Sasquatch Willow

Happy birthday, Katie!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Happy birthday to another of our very own, Katie!! She's one of the most creative, caring & funny gals to be friends with. Happy birthday, Katie!

Source: weheartit.com via Tessa on Pinterest

St. Patty's Day, Shamrocks, and Luck

noreply@blogger.com (katie) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:31:00 +0000

We have a few FREE activities for St. Patty's Day that we would like to share with all of you lucky folk who have stumbled upon us!

For the kids, we have a bit of a challenge with a word search and some coloring pages, designed by yours truly. You can have the kids color while some lovely bagpipe music plays in the background... doesn't that sound glorious?! :) Click below on what your heart desires.

I bundled these up in groups of 2 pages per link, just click and enjoy:

-WORD SEARCH and Celtic Cross (coloring page)
-SHAMROCK (coloring page) and LEPRECHAUN with POT OF GOLD (coloring page)
-POT Of GOLD (coloring page) and Leprechaun (coloring page)
-DIY SHAMROCK PIN (in case you forget to wear something green)

And for the Grown-ups out there, we have put together free cupcake toppers to adorn your party cupcakes! OR breakfast muffins, in my case.

Click here for the free template---> CUPCAKE TOPPERS

Also, I found an online Irish dictionary that translates into Gaelic which is very interesting HERE if you are in to that sort of thing. Or how about some IRISH SLANG... This is even more fun and it's in english. Try slipping some of the slang into your words with your friends on St. Patrick's Day.

Don't forget to wear green and have a lucky, fun Awesome DAY!

P-Dub & Apple Dumplings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Affiliate links may be included in this blog post. If you purchase from the link provided, a small commission is earned at no cost to you. Thank you.

Have you heard of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond? I guess a better question is, who hasn't heard of her? The Pioneer Woman is an amazing food blogger who partially inspired the creation of the Sasquatch Willow blog. She's like the Wonder Woman blogger of the Midwest

It's no surprise that when we found out she was having a book signing not so far away, (a bit of an understatement there, it was a four hour drive) we knew we had to go!

So, we began our pilgrimage. We managed to avoid a traffic jam. Saw a dead horse. Cried about the dead horse. Became turned around in the Ohio State medical area. Saw a giant coffee cup. Stopped at Tim Horton's. And watched a kid devour a cupcake.

Finally, we met the Pioneer Woman aka P-Dub.

Let's not look at this like a bad photo. Let's look at it as an artistic expression of P-Dub's Wonder Woman-ness.

After the books were signed and small pleasantries exchanged, we headed off to dinner at a place called The Old Mohawk.

What did I learn through all of this?

The Pioneer Woman aka P-Dub aka Ree Drummond is even nicer in person than she seems on her blog.
I'm not very good at the book signing small talk thing. I should probably work on that.
Food places with crazy names are always the best (Stop by The Old Mohawk if you happen to be in the German Village area of Columbus, Ohio.)

This wouldn't be a proper blog post without a recipe of some sort, so I decided to test out P-Dub's recipe for Apple Dumplings. These really couldn't be any easier unless someone else made them for you.

Easy Peasy Apple Dumplings

Yields: 24 Dumplings

Ingredients:

3 Granny Smith Apples

3 cans of crescent roll dough

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (salted)

1 cup of granulated sugar

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon + 3 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 - 20 ounce bottle of Mountain Dew (not diet)

Prep:

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Grease a large pan for the dumplings. Peel and core your apples, cutting each of them into 8 slices. Unroll your crescent dough and separate the "triangles".

Roll up an apple slice in triangle of dough and place into your pan. Make sure to avoid crowding the dumplings in the pan, otherwise they won't be able to expand while baking.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Give it a couple of stirs but don't worry about the lumps. Pour mixture over each of the dumplings and into your pan.

Pour Mountain Dew around the perimeter of the pan until it's about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the pan. I only used about 3/4 (15 ounces) of the bottle. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon over the top of the dumplings and put your pan in the oven. Bake dumplings for 30-45 minutes, until they are light brown and crispy on the top.

Tips:

I made a lot of dumplings with this recipe, but you can change it to your liking. Just remember that one apple + one can of crescent rolls equals 8 dumplings. Adjust down the rest of the recipe accordingly.

Also, for lactose tolerant folks out there, serve it with vanilla ice cream. It's ahhhhmazing.

Recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Mardi-Gras Masked Fun! (FREE Templates!)

noreply@blogger.com (katie) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Mardi-Gras is a time for Celebration! Let's start the party!!

For this party, you need a mask. Any mask will do, and you can buy one already made at any costume store or make one yourself. There are plastic plain masks available at your local craft store to decorate -OR- you can make one out of cardstock, thin cardboard, or plain paper.

It also depends on how elaborate you want your mask to be. Cardstock or cardboard are better to handle heaver items like feathers, beads, and anything else you may be gluing. However, if you are just having fun and don't want to spend a lot of money you can choose to opt for regular paper and decorate with stickers, crayons, markers, etc. As for colors, you can decorate however you wish, but tradition uses Purple (Justice), Gold (Power), and Green (Faith).

Materials needed:

Cardstock or Paper printable
Newspaper or some sort of sheet for easy clean up
Construction Paper
Scissors (or x-acto knife)
Glue or scotch tape
Glitter or Glitter Glue
Feathers/Cotton Balls/Craft Pom-Poms
Stickers
Pencil/Pipe Cleaners/ Popsicle stick (for the handle)
Markers/Crayons

I will be making a mask for myself and for my dog Sadie!

I originally wanted to just make a fun sparkly one with feathers and glitter but I seem to have lost my feather stash. So, if you have feathers feel free to use them. For my mask, I made a simple mask. I cut out the SIMPLE mask template and cut out some random shapes from my construction paper collection to dazzle up my mask. Each piece has some glitter on it. (NOW as a word of warning, lay out some newspaper or a plastic/paper sheet if you use glitter to make clean up easier). I cut slits in the top to make a feather like appearance out of my paper.

Once you have your mask done, you need a handle. A stick or pencil can be attached to side of the mask by gluing or taping it. If you are coloring the mask, it will not be as heavy as one with a lot of glue on it and you could use a pipe cleaner as the handle.

For Sadie, I will be making the Cat mask. I printed it off on a lavender colored cardstock. This one was colored with markers and jewel stickers applied to it.

It's tough being a model... :)

Free printables are available below as a template for your mask. Click below for the template of your choice.

Once you have your mask created, dress up in costume and accessorize with beaded necklaces or feathery boas!

Recipe review: Cinnamon Roll Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Recently I came across this recipe from Picky-plate for cinnamon roll cookies and I really wanted to try them.

I did. Make them. They are so tasty. And like she says, surprisingly better cold. I don't know why but the cold does something that makes me want eat them all. These are chewy, just the right amount of sweet, buttery and fantastic.

I didn't take pictures of my cookies, so here is one from her blog

just so you know what you are getting yourself into.

The recipe straight for her ~~lips~~ blog:

"Cookie:

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 1/2 softened butter
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

*You can find the recipe for frosting on her site, I bought a tub of cream cheese frosting because I was being lazy but I didn't frost most of the cookies, I actually liked them better without the frosting.*

Cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until combined. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour one cup at a time until well combined.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. *I took the filling ingredients and mixed them all together like a spread. But do however you wish. I like being different.*

Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet."

Seriously of you don't make themse I just might disown you. Check out her website. I just saw her recipe for walking tacos (the one good thing about middle school) and I want.

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:51:00 +0000

Have a great day whether you are single or have someone special to celebrate with.

Go out with friends, or out to dinner with the one/s you love. Print some valentine days cards out if you don't have time to get to the store or if you forgot!

Enjoy your day! Celebrate all the love you have in your life, be it a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, friends, parents, or kids.

If all else fails and you get ditched, dumped, or simply don't have a valentine, go to the store and buy some candy, it's on sale by now.

And remember, Sasquatch loves you!

Chocolate covered everything

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:49:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and if you are still stumped on what to do for whoever it is that you want to do something for just cover something in chocolate and tada! All done.

What you may need:

Strawberries, Graham crackers, marshmallows, heart shaped strawberry favored peeps, or her/his favorite cookies
Chocolate
and possibly sprinkles

How simple is that?

First you need to melt the chocolate. You can do this one of three ways:

1. Microwave, place chocolate in bowl and microwave for about 20 -30 second increments stirring in between. Watch the chocolate carefully and do not burn b/c thats no way to show someone you like/love them. Unless you are being mean and want them to eat burnt chocolate. If meanness is the case, exit this web page, turn off the computer and go get a hobby. Anyway, I usually only microwave when I have a small batch of chocolate to melt, it takes to long to get it all melted for me.

2. Double boiler. Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil, place a bowl or another pan over the water but make sure it is not touching the water and turn down the heat to low. Add chocolate and stir as it begins to melt. I don't really like this method because I find it hard to keep the temperature consistent and my chocolate always separates or starts to gets hard fast (insert inappropriate "that's what she said" joke here).

3. A crock pot. Just plug in the crock pot, and add the chocolate and stir as it begins to melt. I have a mini crock pot that I bought just for melting chocolate. It keeps an even temp and it super easy. I love it.

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment. I had to use aluminum foil because it was all I had, so use that if you want instead. Melt your chocolate. Grab what ever it is that you are going to be dipping and dip it. Very gently shake to remove excess chocolate and lay on the cookie sheet to cool and harden.

If you want to add sprinkles do so now while the chocolate is still wet. If you want to add some fancy white chocolate squiggles (is that the right term? squiggles?) just melt some white chocolate, dip a fork in it and wildly fling it over what ever you want. Preferably the food you just dipped and not children, animals or walls.

Once they are harden you can arrange thing in a pretty bowl like the one below. Or you could get some mini cupcake liners and arrange then beautifully on a plate and you date/lover/friend/whatever will be swoon and be mighty impressed.

See how pretty in the bowl? Please also note the blue arrow in the in upper left corner and the sleeping dog. This has nothing to do with anything but I thought you should see.

Easy Decorating Tip 8,367

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:18:00 +0000

So here is yet another easy decorating tip for another Holiday, Valentine's Day!
I whipped up some brownies the other day and decided I wanted to make them festive.

What you may need:

Fresh Baked Brownies or Store Bought Brownies
Powdered sugar
A fine mesh sieve or any mesh strainer
wax paper, parchment paper or any paper you can cut
scissors
Valentinesque sprinkles, I just bought this from Wilton.

So bake or unwrap your brownies, take what ever paper you are using and cut out a heart. Lay the heart you just cut out where ever you want on top of the brownies.

Load up your mesh strainer sieve or whatever it is you call it with powdered sugar and gently shake it over your brownies. When it is to your satisfaction remove the paper hearts and Viola! All done.

You can add some sprinkles so jazz them up little. So simple and now you have fancy brownies. Sort of. Oh well enjoy!

Knitted Hearts -FREE Pattern!

noreply@blogger.com (katie) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:06:00 +0000

A cute little project to make when being crafty, or bored in my case. I knitted this cute little plush heart that is about 3x4 inches. It took me about a half hour to complete the whole project.

I used novelty fluff yarn from Plymouth yarn, it is called Heaven. It is super soft!

You can make regular ones or dazzle them up with faces, either way they are super cute!

I set the pdf to smallest file possible to make it easier to download, however it beat the pictures to death. They are all grainy, though they are probably horrible visual aids anyway. I'm not a pro photographer, nor do I wish to be, so don't judge please.

You can download the free pattern HERE. YEp I said Free! Please make for fun and for yourself, I do not authorize commercial use. If there are any errors in this pattern, I apologize. I will fix the post asap if there is a flaw. This is my first original pattern of the plush heart. Click here!

Or if you would like this happy heart (featured above) you can check out the Sasquatch Willow E T S Y store and buy it!

Have fun and modify it if you wish! Be Creative!

FREE PATTERN PDF

Happy V day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:28:00 +0000

I slaved away for days and days to make you something. I made some awesome FREE Valentines day cards for you! The first sheet is fairly plain and cute, sheet number two is cheesy but still very cute!

Just print, cut and fold. I even kept the shape simple for cutting ease. I have trouble cutting in a straight line, circles are a big pain, wobbly lines are surprisingly easy.

You can even write a ~~cheesy~~ lovely message inside and seal with a pretty sticker.

See the little grey line about the hearts?

It was uneven but I fixed that, don't worry about it.

Why did I even bring it up? I don't know.

It's cause I am old now.

V Day cards 1

V Day cards 2

Like the christmas tags, just click the above links, they will open in Google Docs and you can download the PDF or just print from there. Enjoy!

Happy birthday, Kay!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:29:00 +0000

One of our very own, Kay, is celebrating a birthday today!

She's such a creative baker with a wonderful soul.

She is absolutely hilarious and one of the best friends you could ask for.

Please join us in wishing a very happy birthday to Kay!

We love you, Kay! Happy birthday!

xo Katie & Nicole

Via

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:45:00 +0000

So I couldn't get pictured because everyone ate my cake before I could get a camera near it. Oh well saves you from an over photoshopped bad pic from me!

link

This cake is super simple and very easy and very moist. You'll love it.
This is my favorite comfort food. I love pineapple upside down cake, it reminds me of my dad and grandma. We always bake ours in a caste iron skillet so got buy one! Or not it's ok but your life will be so much better if you get one. We usually double this recipe and bake it in a 13 1/2 inch monster skillet but bake in any pan you wish.

What you need:

1 20oz can Crushed Pineapple, very well drained-reserve the juice!

1 20oz can Pineapple Chunks or Rings, drained-juice reserved

1 Box Yellow Cake mix, yea it's a box mix so sue me. For the love of cake, do NOT get pineapple flavored cake.

1/3 cups of Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cup reserved Pineapple juice
2/3 cup of Brown Sugar
about 7 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a large bowl add the cake mix, oil, pineapple juice, and eggs and beat well. Mix about 2 minutes. Once it's all nice and combined, add the drained crushed pineapple.

Grease you pan very well. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar. Evenly place the pineapple rings or chunks on top of the brown sugar. Slice the butter thinly and place it, once again, evenly over the brown sugar and pineapple. You want a lot of butter so when you flip the pan the cake doesn't stick to the top. If you don't think you have enough, add more. Any extra butter will just soak into the cake. Hey! Don't give me that look! It's cake, it's supposed to be fattening.

Carefully pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Depending on the pan you use you might need to decrease or increase the baking time. Just test with a toothpick!

Let cool for about 30 minutes and run a knife around the edge of the pan, and carefully place a cake plate or whatever you are planning on serving the cake on and flip! Sometimes there are remnants of pineapple or sugar left in the pan, if you used enough butter there shouldn't be much, But just run a spoon around the pan and scoop all the goodness and eat it or put back on the cake.

Kay

Bento love

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:23:00 +0000

Maybe it's because I like cute things or because I'll always be a kid at heart, but I love bento lunches. Seriously, how awesome is this?

Via

Bentos originated in Japan as a packaged, single-serving meal. Since then, they have evolved into some pretty sweet looking meals of art. I mean, hello? Rice pandas for lunch? I'm so in.

Via

Cute almost always wins for me. Domo equals a double win.

Via

Now, who wants to make me a bento lunch?

Champagne cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Dear Betty Crocker,

Thank you for combining a delicious cupcake and champagne and sharing it with the rest of us. I shall be happy to gain 86 lbs eating these.

What you need:

For batter:

1 box white cake mix or if you are Susie Homemaker, your own homemade white cake mix. I just can't tell you how or what to substitute you're on your own Susie.

1 1/4 cup Champagne or sparkling wine

1/3 cup Vegetable oil

3 egg whites.

For strawberry Butter Cream frosting:

1 cup (two sticks) Butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp Strawberry jam

1 tsp vanilla

Optional:

Strawberries

Preheat oven to 400º

Combine dry cake mix with champagne then add in the oil and egg whites. Beat for two minutes. Then fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Put in oven for 10 minutes at 400º, then lower the temp to 350º and finish baking for an additional 10 minutes.

While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the butter until fluffy then add in the powdered sugar. Once it starts to come together add in the vanilla and strawberry jam.

If you want to get all fancy you can slice strawberries and place them on top of the cupcake instead of sprinkles.

*Cake batter adapted from Betty Crocker

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 01:19:00 +0000

Hope you are enjoying a nice day with family and friends!

Remember, Sleep in tomorrow! And eats lots of left overs!

Katie, Kay & Nicole

Decorating cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:42:00 +0000

I decorated cookies with the little bros over the weekend. I'm a little cookied out so I just used one of those cookie mixes that you just add butter and an egg. They were good, probably even better because I didn't really have to do much except mix.

I busted out my holiday sprinkles, a few tubs of frosting, some food coloring and the cookies I had made the night before and we were ready to decorate.

Any one up for some caroling around the christmas tree? I did have Gingerbread men to go with the Gingerbread ladies but someone ate all the men so the women are lonely now. Poor ladies, better get out the milk.

When I was getting ready to make the cookies I was looking through my cookie cutters and found all my little tiny cookie cutters. I almost forgot I had them. A friend of mine gave them to me freshman year in high school way before I ever thought baking was fun. Mia? How the heck did you know my future would lead to much baking and I would find these necessary to my life someday?

Look how cute

Oh how adorable these little candy canes look next to the giant one. Is it weird that I think a cookie is adorable? They are also delicious if that makes a difference. Delicious and adorable.

This little Cyclops isn't as cute but I like him.

Betcha never had a Colonel Sanders cookie. Be jealous. Why is Colonel pronounced Kernel? I never understood that and doubt I ever will. It should be pronounced Colon-ell....wait... I think I just answered my own question. Who wants to be called a digestive system. Sorry this cookie post took an unexpected turn. Disregard everything after "jealous".

This is what happens when little brother number 2 gets bored. He stacks 4 cookies with frosting and calls it a day.

And this is what happens when I tell he needs to help finish decorating the enormous pile cookies I baked. He piles on the frosting and calls it a day.

Little brother number 2 also "accidentally" messed up a bunch of cookies he was decorating and had to eat them. He couldn't figure out why he didn't feel good 7 cookies later.

Have you finished you holiday baking yet?

Not feeling up to holiday baking? You could always buy one of those pre-made Pilsbury holiday cookie logs. You know the ones that have the holiday image on them and you just slice the cookies. Actually, I think you don'y even have to cut them anymore, they come in a sheet and you just have to bake them. Just get some of those, a tub of frosting and some sprinkles and your done! Easy peasy.

(via)

Kay

Free Download!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:27:00 +0000

Here are TWO Free Downloads I've been working on just for you. It should print nicely on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. I recommend printing them on card stock.

Click here to download Set 1 Christmas Gift tags

Click here to download Set 2 Christmas Gift tags

I'm not good at explaining things so I shall explain with the aid of a picture!

(click to enlarge)

When you click the links for the tags you will be whisked away to Google Docs seen above, click File, then you can Download Original or Print (PDF). Enjoy!

Kay

Christmas Colored Ribbon Layered Jello!

noreply@blogger.com (katie) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Sorry, Nicole... I know you dislike jello, possibly even hate it. BUT... THIS IS DELICIOUS and it is SUPER EASY TO MAKE!!!!

Serves 10-15 people

2 (3 oz.) pkg. orange jello

2 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon jello

2 (3 oz.) pkg. lime jello

2 (3 oz.) pkg. cherry or raspberry jello

3 (13 oz.) can condensed milk

Lightly grease a 9x13 glass pan with oil. Mix 1 package with orange jello with 3/4 cup hot and 3/4 cup cold water. Pour into pan and let set for 30 minutes in refrigerator. Next layers take about 15 minutes. Make second package orange jello with 3/4 cup hot water and 3/4 cup cold condensed milk (mix but do not whip: STIR). Pour over first layer and refrigerate. Proceed in same manner with each package of jello in order given.

WE used Lemon, Cherry, and Lime jello for Christmas and topped it with whipped cream!

MMM... Delicious!

This makes a wonderful dessert for a party or other occasion! You can use whatever jello you wish for your holiday or event!

Baking Tip List - Cookie Week

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:08:00 +0000

The final recipe for Cookie Week has been posted, but we're not done yet! We've compiled a few baking tips to help you in the kitchen this holiday season.

1. Out of powdered sugar? You can can make your own if you don't want to brave the stores. Just put regular, granulated, sugar 1/2 a cup at a time in a food processor or coffee grinder and pulse until you have powdered sugar. Voila!

2. If you’re like me, you forget to take the butter out of the fridge for softened butter in recipes. Cut butter into even chunks and microwave on low for 10 seconds. Check the butter and repeat if necessary, be careful to not let it melt. Properly softened butter is the secret to many a good cookie recipe!

3. If you have multiple pans in the oven, do not let them touch. It can create hot spots and the touching spots might over cook.

4. When melting chocolate for dipping or coating, WATER IS EVIL. It will cause the chocolate to separate and that is a terrible thing. Also white chocolate is more prone to burning, so watch the temperature.

5. When I have a lot of chocolate dipping I need to do, like if I am making cake balls, dipping fruit or other food, I use a mini crock-pot for melting. It’s the perfect size, and it keeps a constant temperature.

6. Coat candy or fruit with flour before putting into batter. It will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake or cookie.

7. When baking cookies, it's important that they are all the same size to ensure even cooking. For drop cookies, use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, like this one, to take the guess work out of evenly sized cookies. (Hint: Do the same thing for cupcakes & muffins!)

8. If a cookie recipe isn't as soft or crisp as you'd like, adjust the baking time. Pulling the cookies out of the oven when the centers are still a little gooey will give you a softer cookie. Leave them in longer if you like more of a crunch (but not so long that they burn!) Also, you can make a cookie softer by swapping in a little light brown sugar for regular, granulated sugar.

9. Parchment paper makes clean up a breeze. I use it all the time instead of greasing my baking sheet!

And the most important baking tip...
10. Turn the oven off after you're finished baking. We don't want any fires now, do we?

Do you have any baking tips to share? Post them in the comment section!

Gingersnaps!

noreply@blogger.com (katie) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:20:00 +0000

GINGERSNAPS!

Recipe

3/4 cups butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups plus 2 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

2 t. soda

1/2 t. cinnamon, cloves, and ginger

Mix the above ingredients together. Chill in the refrigerator 2-3 hours.

3 T sugar- make small balls of cookies and dip into sugar. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen medium delicious cookies.

Holiday Thumbprints

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:04:00 +0000

Trying to think of another holiday cookie I could make, holiday thumbprint cookies with a Hershey Kiss in the middle came to mind. I always see them at Christmas parties or on cookie plates but I've never had one. These are good cookies but have a cake like texture.

Yields approx. 36 cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Butter
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Milk
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Cocoa powder
1/4 tsp Salt
Approx. 36 Hershey Kisses, one 10 oz bag had more than enough. I used the peppermint ones

Preheat oven to 375º
Beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl until well blended. Mix together in a separate bowl the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Than add this to the butter mixture alternately with the milk in about three additions. Blend well. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about one hour.

**Scoop the dough, a tablespoon full, onto the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.

**Here is one thing I can't decide on; when to add the Hershey Kisses. I pressed some into the dough balls before I popped them into the oven and let them bake with the cookies. They held their shape nicely but the tips of the kisses did start to brown a little, which isn't really a big deal.

These were baked with the Hershey Kiss. See still pretty.

And I added some powdered sugar to distract from the brown candy.

I also pressed some of the Kisses into the dough right after they came out of the oven. These ones melted into a nice puddle of chocolate, which also isn't a big deal. But to me they just weren't as pretty so I sprinkled them with a little bit of crushed candy cane and I was happy with the results. You could sprinkle them with red and green sugar or some nice festive holiday sprinkles.

Both look nice and they taste the same so it's completely up to you!

recipe adapted from Hershey's

Kay

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies w/Orange glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:49:00 +0000

I'm not a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies but I love oatmeal cookies of every kind. I also really like dried cranberries, so instead of making plain oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, I made Cranberry Oatmeal cookies.

And since the combination of orange and cranberry seem so popular, I wanted to make an cranberry orange cookie. I was going to add the orange zest to the cookie dough but I really wanted to be able to taste it so I made an orange glaze that adds a hint of orange and sweetness to the cookie.

Yields approx. 48 cookies
Ingredients

For Cookies:

1 cup Butter - softened

1 1/4 cups firmly packed Brown Sugar

2 Egg

2 tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Salt

2 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1 1/2 cups dried Cranberries

For Orange Glaze:

1 1/2 cups Powder Sugar

3 tbs Orange Juice

1 tbs Orange Zest

In a bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. In another bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs mix until smooth. Then add in the flour mixture, once combined add the dried cranberries.

Using a sorbet scoop or a tablespoon, scoop dough on to a cookie sheet and bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Leave on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

While the cookies are in the oven, begin making the Orange Glaze.
Whisk together the powder sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Add more O.J. for a thinner consistency OR add more powder sugar to thicken it up as you wish. It should be thick but pourable, not super runny. If you have one, pour the orange glaze into a squeeze bottle otherwise just leave it in the bowl.

Once the cookies have cooled drizzle the orange glaze over the cookies. If you don't have a squeeze bottle, dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle over the cookies. The icing will set up if you let them sit out for about half an hour. Store in an air tight container. Enjoy!

Kay

Salted Caramel Cocoa Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Have you had the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks? Don't dismiss this drink for its trendiness, it's one of my very favorite things this season. I love it so much that I decided to model a cookie recipe after it. I give you the Salted Caramel Cocoa cookie!

Salted Caramel Cocoa Cookies

Yields approx. 3 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon regular salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 bag of Rolos chocolate caramel candies

3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350*. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, regular salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, and stir in the vanilla. Slowly mix in your sifted, dry ingredients until just combined.

Drop the dough by tablespoonful, roughly two inches apart, on a parchment covered baking sheet. Using your fingers, or the back of a spoon, press down on the top of an unwrapped Rolo until lightly squished* (Yes, that's such a scientific term..) Place a squished Rolo on the top of each round of dough and press down. Sprinkle a dash of the coarse sea salt on top of the Rolo.

Bake at 350* for 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on a rack before eating.

Note: I recommend allowing the cookies to cool completely before taking a bite, no matter how delicious they smell. The caramel will be hot and may burn.

Adapted from All Recipes

Have you enjoyed this week's recipes so far? What's your all time favorite cookie to eat during the holidays?

xo Nicole

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:06:00 +0000

I mentioned in the peppermint bark post that I would be using it in some cookies. I didn't have a recipe for the cookies I wanted to make but I knew what I wanted, a chocolate chocolate chip cookie using peppermint bark instead of chocolate chips.

While I am all for playing with recipes and tweaking them to see what you get and how great you can make them, I don't do well with baking failures. So Instead of playing with a recipe I scoured the internet looking for a good chocolate cookie that I could use but nothing looked good enough. Then I came across 101cookbooks and they have a fabulous recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies.

Yields approx.: 48 cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups Flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp Salt

1 cup Butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 Eggs

1 tbs Vanilla

2 cups peppermint bark, roughly chopped

Optional crushed candy canes

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, be sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl a few times. Then stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in increments, stirring between each addition. Stir in the peppermint bark by hand until it is evenly incorporated.

Reserve a bit of the bark to sprinkle on top of the cookies before you pop them into the oven. And if you want, crush up a few candy canes to sprinkle on top for some extra color once you take the cookies out of the oven.

Using a sorbet scoop or a table spoon, scoop onto baking sheets 1 inches apart and bake @ 375º for about 10 - 14 minutes. The recipe says that the cookies will flatten out but mine didn't so what I did was dust the bottom of a glass with some cocoa powder and press the cookies down. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. While they are still a little hot, sprinkle with the optional crushed candy canes.

Kay

Molasses Drop Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:21:00 +0000

If you're like me, the smell of molasses makes you queasy. Don't be fooled though, these cookies are delicious!

The molasses cookies are a sweet alternative to gingerbread if you just don't have the time to roll out a ton of dough. They pair especially well with a hot apple cider. Perfect for a snowy day!

This particular recipe was adapted from the recipe of a family friend, Aunt Paula. Thanks to her for sharing such a great recipe!

Molasses Drop Cookies

Yields: approx. 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. shortening

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. milk

3/4 c. molasses (unsulphered)

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
Cream together the shortening and sugar. Then, stir in the egg. Add in the milk and molasses.
Mix in the dry ingredients. Drop by the tablespoonful on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. (I line my cookie sheet with parchment paper.)
Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Let cool on the cooling rack.

Tip: For a crunchy top to the cookie, sprinkle a little sugar on the rounds before baking.