The Apron Goddesses: The Handmaiden's Cottage "Sophisticated Lady" Giveaway

Hey Apron Lover's! Check out this giveaway at my friend Julia's Blog. Such a cute apron.


The Apron Goddesses: The Handmaiden's Cottage "Sophisticated Lady" Giveaway

Double Doozie Friday

Whew, what a week. Sunshine then rain, then sunshine, then rain rain rain. Warm, cold,hot,cold. What is it going to be like tomorrow? I'm not complaining really, I just want warm sunny days for a while. There is one good thing about rainy days. It's a great day to bake and get creative in the kitchen.
I know I fell behind on a cookie recipe for this week so I am going to give you a double whammy. I just got a new cookbook last night and I am so excited to try and share the recipes. WARNING!!! They are mostly chocolate recipes. Mmmmmmm!

Here is one recipe not from the new book. They are a no bake cookie. Just think Chunky Reese's Cup and you will be in heaven. Great for Easter too!

♥Peanut Butter Balls ♥

You will need a jelly roll pan and parchment paper for this one.

2 1/3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar,spooned in and leveled

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cups chunky peanut butter

10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp. vegetable oil

2 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Add the butter and peanut butter and work with a wooden spoon or your hands until thoroughly combined. Portion the dough into 60 1-inch balls and place them on parchment lined jelly roll pans.

2. Combine the chocolate and vegetable oil in a medium heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl over medium sauce pan filled with simmering water and slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.

When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat, but keep the bowl over the pot of water.

Place about 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts in a low flat dish such as a pie plate.

3. Using a chocolate dipping fork or two pronged fork, dip one at a time in the melted chocolate. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl to help drain chocolate. The coating should be thin.

Roll the dipped cookie in the chopped peanuts and coat evenly. Remove the cookie with the fork and place it back on the jelly roll pan. Repeat.

* It is easier to roll the cookies in a small amount of peanuts. If the chocolate begins to get hard, place the pan back on the stove and heat until it thins to the proper consistency.

Let air dry on the cookie sheets.

Store in an airtight container, layered between sheets of wax paper and refrigerate up to three weeks. They may also be frozen.

The second recipe is from my new book. Are you ready for this?

♥Brownie Cookie Bites♥

1- 1/4 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. butter, cut into pieces

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder,and salt. In medium microwave safe bowl , melt butter and chocolate. Stir in sugar. Add eggs,and vanilla, mix well. Add flour mixture; mix until blended. Stir in nuts. Drop rounded teaspoons on an un-greased cookie sheet. (use bakers joy or parchment paper just to be safe)

Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool Completely on wire rack.

YummY!!

I hope you enjoy the recipes this week! If you have any questions about ingredients or supplies just email me here The Cookie Girl

Virtual Great American Bake Sale

WooHoo! I love recipes, and baking the recipes and I love Bake Sales. So when I heard that Stolen Moments Cooking was partnering with Share our Strength to host a virtual version of their Great American Bake Sale I was so excited to get involved.

Share our Strength is committed to stamping out hunger and making sure that no child goes hungry.

I would love to see all of my Bloggy friends get involved too. If you would like to know more, just click the button above.


Join us in our efforts to make sure that no child goes hungry!

Friendship Award

I just received this award from Suzi at Savy Suzi. She is a sweetheart and I love being able to share recipes with her. Her family loves cookies as much as me.


It is the Friendship Award which means:"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I don't really have 8 bloggers I know all that well, so I would love to share this special, fun award with:

1. Tammy at White Iris Designs

2. Panz The Muse at A Divas Hammer

3. Ryan Ashley Scott at Optimistic Cynicism

Baby Stellan

Please pray for Baby Stellan, his family, and Doctors. Click the picture above for more information on Stellan's condition and progress.

FINALLY!!! Cookie Club Recipe #7

Boy do I feel like a new Woman! I am so glad that Monster Migraine took a hike so I can get on with my Fabulous life and get y'all a cookie recipe for your sweet tooth.
This week I have decided to do cut out sugar cookies. Now, for the record I am an impatient individual that does not really care to wait on cut out cookies. If I can find a quicker way I will. But these cookies are just too cute not to make so I will keep my patience in tact and do my very best to get through it. :)

Have you ever wondered how to make those beautiful cookies in different shapes with the icing on top? Well I am going to tell you. Below is the recipe for the cookies as well as the icing (I do not like flavorless icing so I will add flavoring to mine) I will be doing mine in Spring and Easter shapes. I can't wait to see what you come up with too. Let me know when you make them and post pictures.

Buttery Sugar Cookie Cutouts

4 cups sifted AP flour,plus more for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract (or flavor of choice)

Directions:

Sift flour,baking powder and salt into a bowl.

Put butter and sugar into a bowl and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to just under 1/4 inch thick, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5 inch cookie cutter, transferring shapes to baking pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with scraps and other disk of dough.

Chill cookies in freezer until very firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating half way through, until edges turn golden, 15-18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Royal Icing Recipe

1 lb. confectioners sugar

5 Tblsp. Meringue Powder

Scant 1/2 cup water

Flavoring (optional)

Icing coloring for decorating

sanding sugar (optional)

Combine all ingredients into bowl of electric mixer using paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 7 minutes. If icing is too thick add more water. If it is too thin beat icing 2-3 minutes longer or add more sugar a tablespoon at a time.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container up to 2 days. (Icing hardens quickly when exposed to air) Beat well with rubber spatula before using.

To decorate cookies:

You will want to use an piping bag fitted with a coupler and #2 tip. Fill bag within 3 inches of top.

Outline top of cookie with icing and let it stand for 5-10 minutes to set. Once set, use a #5 tip and pipe zigzags across the entire surface of the cookie. (this is called Flooding)

Spread the icing evenly over the cookie with an offset spatula.

You can then sprinkle with sanding sugar or add alternate colors of polka dots. Get creative!

Let the icing set over night uncovered. Just remember.....if you want to add more icing to the top in different shapes, you must let the base color dry overnight.

Once cookies have been decorated and icing is dry, store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container.

I know this recipe is a little more intense than other's I have posted. If you have any questions please let me know. Leave me you email so I can contact you.

Have Fun!!! Get the kids involved too.

Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies