Here's the Wrap

The Christmas Cookie Challenge has come to an end. Whatever will I do now? One thing I won't be doing for quite some time...making cookies. Who am I kidding, I give it two months before I am furiously creaming butter and sugar in my KitchenAide.
All in all this was fun and I am glad I did it. No, I did not make a cookie every single day. But to be fair, I started very early in the season. Next year I may wait at least until after Thanksgiving to start. Yes, I will do it again...at least I think I will.
Now for the winners!! These were the best and the favorites, in no particular order.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
Norma Freer's Chocolate Chip
Snickerdoodle's
S____'s Bakery Sugar Cookies
Russian Teacakes
Buttery Gingerbread
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Martha Stewart's Peppermint Meringue Cups with Chocolate Ganache
Rachael Ray's Hot Cocoa Cookies, Coconut Lemon Snowflakes and Peppermint Surprise Cookies
Cherry Bombs
Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies and Lemon Sage Variation
Jingle Bell Blossom
Frosted Maple Cookies
Cream Cheese Pretzels
Peanut Butter Blossoms

Did you try any of these? Do you have a favorite I did not make? Do you have any questions about anything you have read on this blog over the last few months? Email me @ fdmelissa@gmail.com. Also I would like to keep this blog going but I would not like to bake everyday...any suggestions for topics? I usually bake and decorate at least 3 cakes throughout the year, but I think I will miss the blog in between those cakes. What would you like to hear me ramble on about?
Thank you so much for reading and most importantly for clicking on the adverstisements. No final total yet on how much I have earned but will keep you all posted.

The Grand Finale: Lemon Bars

As a child there are certain things we know to be true. We know our parents love us no matter what, we know our faces will not really stick that way, and that your Aunt makes the best Lemon Bars. My Aunt Jan makes the best Lemon Bars, I have known this my whole life. But a funny thing happened along the way. Other people have told me their aunt makes the best Lemon Bars, how can this be??? Turns out just about everyone has an aunt that makes the best Lemon Bars. And after not very much research I have concluded all of these recipes are just about the same. That is not to say all lemon bars are the same. Trust me I have made my share of not-so-good and down right nasty ones. That being said, I have also made some awesome ones too.

This time around...eh...so so. Some people like them light on the filling and heavy on the shortbread, my take is just the opposite. Who needs crust? Give me filling every day.Hopefully some day my nephews and neice will say "My Aunt Melissa makes the best Lemon Bars"

Day 37: Silly Little Peanut Butter Blossoms

Now why on earth would I call such an amazingly good cookie "silly"? Well...I blame my mother of course. This is one of those "back of the box" recipes, the kind my mom would not be caught dead making. My mother is an OG Foodie. She was a foodie before foodies existed, before Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. The only way I think my mom would make these cookies is if she made the Hershey Kisses herself, from scratch.
Growing up we were poor. Whenever I visited a friends house and saw things like white bread, creamy peanut butter, margarine, marshmallow fluff or Hostess Cupcakes, I thought to myself "wow, they must be rich!" We never had those things. It wasn't until my late teens that I realized you did not have to be rich to make Ragu spaghetti sauce. Instead of bean dip, we had homemade hummus and pita (also homemade), instead of ranch salad dressing we had Balsamic Vinaigrette, instead of hot chocolate in a packet, we had homemade hot cocoa with real vanilla and real whipped cream. Sheesh, she probably even ground the chocolate herself!
I was 19 years old before I even saw a Peanut Butter Blossom! It was love at first sight...and bite. And believe it or not, this is the very first time I have ever made them. In honor of my mom though, I made them with chunky peanut butter.

I would love to offer some unique tip or twist to making this cookie, but honestly they are super easy and perfect just the way they are. Oh and use chunky peanut butter. Love you Mom!

Day 36: Butterscotch Chip Spice Cookies ala Mr. Garcia

she's back.....No cold or flu will keep me down! Not for long anyway.
This recipe comes from one of my husband's oldest friends, Steve Garcia. These are some things I know about Steve: 1)he graduated from Garces Memorial High School in 1985 2) he has a beautiful wife, Tammy 3)he teaches math at his alma mater 4)He shares my husband's great taste in music. What I did not know was that he can bake! The only thing I love more than a man who bakes is a man who doesn't complain when I bake, when he comes home to a kitchen that looks like a bag of flour exploded in the middle of it, who doesn't seem to mind that there has been at least one egg shell in the sink everyday since November and who still cooks dinner every single night.
Back to Steve. Steve mentioned on Facebook he was baking some kind of butterscotch cookie, that immediately peaked my interest as I have not had very good luck with butterscotch lately. He very generously sent me the recipe stating he made these and took them to school and they were a big hit. My own son's reaction, "Holy Crap!"

Butterscotch Chip Spice Cookies

2 C flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.

1 ½ C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

12 oz. butterscotch chips

Powdered sugar

Stir flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt together in a bowl; set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar with a mixer until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla, then add flour mixture.  Mix in flour just until thoroughly blended.

Fold in butterscotch chips, then cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Shape dough into approximately 2 inch balls.

Roll balls of dough into powdered sugar and arrange on the baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.  Bake 12-14 minutes until golden and just set.  Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a rack.  Makes about 2 ½ dozen

**Now for my take: Be sure to chill at least an hour if not 2. The dough is sticky and not easy to roll, but if you drop a tablespoonful into a bowl of powdered sugar you can achieve the "ball" while rolling the dough in the sugar . Bake the full time, cookies will be a toasty brown color. The first batch I removed after 10 minutes and the cookies kind of flattened. I also added a couple extra spoonfuls of flour.

These cookies will definitely be added to the Christmas Cookie repertoire. While they are baking your entire house just smells like, well, Christmas. But the spice is not too overwhelming in the taste.
Since Steve and Tammy will not be able to make it to the X concert at the Crystal Palace this year maybe I will have my son take a batch of these to the band before the show.

Day 35: Butter Cookie Jam Tots

mmmm....butter. This recipe boasts it is The WORLD's Best Butter Cookie. Okay, I won't argue, especially since I think it is the only butter cookie recipe I have tried. Honestly I just wanted a rolled cookie I hadn't made yet that would go well with Apricot Jam. This worked.

As usual, sadly, it is mostly about the appearance for me. The cookie has to look good. I think these look good. Oh yeah, and they taste really good too. Such a pretty cookie and so easy to do. Use any rolled dough you would like, roll out into any shape (being sure to pop something in the middle for the jam to show through), spread with any jam or jelly you would like and dust with powdered sugar. I love to do these at Valentine's Day with raspberry jam and a heart shaped cookie cutter.
This was not all I did today however, no indeed. Friday my son took some cookies to school for his Secret Santa gift. When he came home he told me how his whole class loved the cookies and raved about them. He then asked me if I could just whip up a plate of decorated cookies to take to the class. "Yeah right, I'll get right on that!" Did I mention I have a nasty cold/mild flu?? But eventually my vanity coupled with a stressfull week at work got the better of me. Yes, I spent the entire day making cookies, decorating cookies, scrubbing my hands alternated with laying on the couch until the dizziness subsided. At the end of the day,which I suppose is right now, these cookies made me very happy.

Day 34: WTH Paula Deen???!!!

It must be me right? Something is wrong with me. I mean, it can't always be Martha's fault, or in today's case Paula Deen's! Maybe I need to start actually watching these shows, before I try their recipes. Maybe there is some secret step you only learn about by watching the show.
Let's back up so I can explain my rage. In an earlier post I mentioned that I was not exactly sure what English Toffee was. But last night, at the Norris Middle School staff Holiday Get Together (they are teachers, I think they have to call it that), someone brought English Toffee. As soon as I popped one in my mouth I remembered what it was and that I loved it. Everyone makes it and everyone makes it good. Everyone that is except me.

As I read Paula's recipe for English Toffee I chuckled to myself a little as I used her thick southern accent while reading it to myself. Phrases like" butter a cookie sheet"-what size cookie sheet Paula? A jelly roll pan, maybe? "top with chocolate bars"-what kind of chocolate bars Paula? Hershey's, dark, semi-sweet, Butterfinger? Oh well, I followed her directions, temped the candy mixture but before it could even reach 300 degrees it became "sandy". Why??? Where did I go wrong ???Are you there Paula?? Help! The taste is there, but I don't think this is to be eaten with a spoon. Grrrrrr.......
This is however a good note for next year, I will stick with what I know. Lemon Bars are coming soon, can't wait!

A Non Cookie Related Idea

Cinnamon "Cookie" Ornaments

I did not bake a cookie today...ugh FAIL! But today work called, and called and called. It's a good thing, I love being busy this time of year.
Since I did not bake I thought this would be a great day to share another type of recipe with everyone. This is so simple you will smack yourself in the head wondering why you never thought of it.
Cinnamon Applesauce Dough recipe #2
Ingredients:

• 1 cup store-bought applesauce
• 1 cup ground cinnamon

Mix ingredients, knead, roll out and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
Use a drinking straw to form a hole at top before drying.
After dry (in about two days depending upon temperature and humidity in the room), you can craft paint details and thread a ribbon or other tie through the hole for hanging.
 I tried putting them in a low oven but they curled a little.
That's it! Decorate or "ice" with puffy paints, small beads, whatever you want. Be sure to poke a little hole into the tops of each "cookie" so you can hang them on your tree. They smell amazing for weeks too.