready Christmas M&M Cookies with Sprinkles
Cook's Notes: A kid friendly crisp cookie, easy to bake and decorate. Recipe makes about 26-28 cookies.
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups M &M's holiday colors
• Holiday sprinkles

Directions:

• In a bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in another bowl.
• Beat butter mixture into flour mixture.
• Fold in M & M's.
• Refrigerate dough in freezer 20 minutes for easier handling.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line 2 baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper.
• Roll dough into 2 inch balls for each cookie, then roll each in sprinkles and add a few M &M's to top of dough ball.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake 11 minutes. Let cool 3-5 minutes and transfer to wire cookie rack to cool.

Sour Cream Cookies with Sprinkles
Cook's notes: These cookies have a generous dose of baking powder so they are puffy. Addition of sour cream makes for a delicious moist cookie. Vanilla icing with sprinkles make them the perfect cookie for the holiday or skip the icing and the cookie is perfect for a plate of Grinch cookies. Just need to add a candy heart (baking aisle Michaels) and Wilton White Sparkling Sugar.  

Recipe make about 38 cookies.
Cooking Tip: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. How much green you use is personal preference.

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• Green food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour

Icing Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Milk as needed for frosting consistency

Cookie Directions:

• Line two baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper.
• Cream butter and sugar, adding in eggs and sour cream with a few drops of green coloring. Mix well.
• In another bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Add to cream mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate dough in freezer 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll into 2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking tray.
• Bake 10 minutes. Cool 3-5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. When cookies are cooled, add icing. 

Icing Directions:

• Add powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and a few tablespoons of milk. Beat mixture on a low speed and add enough milk to achieve frosting consistency.  

MIgas

Holiday Lights Canoa Ranch, Green Valley, AZ

It’s rare that you'll find a recipe that works for any meal in a day but migas can work for a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Since migas are made with eggs they make a perfect breakfast, but hearty enough for dinner and easy enough for lunch too. Plus, they are so delicious offering lots of versatility with add ins. 

If you haven’t had migas, let me introduce you. “Migas” means “crumbs” in Spanish, but culinarily, migas means “eggs cooked with tortilla chips, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeño then covered in melty cheese”. Making migas is a great way to use stale chips or corn tortillas and eating migas is a great way to start any day, or afternoon.

I fell in love with migas in Austin, Texas years ago. Tex-Mex migas are incredible and a traditional breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs, strips of fried tortillas (or tortilla chips for a short cut), cheese, onions, and tomatoes.

Here's a photo of a Tex-Mex breakfast my daughter and I shared in Austin. 
The taco on the left was made with scrambled eggs, bacon, refried beans, diced potatoes and shredded white cheddar cheese. The taco on right scrambled eggs, crushed tortilla chips, Monterey Jack Cheese, cilantro, diced tomatoes and onions and topped with an avocado slice.
So you can see how easy these migas are to recreate in your kitchen for any meal.
The following recipe makes 4 migas.  

Cook's Notes: The key to the success of this recipe is the prep. Cook meat, sauté veggies, grate cheese, crush chips, dice tomatoes, and blenderize liquids ahead for faster assembly.

• Four 6 inch corn or flour tortillas
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon each parsley flakes, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and dry mustard
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled or 3/4 cup sausage, cooked and crumbled
• Grated Cheddar, Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup diced red and yellow mini peppers
• 1/3 cup diced green onion, white scallion part
• 1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• Optional garnish salsa, refried beans and avocado

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
• Cook meat, drain on large paper towel lined dinner plate. Wipe skillet of most of grease, reserving one teaspoon. Sauté onion, peppers and place on a paper towel plate. 
• In a blender add eggs, spices and half and half. Mix well. 
• Wipe skillet clean and melt butter. Add blender mixture plus meat, sautéed veggies, grape tomatoes to skillet and scramble at a mediums heat until eggs set. Fold in cheese and crushed tortilla chips. 
• Remove from heat set aside covered. 
• On a baking sheet warm tortillas for 2 minutes, turn over bake 2 minutes more and fill with egg mixture.  

Why Didn't I think 0f That!

A genius, but oh so simple, way to package cookies for shipping or transporting to avoid breakage using mini marshmallows.

Christmas Board-using holiday colors

 

Charcuterie Board

Some ideas include:

Rosemary crackers 
Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Boursin Cranberry & Spice cheese
Mini sliced salami
Bacon and onion jam
Smoked almonds
Apricots
Raspberries
Cheese straws
Purple grapes
Red apples
Garlic pretzels
Mini sweet pickles
Whole cranberries
Fresh sprigs of rosemary
Soft peppermints

Create it
1. Arrange all items on a serving board or platter.
2. Decorate with festive accessories.

UP NEXT

Week long Cookie Bonanza

Jólabókaflóð

 

 Jólabókaflóð: Meet Your Favorite New Holiday Tradition

In Iceland, the best Christmas gift is a book — and it has been that way for decades.
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, with five titles published for every 1,000 Icelanders. But what's really unusual is the timing: Historically, a majority of books in Iceland are sold from late September to early November. It's a national tradition, and it has a name: Jolabokaflod, or the "Christmas Book Flood."

Jólabókaflóð originated during World War II when foreign imports were restricted, but paper was cheap. Iceland’s population was not large enough to support a year-round publishing industry, so book publishers flooded the market with new titles in the final weeks of the year. While giving books is not unique to Iceland, the tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve and then spending the evening reading is becoming a cultural phenomenon. 

In recent years the meme has spread on social media, and bookworms around the world are grabbing on to the idea. (If you’re wondering how to pronounce jólabókaflóð, the phonetic pronunciation is yo-la-bok-a-flot.

In the spirit of Jólabókaflóð and Icelanders' amazing relationship with literature, consider book giving and supporting your local bookstores.

While you cozy up with a book and enjoy some of these warm low calorie beverages.

Minty Low-Calorie Hot Cocoa

Cook's Notes: Commercial hot cocoa mixes are hiding a secret: sugar. The average hot chocolate from the grocery store has more than 25 grams of sugar. This minty alternative has none—and the mint could be beneficial for weight loss. 

Makes one serving.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk with added protein
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 drop mint extract
• 1/2 packet natural sweetener

Directions:

• Heat milk and water until near boiling. Stir in cocoa, mint and natural sweetener.

Spiced Hot Apple Cider

Directions: For a slimmer sip, simmer 1-quart apple cider with orange zest, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot for five minutes. It’s only 100 calories per cup!

Low Calorie Mulled Wine

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Skinnygirl Red Wine
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 3 star anise
• 1 whole nutmeg cracked into two pieces
• 1 orange peel
• Agave nectar to taste

Directions:

• Pour wine into pan and cook over low heat, make a sachet with the spices, put sachet in pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Add agave nectar to taste. Pour wine through strainer. Serve in a heatproof glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.

Pay It Forward-Just in Case You Missed

And it warms my heart to read about how over 900 cars paid for each other's meals right in Brainerd Minnesota at a local DQ drive-thru recently. An opportune time when local businesses are struggling and we need to show community support. 

The link below is a CNN Anderson Cooper interview with DQ manager.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/us/pay-it-forward-dairy-queen-trnd/index.html

Exploring Tubac, AZ

It's that time of year where the village of Tubac sparkles with luminarias. 

Luminaria Nights, Tubac's annual celebration of the holiday season was this past weekend.

The streets were lined with luminaries, the storefronts were lit up

and opened for shopping.

There was live music nearby at the firepit bonfire and restaurants open for dining. As we strolled the streets

we came across a very svelte looking Santa in front of a shop

who was more than happy to accommodate photos and even the Grinch seemed to be in a good mood for a photo op.

The evening was a great way to get into the holiday spirit. 

A week before Tubac's annual holiday event we found another outdoor event to

enjoy The Exuberance, an artistic and botanic experience which runs from November 14, 2020 through April 30, 2021. It concludes with an auction of the exhibits.

Thirteen acres of art space showcase local artists and their creations of garden sculptures, art installations, and contemporary garden vignettes. The show runs during the park hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Wednesday through Sunday. Free guided art tours are available. 

The Exuberance is a celebration of the artistic endeavors of artists inspired by their own creativity and innovation. 45 artists explore a variety of media, current recycling practices, and meet the challenges of all weather conditions.

Tubac’s reputation for “Where Art and History Meet” is the central theme of the show. However, many artists have chosen to create pieces that address environmental issues, sustainability, climate change, naturalism, and the use of native plants. 

One of the most popular exhibits was the Potting Shed designed to replicate the same one as used by artist, Frida Kahlo. The structure functions as a storage unit for plants during cold weather months and to house garden tools. It is built with casters for easy moving. Artist Myrna York is shown with her work. 

Bunny Hill by Erich Priester.

This one put  smiles on our faces to think of something out of the normal realm, a bunny skiing on a bunny hill made out of rock. The bunny and skis were constructed from mesquite wood. In fact, the artist got the wood from a nearby mesquite tree right in the same area as the exhibition.  

Yarn Bombing by Camila Morrisey.

Who says you can’t decorate a tree with art? Tubac Presidio volunteer Sharie Shute is pictured with a tree adorned with “yarn bombing” by Carmela Morrisey of Tubac. The colorful pots are from Father Kino’s herb garden.

Fairy Garden Vignette designed and planted by Perey Riley.  

The Exuberance preserves the spirit of contemporary art in Tubac.

Buttermilk Spice Cake with Penuche Icing

Buttermilk Spice Cake with Penuche Icing

Cook's Notes: A moist cake filled with the perfect amount of all those delicious autumn spices. It uses brown sugar instead of white sugar which gives it a sweet caramel-y note and pairs so well with the spices.

I used a Penuche Icing but a cream cheese frosting works well with this cake too. 

Optional add ins include golden raisins and walnuts. 

The batter is enough for a layer cake using 2 cake pans or 1-9 x13 pan 

Recipe adapted from cookingclassy.com

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or 1-1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1- 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans well with non-stick baking spray then lightly dust with flour and shake out excess or use a 9 x 13 pan following same directions. 
• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves for 20 seconds, set aside.
• Pour brown sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Break up brown sugar with fingertips until no clumps remain.
• Pour in vegetable oil and applesauce, blend until well combined (occasionally stop and scrape bowl throughout mixing process).
• Mix in eggs and vanilla.
• Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then blend in buttermilk, then add remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Divide mixture evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 26 minutes for a 13 x 9 pan or 22 minutes for cake pans. 
• Allow to cool in cake pans about 5 minutes then run a knife around edges to ensure cake is loose and invert upside down onto a wire rack to cool. 
• If making a 13 9 pan leave cake inside dish. 
• Cool completely and frost.

Cooking Tips

• You can adjust the amount of spices used here to suit your taste. 
• If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by mixing 1 tablespoon  lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Whisk and let rest 5 minutes before using.
• Frost cake and sprinkle with crushed nuts. Store the cake in refrigerator in an airtight container. Let rest at room temperature before serving.

Penuche Icing (recipe below enough for a 9 x 9 cake double if frosting a 13 x 9 cake or a layer cake)
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (may need more)
• Dash salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar 

Directions:

• In a saucepan melt butter on low heat, stir in brown sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
• Use a whisk and stir on low heat until sugar dissolved and smooth about 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in powdered sugar.
• Use a hand mixer to beat frosting in the saucepan until smooth or whisk ingredients. You may need to add more milk for right consistency.

viewing these recent author events called Moving Words, a program of

It is made possible in part by the State of Minnesota through a grant to the Minnesota Department of Education. Additional support is provided by the Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts, Hognander Family Foundation, and Education Minnesota.

The following is a link to the September 10, 2020 discussion featuring Minnesota Book Award-winning authors Karen Babine, Heid Erdrich, Peter Geye and Kao Kalia Yang. The program was made possible by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library Each author read a short piece from their book followed by a a lively panel discussion. Park Rapids MN Area Library, part of Kitchigami Regional Library, co-hosted this virtual installment of the popular Minnesota Center for the Book program.

The youtube video of this virtual installment lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7MBmCGKslVyUoFoMri02sEEPVDUuVeC

To see the whole series of Club Book author discussions, go here:

https://clubbook.org/authors/

Oh, and if you’re an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, be sure to check out our Fitz Bits series here: https://thefriends.org/fitzgerald/