25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 16 Chocolate Cherry Blossoms

Chocolate and cherries go hand in hand like peas and carrots.  The chocolate covered cherry Hersey kisses are great.  So when I found them again at the store for the holidays I had to buy them so make cookies with them.  Hersey kisses are like M&M's so many different flavors for the holidays.

This recipe includes some dried cherries as well as the Hersey kisses.

Melt 3 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate.

Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in the melted chocolate.  Set aside to let cool.

Add 1 1/2 cup sugar in a separate bowl.

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup dried cherries chopped

Chop them well.

Pour the chocolate into the flour mixture.

Mix well.

Add the second 3/4 cup plain flour.

Add the cherries

Scrap the sides to make sure it is mixed well.

Add 1/3 cup sugar to a second bowl.

Make balls out of the dough.  Roll the balls in the sugar and then place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  The dough is sticky and will make a mess on your hands.  Place in a preheated 300 oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Count how many cookies you have so that while the cookies are baking you can unwrap the kisses.

The cookies out of the oven.  Work fast now.

Place a kiss in the middle of the cookie and press down.

Let the cookies sit until the kisses set and are no longer soft.

Chocolate Cherry Blossoms Recipe

3- 1oz squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup plain flour divided

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup dried cherries chopped

1/3 cup sugar

1 bag cherry cordial chocolate kisses unwrapped.

Preheat oven 300.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 20 Pecan Sandies

I am so glad I made these cookies.  They are so good and they remind me of the Keebler pecan sandies except these melt in your mouth.  If you have lots of pecans you need to try these.  A friend gave me some pecans from her yard last year and most were halves so that was another reason I made this recipe.

This recipe uses both chopped pecans and pecan halves.

Start with 2 sticks softened butter.

Add 1 cup oil

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

Mix that well until nice and fluffily.

Add 1 egg at a time and beat after each

Add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups all purpose flour, added one at at time and mix well after each.  Scraping down the sides.

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped pecans.  I used the small food processor so they will be chopped small.

In a bowl add 1/2 cup sugar for rolling.

Mix the pecans in well.

Drop by tablespoonful into the sugar.  Roll in the sugar

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  And place a pecan in the middle.  Place in a preheated 375 oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Fresh from the oven.  The pecans have a nice buttery taste to them.  The recipe makes a lot so you can share them.

Pecan Sandies Recipe

1 cup butter softened

1 cup oil

1 1/2 cup sugar, divided

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped pecans

whole pecans

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 12 Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peppermint and chocolate doesn't get much better than that.  During the holidays they always have some neat chocolate chips and candies to bake with.  I wish you could find these things year round.

These are almost like regular chocolate chip cookies but with peppermint pieces.

Start with 1 stick softened butter and 1/2 cup oil.

To that add 1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

Mix well.

Add 2 eggs

Add 3 cups plain flour, one cup at a time.

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.  I forgot a picture of the 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 1 pkg Christmas chocolate chips.

1/2 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch pieces. I can tell this was my third batch of cookies because I forgot to take a picture of the unbaked cookies on the sheet.  Scoop the cookies and place on a parchment lines cookie sheet.  Place in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will spread some.

Fresh from the oven and smelling so pepperminty.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 bag Christmas chocolate chips

1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Bake 7-8 minutes.

25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 1 Lump of Coal Cookies

I found this recipe in my favorite place, Pinterest, the other week and knew I had to make them this Christmas.  I plan on having some fun with them.  When I send some cookies to friends I will include a lump of coal for all the naughty kids in the house. I hope you will try these and have some fun with them as well.  All naughty boys and girls deserve a little coal in the stocking this Christmas.

This is just a basic sugar cookie recipe that has black food coloring added.

Start with 2 sticks softened butter and 1 cup sugar.  The recipe says caster or super fine sugar works best.  I did not find any so I used regular. You can put the regular sugar in the food processor and make it fine if you want to take the time.

Beat until fluffy.

Add 1 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Beat well.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 3 cups plain flour.  Add one at a time and beat well between cups.

Now add some black food color/dye.  You can find this food coloring in the cake decorating section of the store or craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Add a little and then keep adding until you get the color you want.

This was after my first addition.  It is more grey which makes me think of a bleeding armadillo cake.  Ask if you don't get it.

I added some more and decided I would not get a black black color.

I wrapped the dough and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes.  Long enough to clean up my mess.

I took out a small portion of the dough, and put the rest back in the fridge.

Then start breaking the dough off.  You can roll it into balls but you want irregular shapes and that pulled off look to make it look more like coal.  Play around with it until you figure out what works for you.

When you get one pan ready put it in the freezer until you get them all ready.  Not long at all.  Take the sheets out as you use them and place in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  One of the problems I had was how to tell if they are done because you can't tell if they are getting brown.

The coal out of the oven.  I was wondering while I was making these if I left them in the oven long enough would they turn into diamonds?

Lump of Coal Cookies Recipe

3cups plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

black gel or paste food coloring

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.