Coconut Creme Macaroons = Awsomeness

I have found a forever treasure...I absolutely fell in love with these little drops of heaven:

So...don't go tomorrow...go RIGHT NOW to Target and pick up some of these little guys! And while your at it, pick up 2 bags or so. Not only are they amazing by themselves, but with this cookie they truly = Awsomeness!!
Here is how they look right before the oven
Yup...this is the kiss...all melted and gooey...wait till you bite into it!!

Coconut Creme Macaroons

Recipe: on the back of the package...aka..Hershey's!!

1/3 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp almond extract

2 tsp orange juice

1 1/4 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

5 c. Sweetened Coconut flakes, divided

48 Kisses filled with Coconut Creme

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice; beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 3 c. coconut.

Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll balls in remaining 2 cups coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; immediately press chocolate on top of each cookie. Cool 1 minute; carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

About 4 dozen cookies.

Warning...you cannot stop eating these!! There...you have been warned:) Seriously, these are so yummy. I had to send them with Ben to work because I kept eating them! I made them small so I kept justifying...oh, they are so small, I can eat another one;) Try these, you won't be sad! My Sisters' Cucina posted this recipe. Thanks!!

Frosted Banana Cookies
WorldWide Ward Cookbook / Minda Kjar

Cookies:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/4 cups flour

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Cream the butter and shortening. Add sugar, then bananas. Mix well. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Blend in buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over-beat. It will be a sticky batter. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Spread on cookies.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

Thin Mint Cookies

These are a staple at our house during the holidays...I always have these ingredients: Ritz Crackers and Andes Mints...Crushed peppermint if I have it. Thats all you need and they taste just like Girl Scout cookies;) Melt the Andes Mints, dip the Ritz cracker in it, sprinkle crushed candy cane and refrigerate until it is set. Thats it my friends! If you love mint, this will be a favorite!
Here is a quick easy way to package them up...this is an old formula can, cleaned out with some cute Christmas paper wrapped around it.

Cookies for Santa

I made this cute little jars for the people I Visit Teach for Christmas. I think they turned out pretty cute:) The idea came from make it do. If you go there, you will be able to get her cute templates. Bakerella also has some of these...they are cowboy cookies.

Cookies For Santa...aka Cowboy Cookies

From: Bakerella

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt together. Layer in a quart Mason jar in this order:

First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Second: oats
Third: m&ms
Fourth: chocolate chips
Fifth: brown sugar
Sixth: white sugar
Seventh: chopped pecans

Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won’t all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I’d rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up.

When you give this, their instructions are:

Add

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.

Hot Little Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

Yes...you guessed it! These came from Picky Palate. I love her recipes! I had try this one out. Its two recipes in one. Hope you enjoy! They were yummy! Now...I was in a hurry so the pictures are, well, they stink. They don't do the little guys any justice.

White and Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Cookies

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups Chocolate Chunk pieces, I believe my bag was Hersheys
1 Cup white chocolate chips
1 Cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl; sift of stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with all the chocolate/chips. Mix until just combined.

3. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet placing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until edges just barely start to turn golden. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Enjoy!!

About 3 dozen cookies

Hot Little Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

1 roll Pillsbury Pie Crust, thawed and cut into 12 2 1/2 inch circles (I used a cup to press out all the circles)
1 batch of your favorite cookie dough

1 egg white plus 1 teaspoon water
3 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar or normal granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting on top

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all 12 pie crust circles onto a baking sheet. With a small cookie scoop, place a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough into the center of each pie round, pressing cookie dough down slightly without touching edges of pie crust. DO NOT overfill each pie, if too full the dough breaks through the pie.

2. Dip your finger in water and brush bottom 1/2 of the pie crust edge with water and fold top crust over to seal. Using fork tines, press to seal around edges. Continue until all crusts are sealed. Poke each little pie on top once or twice for steam holes. Lightly brush each pie with egg white whisked with a teaspoon of water then sprinkle with turbinado sugar (normal sugar is also fine). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until pie crust is just barely golden. Note that some of the cookie will escape through the pie crust, if this happens, just cut them in half and no worries. To prevent it, make sure you don't overfill your crusts.

3. Just before serving sprinkle with powdered sugar and even ice cream if desired. Make sure to enjoy these warm, shortly after out of oven!!

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Oreo Cookies

I know that everyone has some variation of this yummy cookie. But I just had to post it because they are so good and its a good reminder to you to make them!!

Oreo Cookies

1 pkg. Chocolate cake mix

2/3 c. shortening

2 eggs

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Roll into 1" balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

After cookies cool, frost with buttercream frosting between the chocolate cookies. I like to add crushed Oreos to the frosting.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

So I am just patiently (well, somewhat patiently...ok, not at all patient) waiting for #3 to come. Everything is pretty much driving me crazy and I'm pretty bored. The boys are sick of being stuck indoors (thankfully they have been to some friends homes to keep them from driving me nuts!!). So, to cut the boredom today, we made some homemade cookies and cream ice cream, watched a movie and made these cookies. Wow...they are good! What's not to love about chocolate and peanut butter? Who knows...maybe it will make me go into labor?? If not...I get to wait until Tuesday. We will see:)

Magic in the Middle Cookies
from King Arthur Flour Blog

Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ) brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

I made these last night and they are so yummy!  I don't know why I never thought of putting Raisinets in my cookies!  I will only eat raisins this way...Raisinets are a favorite of mine.  I will basically try anything when it is coated in chocolate!!  So I have Picky Palate for inventing this recipe.  Try it...your mouth will thank you for it!

Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

1 stick softened butter
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup quick oats
2 3.5 oz boxes Raisinets

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter and sugars into a stand or electric mixer; beat until light and fluffy. With mixer on medium add egg and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, soda, salt and oats into a large bowl. Slowly add to wet ingredients until just combined. Add raisinets; stir to combine.

2. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Turkey Cookies

For those of you who have Thanksgiving Parties at school...these might be something fun to try! I got the idea from Puppy Cove...they are so easy! They would be fun for the kids on Thanksgiving Day...at least my kids were really excited about them! Whats nice is you can make them as easy or as difficult as you want.
You can:
make your own sugar cookie....................or get the refrigerated sugar cookie dough
make your own frosting (chocolate and vanilla).........or get the canned kind
use a pastry bag to pipe everything....................or use a ziplock baggie (I would use the pastry bag)
So, I was really excited to make these little guys for Noah's Preschool class (they were having a Thanksgiving Feast)...I made them on Wednesday so they would be ready today. Too bad that all Wednesday night he woke up every 30 minutes throwing up...everywhere!! I have had to do so much laundry today and disinfecting its not even funny. I wish 3 year olds could grasp the "if you have to throw up, throw up in the bowl next to you...not all over yourself, or all over my carpet, or all over your bed/blankets"...it would have saved alot of clean-up. I'm just grateful my sweet husband did the clean up while I dealt with the sick boy. It always makes me sad to see my kids sick. With all that being said...he did not get to go to his Thanksgiving Feast today. I took the cookies in anyway, I just wish he could have been there for it. It sounded like it was so cute!

Now that you have lost your appetite...here is the recipe:)

Turkey Cookies

1 (18 oz) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (8 oz) bag candy corn
1 (8 oz) bag miniature M&M chocolate candies
2 oz decorating gel (I used chocolate icing and made the eyes dots with toothpicks)
1 (6.5 oz) can decorating icing (chocolate and vanilla)


Cut and bake the sugar cookies as directed on the package. Cool. With the can of frosting, put some in pastry bag and pipe a line on the top of the cookie that covers about 1/4 of the cookie arc. Place 5-6 candy corn along the frosting row to make the turkey feathers. Next, put icing on the back of the M&M's and put into place. Then using a toothpick (or decorating gel), dab some frosting in the middle of the M&M's. With the vanilla frosting, (tinted orange) make a "V" for the beak - and then an upside-down "Y" for the feet.

P.S...Due to lack of time, I cheated and used the refrigerated cookie dough and the canned frosting. I am so ashamed:( It is against everything I believe in...PHEW, I feel better getting that off my chest.

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

Ok...so really, if you are craving something rich, chocolaty and so very Martha...then you may want to make some of these. Really...they are good.

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 TBS unsalted butter
2/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lg. eggs
3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop heaping TBS of dough 2-3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12-15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.
***Don't worry if the batter seems thin. It should look more like brownie batter than cookie dough.
Keep in airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Rainbow Cookie Pops

These were so fun to make! The boys loved being able to roll the dough into circles and then into snakes. It almost seems like it is play dough. It is a great little summer activity. These look really cute if you put a cookie cover over it and tie the end with a bow. The recipe came from mysisterscucina.blogspot.com. You need to check out their blog, great recipes.

Rainbow Cookie Pops

3/4 c. butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
assorted colors of food coloring
24 lollipop sticks

In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food color. (This takes some time and fore-arm muscles, so get ready! The more the food coloring, the more vibrant the color.) Wrap each color in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place one of each color and form into a ball. (Make sure they are all sticking together well.) Shape the big ball into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into bottoms of cookies.

Bake cookies for 8 minutes of until lightly browned. cool and store in an airtight container.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

So I am really cursing my sister-in-law, Wendy, for introducing me to these cookies. She made them over Father's Day and I could not stop shoving them in my mouth. They are YUM-O! I had to make them for myself because I couldn't stop thinking about them! Thanks Wendy!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

from allrecipes with a little tweaking:

1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Frosting:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk or more

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball (a chapstick lid works great). Fill the hole with jam. Great tip: Put some jam in a zip-lock baggie, cut a small corner off and it pipes in very easily.

Stick in the fridge for 20 min or the freezer for about 10 to help the cookies firm up and keep their shape while baking.

Bake for 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies using the ziplock baggie method.

Paradise Chippers

Have any of you heard of Paradise Bakery? Well, it happens to be my favorite "cafe". It has the most amazing chicken salad sandwich and my favorite cookie: an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I have looked high and low for the recipe, and unfortunately have come up empty handed. So, I took matters into my own hands and have tried to figure it out for myself. This is part of the Nestle Tollhouse Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie and part of me adding and changing a few things. It isn't exact, but until I perfect it, it will do. If you have had their cookies, feel free to give me suggestions on how to fix it! If anything, at least you are getting a yummy cookie!

Also, on the Picky Palate
blog (which is an amazing blog with some awesome recipes) she made some Black and White Chippers (which look amazing) and people left comments on the Oatmeal Chippers, well, I hope this is similar! Does anyone know if there is supposed to have coconut? Anyway, here is the recipe! Hope you enjoy! (Sorry, my pictures are not the greatest, still practicing!)

Paradise Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Chippers

1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter Crisco
1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 TBS milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. quick oats
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 c. Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter Crisco and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and toffee bits; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoon (I used a small scooper to make the small "chippers") onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes (longer if you use more then the small scoop) for chewey cookies. Cool on baking sheets for one minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Eat warm with a glass of milk...YUM-O!