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Brown Sugar Spice Cookie Recipe Offers A Tasty Spin On The Traditional Sugar Cookie
Brown sugar spice cookies are a delightful alternative to the standard sugar cookies recipe. The brown dough lends itself perfectly to autumn shaped cookie cutters like maple leaves or pumpkins. The recipe is very easy to make, yielding approximately 6 dozen cookies from one batch.
Prior to beginning any baking project, make sure to gather your entire cookie baking supplies and the ingredients into one area. This step helps to eliminate any unnecessary trips to the market halfway through the preparation of the cookie dough.
Since this is a cookie recipe that requires a lengthy amount of time in the refrigerator to chill, approximately 2 hours, do not turn on the oven to preheat it until closer to the time that you will be rolling out the cookies and cutting them into shapes.
The recipe includes the following ingredients:
1 ½ cups softened butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1/4-teaspoon baking soda
To prepare this cookie recipe you will need two bowls, one large and one medium. You will also need an electric mixer, spatula, cookie baking sheet, parchment paper, scrapers, spatula and a wire cookie cooling rack. Quality mixing cups and spoons are best for measuring the ingredients as they will hold their shape longer and withstand the intense use over the years.
Begin with the small bowl and cream the butter and brown sugar together, adding the egg slowly. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
In a larger bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and baking soda. Mix until well blended and then combine with creamed mixture. Mix well.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, approximately 2 hours.
As you remove the brown sugar spice cookie dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out onto a floured surface to 1/8” thick. Use cookie cutters to cut the cookie dough into a variety of shapes and sizes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned, carefully transfer to a wire cooking rack.
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Chocolate-Coconut Macaroon Cups Are A Heavenly Delight For The Holidays
For chocolate and coconut lovers, the chocolate-coconut macaroon cups are the most delicious choice on the holiday platter. Once you have read through the entire cookie recipe, gather the ingredients and necessary cookie baking tools into one area. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
The ingredients for the Chocolate-Coconut Macaroon cups includes:
Non-stick cooking spray
2 large egg whites
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
all-purpose flour for the spoon
½ cup almonds
Initially you had to determine which size non-stick muffin tin you would be using to bake your cookies. When you have decided, spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the egg whites, sugar, and cocoa powder and salt until it is frothy and well blended. Using a fork, stir in the coconut until well coated.
Fill each muffin tin equally, carefully spooning in the mixture and pressing down gently with spoon dipped into flour. Sprinkle with almonds and press down gently to adhere to the cookie dough.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until almonds are golden; allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin. Run a spatula or knife around the muffins before attempting to remove from the muffin tin. Turn cookies onto a wire cookie rack, allowing them to cool completely. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to three days.
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Nothing Says Christmas Like Gingerbread Men
If there is one scent that says “Christmas,” it is gingerbread cookies baking in the oven. As the holidays draw closer, be sure to make the traditional holiday cookie recipe. This cookie dough recipe, while easy to prepare requires lengthy refrigeration time. Make sure that you allow enough time for chilling prior to the actually cutting and preparing of the dough.
The traditional gingerbread cookie recipe includes:
1-cup butter
1-cup sugar
½ cup dark corn syrup
1-teaspoon cinnamon
1-teaspoon nutmeg
1-teaspoon cloves
1-teaspoon ginger
2 eggs well beaten
1-teaspoon vinegar
5 cups flour
1-teaspoon baking soda
In a small saucepan, begin by creaming the butter with the sugar. Add the corn syrup and spices and blend well; heat all of the ingredients on the stovetop, stirring constantly until boiling. Once the mixture has boiled, remove from heat and let cool.
While the heated mixture is cooling, sift the flour and baking soda into a large bowl. Sifting large amounts of flour can take considerable time; so allowing the mixture to cool while you sift the flour is a great way to multi-task during your baking process.
When the mixture has reached room temperature, add the well-beaten eggs and vinegar to the mixture. Once these ingredients are well blended, begin to add the flour/baking soda combination to the liquid mixture, forming a smooth dough.
This dough must be chilled for several hours or overnight.
When you are ready to begin cutting the cookies, roll onto a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure that the cookies are completely cooled before you begin to decorate.
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Buy "Homemade" Cookies
It is possible to fill the house with the wonderful aroma of wholesome homemade cookies, while still keeping all the other life activities in order. Online retail outlets, such as David’s cookies, make it possible to make “home baked” cookies for the kids and still have time for every other responsibility that must be done to keep the household on track. David’s Cookies provides gourmet frozen cookie dough that is ready to bake when you are. Made with the same quality ingredients you would use in your own home, these delicious cookies provide a welcome alternative to having to purchase store bought cookies or staying up until dawn to make homemade.
David’s Cookies can be ordered in three popular varieties; chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookie dough. There is also a fun alternative to the traditional cookie dough, the “Cookie Play Dough” set that includes six pounds of sugar cookie dough in a variety of four different colors; each colored dough can be used individually to make colorful cookies or can be mixed to create personalized color combinations. This is a great art activity to keep in the freezer for those rainy days when the kids are looking for something exciting to chase away their blues.
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Chase Away the Chill of Autumn With a Maple Leaf Cookie Recipe
Nothing brings children to the table like the smell of homemade cookies.
If you love to make cookies for your family, a simple cookie recipe that will enhance the autumn spirit is the “Maple Leaf Cookie”. This petite cookie is a very popular treat at autumn parties, cookie exchange parties and as an after school snack.
This simple cookie recipe takes only a few ingredients, most of which will already be available in the pantry. The list of ingredients includes:
1-cup butter or margarine
2/3-cup sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup or maple flavored syrup
1/3-cup milk
3 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Use a medium saucepan to combine the butter or margarine, sugar and syrup. Bring these items to boil, making sure that you stir frequently to prevent burning.
Once the ingredients have boiled, remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Add milk to the syrup mixture and stir until well blended.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and ginger. Slowly add the cooled syrup mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Divide the dough in half and wrap each section tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours.
After two hours, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface until it is about ¼” thick. Cut into shapes, a maple leaf cookie cutter is a great idea. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 8-10 minutes. Place cookies on a wire cooling rack immediately and brush with Maple Glaze (recipe below). This recipe will make approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies.
The Maple Glaze is a delicious addition to the Maple Leaf Cookies. To make the Maple Glaze you will need to combine ½ cup of sifted confectioner’s sugar with 3 tablespoons of pure or maple flavored syrup.
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A Simple Cookie Recipe That Adds Variety To A Holiday Cookie Platter
If you value the appearance and presentation of your holiday cookie platters, baking simple homemade truffles can provide the variety and visual dimension that you are seeking.
Truffles are often thought of as difficult to make, but with this simple recipe, they are easier than ever. This simple recipe creates delicious homemade truffles that look and taste like the fancy store-bought; surprise all your friend with your baking savvy when you present your homemade cookie platter this holiday season.
The simple recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles includes the following ingredients:
1 package, 8 squares, of semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ cup peanut butter
1 8oz tub of cool whip whipped topping, thawed
½ cup powdered sugar *
Using a large microwave safe bowl, microwave the semi-sweet chocolate on high heat for 2 minutes. Check the chocolate at one minute, stirring, to see if it is almost melted. Allow the chocolate to cook for another minute, removing from the microwave and stirring until completely melted.
Add the ½ cup peanut butter to the melted chocolate until well blended. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in the whipped topping and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Using a melon baler or a teaspoon, scoop the chocolate peanut butter mixture out of the bowl and shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in the powdered sugar.
* While the recipe discusses rolling the peanut butter-chocolate balls in powdered sugar, it is possible to add variety to your truffles by rolling the balls in finely chopped roasted pecans, flake coconut (colored coconut is always a nice idea for holiday color variation), grated semi-sweet or white baking chocolate squares or colored sprinkles. The choices and variations can be endless with a bit of creative thinking.
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