Best Cookie Ever

These are quite possibly the best cookies I have ever tasted!

My mom made them the other day, following what she thought was 

a recipe, but turns out did't follow the recipe at all and created her own new cookie!! 

They are light, moist, cake-like, not too sweet, and taste almost likea very fluffy shortbread.

Ingredients:

1 package Better Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1 stick of butter

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 (8oz)  package room temperature cream cheese

1 egg

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with electric mixer. 

Chill Dough for 2 hours.

Roll walnut size balls of dough in powdered sugar.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350°s for 10-12 minutes.

Dust with powered sugar when cooled.

Pour glass of milk.

Enjoy.

The hardest part about making these cookies is eating only a few!

The Red Nosed Reindeer

For most Rudolph has been a part of Christmas forever,
but he is a relatively new addition to Christmas tradition. His character and story
were created in 1939 by a copy writer (Robert L. May) for Montgomery Ward department store as a promotional gimmick in the form of a coloring book.

The song came later, in 1949 May's brother-in-law Johnny Marks (a song writer) adapted the original story into the popular "Roudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" recorded by Gene Autry.


Below are a variety of projects in a wide range of difficulty dedicated
to honoring the antlered marketing marvel and his eight buddies.

Find the template and instructions for this 3-D ornament here.

Jeff and I made this Roudolph for Lola's room, using this template.
This is not our picture, it is from the origional post... Lola is sleeping in her room at the moment, when she wakes up I will update this picture to ours. 
It was a lot of fun and quite easy, we highly recommend trying this one.

Find the tutorial and template for this pop up card here.

See the video tutorial for origami reindeer here.

 

Thumbprint reindeer are perfect for toddlers and babies.

Could these peanuts be cuter?

 

Get excited for Santa at breakfast time with Rudolph pancakes.

 

These reindeer cookies are so sweet...YUMM!

Milk & Cookies

 Warm up after holiday shopping in New York City with a treat

for yourself at Milk & Cookies in Greenwich Village.

 

Indulge in the design your own cookie option by choosing from five

different base batters including chocolate, sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal.

Then have the artisans add your favorite mix-ins, there are over 25 from

which to chose, from tangerine crunchies to almonds. Served warm in about 20 minutes.

While there are certainly delicious pre-designed and baked treats abound at Milk & Cookies the design your own is truly worth the splurge to both your pocketbook and your waste-line.

Located at 19 Commerce St.

between Bedford St. and Seventh Ave. South

11am–10pm daily  

to get there

• by subway: PATH to Christopher St,; 1 to Christopher St. - Sheridan Sq.; A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th St.
• by bus: M20 to Bleecker and Barrow Sts. and Seventh Ave. South

http://www.milkandcookiesbakery.com/

Pineapple Flowers

These are flowers cake toppers are made from dried pineapples.

 I had seen this done before, and had to try it for myself. 

I am truly happy with the results!! 

To Make Them

Preheat the oven to 200° 

Slice pineapple into pieces that are as thin as you can get them
(its pretty hard to do by hand...don't worry if they are uneven or if pineapple piece
is not a perfect slice, it actually looks better).

Place as many as you can fit on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven.
(if your slices are not whole round slices, just piece them together by laying them on top of one another, and press in the center, they will dry together)

Allow the slices to begin to dry out checking in after an hour or so, when they are starting to get tacky to the touch flip them over so that the underside can dry out.

Check them again after a a half hour or so...
(this is definitely a trial by error process, so just be patient, I promise that
they will turn out beautifully).

You may have to flip them again a few times....depending on how thin the slices are.

Once your slices are starting to turn more of a rich golden color and the fibers in the center of the pineapple begin to stand up they are ready for the next step, so pull them out of the oven.

For this step you will need cupcake tins. (I found that the flowers turned out best when I used both mini and standard cupcake tins, but if you don't have both it's not a big deal). Take the pieces that you have been drying and center them over the circles where you usually put batter (you have no idea how difficult it was trying to think of how to describe what seems a totally simple thing...not so sure I even nailed it). Press down gently in center and then using your finger press around the edge of the circle at the bottom of the pan. Pop them back in the oven to dry out a bit more. Watch for the rich golden color to appear, the edges may start to brown a little, this is how you will know they are done.

For the final step, assemble them by starting with a piece of dried pineapple that dried flat, or didn't get put in a cupcake tin, dab a tiny bit of cream cheese, or whatever icing you are using in the center to act as glue. Next place the pineapple that dried in the larger cupcake tin in the center and press to secure. Dab a bit of cream cheese in the center, and place the pineapple that dried in the mini muffin tin in the center and voila beautiful yummy, and healthy cupcake toppers. I put them on pineapple upside down cupcakes, and they were a total hit. My brother-in-law Jim would have eaten the toppers alone as a snack if there were enough. (Actually, when we were taking the pictures for this post, he ate part of one of the samples not realizing what we were doing...that is why there are only two layers in these photos....I'm just glad they were a hit).

I would recommend making these a few days before you plan to server them because they are quite time consuming. Just be sure to keep them in the fridge in an air tight container, because moisture will cause them to become gummy and to lose form a bit. 

Sweet Baby Cakes

Many people think that eating well means to eat bland boring tasteless "health" food.
I assure you that does not have to be the case. With a little creativity, fresh (organic when possible) ingredients, and a willingness to experiment, you can turn even the guilty pleasure of indulging in sweets into something that is as good for you as it is delicious. Amy from BabyCakes by Amy knows this, and has created a small business that is changing minds about "healthy food" by the dozen.

Amy bakes her treats with almost all organic ingredients, which is certainly one way to make a healthier choice and something that you can do with very little change to your normal recipes. If you are new to baking from scratch and are feeling a little intimidated, start simply, try using your regular box mix and switching to organic milk and eggs. When you are ready to make things a little more interesting add some dried cranberries, or shredded carrots to your next batter. As your confidence grows, the possibilities are endless!

When you are ready to for a bit of a challenge try reducing the amount of granulated sugar you bake with. But before you do, first you must understand that sugar plays an important role in the chemical reaction that takes place when baking. Don't panic...it's a piece of cake! The sweetener aids in leavening, provides bulk, structure, texture, and moisture see I told you...it's cake.  You should also remember that we use sugar because it's what our moms did. It is possible however, to reduce a great portion of sugar when baking by substituting fruits (fresh, dried, and or purees), naturally sweet vegetables (like carrots, beets, or parsnips), or agave, maple, or molasses all of which are much healthier alternatives without changing the taste or consistency of the cake.

Here are some basic conversions to get you started.
1 cup sugar = ⅓ cup apple sauce + ⅔ cups sugar + 1 cup diced fruit (bananas and peaches work well) + 1 tsp vanilla or cinnamon
1 cup sugar =  ⅔ cup agave + reduce liquids by ¼ cup each
1 cup sugar = 1 cup date sugar (dehydrated ground dates) + maple + bake 25° lower

If you'd like to reduce the sugar in your cakes, but don't want the guess work, or math try this, this, or this recipe.

If you are wondering what tempting treats Amy is cooking up,
she has everything from standard favorites like chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, to creative and tempting combinations like carrot pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting, and spiced chai cake with spiced chai buttercream, even amaretto, and margarita cupcakes.

For more information about her cupcakes, business, or inspiration for your next sweet craving look her up on facebook here.

photos by BabyCakes by Amy