Christmas Archives - Fresh From Oregon

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2015 ~ Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies

December 16, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This is my second year as a participant in the 5th annual The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. From across the United States and 5 other countries 467 Food Bloggers participated this year raising $1,790.44 for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. These great sponsors matched all of our donations bringing it to $7,000 raised, so a big thank you to OXO, Dixie Crystals, and Land O Lakes. OXO sent everyone who participated an 7 piece set of liquid measuring cups and a silicone baking sheet from Dixie Crystals which was perfect for baking my Christmas Swirl Sugar cookies. The way it works each blogger sent out 3 batches of home baked cookies and received 3 batches of cookies from other bloggers in return. Not only did I get boxes of homemade cookies delivered to my door, but I also got to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

I packaged 1 dozen of my Christmas Swirl Sugar cookies in cute tins and sent to 3 bloggers. Whole and Heavenly Oven from Wisconsin, Micky What Micky Eats from Washington DC and The Full Tummy from California. All three have created some great blogs with interesting recipes, you should check them out!

The first batch I received was from LeAndra at Love & Flour she sent Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies. The next batch I received was from Take Two Tapas. They sent yummy cookies packed in a cute tin! My third and last batch was from Alicia at The Baker Upstairs. Her melt in you mouth Honey Lavender Shortbread cookies were amazing! Check our their blogs and get the recipes for the cookies they baked for the cookie swap.

Here is the recipe for the cookies I baked for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 cups of flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Non-pareils for decorating
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
Divide dough into three equal parts. Put one into the mixer bowl and with your finger make an indentation and add at least 8 drops of red food coloring. Turn on mixer and mix until the dough is all red. Wipe out bowl and add the second piece of dough and doing the same but in the indentation add green food coloring, mix until solid green. Add more food coloring if you desire a deeper color. Leave remaining dough as is. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
On a piece of parchment paper about 18-inches long place one of the balls of dough. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. With a rolling pin roll out dough until flat and about 1/8” thick. Do this with each of the two remaining pieces of dough until you have all three colors rolled out about the same size on parchment paper.
Carefully take the red dough and flip on top of the plain dough. Then take the green dough and flip on to the red dough. You should now have all three doughs stacked on top of each other.
Get a knife or pizza cutter and trim the edges so all sides are square. Set scrap pieces aside*. Once it is trimmed turn the dough so the long side is facing you and roll it up. Wrap in a piece of parchment paper folding ends over to keep from drying out. Place in the refrigerator until hard, about 1 hour. Once it is ready unroll from paper and using a sharp knife cut the dough in ¼-inch slices. Next roll the edges in the non- pareils. I found that if the outside dough is too dry they will not stick. Just dip your finger in some water and go around the edge to wet it and then roll into the non-pareils.
Place on a baking sheet that has been covered with a silpat or parchment paper. This will give the cookies a nice bottom. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes and turn the pan 180 degrees and bake another 2 minutes. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom and no brown on top. You will need to adjust the time to your oven’s temperature. Remove baking sheet from oven and place on wire rack for two minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool completely.
*You will have pieces of dough scraps left after trimming. Just mix them up together slightly and roll into log and you can slice like the other cookie but you will have a marbled cookie instead of a swirl.

Snowball Cookie Fight…

December 14, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

One cookie with so many names… Snowballs, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies and I am sure there are more names. Whatever you call these delicious buttery, melt in your mouth cookies they are always in my cookie tin. These cookies are rolled twice in powdered sugar but there are many versions. You will also see them rolled in coconut, cocoa powder or glazed. There are also many things you can hide inside this cookie like cherries, chocolate kisses, peanut butter cups, mini chocolate chips or just use your imagination and create your own combinations. I did that this year and created my Pacific Northwest Snowball Cookie. I added hazelnuts to the cookie dough and hid some marionberry and tayberry jam inside. With one bite you will have the sweet flavor of jam combined with the buttery hazelnut dough melting in your mouth. Another combination I made this year was a Glazed Snowball Cookie with a cherry inside. I then drizzled chocolate on top and it tastes just like eating a chocolate covered cherry. The last version I made was one that my mom makes every year and that is just adding mini chocolate chips to the snowball cookie recipe. But my mom calls them Russian teacakes so let the Snowball Cookie fight begin!

Snowball Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Confectioners sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixer. In small bowl combine flour and salt and add the the butter mixture until just combined, mix in nuts. Chill dough for about 30 minutes. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool. Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled.
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Pacific Northwest Snowball Cookie
Make the recipe above and use hazelnuts instead of pecans or walnuts. After you have rolled the dough into a 1-inch ball use a sharp knife and cut in half. With your thumb make an indentation in each half. Fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of marionberry or tayberry jam. Press the two halves back together and press around the seam to seal. Gently roll back into a ball. Chill balls for about 30 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool. Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled.
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Glazed Cherry Snowball Cookie
Make the recipe for the Snowball cookies using walnuts. Drain one jar of maraschino cherries (20 cherries) and lay cherries on a few layers of paper towel. You want to dry them off as best you can. Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and flatten. Add a cherry to the center and with your hands fold dough around the cherry. Chill balls for about 30 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. (Do not roll in confectioners sugar). As the cookies are cooling make the glaze. In medium size bowl sift 1 cup of confectioners sugar and mix in 1 tablespoon of milk. Once the cookies are cooled place on a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper. With a spoon pour about 1 teaspoon of glaze over each cookies and let the glaze drip down the sides. Once the glaze is dry melt some chocolate and drizzle over the cookies.

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Mom’s Russian Teacakes with Mini Chocolate Chips
Make the recipe for the Snowball cookies and add in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips with the nuts. Chill dough for about 30 minutes. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar and place on wire rack to cool. Roll again in confectioners sugar after they have cooled. When I made these this year instead of rolling them in just confectioners sugar I added some baking cocoa to the confectioners sugar to give them a light chocolate color.

Gingerbread Cookies Gone Wild!

December 13, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Gingerbread cookies in my house have “Gone Wild” this year. Living in the foothills of Mt Hood, Oregon I was inspired to make my gingerbread cookies shaped from nature. On a family trip to Yellowstone my husband surprised me with these animal shaped cookie cutters of a deer, salmon, bear, duck and tree. This gingerbread cookie recipe has a mild flavor of ginger so I added an almond flavored royal icing to top them off. This was also a great opportunity for me to try the OXO 8 piece Baker’s Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit that was send to me. OXO is one of the sponsors for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and they sent everyone participating this amazing decorating kit. When I first opened the kit I thought this is a small bottle how is this going to work. To my surprise almost a whole batch of royal icing fits in the bottle and this was the easiest way I have ever decorated cookies. This would be great for kids to use they will still get a little messy but the bottle really keeps the icing from oozing everywhere. With the decorating tip making these gingerbread cookies was a snap to frost.

Gingerbread Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and water. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and continue to cut out cookies until the dough is gone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yields about 2 dozen.
Recipe from ~ Taste of Home

Almond Royal Icing

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

In a medium bowl add confectioner’s sugar and milk and blend with a whisk until smooth. You can also mix with a stand mixer on low for about 1 minute. Add corn syrup and extract and continue to blend until smooth for about 45 seconds – 1 minute. If it’s too thick, add milk by the drop (a little goes a long way). If it’s too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar.

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To decorate the cookies first outline around the edge of the cookie with a thin line of icing and let dry a few minutes. Add a little more milk to the icing to make thinner, I added about 1 – 2 tablespoons. Fill in the cookie with the thinner icing, let dry for 1 hour before packing in a air tight storage container. I layered parchment paper between each layer of cookies in the container.

Oatmeal Cookie ~ Trio

December 9, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Oatmeal cookies are a must at Christmas time at my house… that’s what my husband tells me. This is his favorite cookie there is always a batch baking in my oven throughout the year. He prefers dried cranberries in his cookie instead of raisins so this year I decided to dress his oatmeal cookies up a little. I took the basic oatmeal and cranberry cookie and dressed it up with a dip in some white chocolate and a sprinkle of pecans. Dipping a cookie halfway in white or milk chocolate and adding some accents like nuts or jimmies will make a plain cookie into an extraordinary cookie. Remember to always leave a few plain for the ones who just like them just plain. Oatmeal cookies come in all shapes and sizes, chewy or crisp so another recipe I am sharing below is for a crisp oatmeal cookie glazed with a confectioners sugar icing. Both are easy and simple to make for your holiday cookie tin.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick cook oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan pieces
12 oz white melting chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars together until well combined. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and mix until well combined. Add oats and mix until a thick dough forms. Stir in cranberries and pecan pieces. Place heaping tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes. Cookies may look a little undercooked in the center, but they continue to cook and firm as they cool. Do not over bake. If cookies look cooked (not a little undercooked) when you take them out, they are probably overcooked. Let cookies cool for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling. Once cookies are cool, melt white chocolate in a small bowl. Dip cookies, one at a time, into white chocolate and shake to remove excess white chocolate. Set on parchment paper and sprinkle with crushed pecans before the white chocolate dries. White chocolate dries fast so I dip three cookies and then sprinkle on the pecans before dipping more.

Recipe from ~ Live, Love & Sugar

Iced Oatmeal Cookie
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour oats into a food processor and pulse until partially ground, about 15 seconds. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground oats, for 30 seconds. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter, granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Stir in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (scrape bottom and sides of bowl as needed). Allow cookie dough to rest 10 minutes at room temperature. Scoop dough out about 2 Tbsp at a time and drop onto a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 11 – 15 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and milk and dip tops of cooled cookies in icing and allow excess to run off or alternately spread icing over cookies. Return to wire rack and allow icing to set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe from ~ Mother Thyme

Peanut Butter Cookies

December 7, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

One batch of dough equals three ways to make some delicious peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter cookies are one of my youngest son’s favorite cookies. I am always looking for a way to make them a little different but keep that peanut butter flavor he loves. Here is a way to create a variety of cookies and you only have to make one cookie dough. You can make old fashion peanut butter cookies, peanut butter thumbprint cookies and a peanut butter sandwich cookie. I used strawberry jam but you can use any jelly or jam that your family likes, the combinations are endless. If you double the Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookie recipe below you can make 2 dozen of each peanut butter cookie out of one bowl of dough. The recipe for the old fashioned peanut butter cookie is a good one, I have placed 1st for three years in a row at my county fair!

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies ~ makes 3 dozen
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
extra sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In large bowl beat butter, peanut butter and vanilla until combined. Add brown and white sugar and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time until mixed. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Roll into 1 1/2 -inch balls and then roll in the extra white sugar. Using a fork, flatten cookie and make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cookies cool on baking sheet 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Take two of the baked peanut butter cookies above add 1 teaspoon of jelly or jam on one cookie. Place second cookie on top and press down to squeeze the jelly or jam evenly inside the cookie.

Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Jelly
One batch of Peanut Butter cookie dough
1 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup favorite jelly or jam

After making the peanut butter dough roll into 2-inch balls. Roll in the chopped peanuts and place on baking sheet. With your thumb make a deep indentation. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of the jelly or jam to the center of the cookie.

The Cookie Tin

December 6, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Seeing a cookie tin around the holiday is one of the most exciting presents of all. Your first thoughts when you see it are what delicious cookies are inside? Then when you open it all the memories of Christmas come rushing back. Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, buttery spritz, thumbprints, snowballs, sugar cookies the list just goes on. All the old time favorites you remember from year after year. Step into my kitchen for the smell of cinnamon and fresh dough baking in the oven, I started baking a few days ago to fill my Christmas cookie tins that I will give to family and friends. I will have all the old favorite cookies in the tin but this year but I am adding some different twists on some of these favorite cookies. Oatmeal cranberry cookies dipped in white chocolate, peanut butter thumbprints with strawberry jelly, snowball cookies with a marionberry jam filling, buckeyes with honey pretzel peanut butter to name just a few. I will be posting cookie and candy recipes for the next two weeks and maybe you can add some new cookies to your recipe box. If you have any favorite family Christmas cookies send me the recipe, I would love to bake some.

Some fun facts about cookies:

In the year 1871 cookie cutters became available for purchase being imported from Germany
It is believed that the tradition of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus began in the United States during the 1930’s
The Dutch are considered to be the first to bring Christmas cookies to the United States in the 17th century
German Lebkuchen, honey spice cookies are the ancestor of gingerbread
Animal crackers are also rich in holiday tradition, Polish people would make large cookies in the shape of different animals

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2015 ~ Christmas Swirl Sugar Cookies

Snowball Cookie Fight…

Gingerbread Cookies Gone Wild!

Oatmeal Cookie ~ Trio

Peanut Butter Cookies

Experience fresh food from Oregon!

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