cookies

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Z

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Zero Candy Bar Cookies! White chocolate fudge has been popular since it was introduced in a candy bar a hundred years ago. At that time it was called the Double Zero Bar due to its “chilling” snowy white color, reminding the public of an ice cube. To this day it is sold in a trademark cool silver wrapper. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, they say. Today’s cookies are nothing short of heavenly. 
ZERO CANDY BAR COOKIES
Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, softened 

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 sea salt

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups peanuts, chopped

3.4 ounce Zero Candy Bar, chopped
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture. Stir until blended. Fold in white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, peanuts, and Zero Candy Bar pieces. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Drop cookie dough, using a melon ball scoop, onto the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Yield: 6 dozen. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter R

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Simple Sensations: Rainbow Cookies! Wouldn’t it be nice to tap your ruby slippers together and have a super-easy delicious dessert? You can. Even Dorothy and her friends would find these yummy morsels “no-place-like-home” irresistible. What a great kid-friendly recipe when school’s out for summer!
RAINBOW COOKIES 
Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

12-ounce bag of mini M&M candies

15.6-ounce can Buttercream icing
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, and oil until moistened. Reserve 1/2 cup M&M candies for decorating. Then gently fold in remaining mini morsels. Form little balls with the dough and place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheet and cool slightly on wire racks. Spread frosting over warm cookies and immediately sprinkle each cookie with remaining mini M&M candies. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter I

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Simple Sensations: Ice Cream Sandwiches! Oh sure, it would be way easier to open a box of treats from your freezer, but once you take the time to bake this cookie crust and fill it with gourmet ice cream, you’ll fill your freezer with this old-fashioned classic instead!
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES 
Ingredients:

4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground 

1 teaspoon cloves, ground 

1 teaspoon ginger, ground 

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 

2 cups sugar plus 1/2 cup

1/2 cup molasses 

2 eggs

Vanilla Bean Gourmet Ice Cream 
Instructions for Cookie Crust:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and 2 cups sugar until combined. Add in the molasses and eggs and mix well. Slowly add the flour mixture to the ingredients of the stand mixer and mix until all is combined. Fill a small bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Form teaspoon-size dough into balls then gently roll them in the granulated sugar. Place onto baking sheet, two inches apart. Repeat until all the cookie dough has been used. Bake only 10 minutes for soft and chewy results. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Instructions for Ice Cream Sandwiches:

Spread the softened ice cream evenly over one cookie into a layer one inch thick. Top with a second cookie. Press down gently. Place in a ziplock sandwich bag and freeze until hard, about 5 hours. Repeat with remaining cookies. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter L

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Something to Savor: Lovely Lace Cookies! For the keen observer, you may notice this is the same recipe I used for Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough*. There is a simple explanation. For those who are unable eat an entire batch of raw cookie dough, there is an alternative. Simply split the portion and bake a batch of Lovely Lace Cookies. But be forewarned. Once you drizzle them with chocolate, you may eat them faster than ever. I did. No shame!
LOVELY LACE COOKIES
Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1 cup flour 

2 tablespoons light cream

1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips 

Chocolate Syrup for drizzling
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. In a food processor, combine butter and brown sugar. Cream together. Add vanilla extract and sea salt. Pulse to blend. Gradually add flour. Dough will be slightly crumbly. Add light cream. Pulse to mix well. By hand gentle fold in semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. Drop by level teaspoons onto nonstick baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Watch carefully. Do not burn. Cool on baking sheet until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with chocolate syrup before serving. 
*Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough can be referenced under Letter E at https://snapshotsincursive.com/2017/03/23

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter L

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Lemon Citrus Cookies. With the arrival of Springtime comes the refreshing citrus flavor of this season’s lemons. Even if you’re not a fan, think about the benefits to your immune system. And then have another cookie…..or two. 
LEMON CITRUS COOKIES 
Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 1/4 cups flour
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat well. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. When blended, add salt, baking powder, and flour. Mix together into dough. Roll cookies into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges of the cookies.
Lemon Icing:

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened 

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon extract and milk; beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel. 

Spread evenly on cooled cookies; top with yellow sprinkles. 

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Mincemeat Cookies

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Mincemeat Cookies! When my friend, Ray, “gifted” me with a batch of his time-honored traditional homemade mincemeat, I felt as though I had received a portion of the Holy Grail. Could this secret from the past hold special powers? Would one bite provide happiness, eternal youth, and food in infinite abundance? You tell me. Ray carefully coached me on how to “season” the mixture by adding flavored brandy (I chose apricot) over a three-week period, stirring it occasionally in a covered clay crock. I was an awestruck student following his instructions to the letter. The results were phenomenal and elegant. Don’t let anyone tell you mincemeat is awful. When prepared correctly, some things are worth the wait. 
MINCEMEAT COOKIES
Ingredients for Cookies:

2/3 cup butter, softened 

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup mincemeat* 

2 cups flour

1 cup pecans, chopped 

Pecan halves for garnish
Ingredients for Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter, softened 

1 tablespoon apricot brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1-2 tablespoons warm milk, as needed
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add eggs and mincemeat. Gradually stir in the flour. Fold in chopped pecans. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until tops of cookies are dry and set. Bottoms will be slightly golden. Remove from oven. Transfer to a wired rack. Frost while slightly warm. Top each cookie with a pecan half before frosting sets. 
Instructions for Icing:

In a medium bowl gently mix powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Add brandy and vanilla. Stir well. As needed, add warm milk to create a thick consistency. Place a dollop of icing on each cookie. Garnish with pecan half. 
*The “Elegant Homemade Mincemeat” recipe can be found in the 1972 Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook, page 371.

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Butterscotch Icebox Cookies!

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Butterscotch Icebox Cookies! Here’s an old-time favorite from the North Pole. Imagine Mrs. Claus, with her crew of kitchen elves up to their elbows in flour as the aroma of bakery items fill the air. Repeat after me: “Never substitute the butter with another oil.” It will completely change the outcome. Think about it for a minute. If you remove the “butter” from butterscotch, what will that leave? Trust me, you don’t want to find out. Go for the gold instead and reap the reward. Catch the spirit and watch your little helpers share the excitement, too. 
BUTTERSCOTCH ICEBOX COOKIES 
Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar 

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions:

Melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. In a medium bowl combine baking powder, sea salt, and flour. Pour the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, stirring to form a solid dough. Fold in walnuts. Shape dough into two long rolls. Wrap each log in wax paper. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. To bake, preheat oven to 375°. Slice dough thinly. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. 

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Bourbon Balls!

Eating My Way Through the Holidays! Special Edition: Bourbon Balls! Remember the scene from “The Grinch Stole Christmas” where the adults in Whoville are throwing a key party? Well, I’m convinced they may have been nibbling on holiday Bourbon Balls based on the way they were flirting and having a crazy-fun time. Be forewarned. This recipe does contain chocolate and alcohol. You may want to mention it. 
BOURBON BALLS
Ingredients:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

3 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup bourbon

2 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup pecans, finely chopped 

Granulated sugar
Instructions:

Pulse vanilla wafers in a food processor to make crumbs. Set aside. Over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate morsels; remove from heat. Blend in corn syrup and bourbon. In a large bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, and nuts. Add chocolate mixture. Blend well. Chill 30 minutes. Using a melon ball utensil, scoop dough into 1″ balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Store in covered container for several days to season flavor. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter O

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food for Sharing: Outrageous Oatmeal Fudgies! Who doesn’t love No-Bake cookies? Forget about spending hours in the kitchen. This kid-friendly favorite can be ready in a flash. The toughest part is deciding if you want to top them off with a piece of candy corn, a walnut half, a maraschino cherry, or leave them plain. Either way, they won’t hang around long because…..(repeat after me)…Everyone loves peanut butter and chocolate!
OUTRAGEOUS OATMEAL FUDGIES 
Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder 

Dash sea salt

1/2 cup natural peanut butter, crunchy

2 cups whole grain oats

1 teaspoon vanilla

Candy corn
Instructions:

Combine butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and dash of salt in a 4-quart pan. Bring to boil over medium-high temperature. Stirring occasionally, boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Quickly add crunchy peanut butter, whole grain oats, and vanilla. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Top with one piece of candy corn. Let stand until cool. Store in a covered container.