Holiday Baking 2013 - part one

Now that Christmas is almost here, I have officially started my holiday baking.  So far I have made pecan tassies, almond vanilla bean sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter blossoms.

As I type up the recipes to add to my computer, I’ll share them.  I also need to add them to my family cookbook (a gift from my mother-in-law).  Until then, here are two to tide you over. 

Almond Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

I used this recipe from Betty Crocker as inspiration.  Since I wasn’t sure how the changes would turn out, I made a half batch.  The hubby was very pleased with the result!

Ingredients:

½ cup vanilla bean sugar

½ cup powdered sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon salt

Vanilla bean sugar

Directions:

• In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, powdered sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Beat in oil, vanilla and eggs until well blended.
• On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt until a dough forms.
• Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight for easier handling.
• Heat oven to 375*F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each with bottom of glass dipped in vanilla bean sugar.
• Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Almond Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

Peanut Butter cookies and Peanut Butter Blossoms

One of the many books I have in my collection is 1001 Cookie Recipes: The Ultimate A-To-Z Collection of Bars, Drops, Crescents, Snaps, Squares, Biscuits, and Everything That Crumbles by Gregg R. Gillespie.   You can tell how much I love one of the peanut butter cookie recipes by the notations - and the spilled ingredients - on that page, both signs of an excellent recipe.

I use the same recipe for both peanut butter cookies and peanut butter blossoms (or, as I like to call them, hugs and kisses cookies). 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350*F
• Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and eggs.
• Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.  The dough will be soft.

Peanut Butter Cookies

For Peanut Butter cookies

• Drop dough about 3 inches apart onto baking sheet.
• Using a fork dipped in sugar, crisscross tops of dough.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

For Peanut Butter Blossoms

• Roll balls of dough into sugar and place about 3 inches apart onto baking sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
• After baked add one Hershey kiss (or hug) to the middle of cookie.

NOTES: 

• You can use chunky peanut butter for more crunch.
• Instead of all white flour, I used 1 part whole wheat to 2 parts white.
• For a double batch, use an 18 ounce jar of peanut butter.

Buckeye Brownies

Sometimes I want to eat brownies.  Sometimes I just want to eat brownie batter.  

Seriously, though. I LOVE brownie batter.  Yes, with the eggs.  This is the only reason I buy boxed brownie mixes, as the recipe I have for brownies from scratch is so easy to make.  When I want to actually eat brownies, I use the recipe for Evil Brownies - so called because you can't eat just one.

The past few weekends the hubby has asked for brownies.  I would bake a batch from a mix, sending some on the road with him when he leaves and taking the rest in to work for my coworkers to enjoy. I really don't eat a lot of brownies.  But, this weekend I realized that the only mix in the cupboard was for dark chocolate brownies.  I knew this wouldn't fly with the hubby.

The finished product.

The hubby loves peanut butter.  We go through several 40 oz jars of creamy Jif every month.  So, when I realized that I would have to make brownies from scratch, I decided to spruce them up a bit by adding some peanut butter chips to the mix. 

I knew I was going to frost these babies with some medium flavored chocolate buttercream; however, I decided they needed some more peanut butter goodness. So...before making the chocolate buttercream frosting, I made some peanut butter frosting.  Instead of washing my mixing bowl another time, I just made the chocolate frosting in the same bowl. 

Here are the recipes I used. I will admit - I guesstimated on the peanut butter measurements.

Evil Brownies

Evil because you can’t eat just one!

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc. (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*F

Blend all.  Stir in nuts, chips, etc.

Spread in a greased 9” square pan.

Bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from pan edges.

Cool in pan.  Frost if desired.

Peanut Butter frosting

1 1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Mix well.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

(Double batch measurements in parentheses)

Hershey’s cocoa

Light flavor 2 teaspoon (1/4 cup)

Medium flavor ¼ cup (1/2 cup)

Dark Flavor 1/3 cup (3/4 cup)

1 cup powdered sugar (2 2/3 cups)

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (6 Tablespoons)

2 Tablespoons milk (4-5 Tablespoons)

½ teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Put all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well. 

For a glossier frosting, add 1 Tablespoon corn syrup.

Single batch makes 1 cup.  

Side note:  If you add nuts, they are boy brownies.  Without nuts - girl ones. My mom is the one who first told me that. lol