Christmas Cookie X-change Week 4 & Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the final installment of my Christmas Cookie X-change. Thank you all for joining me on this little adventure of sweet things :)

My final recipe is considered THE Christmas cookie in my opinion.

Christmas Cookie Cutouts


From 2 to 102, people love cutout cookies!
Especially at Christmas time :)
Yes, they are a little more time consuming,
but they are completely worth it!

Cookie Ingredients
4 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookie Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to a 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes, rotating cookie sheet half way through baking. Cool completely on pans, about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely before decorating.

Colored Icing Ingredients
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3-4 drops food coloring, plus more as needed
Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions for Icing
In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small spoon and smooth with the back of spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.


Now it is your turn!
Grab my button and don't forget to link up below!

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Thanks for joining this past month!
Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

What cookies are you looking forward to making?

Are you shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

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Christmas Cookie X-change Week 3

This month is flying by!
I can't believe Thanksgiving is next Thursday, and that we are in our 3rd week of
my cookie x-change!

Today I bring you a couple of Christmas cookie staples.

Snowball Cookies

Snowball cookies were always one of my favorite cookies to make as a kid, and even now as an adult. They are super easy, and they please just about everyone :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans/walnut (optional)

Additional powdered sugar

Directions

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fully mixed. Add flour with salt to creamed mixture, blend thoroughly. Add nuts and mix well. Chill dough for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and bake 8-10 minutes. Do not brown. Cool, then roll in additional powdered sugar before serving.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

These little bites of goodness go quickly at the holidays in my house, as well as many other homes. If you live in Ohio, you probably already make these every year. If not, what is wrong with you?! :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

6 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. (The dough will look dry.) Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Set them on the prepared cookie sheet and insert a toothpick into the top of each of them. Chill them in the freezer until hard (about 30 minutes). Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl atop a pot of simmering water over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Using the toothpick as a handle, dip the balls into the melted chocolate leaving a small circle at the top uncovered. Place the dipped candies back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set (about 2 hours). Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

There you have it!

Two crowd pleasing recipes that will be sure to go quick at all of your holiday get togethers :)

Don't forget to link up your recipes below and grab my button as well :)

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Thanksgiving will be the final day to link up your favorite Christmas recipes.

Are you baking anything special for Thanksgiving?
Go ahead and share that recipe as well!
The more the merrier :)

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Favorite Things & Christmas Cookie X-change Week 2

It's the 2nd week of the Christmas Cookie X-change, but there is also a link up that I just couldn't pass up!
So today you are getting both all in one little giant post :)

First, let's link up with Erika @ A little bit of everything and Andrea @ Never say never for a
Favorite Things Party!
What is your favorite thing under $10?

Mine? I have a few things that I think are pretty awesome and under $10.
First, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte :)

There aren't many things that can put a smile on my face for the entire day that are under $4!

An all-in-one meal of the chicken burrito at Chipotle is under $7!

And my last item is my Redbook magazine subscription :)

One year is only $8!!! It is packed with fashion, beauty, recipes, and more!

Now onto some of my other favorite things...

Christmas Recipes :)

Today I decided to mix things up and give you a cookie, fudge, and pie recipe that I like to make every year :)

Scottish Shortbread

This stuff is heavy, but SO good! Mic and I both have some Scottish blood in us, so this is a no brainer over the holidays. Plus, people almost always indulge in the really bad for them desserts "just because" it is the holidays.

Ingredients
1 pound of butter - softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar until well blended. Add flour, one cup at a time. A wooden spoon works best, but the final cup you may need to incorporate by hand mixing. Dough will be very stiff. Spread batter into a 9x13in baking pan, pressing down evenly to all edges. Using the tines of a fork, go around the edges pressing tines against the edge. Then with tines prick multiple scattered vent holes throughout dough.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown. Upon removal from the oven, immediately cut into small 2" pieces but leave in the pan to cool. Store in a cookie tin.

Peanut Butter Fudge

I have enjoyed this fudge recipe for more years than I can honestly remember. A beautiful women who lost her battle with cancer not too long ago made this for me every time she saw me :) It literally melts in your mouth! My mom's dear friend Kate gave me this recipe at one of my bridal showers and I was so excited to receive it. I have never had any fudge better than this recipe! And that is coming from a girl who used to work at Malley's Chocolates!

Ingredients
4 cups sugar
1 stick margarine
1 7oz. marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 small 8oz. jar of peanut butter (Jif)
1 12oz. can carnation milk

Directions
Place sugar, margarine, and milk in a large pan and bring to a full boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes - stirring constantly as the mixture scorches easily. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and marshmallow creme. Blend well. Pour into greased 9x13in. pan and allow to cool completely.

Pecan Pie

Every year my family raves about my Pecan Pie that I make for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Honestly, I don't eat it but I will take their word for it (and the fact that the pie plate is always empty). My secret? I add a ton of pecans! I mean like 2-3 cups more than the normal recipe calls for. The end result...devoured by all :)

Also, I no longer make my own pie crust since X is around, but up until 2 years ago I did. Now I just use the Pillsbury or Kroger brand pie crust.

Filling Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of table salt
1 cup pecan halves
(I use 2-3 cups pecans, and even add a few on top right before baking.)

Directions
Beat eggs, then add sugar, corn syrup and a little salt. Beat well. Stir in butter, add vanilla and nuts. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Here is where I add a few extra pecans to the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

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Christmas Cookie X-change - Week 1

Let the party begin!

Please join me today and every Thursday in the month of November for...

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 Let's share some of our favorite Christmas cookie, candy, pie or
any other holiday dessert together!

So grab my button above and lets get bakin'!


Kentucky Bourbon Balls

I made these a few years ago for some cookie trays we made up for some friends and they were such a hit!

But be warned! They pack a punch!

What you will need...
1 Cup Crushed Vanilla Wafers
1 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
1/4 Cup Bourbon
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and Confectioner's Sugar for coating

 

Directions
Combine the wafers, sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, corn syrup and bourbon in a food processor or an electric mixer. Blend until thoroughly mixed. Then, using a spoon, stir in the pecans. Roll tablespoons of the mixture to form small truffle-sized balls (these babies are sticky! Coat hands in flour if needed). Roll the bourbon balls in the cocoa to coat them. Just before serving, lightly sprinkle the balls with confectioner's sugar using a strainer or shaker.



Sandwich Cookies



These quite honestly are my favorite Christmas cookie. They are so soft and delicious that they practically melt in your mouth. I grew up making these with my mom every year. I don't know why we saved them for Christmas because they easily could be made year round. Just change the color of filling for the time of year or event!

What you will need for the cookies...
1 1/2 Cups Butter
1-1 1/2 Cups Crisco
4 Heaping tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
4 Cups Flour

What you will need for the frosting...
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Directions
For Cookies - Cream the sugar, butter, and Crisco together. Add the flour and vanilla. Roll into tiny balls and flatten with a fork. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.
For Frosting - Beat together all ingredients and separate into 2 bowls. Tint each using red and green food coloring.
Once cookies have cooled, use one cookie as the base, frost, and add a second cookie as the top.



Now it is your turn!
Link up below, grab my button, or just post a link back to my blog in your post :)
I can't wait to see what recipes you share!
And remember I will be hosting this event every Thursday during the month of November.

Each link closes by Saturday morning, so if you miss it this week be sure to join the fun next Thursday :)

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