Pilgram Hat Cookies

I can't take credit for this clever cookie, but I can tell you that it turned into a fantastic way to teach counting & division.  The girls had a blast putting together these simple festive creations.

Keebler Fudge Stripes Original Cookies
Small Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
White Vanilla Frosting
Yellow Food Coloring
M&Ms

1. Place desired amount of frosting in a bowl, add about 3-5 drops of yellow food coloring & stir until thoroughly mixed.

2. Lay out Keebler cookies on a work surface stripe side down.

3. Generously paint the large surface of the peanut butter cup with frosting and nestle onto the chocolate surface of the cookie.

4. Add a dollop of frosting to the base of the peanut butter cup & rest one M&M with the 'm' side facing the frosting.

Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrims!

Mini Sn❄w Day Cookies

These cookies are the result of two things: one, funning up cookies on our snow day. Two, my quest for a better tasting cookie out of my Ohio oven.

What makes these cookies a little different aren't just the mini goodies, but the caramelized butter.  Ummmmm.

2 ¼ cups Softasilk or unsifted flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, warmed and cooked slightly on the stove top

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

mini M&Ms

mini chocolate chips {we also added 1 cup oatmeal to this one}

1. Cream sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and melted butter.

2. Beat in eggs.

3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.

4. Split batter in half.  Poor mini M&Ms into one, and mini chocolate chips into another.  {Be generous, but leave enough room to taste the batter.}

5. Spoon into small dollops on the cookie sheet. Bake at 360° for 10-12 minutes, or until just barely baked in the center and light brown around the edges.

Enjoy as many as possible warm and with ice cold milk.  {They taste best when enjoyed in your jammies!}

Pretzel Kisses

We decided to make these for some special veterans this Veterans Day.  The idea is another simple, yet tasty treat via preschool.  Lauren's class made it for our open house in October, so she was a pro at putting them together.

pretzels, we used snaps
Hershey Kisses
M&Ms

1. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet.

2. Put one Hershey Kiss in center of pretzel.

3. Bake in 200° oven until melted, about 10 minutes.

4. Press an M&M to the melted center down carefully.

Cool before serving.

We decided to jazz ours up a bit to make them patriotic.  To do so we used only red M&Ms.  We drizzled melted vanilla almond bark over finished cookies, then colored the remaining vanilla almond bark blue with food coloring and drizzled again.

Spider Cookies

This recipe is yet another by way of my coworker, Jan.  Super easy, and super fun to serve up at Halloween!

1--12. oz bag chocolate or carob chips*

8 oz. Chinese noodles

1. Melt chocolate in microwave according to the directions on the package.

2. Stir in Chinese noodles and coat evenly.

3. Spoon cookies in desired sizes onto waxed paper.

4. Chill to set.

*You can also use a mixture of peanut butter and chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips.

Oreo Balls

I used these as they eyeballs in our Halloween treat bags for school this year.

1 pkg. Oreo cookies

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (16 oz.) pkg. vanilla almond bark

1. Crush cookies in food processor*.

2. Add cream cheese and process until smooth and doughy.

3. Form into 1" balls.

4. Dip in melted almond bark.

5. Cool on wax paper in fridge until set.

*Since I do not own a food processor, I used my blender to crush the cookies finely, starting with the Crush Ice setting.  Do one row at a time, pouring out the crushed cookies into a large mixing bowl after each row is well ground.  Mix in cream cheese with a hand mixer on low, then increase speed and mix until it is smooth and doughy.

To Make Them Look Like Eyeballs:

1. Place one mini M&M on top of ball after it has been freshly dipped in almond bark, with the 'M' side down.

2. Spray with red food coloring spray.

{Abby and Lauren's Halloween Treat Bags--2010}

Gingerbread Men

Circa 1983, the recipe I dug up in Mom's recipe drawer that I brought home from kindergarten.  It puts a smile on my face to know they still do this activity in the kindergarten classrooms in Owatonna.  And since my babes aren't there to partake in the fun, we created our own.

1½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. almond flavoring

2½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

1. Cream powdered sugar & butter. Mix in egg, then flavorings.

2. Blend dry ingredients together.  Stir into creamed mixture.

3. Refrigerate 1½-2 hours.

4. Heat oven to 375°.  Roll out 3/16" dough.  Place on lightly greased baking sheet once cut out.

5. Bake 7-8 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Makes approximately 3 dozen 2-2½" cookies.

The gingerbread men turned out well and tasted great even without frosting.  However, I opted to frost them with a simple butter cream frosting.

I don't have specifics for this recipe.  It is one I follow strictly like my grandma.... I just throw it in.  Here's my guide:

1. Put powdered sugar in a bowl (depending on the amount of frosting you are making--usually 1-2 cups or so).

2. Add a small amount of vanilla.

3. Add a small amount of milk (to stiffen, heat milk first)

4. Add butter (approx ½ stick), softened.  Add to taste to dilute sweetness.

5. Mix in food coloring, if desired.

Mix with a hand mixer; do not let stand.

Garbage Cookies

These were a surprising hit with my relatives young and old. Just as the name suggests, this cookie is filled with a whole-lotta garbage. While I could have gone with Kitchen Sink or Compost, I think Garbage has a special way of drawing people in. I nicknamed this heavy biscuit Heart Attack in Your Hand. If that isn't enough to make you click away, here's the recipe for the cookie that requires nothing more than dumping in a bunch of garbage laying around your kitchen.

Cream Together:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. corn syrup

Mix In:

2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt

Add the Garbage:

Ritz Crackers
Fritos
Goldfish
Coco Krispies
Chocolate Chips
Rolos

The actual garbage you add is up to you. I just threw in random amounts, about a handful or two of each. Add the salty snacks first. Mix with the beater. Add in the sweets and mix again. You will want a large bowl if you don't have a stand mixer, which I do not.

Cool in the refrigerator for one hour. Scoop large portions onto a baking sheet (I tried to get a Rolo in each cookie) and allow plenty of room between each cookie.

Bake until done (9-15 minutes, depending on your oven) @ 400°.

Frosting for Sugar Cookies

This recipe is more of a guide.... The measurements are not exact because it was handed down from my grandma, and that's how she cooks.

-Put powdered sugar in a bowl large enough for mixing. Start with a cup, you can always add more.
-Add a small amount of vanilla extract--about 1/2 tsp.
-Add a small amount of milk--about 1 tsp. If you need more to stiffen the frosting, heat the milk first.
-Add butter or margarine, softened--approximately 1/2 stick. Add more butter to cut sweetness if necessary.

Cream with a hand mixer.

Once frosting is to your liking, divide into bowls if desired and add food coloring. Stir well. Do not let stand, frosting hardens fast.

Sugar Cookies

In my opinion this is the best sugar cookie recipe for cutouts.... They're a hit at any holiday!

Cream Together:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
3 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Add:
4 1/2 cups flour, sifted or 4 cups unsifted
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Mix together and chill. Roll to 1/8" & cut. Bake at 350° until they raise. Don't let them get brown (except around the edges).