Saturday 9 December 2017

Double Chocolate Port and Caramel Cookies #ChristmasCookies

Here it is....the final day of #ChristmasCookies Week.  This is the second of the two boozy creations I made for this event.  Port and chocolate are natural companions to me, so when my husband suggested I try making something like this, it took much less convincing than the "Old Fashioned Cookie."  The beauty of these cookies is that they aren't overwhelmingly port-like.  I can definitely still taste it, but my husband just barely detects the flavor.  It reminds me a bit of when you add a bit of coffee to a chocolate cake or brownie batter.  It enhances the chocolaty-ness of it.  If you aren't told that it's there, you may not know it.  But it's there....and it really enhances their deliciousness.

Friday 8 December 2017

The Old Fashioned Cookie #ChristmasCookies

Here we are, nearing the end of #ChristmasCookies Week.  Tomorrow will be the last post for me in this event.   It seems I've left two boozy ones for the end.  Tomorrow's cookie will feature port, and today's is featuring bourbon.  Both were my husband's idea, so let this sentence show as official credit  to him for this creation.

He is a big fan of cocktails, and an Old Fashioned is definitely up there on his list.  I can't say I'm in full agreement.  I enjoy the garnishes involved (orange and cherries are delightful), and clearly I can get on board with simple syrup (who doesn't love sugar?), but the addition of bitters and bourbon really, really thwarts it for me, lol.  I'm just not a bourbon fan.  Bring me ALL the other spirits.  I'm not picky.  It's just that bourbon nears the bottom of my list.  And bitters, well...why?!  Ugh.

Ok, I know I'm not selling this cookie very well right now, but I just needed to give you that intro to prove that as a non-Old-Fashioned fan, I can attest that this cookie is actually delicious!  People who do love the traditional cocktail will also love the cookie, and even non-believers like me can get on board, because, well, it's a cookie.  And even with the bourbon and the bitters featured in the drizzle, it is quite tasty.  It's a fun and unique cookie.

This recipe has been a labor of love.  The first recipe I tinkered with resulted in nothing more than an old-fashioned rock.  Quite literally, a rock.  You probably could have driven a car over it and it wouldn't break.

The second attempt resulted in pancake like and very, very greasy cookies.  Not delightful at all.

The third was just right.  Here it is!

The Old-Fashioned Cookie

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (such as crisco)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp bourbon
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaping tbsp candied orange rind (yup, those weird little bits sometimes featured in fruit cake)
Halved glace or maraschino cherries for garnish

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp bourbon
dash of bitters

-Cream together shortening and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and bourbon and beat well.
- Combine flour, baking soda, powder, and salt.  Stir into the butter and sugar mixture.  Stir in orange rind.
-Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Add a cherry slightly off-centered on each cookie.
-Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
-Cool on wire racks.

-Whisk together the glaze and drizzle over-top of cookies before serving.  Enjoy!







  • Almond Spice Christmas Wreath Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • Black Forest Brownies by Palatable Pastime
  • Chewy M&M Cookies by Kate’s Recipe Box
  • Chocolate Orange Blossoms by Family Around the Table
  • Chocolate Marshmallow Meltaways by Jolene's Recipe Journal
  • Gingerbread Madeleines by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
  • Greek Baklava by House of Nash Eats
  • Honningkagehjerter by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
  • Lemon Pizzelle Della Sondra by Girl Abroad
  • Grandmas Lily’s Thumbprints by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Mocha Biscotti by Books n’ Cooks
  • No Bake Christmas Tree Cookies by Cooking with Carlee
  • No-Bake Eggless Chocolate Salami by All That’s Jas
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Simple and Savory
  • Peppermint Meltaway Cookies by Making Miracles
  • Peppermint Sandies by Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
  • Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies by Soulfully Made
  • The Old Fashioned Cookie by Making the Most of Naptime
  • White Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by The Bitter Side of Sweet
  • Thursday 7 December 2017

    Dark Chocolate Dipped Orange Biscotti #ChristmasCookies

    I can't believe it's already Day 4 of Christmas Cookies Week, as hosted by Ellen from Family Around the Table.  It's kind of weird that this wasn't the first recipe I posted, as this was the first Christmas cookie I made this year.  The minute I tasted the dough (yup, I'm a raw dough eater, and I'm still alive...) I knew this would be a winner.  It got me so excited to make all the cookies I had brainstormed for this event!

    I make some sort of biscotti every year, and this year I wanted to marry two of my favorite flavors for it.... orange and chocolate.  I know that not everyone is a fan of this flavor combo, but I LOVE IT!  I feel like in most households, in the hierarchy of greatness of a box of chocolates, the last to go are the orange creme ones.   They're the sad, lonely, stale little morsels at the end of the box.  It's crazy.  That's where I come in and destroy them.  With my stomach.  That's right friends - the orange creme chocolates are always the first to go if I crack a chocolate assortment open.  So lets just say I eat a lot of them between December and January.  I eat all of mine first, and polish off all the lonely ones that reside at every gathering I go to.  Oink oink.

    Anyways, if you're someone like me, and you LOVE orange and chocolate, I have you covered with this cookie.   If not, sorry - come back tomorrow for something else.  Or, as I hope you've been doing all along, check out everyone's cookies for today.  As usual, there are some showstoppers!


    Wednesday 6 December 2017

    Chocolate Coconut Almond Dipped Shortbread #ChristmasCookies

    Christmas Cookies Week continues!  I'm so excited to share today's cookie, and I'm definitely getting a little concerned about my freezer space when I see several more amazing cookies that I can't wait to try in today's roundup.  Thanks again to Ellen of Family Around the Table for hosting this event!

    Almond is one of my favorite flavors year round, but there's something about the holidays that really makes me love it even more.  It has always been a staple in my Christmas baking, and it brings back so many nostalgic memories of trays heaped with goodies at holiday gatherings.

    Sponsor Nielsen-Massey provided me with Pure Almond Extract
    When sponsor Nielsen Massey sent me a complimentary bottle of their pure almond extract, I was thrilled!  I always use it in my holiday sugar cookies, and it's a necessary ingredient in countless bars.  I thought I'd try my hand at creating a new-to-me cookie using my new almond extract.

    To make today even better, Nielsen-Massey Fine Vanillas & Flavors is giving one winner a set of their pure flavors: 2-oz each of Orange, Lemon, Peppermint, Almond, Chocolate, Coffee, Rose Water, and Orange Blossom Water.  This giveaway is open to residents of both the US and Canada.  Ensure to enter at the bottom of this post!

    Tuesday 5 December 2017

    Cream Cheese Cookie Cups #ChristmasCookies

    Welcome to my second contribution to #ChristmasCookies Week!  Today I'm sharing a basic sugar cookie, filled with a cream cheese icing, topped with a little Christmas gummy candy.  You can switch up the color of the filling or candy topping to suit your tastes, or to match a holiday color scheme.   I think some sort of holiday chocolate would be fantastic on these as well.  Thanks again to Ellen of Family Around the Table for organizing this event.  Throughout the week there will be countless delicious cookies to check out, and I encourage you to take a look each day.



    Monday 4 December 2017

    Raspberry Filled Coconut Snowflakes #ChristmasCookies

    Welcome to Christmas Cookies Week!  Ellen from Family Around the Table has organized a fantastic group of bloggers to share some of their favorite holiday cookie recipes.  I participated in a similar group last year and got so many delicious ideas!  One of the most popular cookies that I gifted came from this type of event, so I always love seeing what everyone has to offer.    I encourage you to check out all of the links at the bottom of my posts each day.  I guarantee there will be something that catches your eye!

    The first cookie that I'm featuring is one that I have to give credit to my husband for.  Although it ended up a little "too shortbread like" for him, we considered it delicious.  His brainstorming gave me 3 of my 6 cookie ideas this year.  When my imagination was really struggling, and I asked him for cookie ideas, he rattled off three ideas within a couple minutes.   This was one of them.  He originally said "a sandwich cookie with red in the middle with some sort of snowy substance sprinkled on top".  I attempted a sandwich cookie, and it failed miserably, but I took his general idea and put it into a classic thumbprint/thimble cookie instead.  I added coconut (because adding coconut is what I generally do to make the world happier), and this cookie was born!