Christmas cookies

Big baking plans — butterscotch gingerbread cookies

/ Meg / 1 Comment

In my mind, I have unlimited time and energy to do so many things — read a book a day, work on my novels, catch up with old friends, bake cookies, watch movies . . . and so forth. And somehow, of course, this just never seems to happen — we spend most of our time working, and then find ways to squeeze in other fun activities in between everything else.

So this Christmas I decided I was going to make time for many of those important activities — especially the baking! I managed to squeeze in a batch of peanut butter blossoms recently and want to make a few more batches in the near future. My friend Sandy told me about an awesome batch of butterscotch cookies she made — and printed me out the recipe. I have it at the ready, but I think I might kick it up a holiday notch and try these over the weekend — butterscotch gingerbread cookies! For all of my talk about my pumpkin obsession, I have an equally far-reaching lust for gingerbread.



Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies

butterscotch_gingerbread

Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup light molasses
• 1 (11 ounce) package Nestle Toll House Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions
1. PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in small bowl.
3. BEAT butter, sugar, egg and molasses in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
4. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Peanut butter blossoms ahoy!

/ Meg / 5 Comments

Oh. My. GOD. I found the recipe for my favorite cookie ever! I’m sure I could have easily scoped this out months — if not years — ago, but I stumbled across it in my Internet travels today. My mother usually makes these around Christmas, and I pretty much begged her to whip up a batch this year. I had no idea this is what they’re called — I usually just call them, “Mom, you know that cookie with chocolate in the middle I like?” — but I’ll roll with it.

I present to you . . .

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Yield: 4 Dozen Cookies

peanut_butter_cookie

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
• 1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Sugar
• 48 foil-wrapped milk chocolate pieces, unwrapped

Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 375°F.
2. CREAM together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.
3. STIR together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms.
4. SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
6. TOP each cookie immediately with an unwrapped chocolate piece, pressing down firmly so that cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cool.

Recipe courtesy JIF

UPDATE 12/15: I made them!