Kristen's Recipes

Caramel Apple Cookies

1 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. flour
1 T. apple-pie spice
1/2 tsp. each baking soda and salt
Red and Green food coloring pastes
Green wooden craft sticks
1 pkg. (14 oz.) caramels
3 T. water
1/3 C. chopped nuts

In large mixer bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, spice, baking soda and salt. Tint 1/3C. dough green. Tint remaining dough red. On floured surface roll red dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using cookie cutter, cut apple shapes and place on ungreased baking sheets 3 inches apart. Press craft stick lightly into dough. Cut or shape green leaves and place on cookie. Bake at 375º for 8-10 minutes. Cool on racks. Meanwhile, melt caramels with water. Dip cookies in caramel and then in nuts. Let set at least 1 hour. Makes about 2 dozen.

1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 C. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. Tahitian vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 1/2 C. sifted flour

1 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. whole milk
4 tsp. Mango Hot Sauce
1 3/4 C. sifted confectioners’ sugar
food coloring optional

1/4 C. Vanilla Bean Sugar
1 tsp. crushed Aleppo chiles
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. makrut lime powder

For cookies: Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Add egg, vanilla, and salt; mix until combined. Add flour and continue to mix until well blended. Place dough in plastic wrap and chill a minimum of 3 hours. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes with your favorite cookie cutter then place cookies on prepared sheet. Bake 15 to 20 min., or until edges begin to turn light brown. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

For frosting: Beat together butter, milk, hot sauce, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. (Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.) Chill at least 10 min. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cookies.

For optional sprinkles: Sprinkle frosted cookies with any one of the optional sprinkle suggestions, or mix together to make your own unique sprinkle, such as Vanilla Bean Sugar with makrut lime powder or Vanilla Bean Sugar with Aleppo chiles.

Serve right away or let the cookies sit out for 2 to 3 hours and the frosting will firm up.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened (butter flavored Crisco or oleo margarine)
¾ cup granulated [white] sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Ccombine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. If possible, refrigerate the dough up to 36 hours at this time. The longer it is refrigerated, the better the result. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Chewy, sugar coated cookies with orange, lemon and lime zest!

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 egg
2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
1 lime, zested

In a small bowl, zest all the citrus. Remove about 2 tsp of zest and place in a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the 2 tsp of zest. Combine with a fork and set aside. In a mixing bowl, add butter and remaining 1 cup sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes. Add egg and beat until combined. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until combined. Slowly add in zest. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll cookies into 3/4-1inch balls. Then roll them in the sugar/zest mixture, coating generously. Place ball on cookie sheet and repeat. Using a flat bottom of a cup, press the ball slightly to form a disc. Repeat for all balls. I then pressed a little extra sugar on the tops of the cookies at this point (totally optional). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Store in a covered container for up to a week. ENJOY.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.

3 T. heavy cream
1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
1 T. plus 1/2 C. butter, divided
1/2 C. pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 sprigs of rosemary
1/4 C. plus 2 T. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 C. plus 2 T. pastry flour
1/4 C. cornmeal or polenta

To prepare the rosemary–pine nut cookies, place the cream, honey, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and 1 T. butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring only once to ensure even cooking, until the mixture reaches 230ºF on a candy thermometer. Take off the heat and whisk in the all-purpose flour. Pour the mixture into a bowl and fold in the pine nuts and 1 of the rosemary sprigs. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the rosemary sprig. (This mixture can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring it to room temperature before rolling out the cookies.) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the remaining 1/2 C. butter and the powdered sugar until it is creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined. Add the flour and polenta and mix until combined. The dough will be soft. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap the disk in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. On a well-floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out circles of dough using a 1 1/4–inch round cutter. Place the circles of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Work the pine nut mixture between your fingers, creating a thin disk about the size of a dime. Place the circle on a cut-out cookie and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs, about three leaves for each cookie. Once all of the cookies are finished and garnished, bake them for about 15 minutes until they are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

175g Butter, softened
85g Golden Caster Sugar
½ tsp. Vanilla
225g Plain Flour
75g Pistachios
75g Dried Cranberries

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, then tip in the pistachios and cranberries. You might need to use your hands. Bring together as a dough. Divide in half and shape each half into a log about 5cm across. Wrap in cling film, then chill for at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 180C. Slice dough into 1cm thick rounds, place on a baking parchment and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool completely on tray.

The real, the original, the authentic Nestle Toll House

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened (butter flavored Crisco or oleo margarine)
¾ cup granulated [white] sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Ccombine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. If possible, refrigerate the dough up to 36 hours at this time. The longer it is refrigerated, the better the result. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
â…› teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

½ c. cocoa

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. each ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¾ c. unsalted butter, softened

¾ c. dark brown sugar

1 egg

½ c. dark molasses

1 tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger

Sanding sugar or white frosting

 

Whisk together flour, cocoa, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg, molasses and grated ginger. Stir in flour mixture. Halve dough. Secure in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour. Roll each on lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Bake at 325 for 12 minutes until cookies are firm. Cool. Decorate as desired.

 

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1 c. butter (softened)
2½c. flour
2c. sugar
¾ c. cocoa powder
2t. vanilla
1t. baking soda
2 eggs
½ t. salt
¼ t. peppermint extract
1/4c. sugar (to roll balls in)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add eggs, vanilla, & peppermint and mix well. Sift dry ingredients.  Add to batter and mix to blend. Roll dough into teaspoon size balls and roll the balls in a bit of sugar to coat them.   Place rolls onto an un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Let cookies cool just a bit then push candy cane kisses in center (can leave out peppermint extract and replace with other kisses if desired).

1 cup & 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon Lemon Zest, finely grated
7 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 Egg Yolk

For the Glaze:
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh 

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Add the chilled butter and cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add in the egg yolk and using a fork, stir until blended. Using your hands, gently knead the bough until it comes together and forms a ball. (Note: If the dough looks too dry add some ice water 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture comes together.) Once the dough has been formed into a ball, cut the dough in half and roll each half into a log about 1-inch in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and allow them to chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Note: You can freeze the dough for up to a month if you do not want to bake all of the cookies immediately!) Once you are ready to bake the cookies pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the logs from the freezer, unwrap and slice into 1/4-inch think rounds using a serrated knife. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and back for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to completely cool before glazing them. For the Glaze: Place the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl and add the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture is syrupy. Glaze the cookies using a pastry brush, the back of a spoon, or place the glaze into a piping bag and pipe onto the cookie. Allow the cookies to sit until the glaze is set.

 

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Chocolate Dough:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/3 cup natural cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Cocoa Powder)

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Decorations:

½ cup white chocolate chips

½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

 

To prepare vanilla dough: Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.  In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, using a spoon or an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to form stiff dough. Set aside. To prepare the chocolate dough: In a second large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar using an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, using a spoon or an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to form stiff dough. Preparation for baking: Cover both batches of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm enough to shape. Divide each batch of dough in half. Shape each half of the vanilla dough in a log with a 1 ½ inch diameter and 8 to 9 inches long. Roll it in a piece of wax paper on the counter will help make it smooth. Using your thumbs, make an indention along one long side of the long to create an apostrophe shape. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Repeat the process with the chocolate dough. Remove vanilla dough from refrigerator and unwrap one piece. Invert vanilla dough into one of the chocolate ones to create a round, interlocking yin-yang log. Roll a few times to ensure they adhere. Repeat the process with the remaining logs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. The dough can also be frozen. Baking: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, cut the cookie dough into 1/4 –inch thick disks and arrange them about 1 ½ inches apart on the pan. Invert one white chocolate chip in the chocolate half of each cookie and a chocolate chip in the vanilla half. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies have spread, puffed, and begun to brown around the edges. Let them cool on the pans 5 to 10 minutes Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in airtight container at room temp for up to a week or freeze up to one month.

 

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1 C. packed light brown sugar

1/4 C. honey

1/4 C. unsulfured molasses

1 large egg

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 C. dark raisins

2 T. coarsely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

1 3/4 C. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

Confectioners’ sugar, for glaze

 

Toast the almonds in a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 6 minutes and set them aside.  With an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat together the brown sugar, honey, molasses, egg, and orange zest in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Combine the almonds, raisins, and crystallized ginger, if you’re using it (for extra zip), in a food processor. Pulse repeatedly to finely chop the mixture. (You can also finely chop the ingredients by hand.) Stir the nut mixture into the sugar mixture.  Sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt into a separate medium-size bowl. Then stir the dry mixture into the liquid a third at a time, stirring well after each addition. The dough will be quite dense and sticky.  Scrape the dough onto a well-floured 3-foot-long sheet of plastic wrap. Generously flour the dough. Then, using floured hands, knead the dough several times to smooth it. Flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick square and wrap it in the plastic. Slide the dough into a plastic bag or wrap it in aluminum foil and chill it until firm, several hours or overnight.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) with parchment or lightly greased aluminum foil. Set the sheet aside. Transfer the dough to a generously floured sheet of waxed paper and roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle or square. Cut the dough into cookies that measure about 2 inches square.  Transfer the squares to the baking sheet, spacing them about an inch apart. Bake the cookies on the center oven rack for 12 to 13 minutes, 1 sheet at a time. When done, the cookies will have formed a crust, but they should still feel soft to the touch. (Tip: The cookies stay chewier if you bake them less and put them in an airtight container while they’re still slightly warm. If your family prefers a crisper cookie, just bake them a little longer and let them cool completely before you store them.) Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and, while they are still quite warm, dredge them in confectioners’ sugar. When they’ve cooled completely, dredge them once more. Makes about 18 to 24 cookies.

 

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1 C. butter

1/2 C. sugar

1 egg

12 drops red food coloring

3/4 tsp. peppermint extract

2 C. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 T. chocolate syrup

 

Cream 3/4 C. butter and sugar together. Beat in egg with food coloring and peppermint extract. Combine 1 3/4 C. flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.  Chill 2 hours. Meanwhile, combine remaining butter, flour and syrup. Spoon into pastry bag with small round tip. Shape pink dough into 3/4″ balls; place on baking sheets; flatten to 1-1/2″ dia.; pipe chocolate mixture on cookies in simple holiday designs like stars, snowflakes or trees. Bake at 375º for 5-7 minutes. For variety, garnish some of the cookies with crushed peppermint candy.

 

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1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

5 ounces sugar

1 pinch salt

1 pinch nutmeg

Sugar, for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, Rub the butter into the flour. In a small bowl, beat the egg with half of the sugar, add the egg mixture and the remaining sugar to the butter and flour mixture. Add the salt and nutmeg and mix well. Roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form 18 pieces the size of a walnut; moisten your hands or flour them for rolling the dough. Sprinkle dough pieces lightly with sugar and place 2-3 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with buttered craft paper.  Bake until very lightly browned around the edges and on the bottoms, about 8 minutes. (The tops should be done but not browned.)  Remove from oven; transfer to wire rack. Cool completely, then store in airtight container.

 

 

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2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. canola oil

1 t. almond extract

1 1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

2 c. flour

1 c. toasted blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients except almonds and stir until a dough forms.  Add almonds to combine.  Divide into 2 logs, 2 inches in diameter on baking sheet.  Bake at 350 until firm to the touch, approx. 30 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes and then slice into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Turn them over to brown the other cut side and bake a final 10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Optional:  Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler and add 1 t. oil to chocolate.  Spread melted chocolate on bottom of biscotti and return to wire rack to dry.