Amaretti Cookies

These amaretti cookies are a classic Italian cookie that my family loves. They bake up crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside . The flavor is distinctly almond and they are a perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee. They are not overly sweet, which I prefer. I usually make a batch of these cookies if I am making a pasta dinner . It goes hand in hand to serve these after an Italian meal. This recipe makes exactly one dozen cookies. You can always double or triple the recipe.

Amaretti Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 c white granulated sugar plus more for rolling
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp lemon zest
1/3 c powdered sugar

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, 1/2 c sugar and salt. Mix well.
3. In a mixer with the whisk attachment whisk together the egg white until soft peaks form.
4. Fold in the lemon zest and the almond extract . Mix well.
5. Add the almond flour mixture to the egg white  mixture until well combined. It will come together, just keep mixing . 
6. In a small bowl add a few tablespoons of sugar. In a separate bowl add the 1/3 c or so of powdered sugar. 
7. Roll the dough into 12   1” balls and dip each in the granulated sugar , then in the powdered sugar. 
8. Place the balls on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a glass , flatten the cookies slightly . 
9. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops begin to crack .
10. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Coconut Macaroons

If you are looking for a great cookie for your holiday cookie tray this is the perfect recipe.So easy to make with little effort and very few ingredients. This is my husbands favorite! I love that I can make the batter and in 30 minutes have warm macaroons for my hubby. It makes him very happy. You can add an almond on top or drizzle with chocolate. Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons
14 oz bag sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 whole egg whites
1/2 tsp almond extract


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Grease and flour a large  baking sheet.Mix together coconut,sugar, flour and salt until well blended.Mix in the 4 egg whites and the almond extract.Mix until the the batter is moist. Drop spoonfulls of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Italian Ricotta Cookies

     Over the years, I have added and subtracted cookies and other baked yumminess in my annual Christmas Cookie trays for friends and neighbors. I stick to three of the same every year and build off of those. Candied pecans, cheese straws and these ricotta cookies. Living in Pittsburgh , I learned real quick that every respectable hostess offers an array of cookies for every get together known to man, from cookouts to birthdays to weddings. And y'all, I am talking tables of cookies at some parties. Days of preparation . It is just the way they do it. These cookies are on every cookie table I have ever seen. And for good reason. They are subtle, with the sweetness of the icing and the sprinkles to take it over the top. Don't let the ricotta cheese in the recipe fool you, these do not taste cheesy at all. It is a good , soft , mellow cookie that will have you coming back for seconds. I suppose you can use any sprinkles you have on hand, but I have only seen them done with the small round sprinkles. You can find them in the bakery aisle at your local grocery store with the icings and colored sugars.
     Make sure you check back in the next few days, as I am going to post other goodies for your Christmas trays.


Ricotta Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks ( 1/2 pound) butter, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese

2 T good quality vanilla extract

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

glaze:

5 T milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, ricotta cheese  and vanilla. Mix well.

3.In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. 

4. Add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture and mix well. 

5. Roll the batter into 1 tsp sized balls and place  on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.

6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes  or until just lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes  on the baking sheet, then transfer  to  a cooling rack to cool completely.

Glaze:

Beat the milk, extract and powdered sugar until smooth.

Place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl, for easier dipping.

Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze and them right into the sprinkles and place on wire rack for a few minutes to let the icing set.

Liz

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are my tried and true oatmeal raisin cookies.I always like to have snacks on hand when the boys come home from school,and these are on my regular rotation.I make them for get togethers and there are never any left over.I soak the raisins,which might be the secret.Who knows! Moms, these are great treats for lunchboxes too!



Oatmeal Raisin Cookies


3 eggs, beaten
1 c. raisins
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. chopped pecans

Combine eggs, vanilla and raisins in a small bowl; cover and let stand for about 4 hours.The longer the better.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture.
Stir in the raisin mixture, rolled oats, and nuts.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreasrd cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Norwegian Cookies

These cookies are awesome! My nana made these every year for Christmas. They were always on her cookie table. She would make so many batches of them and she would stack them between wax paper in a Tupperware  container. She called them Norwegian cookies. I have no idea why she called them that, I am thinking maybe she got the recipe from someone else throughout the years that had given them the name. They are the same as snowball cookies or Mexican wedding cookies. Simple ingredients , easy to make and great for gift giving. I made these this year for the first time since she passed away and they are just as good now as they were in my childhood.

Norwegian Cookies
Ingredients
2 sticks ( 1 c) unsalted butter
1 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/4 c pecans, finely chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix well. Slowly add in the flour, about half a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pecans and mix well. 
3. Make balls using @ 1 T of dough. Place on baking sheet about 1" apart. 
4. Bake @ 15 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned.
5. Cool for 5 minutes and roll the cookies in the powdered sugar and set on a sheet of wax paper. When the cookies are fully cooled, roll the cookies once more in the powdered sugar.
6. Store in an airtight container.

Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cookies

These cookies are easy to make from a boxed cake mix. I have been making these for a few years

now and they are a hit with everyone who tries them. You can mix up the flavor of Hershey Kisses

and the sugars that the cookies are dipped in before baking. These I chose pumpkin spice sugar and

caramel Hershey Kisses. You could also use Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses and regular granulated

sugar. Lots of options!

Caramel  Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1/3 c vegetable or canola oil

2 eggs

Pumpkin Spice Sugar ( recipe follows)

Caramel Hershey Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

2. In a medium  mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, oil and eggs  until completely blended.

3.Roll into quarter sized balls. Roll each ball into the pumpkin spice sugar and place on the cookie

sheet. Slightly flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.

4.Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about a minute. Place a

Hersheys Kiss on top of each cookie. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to let cool.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 T pumpkin pie spice

Mix the sugar and the pumpkin pie spice in a bowl.

Liz

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Autumn is just around the corner and that puts me in a happy place. It is my favorite season of the year. I have been making these pumpkin Whoopie Pies for a few years now and they are great. My kids love pumpkin flavored foods, so this is  a treat for them. Easy to make, and so easy to eat :)

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
recipe by Rachael Ray

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Oreo Fluff

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This is a super easy treat that I make sometimes for the kids. They use it as a dip with Nilla wafers or graham crackers. Me, well. I eat it with a spoon! ;) You can put it between two cookies for a filling too.

Oreo Fluff
1 box white chocolate flavored pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 8oz container whipped topping (Cool Whip)
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed

In a medium bowl, mix together the pudding mix and the milk until it thickens.  Fold in the whipped topping. Mix well, then fold in the crushed oreos. Chill until firm.