Lemon Sugar Cookies

This year, my mom and I made lemon sugar cookies for Christmas. These are good any time of year, but if you add some red and green food coloring, they are especially festive. This is my Nana's recipe, with some modifications by my mom.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar 
• 3 1/2 cups flour (3 3/4 if you are using food coloring)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• grated rind of 2-3 lemons (2 if they're large lemons, 3 if they're smaller)
• optional: food coloring (if you use food coloring, be sure to use the paste (or gel) kind - the liquid can mess up the recipe.  We use Wilton's, and it works well.)

Yield: 60-70 cookies

Beat the butter in an electric mixer until it is soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat well.

Add the eggs and extra egg yolks. 

Beat well.

Add the baking powder and salt. Add the flour a little bit at a time, alternating with adding the lemon juice.

Beat well after each addition.

It should be 3-4 additions.

Slowly stir in the grated lemon rind.

Add the food coloring if you choose. 

We made red and green.

Drop the batter by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Allow some room for the cookies to spread.

Bake at 350ºF for about 14 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden brown.

Remove the cookies to a wire rack and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar while they are still hot.

Allow them to cool and enjoy!

Chocolate Marshmallow Treats

So, the Christmas baking continues. Since I last wrote, we've made pecan paulines, Spritz, lemon sugar cookies, mint chocolate pinwheels, and these chocolate marshmallow treats. They are really tasty and definitely a must-have for chocolate lovers.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• about 30 large marshmallows
• Chocolate Glaze
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 4 tbsp. hot milk
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• dash of salt

Yield: About 50 cookies

Cream the shortening and sugar in an electric mixer.

Add the egg, vanilla, cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt, and milk. 

Mix until smooth.

Add the chopped pecans.

Mix them in.

Chop the marshmallows in half.and set them aside.

Drop the cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with a teaspoon.

 

Bake at 375ºF for 8 minutes.

Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, top each cookies with a half marshmallow (the sticky side down). 

Return the cookie sheet to the oven and bake for 1 minute.

Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. Now you can make the chocolate glaze.

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat.

 

Mix the hot milk with the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add a dash of salt.

Pour in the chocolate mixture.

Stir until smooth.

Frost the cookies with the chocolate glaze by using a tablespoon to pour the glaze onto the marshmallows.

Allow the glaze to harden and enjoy!

Kinley's Kiss Drink Recipe

I'm still baking Christmas cookies (and will have some more recipes for you this week), but tonight I thought I'd share a drink recipe - Kinley's Kiss. I named this one after my dog - she is a cute little kissy bug. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz coconut rum
• 1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz Gran Marnier
• 1 cup crushed ice  

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.

Pour into a tiki mug and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I've been busy making Christmas cookies this week - so far, I've made peanut brittle, pecan brittle, sandies, and candy lasses. This year I also made Peanut Butter Blossoms - if you're a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, you'll like these a lot. 

I basically used the recipe for whole wheat peanut butter blossoms from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies Cookies Cookies - except I didn't use any whole wheat flour or chopped peanuts (I used crunchy peanut butter, not smooth).

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (the nutty or crunchy kind)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• sugar (for coating the cookies)
• Hershey's kisses 

Yield: About 54

Beat the shortening and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and brown sugar.

Beat until the dough becomes fluffy.

Add the egg, milk, and vanilla.

Beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Gradually beat in the baking powder, baking soda, and flour until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in sugar.

Place the balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. 

Remove and immediately press a Hershey's kiss the center of each cookie.

Cool the cookies on a wire rack. 

These are really tasty, but they are a little difficult to store since you can't layer them without smushing the Hershey's kisses. So make sure you have plenty of boxes to store them single-layer in.

Have you started any Christmas baking yet?