Cookies & Bars

Almond Fruit Bars

By in Cookies & Bars, Snacks, Sweets 4 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Almond Fruit Bars

I know most people probably don”t have tea time in the afternoon. I usually don”t either. But, now that the cold is here and I find myself braving the wind and chill with my kids, “tea time” in the afternoon is becoming more of a regular occurrence. And, these are a perfect tea time snack. A not so sweet, sweet in the afternoon with a quick latte or spiced milk.

These are extremely easy to throw together. The use of jam means that there”s no effort in the filling department and the crust comes together in minutes. In the fall and winter fill it with spiced jam or fruit butter (such as Plum Apple Butter or Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade). In the spring and summer fill it with lighter flavours such as strawberry, blueberry or peach.

When you”re surrounded by so much sweetness how can you not give in and brave the cold?

Even if you don”t have tea time these would be a great less sweet addition to a sweet tray for all the holidays coming up. Sometimes you just need a less sweet, sweet, to cut all the sweetness. ;)

Almond Fruit Bars

  • 1.5 cups flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened

  • 1/2 cup light-brown sugar, packed

  • 1/4 cup white sugar

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 3/4 cup sliced almonds

  • 1/2 cup jam

Stir together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in almonds.

Line an 8×8 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Press enough of dough into the bottom of the pan to cover the bottom completely (about half). Whisk jam to loosen, if necessary. Spread onto dough leaving a small gap near the edges to avoid sticking. Sprinkle with remaining dough, pressing gently to flatten.

Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden. Allow to cool before slicing.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

By in Cookies & Bars, Sweets 7 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Have you noticed that changes that have taken place on the blog recently? It”s looking, decidedly, a lot more blog-like. I think it”s going to take a bit of getting used to but it”s a good change for me. Having the photos the way they were before severely limited the type of photos I could take.  I feel like this will free me up to post more often, with a little less pressure and with maybe an occasional iPhone posts (like this one) thrown in.

So, I hope you don”t mind the more simplified look. I think it”s going to mean more yummy recipes headed your way. And no ones going to object to that right? :)

Speaking of yummy recipes, let me introduce you to today”s post. Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Get ready because these cookies are addictive.

I”m not usually drawn to snickerdoodle recipes but when I saw these on Annie”s Eats I had to make them right away because 1) I”m addicted to cookies and tea 2) I hadn”t made anything with pumpkin yet this fall and 3) I wanted to step out of my chocolate-chip-cookie-comfort-zone.

I was surprised just how addicting these cookies were. They”re not overly sweet, which means it”s a lot easier to find yourself reaching for more until the tea is emptied from your cup… and then wishing you had used a bigger cup. The cakey-ness of the cookie also lends well to munching between sips of your favourite fall beverage. It just brings comfort.

I didn”t bake the whole batch at once. I got the cookies ready right up the point of baking and them popped them into freezer bags so that I can bake as many as I want, when I want. The cookies are firm enough (and coated in cinnamon sugar) that they don”t stick together. To bake them from frozen simply add 5-8 minutes to the baking time.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

For the cookies:

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar

  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the coating:

  • 1/2 cup white sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in pumpkin puree. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Chill, covered, for one hour.

Mix together coating ingredients. Roll cooking dough into balls (I used an 1/8 cup [or 2 tablespoons] measuring cup to scoop). Coat dough balls in coating mixture. Place on a parchment-lined (or greased) baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a flat-bottomed cup.

Bake at 350º F for 10-12 minutes or until just set and bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Place on paper towel or wire racks to cool completely.

Makes: 3 dozen

Adapted from Annies Eats originally from dlyn.

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

By in Cookies & Bars, Sweets 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend was my anniversary. James came home with a bouquet of roses and I made him these chocolate chip cookies. A fair trade don”t you think? Well, if you knew how much James likes chocolate chip cookies and just how good these cookies are, it makes for a pretty even trade. He also hired a sitter and took me out for dinner, where I got my first taste of Crème brûlée, so I guess he wins. :)

I”m so happy that I found this recipe. I”ve been having an obsession lately with finding great chocolate chip cookie recipes of all shapes, sizes and flavours. In my opinion, you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes.

One of my favourite parts about this recipe is that you form the dough into logs and store them in the fridge or freezer – when you want freshly baked cookies you just slice and bake. There”s nothing like a gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven and this way you can have them fresh all week long. I loved being able to reach into my fridge for a last-minute dessert and having it take less than five minutes to prepare it for the oven.

These cookies are the first recipe I”ve tried from David Lebovitz” book Ready for Dessert. And, after these results I can”t wait to delve in and try more recipes. I”ve heard many people sing his praises when it comes to desserts, especially ice cream, and now I know why.

David says to use chopped chocolate for cookies because it aids in creating a chewy texture but I didn”t have any blocks of chocolate on hand when I made these so I used chocolate chips instead (even though he advised against it). Judging by his pictures they do seem quite a bit thicker (and therefore chewier?) then mine. But, I”m here to tell you they were still one of the best cookies I have ever eaten. I can”t wait to try them with the “right” way, they must be out of this world good.

To toast nuts: Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add nuts and allow to toast, stirring occasionally, just until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from heat immediately as they can burn rather quickly.

One of the first things James mentioned when he bit into these cookies is that he loved the nuts. I had to agree, they really did add something special. A nice, crunchy contrast to the gooey chocolate. We used sliced almonds this time around but I can”t wait to try it with walnuts or pecans.

I”m definitely more than happy with this recipe and will be making it over and over. It has spurred on my love of chocolate chip cookies and I will eagerly be looking for many more yummy recipes to share. When it comes to cookies I”m never on the search for the ONE but rather a variety of cookies that we love, so we can make them according to our mood. This one will happily be eaten often.

Do you have a favourite cookie? Or several?

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you”re not going to use these up within the week you can toss them in the freezer. I prefer to freeze them sliced. It works with this recipe because the dough is so firm, once cooled, that the cookies don”t stick together when you throw them into a freezer bag. This way you can bake them from frozen by simply adding a couple minutes to the baking time. But, if you prefer you can also freeze them in logs and let them thaw, in the fridge, overnight before slicing and baking.

  • 2.5 cups flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

  • 3/4 cup white sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 cups nuts, toasted and chopped

  • 14 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1 (340g) bag chocolate chips, in a pinch) :)

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.

Beat together butter, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated between each addition. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Divide dough into four equal portions on a lightly floured surface. Form each into a 9 inch log, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, or up to one week.

To Cook: Grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each log (with a very sharp knife, not serrated) into 12, 3/4 inch slices and place 3 inches apart on baking sheets. (If you have trouble slicing, let sit at room temperature for a couple minutes to soften slightly. If any nuts or chips fall out, just push them back into the cookie.)

Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and barely set (err on the side of underbaking to ensure soft cookies). Let cool 1-2 minutes, then move to wire racks or paper towel to cool.

Makes: 48 cookies

Adapted from Ready for Desserts.

Guest Post: Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

By in Chocolate, Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Sweets 16 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Guest Post: Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

This is a guest post from Heather of Multiply Delicious. Heather is as sweet as they come. Her blog is a great inspiration for not only yummy food but for your kids, house, fashion and so many more pretty things. And, if you haven’t noticed she takes some pretty mouth-watering photos. Just look at those Whoopie Pies. I want one right now! Give Heather a big welcome and make sure take a browse through her site; your guaranteed to find something you love.

Hi, I’m Heather of Multiply Delicious. Cheri recently came to me and asked if I would guest post while she was away on vacation and I was absolutely honored! I’m a huge fan of Kitchen Simplicity and all of Cheri’s amazing recipes. I have tried several of her recipes but my family’s favorite is her Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes. If you haven’t tried them…they are a must!

Now the toughest part about guest blogging was finding the right recipe to guest blog with. I just came off a vacation to Charleston, SC and while on vacation we found an amazing bakery and they had whoopie pies. I have twin toddler girls and this was their first experience with whoopie pies. They are now my twin daughter’s “official” favorite dessert. Upon getting home the request from the girls was “mommy, can we make whoopie pies”. Actually they called them hookie pies, which I thought was pretty cute so around my house we call them hookie pies now. We had fun in the kitchen making these Chocolate Peanut Butter “Hookie” Pies. People think whoopie pies are many things…like an inside out cupcake…or a soft cookie sandwich…or a cake sandwich. Whatever you think they are they are a special treat. Especially when they are a combination of chocolate and peanut butter!

I hope you enjoy these treats! And thanks again to Cheri for allowing me to guest post today!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

For Cookies:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 tablespoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 2 cups organic cane sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

For Filling:

  • 1 1/3 cup natural organic creamy peanut butter

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Make cookies: Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sift together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Beat until well combined. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients; mix until combined.

Drop 1 ½ tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. When the top of cookie is gently touched, it should feel soft but not wet.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make filling: With an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter on high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Add confectioners’ sugar; mix until combined. Raise speed to high, and mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.

To assemble cookies: Spread 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight container up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Adapted from Martha Stewart”s Cookies.

Kids in the Kitchen: Jumbo Cashew Cookies

By in Cookies & Bars, Kids, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Kids in the Kitchen: Jumbo Cashew Cookies

If you”ve been around here for a while you know that I like to keep homemade baking mix on hand in my fridge at all times. It makes last minute cooking/baking so much easier. The other day I was wanting to whip up some cookies real quick so I could go back to relaxing and spending time with my hubby. When I first saw this recipe I was drawn to the word cashews but when I saw that it also used Bisquick mix my mind was made up. I love finding new recipes to use my baking mix!

I was a tad bit skeptical at first. I knew the baking mix made great pancakes but I was afraid the cookies would be.. well.. pancakey. But they weren”t. They were nice and chewy and cookie-y. And, ginormous. These are the kind of cookies I like to eat for breakfast. Not too sweet and full of oats.

Now that my son is almost three years old I”ve been cooking with him a lot more in the kitchen. It has been so much fun and he is learning so much! Like, that raw potatoes don”t taste very good. And, Mommy has been learning lots to. Like, keep your eyes on him at all times or he”ll put pepper in your cookies. I”ve been letting him dig his hands in and get dirty. And, surprisingly there haven”t been too many mishaps as long as I”m careful about the jobs I give him.

This is the type of cookie that a little older kids could conquer all on there own. Or at least with very little help from mom. They”ll have fun shaping the dough and watching them grow to gargantuan size.

If you don”t like cashews I think they would be equally delicious with peanuts. Or, if you want a sweeter cookie you could add a cup of white chocolate chips. I think I”m gonna try that next time, but I also love them just the way they are.

Jumbo Cashew Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 1/2 cups homemade baking mix (or Bisquick mix)

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 1 cup chopped cashews

  1. Cream together sugar and butter. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients until evenly mixed.

  2. Drop onto parchment lined or greased baking sheets by 1/4 cupful amounts, 3 inches apart. Using your hands roughly shape into circles and press down to 1/2 inch thick.

  3. Bake at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow to cool 3 minutes on baking sheets before removing to wire racks or paper towel to cool.

Makes: 16 cookies

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies

By in Cookies & Bars, Easter, Kids, Sweets 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

lemon sugar cookies

I got the sudden urge to decorate sugar cookies last week. As you can see I got as far as making the cookies. :) But that was fun in and of itself. I did make one batch of the glaze and got approximately five cookies done before Max had already decorated (read: eaten) three cookies and Alli woke up wanting some attention. So I put that idea behind me and decided to freeze the rest in case the time ever came that I was able to decorate again (I am in no way a super mom and I’m ok with that).

Kids Can:

  • knead dough
  • help roll out dough
  • cut out shapes
  • older kids can decorate with icing bags
  • younger kids can spread the glaze on the cookies and decorate with sprinkles

I’m not usually a fan of sugar cookies. But these I can actually eat on their own without icing. I’m really into tea lately and these cookies are a perfect accompaniment to that.

These are the easiest sugar cookies I have ever made. Sugar cookies aren’t all that hard to make but there’s generally a lot of waiting time for the dough to chill before rolling, then trying to roll out a stiff dough or wait for it to soften before you roll it out. Simple enough really but it’s enough to stop me from making them on a whim. These cookies on the other hand were whipped up and baked in the time it took for James and Max to go grocery shopping. They left. I got the urge to bake. They came back. Half the cookies were baked and cooling on the counter while the remainder were in the fridge awaiting their turn in the oven.

The key to these cookies being able to be made so last minute is the fact that you don’t have to soften the butter. Cold butter means there’s no chill time before rolling it out which cuts the prep time down considerably. Plus they roll out like a dream. I made the original cookies at Christmas this year and knew they would be my sugar cookie of choice from then on.

I wanted the flavours to suite Easter so I opted to add some grated lemon zest to the dough. Delish!

Tips to Perfect Sugar Cookies

I’m no expert on sugar cookies but I do know a couple tricks to get them nearly perfect every time. At least it works for me!

  1. Roll Out on Parchment Paper. Rolling the dough out on a floured piece of parchment paper means less flour is used (meaning softer cookies) and easier transportation to the baking sheet (which means less stretching and breaking).

  2. Refrigerate Before Baking. Since this recipe is not refrigerated before rolling out you want to be sure to refrigerate it once the shapes are cut. That way it keeps it’s form and doesn’t spread.

  3. Chill Before Cutting Out Delicate Pieces. If you’re wanting to make smaller cutouts in the cookie (like I did with the flowers) do so after they have chilled in the fridge, just before baking. This way you don’t have to worry about any delicate parts breaking when you transfer it to the baking sheet and it will hold it’s shape better.

The glaze for these cookies is lemony and sweet. Much sweeter then royal icing. You can’t really compare the two but it is much easier to make and decorates beautifully (just look at Amanda’s cookies). But, as I said it is very sweet so if you’re worried about that you may want to stick with royal icing.

Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup cold salted butter, cubed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • zest of one lemon
  1. Combine flour and baking powder.
  2. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla and zest. Mix until incorporated.
  3. Add flour in three additions, scraping down as you go. Beat until combined (will be crumbly).
  4. Divide dough in half to roll out. Knead each piece on counter top until smooth. Roll out on floured parchment paper. Cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 5 minutes (or refrigerate for 15 minutes) to firm up.
  5. Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let sit for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack or paper towel to cool.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

Lemony Sugar Cookie Glaze

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup
  1. Sift sugar into a bowl. Mix in lemon juice and corn syrup. Spread or pipe onto cookies.

Tip: If piping onto cookies check the consistency by doing the 10 second ribbon test. Drag a knife through the glaze and lift to make a ribbon. It should smooth out in 5-10 seconds. If the icing comes together before 5 seconds add more sugar. If the glaze comes together after 10 seconds add more liquid. This will ensure that it is firm enough to pipe but still loose enough to flood the cookie.

Makes enough for approximately 1 dozen cookies.

Sugar Cookies adapted from bake at 350. Sugar Cookie Glaze adapted from i am baker.

 

1 2 3 4 5