It’s time, Conflucians. Yes, once a year, we go looking for the tape and wherever the kids have hidden the scissors and spend the evening wrapping all of those things we spent too much money on.
Note to the economists: my gauge of a successful Christmas season is how much time I spend in predatory parking mode at the mall. This year, it didn’t take me long to spot my prey. Some years, I can circle the parking lot for 20 minutes. This year, not a problem. I have been finding them with relative ease. That’s not to say the mall isn’t crowded. This is NJ, after all. But there aren’t that many people blowing wads of cash this year. It’s not as bad as 2008 but it’s still pretty bad.
Anyway, I thought we could keep each other company during the wrap session by swapping cookie recipes. My favorites are Raspberry Jam Strips but I have to go look up the recipe. In the meantime, MissChievous, a Swiss-Canadian living in Switzerland, posted this chocolate cookie recipe for Tp-Die-For Chocolate Mint Cookies:
Yum-yum. Let’s see Paula Deen top that.
On your mark… Get set… Wrap!
Filed under: General | Tagged: chocolate mint cookies, MissChievous, wrapping presents |
Where the heck do you get meringue powder??
You’re way ahead of me … I’m still knitting my biggest gift (for my daughter) If I don’t keep my eyes on my needles, I’m not going to get it done by Saturday.
LOL! You need to get that on video and then speed it up so we can watch your progress.
Will she make it?
OMG — I can take time-lapse photos and fake it!
Did you say merengue?
You can get it at Michael’s in the Wilton section. I used to have to guy lots of it when I was taking Wilton classes.
The Mrs does all the wrapping and let me tell you, it’s perfection. Merry Christmas everyone!
You sound just like my brother! {{{simofish}}}
Recipe for Kourambiedes (Greek Christmas cookies — they taste kind of like shortbread cookies with powdered sugar):
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
36 whole cloves
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar together. Stir in the vanilla, then the flour, then the pecans.
3. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and insert a clove into each one. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still hot. Remove cloves before serving or warn guests to remove them.
OMG, I LOVE shortbread cookies. So rich. They’re especially good dipped in tea. Melt in your mouth.
Well, Kourambiedes are *like* shortbread cookies, not exactly shortbread cookies. The cloves give them a little extra kick.
BTW — these cookies are also served at Greek weddings, so I should have named them “Greek Christams & wedding cookies.”
Is that why they have big fat Greek weddings?
This is a true story about a guy (who wasn’t Greek) who worked at a Greek restaurant. A Greek guy came in with a party of 10 & began ordering food for the table. About 1/2 way through the waiter told the Greek guy “I think you’re ordering too much food.” And the Greek guy said “OF COURSE it’s too much food. I want them to be overwhelmed! I don’t want anyone leaving saying they didn’t get enough to eat.”
The Greek guy’s response is truly typical of a Greek person’s way of thinking when it comes to hospitality. And that is why they have big fat Greek weddings!
angienc!
fab cookies are these! nice to see you again, whew!
Hi Valentine! Nice to “see” you too. 🙂
I can’t believe it’s already the 22nd.
I still have tons of shoplifting left to do.
ha
Five finger discount, the best kind.
Gift cards. Santa sometimes gives people gift cards to buy everything at a discount after the 25th.
Oh schitt, these are good Sugar Cookies.
1 cup butter
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
Cream well, add 1 teas vanilla, 2 eggs, and cream some more.
Sift together 4 1/2 cup flour, 1 teas. salt, 1 teas, cream tartar, 1 teas. baking soda.
Add to sugar mix – chill at least 2 hours or over night. Be sure to cover the bowl if left overnight.
Roll dough into walnut size balls, press down with sugared bottom glass on ungreased sheet, bake 400″ for 10 minutes.
Decorate or not, but easy one is to buy creamcheese frosting, split it into two small bowls,
add red/green coloring, decorate or not.
Here’s a recipe for Raspberry Jam Strips. So delicious. In my recipe, that I’m too lazy to go looking for right now, almond extract is substituted for vanilla in the icing. I prefer the almond.
Dead simple to make. Little kids will like to help.
This video is 2 years old but it’s got a great recipe for easy to make Peppermint bark.
OO — I’m on the verge of BUYING some peppermint bark … And wait?? Is that Yarn?
yes, it is YARN!!!
katiebird has become like a cat, wave some yarn in front of her and you have her undivided attention. 🙂
At this point anything that distracts me from the ACTUAL yarn I’m tangled in is a huge relief!
LOL.
Is it bad that the word ‘Design Sponge’ reminded me of Elaine and ‘sponge-worthy’?
Please excuse my Seinfeld flashback…
I like this … a children’s choir sings the Trololo song:
lol!!
sweet
Rd & Co, a fab recipe, and totally scientific done in grams and so forth… it looks great though. Well, this is an off year — no baking per se, however I saw some fab vids on cookies — especially this one that made me laugh and laugh…
Merry Christmas Conf & Co!
xxoo!
My grandmother’s cookies, RD almond is their middle name…. Spritz decorated with little colored sugars and so forth…
You need a cookie press for these. She used the ribbon disc, and then she sprinkled them with red and green sugar — or dragees, or sometimes multi-colored nonpareils.
Swedish Cookies
1/2 pound butter
I cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups sifted flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Pack into the press and form the ribbons on a cookie sheet leaving about half an inch in between them (they expand) — bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes and do not overbake — edges should be pale gold.
cut ribbons about 2 and a half inches and cool on wire racks — very pretty looking is you vary the colors of the decorations…..
hugs RD & Co. hopefully 2011 will be a good year politically — wishes all the best to the Conf.
OK, now you’ve got me started. Here’s one I like. There are lots of no bake cookie recipes, this one is particularly good. Definitely go with the oatmeal approach (some use coconut instead). Super simple:
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Directions
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.
The only tricky part is boiling the sugar, etc. part. If you don’t get that quite right it will be all sugary instead of creamy. Yuk.
Must have gadget. Notice the outtake at the end:
From sweet to ridiculous: Circle Ds as…Jaws?
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/the-morning-sneeze-ds-as-jaws/
And whyle you were wrapping, the tabloids came out
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/tabloids-9-11-health-bill-about-time/
best cookies EVAH!!
got tired of looking for my recipe and looked online and low and behold Reeses site has the same recipee.
Ingredients
48 HERSHEY’S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates 1/2 cup shortening 3/4 cup REESE’S Creamy Peanut Butter 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Granulated sugar
Directions
1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2 Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.