The baking is the one thing I really don't like about Christmas. My Grandmother bakes every cookie imaginable (my favorite are the spritz) and my mother bakes at least 2 different kinds and buys another kind from the bakery. At our house I make the same chocolate chip cookies that I bake every week. Tom will only eat chocolate chip and I shouldn't eat loads of others so what's the point? My sister-in-laws will show up with all kinds of good treats and I'll have my lame offering of chocolate chip cookies, but oh well. For the sake of christmas I did make cut-out sugar cookies with Aiden this morning. I cheated and bought a mix at Target because this morning I also made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and cinnamon crumb bake to bring to Christmas. Baking all those things with a two year old makes a mess but Aiden LOVED his "rock star cookies" (read: cut-outs in the shape of a star). I'm proud of myself for not freaking out when a whole lot of sprinkles got dumped...and they rolled everywhere. :) Someday I'll bake all kinds of wonderful things but that is another project for another time. I made up for it with my Organic Pumpkin Chip Muffins.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can pumpkin (yes, Target sells organic pumpkin but it's in the veggie isle and not with the pie filling)
1 1/2 cup olive oil (or to make it really delish use coconut oil)
3 cups flour (you can use whole wheat flour. I've done it and it works. King Arthur is my favorite kind.)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil. Combine four mixture. add to pumpkin mixture. Fold in ch. chips. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes.
I don't know that I'll have time but I would like to make this recipe. It sounds so yummy!
Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
peppermint cream filling
Mix flour, cocoa, and espresso, set aside. Beat butter and add sugar. Beat till combined and add eggs. Beat in as much flour as you can with your mixer. Use a wooden spoon to stir in any remaining flour. Chill dough til easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough in 1/4 inch thick and use a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out dough. Bake 10-12 minutes til firm. Fill cookies with filling. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Peppermint cream filling: In a large bowl beat 1 cup butter til fluffy and add 2 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp peppermint. Beat in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 2 tbls milk. Beat in another 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Tint with greed food coloring.
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