Cranberry and Lemon Cookies

I love fresh cranberries in floral arrangements because they add a festive touch and a great pop of color, but I have really never used them in anything else. However when I saw this recipe for fresh cranberry and lemon cookies, I really wanted to try it. Fresh cranberries are tart as can be and with a lemon glaze, I wondered how these would turn out. These cookies have some texture with the cranberries, but there is sweetness in the dough that balances all the flavor. I think I may have used too much lemon juice in the glaze because it didn't harden... it kind of soaked into the cookie. The lemon flavor and the sweetness of the sugar was there, they just weren't as pretty with the glaze on top. Oh well.... I guess next time I will have to make sure the glaze is thicker. Anyways, these are perfect for the holidays because of the pop of red. Besides, these aren't your average Christmas cookie so I'm sure that people will be pleasantly surprised when you put a tray of these out.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, diced

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Begin by mixing the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. (I decided that since I was making my first batch of Christmas cookies that I would use my holiday spatula. Now all I need is some festive pot holders and dish towels.)

Measure the sugar into the mixer bowl. Next take a zester and zest a whole lemon into the bowl of sugar. Make sure not to use the pith of the lemon (the white part underneath the peel). Rub the lemon peel into the sugar until you smell lemon and the sugar seems to be moist.

Beat the butter into the sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Mix in the flour until is it just incorporated. The batter will be pretty sticky and pull away from the sides. (This may be because of the sugar I used, but if you use regular sugar it may not do that.)

Roughly dice the cranberries and then fold them onto the dough by hand. To be honest, it was not easy to chop the cranberries and it would have been helpful to have a small food chopper. (Guess I need to find an easier way to chop things that can easily roll).

Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 and then scoop out the dough into small balls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes and let them cool completely.

In the meantime, mix together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice in a small bowl. Once the cookies are cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. If you find that you have added too much lemon juice, then you can always add in more powdered sugar to help thicken it. Enjoy these delightful cookies that will be sure to make your holiday pop!

Farewell Rodeo Houston!

As I made one final trip to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, I thought about what I would like my last rodeo meal to include. There were so many choices and I kept finding new fried treats that it became very difficult. However, I opt for some barbecue because you can't go to the rodeo and not have some type of barbecue. I chose a chopped beef sandwich with some Texas taters. The chopped beef was good, but I wasn't really a fan of the sauce. I am very picky about the sauce as I usually don't like barbecue sauce. I know I'm pretty sure that I am one of a few people that says that and I will probably be outlawed because of it. The Texas taters on the other hand were really delicious. They were handmade, fresh, super thin potato chips. They were crunchy and crisped to perfection, with just a touch of salt. Honestly, they were so much better than regular potato chips you buy at the store, though I haven't quite figured out why. I am not sure if it is because they don't have to be made to withstand being on the shelf or what, but they were gone in an instant. I think perhaps that dessert at the rodeo is the thing that I think about the most. We walked past this stand that was all about chocolate chip cookies and I had had their cookie dough before which was beyond words, but it was the smell of the cookies baking that was so intoxicating. So we decided on an order of chocolate chip cookies. These literally tasted like the cookie dough that I had before! They melted in your mouth and were addictive. Though it wasn't something super crazy, it was a comfort dessert that just made you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my "rodeo season" this year. Thank you Rodeo Houston for another wonderful year.

S'more Cookies Please!

I love s'mores and got really excited when I saw this recipe for s'mores cookies on Pinterest. This recipe from Instructables is easy and not something you will see every day. It's like a chocolate chip cookies with the crunch of graham crackers and toasted marshmallows. I had graham crackers crumbs on hand, but if you don't you get to make your own by quickly throwing them in the food processor. Mix together the graham cracker with flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then cream the sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Mix the egg and vanilla with the butter and sugar mixture, followed by the dry ingredients. I decided that I wanted extra chocolate chips in the cookies, so I added them in before putting them on the cookie sheet to bake at 350 for about 6-8 minutes.

While the cookies are cooling, you get to toast the marshmallows. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet under the broiler. I did mine in the toaster oven, but the ones on the edge didn't really get that toasty. Do not walk away from the marshmallows while they are toasting! It happens quickly and you don't want them to burn. You need to work quickly to use a buttered spatula to move the marshmallows onto the top of the cookie. They cool and then start to stick to the pan and the spatula. I might suggest doing smaller batches so that you can get the marshmallows to the cookies before they cool too much. The finishing touch is a chocolate drizzle. I can honestly say this tastes exactly like a s'more and is one of the best cookies I have made. The gooey marshmallow, the crunch of the graham cracker, and the sweetness of the chocolate is a symphony of flavors! This is a fun treat if you are doing an indoor camping night or a fun birthday treat. They are pretty easy to make and won't be around for long!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love when people send me recipes so that I can try something new and to find out what people think I would make. I recently got a recipe from a friend for cream cheese chocolate chip cookies from Bake or Break. I know for sure that I have not made a cookie with cream cheese before and haven't really run across that many either. I found this to be a very simple recipe, but it made a super yummy and slightly unique cookie. The process is simple: mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. Using a mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, white and brown sugar. Add two eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour mixture and finish by stirring in the chocolate chips. The batter is much thicker than a usual batter, so don't be alarmed. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (mine took 11 minutes). These do not get brown like a regular chocolate chip, so be careful not to overbake them. Cool them on the pan on a wire rack.  These cookies are light and fluffy, don't crumble, and slightly addicting! They are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have had and it has definitely made my go to cookie list. I am so glad I got to try something new and appreciate the tip :) These are perfect for a cookie exchange or for a quick gift. Whip up a batch and enjoy!

Soft Pumpkin Spice Iced Cookies

I know it's been a while since I have posted about pumpkin (and I am sure some of you are really excited about that), but I figured that I better get back to the pumpkin before it's too late. The shopping centers have already put up the Christmas decorations and the countdown to the holidays has begun. I found this great recipe on Pinterest from The Baker Chick for soft frosted pumpkin spice cookies. The recipe looked pretty easy and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting sounded amazing. You can find the original recipe here or on Pinterest. I have never made a pumpkin cookie and figured that this would be a great one to try. They came together very quickly and made enough to share.

You should have most of the ingredients on hand, expect for maybe the pumpkin and some of the spices. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and then drop onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes.While the cookies bake and cool, make the icing.

The interesting thing about this icing is that there is no liquid. It is only butter, cream cheese (I used non fat), powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Cream together butter and cream cheese. Then add in powdered sugar until thick and creamy. Finish by adding in the cinnamon and vanilla. However, mine got a bit too thin, so I ended up frosting my cookies twice (maybe it was because I used the non fat cream cheese, though I am not sure). I let the first layer harden and then added a second layer of icing. Even though, my icing turned out more like a glaze, the cookies still turned out very well. They weren't overly sweet, had a great pumpkin flavor that was highlighted with fall spices, and everything came together with the icing.

These were so delicious! They really were soft and fluffy on the inside, but they didn't get soggy. Since they made so many, I decided to share most of them and got rave reviews. I would say that this cookie is definitely going to be making another appearance and may even become the cookie that I always have on hand. These are a super quick and easy cookie that you can go to whenever you need to whip up a quick dessert. Make sure you try these because you won't be disappointed. Enjoy these pumpkin delights!

Cookie Challenge

I try to be open and up to any challenge. Food challenges are no exception. This one was to make a vegan, gluten free cookie for a friend. So we found a recipe that had only five ingredients: raw honey, coconut oil, salt, almond extract, and gluten free flour. The recipe called for blanched almond flour, however, Whole Foods didn't have any...which was weird. Also, they only had a giant bottle of almond extract, so I will be making a lot of recipes with almond extract. Anyways, back to the recipe. All you do is mix the ingredients together until a creamy dough forms. Pop the cookies on a cookies sheet and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes. Take them out and cool completely.
While the cookies are baking and cooling, you make the icing. It uses raw honey, coconut oil, almond extract, lemon and lemon zest. Again, Whole Foods failed and didn't have lemons. The icing was good, but unfortunately there wasn't much of a lemon flavor. Mix together and chill in the refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Spread on the cookies and then enjoy! Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be like a shortbread. The consistency was a crust on the outside and a somewhat crumbly texture. The icing really kicked up the flavor, so I would say it is a must. The best part about these cookies is that they had no flour, sugar, or eggs, so they were pretty healthy. I am glad that I tried them and was pleasantly surprised. Don't be afraid to try something new. You never know what you will get.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my boyfriend's favorite type of cookie. However, I am not really a white chocolate fan, so I tend to stay away from recipes that use white chocolate. I couldn't say no though, so of course I immediately grabbed the mixing bowl to begin. Since I don't make them often, I haven't quite found a "go to" recipe yet. What did I do? I once again turned to my favorite website, Pinterest, to find a recipe. One of the things that I do when looking at a recipe is to compare ingredients in my head. I don't really know what a typical white chocolate macadamia nut consists, of so it was a little hard this time. I know what a basic cookie recipe has in it, so I figured why not. If you want the full recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, you can find it on my Pinterest board.

This was a simple recipe, where you mix the wet and then dry, slowly combine the two and fold in the toppings. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet, bake, and cool! The thing about these cookies are that you have to take them out when they still look slightly doughy in the center. They cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, so if you bake them until they look fully cooked, then you will overbake them. This recipe made about two and a half dozen cookies, but that depends on what size you prefer. This time I opted for a larger size so that they wouldn't be as fragile when I ship them. I did't want him to receive a box of cookie crumbs. Even though they aren't my fav, I couldn't send them without verifying that they were acceptable, so I gave one a try. I have to admit that they weren't that bad and so hopefully he will think they are fantastic. If you like white chocolate, then this is a really good recipe. Give it a try and indulge in one of these yummy cookies!

Have a Sweet Mother's Day!

In honor of today, I wanted to whip up something sweet. The summer is already here and the heat doesn't make me want to turn on the oven. So what to make is the question. I decided on a simple variation of the no bake cookie. They are super easy and these nuggets of deliciousness are the perfect thing to satisfy any sweet tooth. They take no time to make and best of all they can be in whatever shape you want. I choose to make mine into balls. Mine made 12 little balls, so you can adjust the proportions as necessary.

No Bake Cookies:


1/4 peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/8 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt


Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a blender. Roll into balls or cookies and press in chocolate chips. Pop in the frig to firm. Enjoy!

*Recipe notes: I don't have a food processor, so I have to sub a blender. It didn't work as well, and the dough needed to be scraped from the sides, but it got mixed all the same. The only difference would be the smoother texture that you would get from using a food processor. Also, I put my chocolate chips in before blending which probably didn't make the blender's job easier. If you prefer the whole chip, then you can mix everything together. 

This recipe can work with any mix-ins, like nuts or cranberries, so try them and let me know what you did!