Lovin' From the Oven

Day 9: Peanut Butter Blossoms

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Only 4 more days til Christmas! Eeeekk that means I have to do all of my bulk baking for my gift baskets/boxes tomorrow. I’ll be in the kitchen all day long, so expect the end of my countdown within the next two days. I baked these cookies for my friend’s fondue party that she was throwing, and everyone LOVED them! Even on top of all the food we ate for the cheese & chocolate fondue (trust me.. we had A LOT! For the cheese fondue: wedge fries, ham, broccoli, cauliflower, bread, pretzels, & tomatoes. For the chocolate fondue: strawberries, pineapples, bananas, pretzels, & rice crispy treats.), people still had room for these cookies. They even smuggled some home for the road! That must mean that they’re good.

Day 9 of my 12 Days of Cookies: Peanut Butter & chocolate… almost as good of a combination as mint & chocolate. These cookies take a bit more effort, but are totally worth it in the end. They are extremely soft cookies (my favorite), yet they can hold up when being stacked upon one another. The peanut butter ratio is the perfect amount.. not too overwhelming, but you definitely taste it. The Hershey’s kiss just tops it off.. give someone a kiss this Christmas!

You can vary this recipe by omitting the kiss if you wanted just a plain peanut butter cookie. You can also change your kind of kiss (swirled, filled, white chocolate, dark chocolate.. the list is endless!) to better suit your taste. There are a TON of different kinds out there! You can even do red and green swirled ones for the holidays. I halved this recipe and made a little over 2 dozen.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup white sugar for decoration
  • 2 (9 ounce) bags milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and stir in the milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 10 to12 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Allow to cool completely; the kiss will harden as it cools.

Day 8: Andes Mint Brownies

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Day 8 of My 12 Days of Cookies: Okay, so this technically isn’t a cookie… It’s a brownie. But to be fair, these go just as great in gift baskets/Christmas packages as any other cookie. I mean, who doesn’t love the combination of mint and chocolate? You can even cut them small enough so that they are cookie/bite size. These brownies were delicious.. I’ll have to try them with york peppermints next time to see which one comes out better. Now, everyone has a different type of favorite brownie. Mine are fudgy, gooey, and thick. This recipe comes out with just that kind, and they’re easy! You can omit the chopped Andes in the batter if you think that’s too much mint, but personally, I think the more the merrier.

I waited for them to cool before cutting them, and that made it EXTREMELY difficult! I would recommend that you cut them before the chocolate cools so that your brownies are prettier than mine. It’s hard to cut hardened chocolate, and I’ll know that for next time. If the chocolate has already cooled, then it’ll crack when you try to cut them into bars.

You can use a brownie mix to simplify the process and just mix Andes mints into the batter before baking. Also, after spreading the Andes mints on top of the freshly baked brownie, it takes a while for the chocolate to stiffen back. So, if you are making these for a party, make them well in advance because they need at least an hour to cool!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar (white)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • about 1/4 cup (or however much you please, really) of chopped Andes mints
  • An additional package of whole Andes mints

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Once melted remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend together. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet and mix well. Add chopped Andes mints. Pour into greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

RIGHT when the brownies come out of the oven, layer the top with the whole package of Andes mints (or however many it takes to cover the surface). Let them stand for a minute or two, until they are smooth enough to spread. Using a frosting spatula or a flat knife, spread the melted Andes mints evenly over the brownie to cover. Cool, cut and enjoy.

Day 7: M&M Cookies

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Day 7 of My 12 Days of Cookies: M&M Cookies. I thought it would be fun and festive to finally add some Christmas color into my cookies. These are the standard Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe with M&M’s replacing the chocolate morsels. The result? Ehhh these were just ok. I think now that I’ve found my elite chocolate chip recipe, nothing else compares. Don’t get me wrong, these are always fun to look at that, though… with all the festive colors. They would look great in a basket given for the holidays!

I used some leftover Halloween candy for these cookies. I had an assortment pack of M&M’s, with peanut, regular, and mini M&M’s. I had to pick out all the red & green ones and left a huge bowl of M&M’s on the island in the kitchen, up for grabs for whoever walks by. What’s your favorite? Mine are definitely the peanut butter M&M’s. Sidenote, I think the mini M&M’s taste ten times better than regular sized M&M’s even though they’re the same.. why? I have no idea. I think all foods that are made miniature just taste better. Period.

The original recipe can be found HERE

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups M&M’s (I used a mixture of mini and regular M&M’s)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

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