We have a standard set of holiday cookie cutters at home. You know, the usual Christmas trees, snowmen and bells and stuff. However, as a geek, this called to me. Plus The Boy is just winding down from a major (and I mean major) StarWars phase.

I’m not an impulsive girl and there’s no way I’d spend $20 for 4 cookie cutters, but these called for me. They even called to Mr. Ng whose wallet is sealed tighter than the Declaration of Independence. So, we left William Sonoma with a box of overpriced cookie cutters.

The Boy loved them and last Saturday we got down to business.

The cookie cutters have lots of nooks and crannies, but thankfully they have those press things on the back to make dough removal easier. However, we did find it easier to dust the cookie cutters with flour a bit. (They’re a bit of a pain to wash, though.)

Oh, wait. You should have a recipe in case you want to play the home game:

Deb’s Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup(2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Butter 2 cookie sheets (I used parchment paper on the cookie sheet)
2. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. Cream the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until blended.  Stir in the pecans and vanilla.
5. Shape the dough into 11/2- inch balls on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until light brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pans.
6. Put the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners sugar on a small plate.  Roll the cookies in the sugar while still warm. When ready to serve, freshen the cookies with more sugar.

There was plenty of food to be had by all and it was a lot of fun to be together.  My daughter would like a special shout out to an aunt and uncle who gave her all the leftover cookies they brought, plus anyone who let her take some leftovers to bring back to college.  She thinks she has enough to last the next two weeks until she comes home.  All of my husband’s siblings were there, all of the grandchildren were there, plus most of the great grandchildren and most of the spouses.  I don’t think we’ve had that since a funeral about 8 years ago so this was a real celebration.

I’m going to share the recipes for the No Bake Cookies and the Mexican Wedding Cookies.  They were great treats, a little different from the usual chocolate chip which is what I was aiming for.  My husband and I had our hair cut on Friday, and my stylist actually suggested the no bakes.  When I mentioned it to my daughter, she was all for it.  We didn’t have anyplace to cool and harden the no bakes since the fridge was stuffed full, so we put them on the grill with the lid down, which worked better than fine. Don’t underestimate a grill’s usefulness in the winter.  Extra temporary cold storage where the critters can’t see it, is  a good thing.

No Bake Cookies (from the Food Channel Online)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Waxed paper

Directions

• Full disclosure: Marye Audet  sent me a copy of her cookbook to review
• Full disclosure 2: Marye Audet is a good friend of mine.
• Full disclosure 3: I would have bought this book anyway because Marye’s recipes rock.

I have in my hot little hands, Marye Audet’s new “Everything Cookes and Brownies” cookbook. While I hesitate to call it the cookie Bible, it comes close. This is no mere recipe book. Included are tips, tricks and hints for bakers of all levels.  And the recipes? They rock hard.

Yesterday my son and I whipped up a batch of Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies. I picked these cookies because I’m not a fan of almond extract flavoring. I figured it Marye’s recipe could produce a cookie that wasn’t overpowered by phony almond, the book would be a winner.

I’m happy to report that the cookies were delicious and not too almondy extract-y at all. In fact, they didn’t last. They were simple to make, perfect for a 7 year old and his mom on a rainy day.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients – Yields 48 Cookies

• 1/3 cup peanut oil
• 1/3 cup unsalted buter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Instructions.

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease cookie pans.
2. Cream together oil, butter, egg, sugars, almond extract and vanilla
3. Stir together dry ingredients, beat into butter mixture
4. Fold in nuts, chips and cherries
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 – 12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Think you’d like to try this recipe and others? Here’s your chance to win Marye Audet’s “Everything Cookies and Brownies” Cookbook. Simply tell us your top 3 reasons to send you the cookbook. One word comments or comments that indicate you haven’t read this post at all won’t be included.

Contest ends Sunday, November 1st.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs apple pie spice
• 2 1/2 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour and baking soda and set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat into creamed mixture the eggs, vanilla and apple pie spice.  On low speed add the flour mixture.  Stir in the oats. On lightly greased cookie sheet drop 1/4 cup of batter per cookie.  Gently press the dough down so it’s not a rounded ball (I left mine kind of ball like).  Bake 14 minutes or until firm lightly browned.  YUM!!

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of sugar cookie dough
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Red Raspberries

Directions:

Spread the cookie dough out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 until almost done.  A little soft is good.  My son made it darker than I wanted it, but it still worked out.  With a beater, mix the cream cheese and marshmallow fluff together.  Cool the cookie in the pan.  Spread the mixture on top, slice fruit and lay on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Slice.  We didn’t overload it with fruit, like we would normally since it needed to be clean finger food. 

I used my Mario Batalli Pizza Cutter to slice it into the right size.  It’s great for cookie bars as well as pizza.

This would make a great side dish for a graduation or birthday party, it went quickly.

While I love complicated and time consuming recipes as much as the next person, at this time of the year I whip out my collection of super easy holiday cookies.  I had seen the Pioneer Woman’s two step recipe for candy cookies a while back and immediately bookmarked it, knowing it would fit perfectly into my repretoire.  Basically it goes like this:

Step One: open refrigerated premade dough of cookie of your choice and bake in chunks in a mini muffin pan

Step Two:  insert candy of your choice

Optional Holiday Step Three: add red or green sprinkles!

I used brownie dough and Hershey’s chocolate caramel kisses.  Pioneer Woman advises to insert candy into the dough immediately upon removal from the oven, but I found that giving the cookies about 10 minutes to cool kept the candy from melting into oblivion.  Refridgerating the candy helped as well.

These came out so good I have a feeling they will mysteriously disappear before the Christmas party!

Gingerbread Cookies
Most associated with gingerbread men, these delicious cookies cry out to be shaped into handsome little people wearing button-down coats. If that’s not your style, simply shape into round circles.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (375g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (112g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg replacer powder (equivalent of one egg)
• 2/3 cup (225g) unsulphured molasses

Baking Instructions:

IN A BOWL, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with an electric hand mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3- 4 minutes. Add the egg replacer powder and molasses and beat for another minute. Finally, add the flour mixture and beat
until you have a smooth dough. Add a little more water-1-2 tablespoons (13-30ml)- as needed to get the right consistency. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one-half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch (6mm). Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter. If the dough gets too warm (from handling it), making it hard for the cut out cookies to keep their shape, simply refrigerate it again for about 10 minutes. Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on size), or until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Serving Suggestions and Variations:
*Frost with icing, if desired. Store frosted cookies between layers of parchment paper or waked paper.
Recipe provided by :Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

Cranberry Nut Bread
While this is the perfect fall/winter/holiday treat, it can be made any time of the year, particularly if you freeze fresh cranberries when they’re in season. Though you can certainly serve this bread right away, it’s even better a day or two later when the flavors have had time to mingle.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon (15g) ground flaxseed(equivalent of 1 egg)
  3 tablespoons (44 ml) water
• ¼ cup (55g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form (melted and cooled)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (235 ml) orange juice
• 1 cup (235 ml) nondairy milk
• 4 cups (500g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons orange or lemon zest
• 1 ½ cups (95g) whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup (40g) candied fruit or mixed peel, chopped
• 1 cup (125g) coarsely chopped toasted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans

Baking Instructions:

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4). Lightly grease an 8x4x2-inch (20x10x5-cm) or a 9x5x3-inch (23x13x7.5- cm) loaf pan. In the small bowl of your food processor or by hand, whip together the flaxseed and water until thoroughly combined and thick, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, vanilla, orange juice and milk, and blend until combined. Set
aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix in fruit and nuts. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Leave to cool in the loaf pan for 30 minutes before turning it over to cool on a wire rack. Yield: One standard-size loaf
Serving Suggestions and Variations
*You may also use dry cranberries, though the tartness of the fresh cranberries, which definitely mellows when they’re cooked, contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the dried fruit.
*This bread freezes really well. To serve after freezing, bring to room temp or heat in the microwave

Compassionate Cook Tips:
*To toast almonds, spread on a baking sheet and place in a 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4) oven for 5-10 minutes until lightly brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Cool before using.
*You may use your electric stand mixer to combine all the ingredients, but I recommend folding in your cranberries by hand lest you crush them with the mixer blade.
Recipe provided by : Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

Fig Date Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (30g) ground flaxseed(Equivalent of 2 eggs)
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) water
• 1cup (175g) pitted dates, chopped
• 1cup (175g) dried figs (or ½ cup [140g] fresh), coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup (55g) Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Spread Original flavor in Tub form
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup (235ml) boiling water
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (175g) walnuts, chopped
• ¾ cup (94g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Baking Instructions:

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Grease an 8x4x2-inch(20x10x5-cm) or a 9x5x3-inch (23x13x7.5-cm) loaf pan. In a food processor, or in a large bowl, combine the dates, figs, butter, and baking soda. Add the boiling water, stir well, and let it stand for 15 minutes to thicken up. After 15 minutes, stir in the sugar, walnuts, and flaxseed mixture.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add to the date mixture, and stir just until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (a toothpick may not be long enough), 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire
rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 standard size loaf

Compassionate Cooks Tips:
*Fresh Figs are one of the most perishable fruits and should be eaten within a day or two of purchase. Look for figs that have a deep color and are plump and tender, but not mushy. They should have a mildly sweet fragrance and not smell sour. Keep ripe figs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Under-ripe figs can be kept on a plate at room temperature, away from
direct sunlight. Well-wrapped dried figs will stay fresh for several months and can be either kept in a cool, dark place or stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe provided by : Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Founder & Director of Compassionate Cooks

 Kate’s Homemade Butter – this stuff is delicious. Kate’s unique, sweet cream butter is made fresh daily in small batches from pasteurized cream by the Patry family in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  The family’s heritage dates back four generations. The Patry Family pledges to never use artificial growth hormones in any of the cows that produce the milk Kate’s uses, and no artificial colors, preservatives or additives in any of their butter products. Kate’s Homemade Butter was presented with the First Place award at this year’s event in the “unsalted butter” category.  Kate’s earned a rare score of 98.8 out of a possible 100 points for its entry at the 2008 World Dairy Expo Championship’s Dairy Product Contest, held annually in Wisconsin.  This comes just two years after Kate’s Butter earned its inaugural First Place win at the Expo: at the 2006 event Kate’s Sea Salt Butter version took the gold in the competition’s “salted butter” category.

Shortbread Butter Cookies

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup Kate’s Homemade butter – room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix together in a bowl, the flour and salt.  In another bowl, using a mixer cream the butter.  Beat in the sugar, then the vanilla.  Mix in (without the mixer) the flour & salt.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes.  I liked to cut them into squares because it was easy and because they reminded me of a shortbread cookie I liked growing up.  With Shortbread cookies, the better the quality of butter, the better the cookie, so Kate’s Homemade Butter is perfect for this.

  Smart Balance Butter Blend - for the times when I worry about my cholesterol and want to cut down on the butter fat and to make my mother happier. It is also good tasting, non-hydrogenated, no trans fats and 28 % less fat than butter. It’s a 50/50 buttery spread and real butter plus it has Omega-3s from flax and fish oil.

Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/4 cup Smart Balance Omega™ Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Smart Balance® Butter Blend Stick, softened
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pourable sugar substitute
• 1 egg
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
• 1/2=2 0cup dried cherries or cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine the Smart Balance Omega™ Peanut Butter, Smart Balance® Butter Blend, brown sugar, and sugar substitute in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on high setting, beat until well blended20and creamy.

3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and the salt. Reduce to low speed, add the oats and cherries, and beat until just blended. (Note: The batter will be very stiff.)

4. Using a measuring teaspoon, spoon rounded teaspoons of the batter onto cookie sheets coated with Smart Balance® Cooking Spray and bake 3 minutes. Do not cook longer. They will be slightly puffed and a very light golden color on the bottom. (Note: They will not appear to be done at this point, but will continue to bake while cooling).

5. Remove from oven, and immediately place on cooling racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.  Alternate cookie sheets while baking, using a cooled sheet for even baking.

Makes 40 cookies total

Serves 20; 2 cookies per serving

Per serving (2 cookies):    116 calories, 3 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, 6.2 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 2.8 grams monounsaturated fat, 1.3 grams polyunsaturated fat, 0 trans fat, 13 mg. cholesterol, 215 grams Omega-3 fatty acids, 405 grams Omega-6 fatty acids, 72 mg. sodium, 1.5 grams fiber