Swedish Heirloom Cookies

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"We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters" -Gloria Steinem

Somebody posted this quote on New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s facebook wall on International Women's day. Reading the quote made me seriously think about how I am raising my kids. I kept thinking it is so true how we tell our girls that they don’t have to be pushed aside in sports or study and how they are equally equipped like their male counterparts to take on challenges. However, when it comes to my son I wondered if I am making sure that I talk to him about being polite and gentle, and being more thoughtful about how he behaves in public like I educate my girl.

Pecan Sandies & Happy Holidays !

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Happy Holidays to all you dear readers of Collaborative Curry! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

Chocolate Crinkles

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Hope you are all enjoying the last few days of summer. If I say I am super busy these days,it would be an understatement ! All the activities for kids,parties,some hiking etc is taking all my time, which makes me wish that we had more holidays during summer, something like a 2-3 days long weekend. Though the days are longer in summer,it's just not enough for my family ! I guess most of you will agree with me on this thought !

Almond Shortbread Wedges

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Hello everyone ! How is it going? It's been ages,I know ! I really missed you all and the blogging, a lot.

I had a wonderful vacation in Kerala. Though I got back a couple of weeks back,it took me this long to jot down something here. I could give you zillion reasons for that,but I don't want to waste your precious time. In a nutshell,it goes something like this : a long jet lag,a birthday,a sick kiddo,a lazy mom,the heat etc. etc.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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This week has been a really busy one for me ! Spring days are always like this ! So many happenings and so much chores. The one thing I don't like about Spring is weed picking ! With one light shower comes a truck load of weeds.But this time ,it is so warm for a Spring here ! Isn't mother nature acting so weird this year ? I feel so. I really hope we get some nice rain showers soon,though I'll have to break my back to get rid of all the weeds

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

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This is such a popular version of brownies, I don't need to tell you much about it ! The legendary actress, Katharine Hepburn shared her family's signature brownies recipe during an interview with a magazine and ever since they published it in 1975, so many, including Saveur magazine and n number of blogs reprinted it. Here is my version slightly adapted from Epicurious.

Pecan Logs- A Guest Post For Ambika's Kitchen

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I am so happy and honored to be a guest in Ambika's Kitchen, beautiful vegetarian kitchen ! Thanks Ambika,for this opportunity to get to know your readers.Also thanks for patiently waiting for this post even past the deadline,you are a sweet heart !

I have been blogging for almost 3 years now and I am so happy and proud about it. Blogging has given me a lot of new friends and opportunities to learn so many new things every day.I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful community !

Pfefferneusse

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Christmas is just around the corner,yeah ! I love every single thing about the holiday season-the snow, the festive lights,the presents, the scrumptious smells,and most of all,the magic of the season.Hope everyone is geared up for the big,festive day.Here is another magnificent type of cookie,full of christmas spirit and spice.

Crescent Cookies

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It is cold in Colorado. Last week we had a few snow showers and the mercury levels remain low ever since. So I decided to do what I love to do in this weather-baking.December is always a bake-a-thon time for me and this year is no exception.

Cream Cheese Pecan Cookies

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Hello ! Hope everyone in the US had a great July 4th week end. We had fun ,watching fireworks with friends. The fireworks reminded me of the Temple festivals in Kerala, though it was not even close to any of that. But I have no complaints, at least they are doing this much in a highly fire prone area.

It is getting really warm here and already the mountains had some fires. Last year Boulder had a couple of really bad wild fires. I hope this year will be much better. Because of the scorching heat, we cannot go out as much as we want to.So kids are home most of the afternoon and I need to engage them with something or the other and make a lot of snacks.Here is a recipe for kids,if you are a mom like me and for adults,if you do not care about the number of calories.

This is so easy to whip up, maybe a fun project for your elder kids.

Ingredients:

Butter softened- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 3 ounces
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Flour- 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Finely chopped Pecans- 1/2 cup

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Mix the butter and cheese together.
3.Add the sugar and mix until it is creamy.
4.Mix the vanilla and add the flour. Beat until everything is combined and comes together.
5.Fold in the pecans.
6.Make 1 inch balls out of the dough, press between your palms and keep on the baking sheet.
7.Bake for 10-12 minutes.
8.Cool in the sheet for 5-6 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9.Store in an air tight container for a week.

Notes:

1.The sugar in this recipe is to my liking. You could add more sugar if you wish.
2.?When you take them out of the oven they are very soft. But they get firm on cooling.


Adapted from : Here

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cooikies

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Do your children like oreo cookies? Or are chocolate chip cookies their favorites? If you answered yes, to any of the above questions, what about both cookies in one? Yes? Yeah! I thought you would like it. Double bonanza, isn’t it?! Or at least that’s what I thought.

It was a brave decision to try this recipe considering - my daughter, though a chocolate fanatic, do not like Oreo cookies. But she loves chocolate chip cookies! I thought it will be fun to try this recipe even if it was only to see my daughter’s expression. Another of her mother’s conniving to get her to eat what she hates.

It is the way things work around this house. My children are extreme opposites in their likes of flavors. Sometimes it is good and otherwise a big challenge for me. Like, when I buy a packet of yogurt tubes with equal parts strawberry and blueberry flavor, the lil one picks the strawberry and my daughter blueberry - this is cool – we make for one big happy family! On the other hand, if it is a fruit where they are choosing one for the other then the mother steps in. I blend the two to make smoothies or crumb bars, where the taste is camouflaged enough, that both of them will feast on it happily.

Things did not go as well in the case of the cookies. My daughter treated the cookies like she would a fruit, where the outer flesh is consumed and seed discarded. She ate the chocolate chip cookie outside and left behind the oreo cookie! Huh! I know, kids!

But, what is great though is my son loves oreo cookies - he carefully went around and ate all the oreo cookies his sister had discarded.  My precious little boy!  You would agree then at the end the cookies are a success.  Because the majority at home liked it.  And what my daughter was ready to throw was not wasted by my son.  After all, "all’s well that ends well!”

I am sure every mother is challenged daily by their kids. But like they say "necessity is the mother of invention." Mothers out there keep on you thinking caps – and let’s keep inventing. I had great fun making these cookies.


Ingredients:

Butter- 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Light brown sugar- 1/3 cup,packed
Granulated white sugar- 1/3 cup
Egg- 1
Pure vanilla extract-1 1/2 tsp
All Purpose flour- 1 3/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips- 5oz.
Oreo Cookies- 12


Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In a mixing bowl,beat the butter and sugars until well combined.
3.Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
4.In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
5.Gradually add this dry mixture into the wet mixture ,along with chocolate chips, until combined.
6.Take a scoop of the dough and place on top of the oreo cookie.Take another scoop and place on the bottom of the oreo cookie.
7.Press lightly between your palms and seal the edges together by pressing and cupping the cookie on your palm.The oreo cookie should be completely inside the dough with all the edges sealed.(Look in Picky palate for a beautiful picture demonstration)
8.Place the cookies on the prepared baking pan,an inch apart.
9.Cool in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes if you don't want the cookie to get spread a lot.But this step is quite optional.
10.Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the sides start turning brown.
11.Cool in the baking pan for at least 5 minutes, since the cookies will be really soft when you take out them from the oven.
12.Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before you store them in an air tight container.

Makes: 12 cookies
Adapted from : Picky Palate
Contributor: Namitha

Whole Wheat Flax meal Chocolate chip Walnut Cookies

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Hello everyone! How are you all? I know it's been a while since I wrote a post on this page. I have been really busy with the children home on holiday, and some other personal matters which called for time away from blogging. I am back now and hope to catch up with you all soon.

The mercury is soaring up! It feels like we went right into the middle of summer skipping spring entirely. Some of you might have read about the big wild fire in Arizona. As a result of the fire we have a smoke cloud here in Colorado! I cannot imagine how bad it must be for people in Arizona, and hope and pray it will be contained soon.

Coming to today’s recipe, it has been lying in the drafts for a couple of weeks now. I got the book ‘Good to the Grains,’ by Kim Boyce from our library, and as soon as I saw these cookies I knew I had to try them. Coincidently, I saw a post in Swapna's blog on the same and decided to give the recipe a twist with the combination of flours and oatmeal. Good to the Grains is a wonderful book with so many whole grain recipes and ideas. I have already bookmarked some other recipes from the book, including the Olive oil cake. I bet you will love this cookie too.

I made some black currant walnut cookies too using the same recipe, versatile recipe indeed!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour- 3/4 cup
Flax meal- 1/4 cup
Rolled oats- 1/2 cup
Baking powder- 3/4 tsp
Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Vegetable oil/Oil of your preference- 1/4 cup
Dark Brown sugar- 1/3 cup
Granulated white sugar- 1/3 cup
Egg- 1
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Chocolate chips- 1/2 cup
Chopped walnuts/Any dried fruits or nuts- 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it ready.
2. In a large bowl mix the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In another bowl mix well the oil, sugars, egg and vanilla extract.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula together with chocochips and the chopped nuts.
5. Place small scoops of the dough in the prepared baking pan, one inch apart.
6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the sides start turning brown.
7. Cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before you transfer them onto a wire rack and cool them completely. When you take out from the oven the cookies will be soft, but they will become firm once they cool down.

Notes:

1. The flax meal and oats can be replaced by whole wheat flour. I replaced the whole wheat with this combo following Swapna's example.
2. The original recipe calls for butter, but I replaced it that with oil.
3. I have tried this with black currants too. You could mix and match with any dried fruits and nuts of your choice.

Adapted from : Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
And Eat Good 4 life

Almond Cookies

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I was on a cooking spree yesterday with some mishaps and triumphs. I would call the recipe I am sharing today, which is Martha Stewart's, a huge success! The cookies are buttery with a refreshing orange zest flavor.  Loved it!

Success in the kitchen always puts me in a good mood.  But there are more reasons why I am jaunty.  ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel.  The book has been around for a while.  It won the Booker Prize in 2002 to be precise.  Since I am the kind who takes books from the library, I read most of them after everyone else has.  At the risk of sounding outdated, let me just say the book is quite inspiring and I am enjoying every word in it  Just like we pick every morsel from a plate of deliciousness, I am lapping up every word in this book.  What fun it is when you can have a cup of coffee and have a good book to keep you company.  Oh, yes and let's not  forget the cookies.  Yum!

Plenty of orange juice for me today having cut open the oranges in the name of photography.



Ingredients:
Almond – 1 cup
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Unsalted Butter – ½ cup
Orange zest – of one navel orange
Egg – 1 whole and 1 white
Sugar – ¾ cup
Baking Soda – ½ tspn
Salt – ½ tspn
Method:
1. Boil about 2 or 3 cups of water and add the almond in and cook for 1 to 2 minutes
2. Strain the water and cool the almonds off under tap water
3. Peel the skin of almonds and dry off on a tissue paper
4. Microwave the almonds for a minute on high
5. Set aside about 28 whole almonds and grind the remaining to make almond meal. Neither too fine nor coarse
6. Use your hand blender to beat sugar and butter (at room temperature) until fluffy
7. Continue beating after adding 1 whole egg and the orange zest
8. Mix all purpose flour, salt and baking soda and gradually add it to the above mixture continuing to beat to form the dough
9. Once that comes together, which will only take about 2 to 3 minutes, mix in the almond meal. Do not beat the almond in but only mix
10. Preheat the oven to 350 D F
11. Form small balls of dough, as much as will fit a tablespoon, and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
12. Press the whole almonds in the center
13. Beat the egg white and brush it over the cookies and bake at 350D F for 12 to 15 minutes

Notes:
1. You can keep the egg yolk for the extra egg you will break open and once you are finished with egg white there will be enough remaining to mix them up and make an omelet.

2. Nothing to do with the recipe: I can write 'omelet' and still be right because I am in the US. It's a blessing some of these spellings have been simplified! If you are in Britain or India, please correct the spelling to 'omelette.'

Courtesy: Martha Stewart
Contributed by: Sunitha

Melting Moments

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  Happy New Year everyone!! Hope you all had a wonderful start to the New Year.  We were at a nice party with friends on New Year’s Eve.

  I cannot believe it’s already 2011.  Where did 2010 go? I was just getting used to writing the date with a ’10, and now I have to start writing it as ‘11. With time flying, the kids seem to be growing up quickly too, every day, every moment. Lil imp is 2 1/2 and he is the funniest ever. Now, he understands everything we say and knows the difference between 'I' and 'you' very well.  (He used to have trouble getting 'I' and 'you,' for example he would say “you are hungry” when he means he is hungry.)  He hates "time outs" and hates my high pitched voice.  The other day I was raising my voice to convince him of something and he told me "amma, time out!"  I just stood there wondering if I should laugh or keep the angry face till I got my way.  Kids! What do we do with them, what do we do without them!  Another year has been granted to figure out the puzzles of life and I welcome it with a grateful heart.

  Happy New Year again and may you have sweet melting moments!



It was snowing outside and seems like my kitchen too ;)



These just melt in your mouth, just like the name suggests ;-)



Happy New Year to you all !!




Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour- 1 1/2 cup
Cornstarch- 1/2 cup
Salt- a pinch
Confectioner's sugar- 1/3 cup
Unsalted Butter- 1 cup
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp

For dusting:

3/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

Method:

1.Whisk together the flour, corn starch and salt in a mixing bowl.
2.Beat the butter and sugar until it is creamy.
3.Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
4.Add the flour mixture and beat well to mix everything.
5.Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes or until it is firm.
6.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7.Make 1 inch balls out of the dough and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, an inch apart.
8.bake for about 12 minutes or until the sides start to brown.
9.Cool on a wire rack for a couple of minutes.
10.Meanwhile line a baking sheet with parchemnt paper and sprinkle confectioner's sugar over it.Place the cookies on the paper and sprinkle more sugar through a sieve, on the top.
11.Cool them completely before storing.

Recipe Adapted From: Joy of baking
Contributor: Namitha

Gingerbread Cookies

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I have been baking a lot these days, mostly cookies, to give friends and also for us. Yesterday we finished the last batch of cookies and the kids had a fun time (and their mom had a not-so-fun time!) decorating them.  Are you all set for the holidays?

Gingerbread cookie is a classic and indicative of this holiday season more than any other cookie in my opinion.  My daughter decorated the Ginger Bread cookies and by the time my son awoke from his nap we were glad to have been done with them.  But there was no way of escaping him from helping out with sprinkling some edible pearl on the sugar cookies.  (If you want to bake sugar cookies, here is the link)

Traditional cookies that are a treat to the eyes and to the tummy, especially for you!



This is how our Gingerbread Men look like ;-) My kids enjoyed making buttons for them



My dining table was looking so festive with all these and some Sugar cookies I made (you could see them in the goodie bag, green color X'mas trees)




Gingerbread X'mas Tree, decorated by my 9 year old :-)




Ingredients:

All purpose Flour- 3 cups
Baking Soda- 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger Powder- 1 tsp
Nutmeg Powder- 1/4 tsp
Ground Cloves- 1/4 tsp
Freshly Ground Black Pepper- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp

Unsalted Butter- 1/2 cup
Vegetable Shortening- 2 Tbsp
Granulated white sugar- 1/2 cup
Unsulfured molasses- 2/3 cup
Egg- 1 large

Method:

1.Sift together the flour, salt , baking soda and spices into a large mixing bowl.
2.Beat together the butter (at room temperature) and shortening till they are combined well.
3.Add in the sugar and beat till it is creamy.
4.Add the molasses (spray your measuring cup with oil so that it will not stick) and beat well.
5.Beat in the egg too.
6.Slowly fold in the flour mixture till everything is combined well.
7.Make 2 equal sized discs out of the dough and cover them with plastic wrap and chill for at least a couple of hours or until the dough is hard enough to roll.
8.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
9.Take out the dough and wait for a few minutes before you start to roll it.
10.Lightly flour the surface and roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick and using a cookie cutter cut into desired shapes and keep them on the baking sheets.
11.Chill the cut cookie dough again for 10 minutes before you bake them.
12.Bake for about 12 minutes or until the sides start to brown.
13.Cool on wire rack and decorate once it is completely cooled.
14.Store them in an airtight container after the icing is completely dry.





For Royal Icing:

Confectioner's sugar- 1 cup
Vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp
Egg whites poder/Meringue powder- 3/4 Tbsp
Warm water- 2 Tbsp

1.Mix the egg whites powder and warm water using a whisk, till it is frothy.
2.Mix in the confectioner's sugar and beat till it is very stiff and shiny.
3.Transfer into a pastry bag with a narrow tip and decorate the cookies.


Notes:

1.The original recipe called for light brown sugar instead of white sugar.
2.The icing hardens really fast, so keep any unused icing covered.
3.If you do not have a pastry bag then fill the icing in a ziploc bag, zip the bag and cut a small edge in one of the corners and decorate (That's what I did ;-)
4.This gives about 3 dozen cookies.

Last but not the least We would like to share a goodie bag with you all, the wonderful readers of Collaborative Curry, to say Happy Holidays !!!



Contributor: Namitha
Recipe Adapted From : Foodnetwork.com

Thumbprint Cookies

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"Give me more!" I am telling you, these cookies have that effect!  Hopefully, baking cookies is on top of your list because that’s what I have got for you today.  Thumb print cookies with a dollop of preserves. Yummy!

 Not only cookies, wine and other baked goods fill my mind, but also Christmas songs.  I refer especially to the popular number “Jingle Bells".  My lil imp can sing the first two lines of this one, and sometimes sings it at the most unreasonable of times, I should say.  Check out what happened to us recently while shopping.  It borders bizarre.

So, the other day we were in a shop, and my son with his endearing smile and big eyes won the shop owner's heart.  It’s not a marketing tactic, but my sons charm is what I would like to believe, I insist.  The lady offered him a pick of stickers from a loaded tray.  She said pick up what you like, and my son grabbed the whole tray.  Whoa! In my embarrassment and trying to teach my boy some manners I said ever so sweetly “No, not the tray just a couple of stickers.” Ah.. hem!,  he turned around, rolled his eyes at me meaning ‘keep out of this!’  You know what happens next, I rolled my eyes and insisted, "No!"  And then to my shock my son broke into singing, “Jingle Bells!” and hopping mad all at one!  OMG! Can you see my embarrassment.  It was palpable.  I had a terribly upset child singing jingle bells hopping mad in a crowded department store! Can you believe this?

I prayed: May the earth open and take me into her chasm but nothing of the sort happened.  The saving grace was the understanding customers and shop keepers.  They took it jest laughed and smiled.  However, I could not but over hear people say “Now angry child singing in frustration is a first!”

   My daughter did this too!  Is this strange????? Oh! Please do tell me you have had an experience like this with your child.  If you don’t I will be forced to believe I am having some strange happenings going on with my kids. 


Now to restore sanity lets all go bake!.  Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

Flour- 1 cup
Egg,large- 1 separated
Unsalted Butter- 1/2 cup
Salt- a pinch
Granulated White sugar- 1/4 cup
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1/2 tsp
Finely chopped,lightly toasted Nuts- ~3/4 cup
Jam/Preserve of your choice- 1/4 cup

Method:

1.Beat the butter and sugar till it is smooth and fluffy.
2.Add the egg yolk and beat until everything is combined well.
3.Add the vanilla and salt and mix well.
4.Now add the flour and beat well until it is mixed into the wet mixture.
5.Keep the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
6.Beat the egg white lightly, till it is frothy.
7.Spread the chopped nuts on a plate.
8.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.
9.Roll out the dough into 1 inch balls and dip them in the prepared egg white.Roll them in the chopped nuts and keep on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10.Now using your thumb/the back of a wooden spoon make indentation on the top of each cookie.
11.Do the same for the rest of the dough.Keep the cookies one inch apart.
12.Bake for about 15-16 minutes or until the nuts are browned well.
13.Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight container.
14.Fill the cookies with 1/4 tsp of jam just before you serve.

Notes:

1.You could use any nuts of your choice for making this. I used a mixture of Pecan and Almonds.
2.If you are planning to serve the cookies the same day you bake them, you could fill the jam before baking and you may have to extend the baking time for a couple of minutes. (I never tried this since I always store them for at least 2-3 days)
3.I toasted the nuts in microwave, on high for about 1 and a half minute.

Adapted from here and here.

Contributor: Namitha

Chocolate-chip Walnut Cookie

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The Christmas fever is not only on the radio, but my mail box is brimming with fliers that take more than a pair of hands to haul home!  The green, white and red colors permeate everywhere.  I am not complaining.  I love this season, and I am finding out that these fliers, as painful as they are for the mess it creates and the greed that it suggests, can also be useful.  Prop for photography is my suggestion.     

 

The recipe for this cookie is from 'Joy of Baking.’  It’s a nice, chewy cookie and I am loving the walnuts and chocolate chips incorporated into each bite .  Last year, around this time, I made a lot of cookies with a friend of mine which I have shared on the blog.  This year, I have to do this by myself, but fondly remember all my friends. 

 

  

During this season of love and gratitude, I have many things to be thankful for - especially friends.  Whether you have a reason or not, bake some these cookies, if only to relish the decadence.   

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 2 1/4 cup
Butter                   - 1 cup
Sugar                    - 3/4 cup
Brown Sugar         - 3/4 cup
Eggs                      - 2
Vanilla                   - 1 1/2 tspn
Baking Soda         - 1 tspn
Salt                       - 1/2 tspn
Chocolate Chip     - 1 1/2 cups
Walnuts Chopped - 1 Cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 D F
2. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside
3. Take a large bowl and using a hand mixer beat butter and sugar till creamy
4. Add egg one at a time beating well after each addition
5. Add the vanilla essence and then add the flour mixture in and on low speed blend in the flour
6. Now add the chopped walnut and mix.
7. Using spatula incorporate the chocolate chip cookie into the batter so that the chocolate chip don't break
8. Drop 2 Tbspn of batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges of the cookie turn color

This recipe is from joy of baking website.  I have not adapted much except that I used bitter chocolate chip cookie which is my personal preference.  All credits to joy of baking it is a wonderful recipe.  Please find the original here. 

Courtesy: Joy of Baking

Contributor: Sunitha

Peanut Butter Cookies

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Every now and then I bake cookies. Cookies and coffee is breakfast, so it makes sense to bake them often. And when I don’t bake them some people at home go hungry for breakfast. (It’s just me and my husband at home). This week is different; we have plenty of peanut-butter cookies to fill our tummies every morning. There is this certain book, which inspired these cookies. Read on for more.



I got it from the library last weekend and it is on Swedish cakes and cookies. Beginning with the jacket, the book is delicious. The red and white checkered- jacket opens to reveal pastries, twists, turns (in the name of Danish) and more. I drool over the pages and find a lot of satisfaction just to sit on my couch, on dreary mornings, lusting over cookies. The book is Swedish Cakes and Cookies, published by Skyhorse Publishing Inc. in case you want to take a look at it yourself.



Ingredients:
Butter: 3/4 cup softened
Confectioners Sugar - 3/4 cup (I find this sugar less sweet compared to powdered sugar, you may use either)
Peanut Butter - 2/3 cup
Egg Yolk - 1 (I threw the white down the drain, you could make a egg white omelet in case you were wondering what to do with. Sorry, for butting in, this is becoming a habit.. do you thing :))
All-purpose Flour - 1 2/3 cups



Method
1. Beat the butter and sugar with a fork until fluffy
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together with the fork to make a coarse dough
3. Use a pastry bag without any stencil/nib press out long strips on to the cookie sheet and bake in a 400 D F preheated oven for 8 minutes

P.S: If you like crochet you can visit my blog here to see some pictures

Changes Made from previous recipe to avoid blender to make the dough so as to get the ridges on the cookies

Contributor: Sunitha

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

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Chocolaty cookies with frosting that mirror my flower garden!

  Birthdays were the happiest occasions when I was young. (Between you and me, now they remind me that I'm not too far from wrinkles and white hair).  When in school, birthdays were the one day we could wear casual clothes to school, a change from the regular uniform.  I used to wait eagerly for my birthday to roll in to  show off my color dress (that's what we called casual clothes then) and distribute candy.  How things have changed now!

 For an example, when my daughter celebrated her birthday last week, it was different.   She wears casual clothes to school everyday, so then, how do you make it special?  She had an answer!  Dress up chocolate cookies, her favorite, for the occasion.  I am glad we decided to go with her instinct because the sugar cookies with frosting came out vibrant and festive.   

 To add to all that, since both my children helped to make the different shapes and frosting, it became a family event.  We had quite a good time in spite of all the spilling and mopping that comes with the territory of group activity.  It was with great restraint that we were all able to keep ourselves from licking. 

Which do you like the most? It's hard to choose, I know.

My daughter would say the one with purple icing, since that's her favorite color.  I am partial to this one too, because it is my own creation.  I added blue and red in 2:1 proportion to get the desired result.    When you are trying keep adding more red if you think you need to soften the blue further.     

Did you notice the sprinkles are little butterflies? Oh, yeah! They are, and it made my daughter's heart flutter with excitement and squeal with delight, every time we sprinkled some on. Childhood, such a delightful time!

Ingredients:

For Cookies:

All purpose Flour- 2 3/4 cup
Cocoa powder (preferably Dutch processed)- 3/4 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Salted Butter- 1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter- 1/2 cup
Granulated white sugar- 1 1/2 cup
Eggs- 2
Pure vanilla extract- 2 tsp

For Icing :

See here
But if you are making the above amount of cookies you may have to make double the amount for icing, but the proportions are the same.



Method:

1.Mix the flour,cocoa powder and baking powder by whisking together them in a large mixing bowl.
2.Beat the butter and sugar well in a bowl,until smooth and soft.
3.Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
4.Pour the vanilla extract and mix well.
5.Mix the wet and dry ingredients to make a dough.
6.Divide the dough into 2 or 4 equal parts and make disc shape and wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until they are firm enough to roll.
7.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
8.When the dough is ready, take one disc from the fridge and roll it on a flat surface until it is about 1/4 inch thick and cut it with a cookie cutter to get your favorite shapes.
9.Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and chill them for at least 15 minutes. This helps the cookies to retain their shape while baking.
10.Bake them for 10-12 minutes and cool on a wire rac before you do the frosting.
11.Meanwhile prepare the next batch of cookies and chill them before baking.
12.Prepare the frosting by mixing everything together and spoon it on the cookies. Let it dry,this may take several hours. Store them in an airtight container.



Sending this to From My home Kitchen's Chocolaty Dreams event
AND
Champa's Bake Off event

Notes:

1. Butter should be at room Temperature.
2.You could use the normal cocoa powder, if you don't have Dutch processed.I used a mixture of both :-)
3.According to the original recipe, Royal Icing is recommended. But I didin't have any Meringue powder at home and didn't want to take any Salmonella risk, by using the raw egg whites.
4. Makes around 4 dozen.

Recipe Adapted From: Joy of Baking

Contributor: Namitha

Rugelach

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   This is an elegant cookie from the Jewish Cuisine, usually made during the time of Hanukkah. When my daughter saw the picture of this in the cook book I lent from the library, she asked me whether I could make it for her. How could I say no when I wanted to try them myself.  I was super glad it came out looking pretty as I expected.  Enjoy your weekend!



Ingredients:

Cream cheese- 8 ounce
Butter- 1 cup
Flour- 2 cups
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 tsp

for filling:

Semisweet chocolate squares- one 4 ounce square
Walnuts- 1 1/4 cup
Strawberry/Raspberry jam- 1/2 cup
Brown sugar- 1/4 cup
Cinnamon- 1 tsp



Method:

1.Beat the cream cheese and butter till they become smooth.Throw in the sugar and salt and mix well.
2.Add the flour and beat to mix well. Knead using your hands to make a soft and smooth dough.
3.Make 4 equal balls out of this and keep them covered in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
4.Make the filling ,meanwhile. Throw in the chopped chocolate and walnut into the blender and blend it till they have mixed well, but the nut is only coarsely ground.
5.Mix this and the jam, sugar and cinnamon and keep aside.
6.Preheat the oven at 375 degree F.
7.Take out the dough from the fridge and roll each of the dough ball into ~9 inch rounds using a rolling pin.
8.Spread 1/4th of the filling evenly on it.
9.Cut each round into 4 equal parts and then each 1/4th to 3 equal parts.This will give 12 equal pieces.
10.Now starting from the wide edge roll up each cookie and place them with the end tucked to the bottom.
11.Chill it for 20 minutes before baking.
12.Keep in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or till they start changing to a light brown color.
13.remove to a wire rack and let cool completely before storing in a airtight container.



Notes:

1.The filling is up to your imagination. You could replace the walnut with toasted pecan or almond.
2.Also you could avoid adding chocolate if you wish.
3.Chilling the rolled up cookies before baking helps to prevent them from spreading.
4.I baked them in two batches, using up two balls of dough each time.
5.You could give the cookies an eggwash, that will give a shiny brown color to the cookies. I didn't do it, since my family doesn't like the egg smell on their cookies :-)
6.If you are doing an egg wash, beat an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it over the cookies before baking.
7.The original recipe calls for Kosher salt an inevitable ingredient of Jewish cooking.

Recipe adapted from: Baking at home, CIA

Contributor: Namitha