December 25th, 2009
Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!
These are my family’s favorite holiday cookies… a Christmas can’t go by without me baking them… ENJOY!
Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter (don’t use reduced fat)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 & 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat well.
3. Add the dry ingredients (can always mix the dry ingredients on wax paper and then add).
4. Shape in 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. (for soft cookies take them out at 12 minute when the cracks in the cookies still look a little moist. They will continue to cook a little after you remove them from the oven and will not become as hard.)
6. Remove from oven and press the kiss on. Allow to cool until the kiss has rehardened.
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March 31st, 2009
Hey Everyone! Sorry for the two week hiatus, I was on spring break. The week leading up to spring break was a flurry of activity as I tried to get my school work finished.
The week off was delightful. I spent it sleeping in late, lazily drinking coffee, visiting friends and family plus hanging out with J as much as I could when he wasn’t at work. It was really relaxing! I needed to just sleep and destress.
I made fortune cookies. They turned out fairly well. A little cracked when I would fold them but I got better with practice. Many of the recipes I looked added flavor with an extract other than vanilla. I did not do this but in the future I would. The cookies seemed a little bland to me. They were also a little greasy so that after a few days the grease bled through the fortunes. I would recommend eating them quickly. I enjoyed making them. I used a recipe from Tea Time, which is pretty much identical to the one I found here.
Fortune Cookies
(adapted from here; also check out this blog for other ideas)
Makes about 16 cookies.
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons water
1. Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a silicon baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.
3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl (make sure to sift, this is important so it doesn’t get lumpy). Stir the water into the flour mixture.
4. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon.
5. Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter. Do only about 4 at a time. When you take them out of the oven, they will harden quickly so you can only do a few at a time.
6. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (12-15 minutes).
7. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand (Use a piece of parchment paper to protect your hand). Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, wooden spoon or the edge of a muffin tin. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.
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December 25th, 2008
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday filled with fun, family and food!!!!
Exams are over and I have spent the last week sleeping, relaxing and eating. This weekend, J and I are off for a much needed vacation in sunny Argentina. I am so excited!!!! When we return, I will post the recipes for these chocolate chip cookies, my mom’s pizza, and many other delicious dishes plus pictures from our trip…until then…
Have a Happy New Year!!!! 
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