This recipe was originally from Yummy Addiction via Pinterest. I’ve made it a few times, and have been known to shift around flavors and mix-ins based on what I have available!
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Orange Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
This is an easy recipe to halve, if you have part of a container of ricotta cheese that needs to be used up. The texture of these cookies is very different from an ordinary cookie--a nice chewy change of pace.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or a Silpat liner. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds. Stir with a whisk to blend. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add butter to the mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the orange juice, vanilla and ricotta cheese. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and beat for another minute to make sure everything is incorporated.
Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. The dough will be moist and a bit sticky because of the ricotta cheese.
Spoon/scoop about two tablespoons of dough for each cookie on a baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
While the cookies cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest. Whisk until smooth. Spread about a teaspoon of glaze on the top of each cookie. Let glaze harden before serving. Enjoy!
Baking Bites via Pinterest provided this yummy recipe. The cookies are great on their own, and even better when stuck together as a peanut butter sandwich!
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Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies, or 20 sandwich cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth, followed by 1/2 cup peanut butter.
With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture, then stir in the toffee bits.
Drop scant 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden.
Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cookies are cooled, sandwich each pair with 2-3 tsp smooth peanut butter.
Recipe Notes
Original recipe (with more explanation and photos!) is from Baking Bites
This is my go-to classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It took me years to find just the right one, and this is it! Hooray for Pinterest…
The original (with much better photos and explanations) is from Over the Big Moon–read it there!
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Caroline's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Instructions
Cream butter, Crisco, and sugars in mixer.
Then add eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
Mix again and then add 2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
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Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto a foiled or greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are turning golden brown.
In case you haven’t noticed, the last twelve posts have been a very brief monthly wrap-up combined with a cookie recipe. Here is a list of all the posts:
January-Hot Cocoa Cookies
February-Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
March-Cream Cheese Almond Bars
April-Sugar Cookie Bears
May-Peppermint Swirls
June-Candy Cane Thumbprints
July-Orange Shortbread
August-Mexican Wedding Cakes
September-Peanut Butter Pretzels
October-Citrus Gumdrops
November-Chocolate Crinkles
December-Gingerbread
There are several other holiday treats that didn’t make this year’s list, so if you ate something at my house and I didn’t share the recipe, let me know and I’ll put it up!
December 2016 in Review, and Christmas Cookie #12
A favorite photo…
A few highlights…
- A December rich in favorite activities and traditions (in contrast to our Senegalese adventure from last year)
- Nathan as Gabriel and Katya as a black sheep in the Christmas pageant
- The annual studio Christmas recital
- Celebrating the season many different times with groups of family and friends
And a cookie recipe to go with it!
This is the gingerbread I have made every year since Than and I were married. If you don't roll it too thin or bake it too long, the cookies stay soft and spicy for weeks. We decorate them with white royal icing, sprinkles, and lots of red hots. An annual tradition, for sure, and one that we have happily shared with many different guests over the years.
Instructions
Thoroughly stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar, butter, and oil until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the molasses and 2 1/2 Tbsp. water until well blended.
Turn mixer speed to low and blend in as much of the flour mixture as possible. When it gets too strong for your mixer to handle, knead in the remainder by hand until the dough is smooth and shiny. If the dough is too stiff and dry, add up to 3 Tbsp. more water. If it is too soft, stir in more flour until it is manageable.
Cut 6 pieces of waxed paper. Split the dough into 3 pieces and place each piece on a sheet of waxed paper. Cover with the additional 3 pieces of waxed paper. Roll each dough piece out to an even 1/4-1/2 inch thickness (thinner for crispier cookies, thicker for softer cookies). Stack the rolled dough in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray several cookie sheets with cooking spray.
Working with one portion of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of waxed paper. Use cookie cutters to cut out the dough and place the cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 6-12 minutes, or until just darker at the edges and barely firm when pressed in the centers. Baking time varies based on the size of your cookies and on how soft or crispy you want the finished product to be.
Reroll dough scraps between waxed paper sheets. Continue cutting, rolling, and chilling dough until everything has been used.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes in order to firm up slightly before transferring to the counter or to wire racks to cool completely.
Wait until cookies are completely cool before decorating as desired.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett.
November 2016 in Review, and Christmas Cookie #11
A favorite photo…
A few highlights…
- A 90th birthday party for Grandpa Train
- A second story for the treehouse
- Thanksgiving road trip to Salt Lake, San Francisco, and back again
And a cookie recipe to go with it!
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Chocolate Crinkles
I got this recipe from my sister-in-law and have loved it ever since. Katya requested "just plain dark chocolate cookies" this year, and these always fit the bill.
Instructions
Mix oil, cocoa, and sugar well in a large mixer bowl.
Blend in one egg at a time until mixed well. Add vanilla.
Gradually blend in flour, salt, and baking powder.
Chill dough for several hours (overnight is best).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease several cookie sheets.
Use a cookie scoop or teaspoon to shape dough. Roll dough in sugar (either granulated or powdered) and place on prepared sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes, until set and tops begin to crack. Don't overbake. These are best soft!
October 2016 in Review, and Christmas Cookie #10
A favorite photo…
A few highlights…
- The tree house begins
- Family Fun night with all of us dressed in flamenco style
And a cookie recipe to go with it!
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Citrus Gumdrops
These are the Christmas treat that Nathan requests the most. When they turn out correctly, they make a lovely green and red addition to a cookie plate or a popular gift item. The temperatures are tricky, however, and I have had plenty of failed batches amidst the successes.
Instructions
Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil, covering bottom and sides completely. Spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the 1 cup sugar and the corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring often with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar. Carefully clip on a candy thermometer.
Cook over medium heat (mixture should boil at a moderate, steady rate over the entire surface), stirring occasionally, until the thermometer registers 280 degrees F (soft-crack stage), about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another heavy bottomed saucepan, combine juice, pectin, and baking soda. Mixture will be foamy. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring often. This should take about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside.
When sugar mixture in first pan has reached soft-crack stage, remove from heat. Remove candy thermometer. Return pectin mixture in second pan to boiling.
Gradually pour the hot sugar mixture into the boiling pectin mixture, stirring constantly. This step should take 1-2 minutes. Don't rush! Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute.
Remove saucepan from heat. Pour candy mixture into prepared loaf pan. Let stand until firm--overnight is best.
While candy cools, make the flavored sugar. Place 1/2 cup sugar and the zest of the lime or grapefruit in a food processor. Pulse several times to combine well. Transfer flavored sugar to a bowl or lidded Tupperware.
When candy has set, use foil to lift it out of the pan. With a wet knife, cut candy into strips and then cut each strip into cubes. Toss squares in the flavored sugar to keep them from sticking together.
Recipe Notes
The gumdrops (if they turn out) keep well for several weeks.
