Less attractive cookies are so delicious.

I despise Christmas cookies that are beautifully decorated and taste like cardboard.  What’s the point?  I would much rather have a soft, chewy, sweet, delicious cookie that looks like a 5 year old iced it.  I actually watched a Youtube video months ago on how to perfectly paint your sugar cookies, thinking that I might be able to change my ways…this lady spent about 20 minutes beautifully painting one cookie.  Then I said to myself…who am I kidding?!  I mean, if I am just going to shove that cookie in my mouth in .3 seconds than I’m certainly not taking the time to perfectly decorate each one with a friggin paintbrush.  So I focused on flavor rather than looks with this next recipe, and I am mighty glad I did.   This cookie is so delicious that I could just eat it by itself without adding icing…but I tried them both ways just to be sure.   Gus and I enjoyed these the night we decorated our Christmas tree and I was sure glad that I didn’t spend a whole lotta time decorating them as they disappeared off the plate before we even had 7 ornaments on the tree. 

 

 

Soft Sugar Cookies

• 2/3 cup Shortening
• 2/3 cup Butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
• 1 tsp. Almond Extract (trust me on this one…I’ve omitted this ingredient in the past because it just sounded like it didn’t belong…oh I was so wrong)
• 3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Optional: Use 1/3 cup colored granulated sugar to roll your cookie balls in, then press them flat with the bottom of a glass and bake as directed.   Or if you don’t think they are sinful enough, then you can top your cookies with the frosting recipe below. 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper to keep the bottoms from browning.  (or if you like brown bottoms…hehe…then just skip the paper)
2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the eggs, almond extract, and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt together and then slowly add to the creamed mixture until the dough comes together. 
3. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.  For circle cookies, just roll out walnut-sized cookies balls and flatten with the bottom of a glass.  For cut-out cookies, roll the dough out on a powdered sugar covered surface to 1/4 inch thick and cut shapes with cookie cutters. 
4. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

 

Sugar Cookie Frosting (This stuff is much better then that stiff, tasteless, teeth-breaking Royal Icing that fancy cookie decorator people use…This frosting is soft, spreadable, yet dries firm enough so you can stack your cookies.)

• 1/2 cup Shortening
• 4 cups Powdered Sugar
• 5 tbsp. Whole milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• Food Coloring

 

1. With an electric mixer, cream the shortening until it’s smooth.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Gradually add in the milk and vanilla and beat for 3-5 minutes or until it’s smooth and firm.  Color with food coloring if desired. 

I am a forgetful sister-in-law.

I really can’t believe there are less than 10 days till Christmas.  Please, someone pinch me.  But before you pinch me, will you please wrap all the gifts that I’m hoarding in my guest room closet?  Thanks.  Anyways, I’ve been busy in the kitchen lately and have a couple new recipes to blog about (nothing healthy this month…I’m all about sugar, sugar, and more sugar in the month of December), but before that, I have a very special post that I need to get to.  We have a guest blogger this week!  This post comes to you courtesy of my hilarious brother-in-law, Christopher.  He made his infamous Pigs-in-a-Blanket for our Thanksgiving Party and I’m just now remembering to post it, so my apologies.   And now that I have Chris’ help, I can finish up my holiday baking so I don’t go another 2 weeks without a new blog post.  Take it away, Christopher! 

 

Pigs-in-a-Blanket by Christopher

This recipe is pretty simple.

1. Buy Little Smokies at the grocery store and buy the Original Crescent stuff. 
2. Roll the crescent dough flat and cut out small triangles that you can roll the smokies up in. 
3. Once rolled, put them in the oven at 375 for 12-15 minutes.  I think that was the temp and time…it says on the side of the crescent roll box how long to cook. 
4. Take out of the oven, put on a fun, festive holiday dish, add some exciting and tasty dipping sauces, and enjoy!

Fun tips or Facts

• I prefer to roll them in front of the T.V.  It can take a long time to roll 50 smokies, so why not enjoy some Seinfeld at the same time?
• I was first introduced to making Pigs in a Blanket by a girl from the South.  Atlanta, to be exact. 
• Lil Smokies are great for all occasions…Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs!
• Lil Smokies are naturally low in sugar!  But they are high in saturated fat and sodium.
• For added flavor and excitement, try wrapping your Lil Smokies in bacon! 

A very sweet ending to such a very long cooking marathon.

Dessert was definitely the perfect ending to our Pre-Thanksgiving party, but I played it smart and actually started out my cooking marathon by doing all my baking a day in advance.  This way, I was able to take my time and not feel rushed as attempted to truly understand what “from scratch” meant.  It basically just means a whole lotta work.  Work that is definitely well worth it though once you take that first bite…you almost forget how much your hands and back are killing you.  Who am I kidding…pie and chocolate makes me forget my name, so I’m definitely not thinking about the physical pain from cooking. 

 

Dutch Apple Pie

This is definitely my favorite type of pie, yet this was my very first time making one from scratch.  Making the crust turned out to be a whole lot easier than I thought…but peeling, coring, and dicing all those apples turned out to take a whole lot longer than I thought.   Especially when you google “how many apples do you need for 5 cups?” and google tells you 12 apples.  Well, after spending over two hours with those darn apples, I discovered that I had 15 CUPS of apples!   Mildly irritating, but hey, now I had enough apple filling for 2 extra pies and unexpected pies make people happy.  Especially when those unexpected pies are delish and let me tell you, this one was near perfect.  The filling was not runny at all and had just the right amount of spice to it.  The topping was filled with buttery goodness and had the perfect crunch.  And a few seconds in the microwaved really gave me a whole new perspective on homemade pie.  I’m pretty much committed to this whole “from scratch” thing now that I’ve had that first sweet taste, but at least now I know how many apples are in 5 cups and I can cut down on my prep time.  Darn google. 

 

Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp. Sugar
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 cup Butter, cold and cubed
• 3 tbsp. Water, iced

Pie Filling

• 5 cups Apples, peeled/cored/sliced (I prefer a Granny Smith/Jonagold mixture…it’s a good combo of tart and sweet)
• 4 tbsp. Cornstarch
• 2/3 cup White Sugar
• 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. Butter

Pie Topping

• 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Butter, cold and cubed

 

1. To make the crust, fit your mixer with the paddle attachment and stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat.  Mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas.  Add the water on low speed and mix until the dough pulls together. 
2. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball, and then flatten into a disk.  Lightly flour the work surface and then flatten the disk with 6-8 taps of a rolling pin.  Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn.  Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and then roll out to at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.  Fit dough into pie pan and then chill until ready to add the fruit filling.  You can go ahead and preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 
3. To make the pie filling, place the apple slices in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix well and then combine with the apples.  Toss until all apples are evenly coated. 
4. In a large sauce pan, add 2/3 of the apple mixture over medium-high heat.  Bring it to a boil and then simmer the filling for at least 2 minutes.  Add the remaining raw fruit and then take it off the heat. 
5. Fill your pie crust with the filling and add 2 tbsp. of cubed butter to the top of the fruit.  Loosely cover with foil and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. 
6. While filling is baking, you can make the pie topping.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, and cinnamon in a bowl.  Mix thoroughly and then cut in 1/2 cup of butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the topping over the pie. 
7. Turn the oven down to 375 and bake an additional 35-40 minutes until the streusel is browned.  Make sure to cover your crust with foil or use a crust shield to prevent it from burning. 

 

(Stinking) Cherry Pie

Not only did I bake my favorite pie, but I also made my least favorite pie…Stinking Cherry.  You already know about my dislike of cherry, so it’s no surprise that I only made this pie out of love for my hubby.  Well, that and I wanted to try out my shiny, new lattice cutter.  The pie certainly looked pretty and I’m told by the cherry lovers at our party that it was tasty, so if you love yourself some Stinking Cherries, than I suggest you try it out.  I will say that after researching several Cherry Pie recipes, this one had the magical addition of Almond Extract, which I initially thought was pretty random, but I’m pretty sure that it’s what made the filling.  I love those magical ingredients. 

 

Pie Crust

• See recipe above and double it so that you can make a pretty lattice top. 

Pie Filling

• 2 lbs. Tart Cherries, pitted
• 1 1/8 cup White Sugar
• 3 1/2 tbsp. Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. Butter
• 1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a saucepan, combine the cherries, cornstarch, and sugar.  Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes. 
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly.  Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. 
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and almond extract.  Mix thoroughly and pour into the pie shell. 
4. Cover with the top shell, seal the edges, and cut away excess dough.  Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Be sure to cover the edges of the crust with foil or a crust shield to prevent burning. 

 

Outrageous Brownies (No, I’m not a surfer dude…this just happens to be the official name that Ina Garten gave them)

I’ve been quite content with the Hershey’s brownie recipe for quite some time…that is until I saw a repeat episode of Barefoot Contessa making these “Outrageous Brownies”…and then I saw the recipe again during a demonstration at my local Crate and Barrel…and then it popped up on my screen when I was browsing the Food Network website one day…that was it.  I just knew I couldn’t ignore the signs any longer.  It was time to test out the outrageousness of Ina’s brownies.  I like Ina, but sometimes she’s just a little too uppity for my tastes and the last thing I wanted was a snobby brownie.  Well, Ina definitely proved me wrong.  These are the richest, fudgiest (is that a word?), most decadent brownies that I have ever tasted and it’s easily replaced my old Hershey standby.   The recipe makes more than a glutton could ask for, so I had more than enough for my party and a whole tray for my coworkers the next day…and just for more reassurance that Ina knows her stuff, I was told by several coworkers that it was by far the best brownie they ever tasted.  My dear Ina, I judged you before I really knew you and I was so wrong….you and your brownies totally outrageous. 

 

• 1 lb. Butter (No, it’s not a typo…I never said that Ina was heart healthy.)
• 1 lb. + 6 oz. Semisweet Chocolate Chips, divided
• 6 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips  (I like the combo of milk and dark chips, but if you don’t like variety than just stick with dark like Ina says)
• 6 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
• 6 extra large Eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. Instant Coffee
• 2 tbsp. Vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour, divided
• 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 13×18x1 1/2 jelly roll pan. 
2. Melt together the butter, 1 lb. semisweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler.  Once it’s smooth, cool slightly. 
3. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, instant coffee, and sugar.  Stir in the warm chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and allow to come to room temperature. 
4. Mix together 1 cup of flour, salt, and baking powder.   Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until it’s completely incorporated. 
5. Coat the 6 oz. of semisweet chocolate chips and 6 oz. of milk chocolate chips in 1/4 cup of flour, and then fold into the batter. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  About halfway through the baking time, rap the pan against the oven shelf to release air bubbles between the pan and the brownies.  Be sure to not overbake.  Cool thoroughly and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.