12 Days of Christmas Cookies--Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Day 10--These are great tasting cookies and terrific for the peanut butter and chocolate lover on your list. 

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Ladybug Sugar #Cookies

Last Saturday my granddaughters came for a visit.  So I planned a little tea party while they were with us.  I pulled out the tea set that I've had since I was small.  My daughter played with it and now my granddaughters and I get to play with it together.  I cut up some fruit and opened a box of Sesame Street character crackers.  Then using a few small Spring cookie cutters cut some fun shapes out of cheese.

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Witch Hat cookies

I first saw these cute cookies on Munchkin Munchies and I have tried them a couple of times.  The first time I did them exactly like Sue did over at MM, but they were much too plain for me.  I only made a few of them.  But I thought about them and how cute they were.  I really wanted to make some for my granddaughter.  I decided to try again.  The second time around, I completely covered the cookie with frosting.  They tasted better, not so plain and boring.  This is what I used--Witch Hat cookies:

Ingredients
1 pkg. Chocolate wafer cookies
1 bag Hershey kisses
1 cntr. Chocolate frosting

Directions

1. Frost the wafer cookie with the frosting.  
2. Place Hershey kiss in the middle of the cookie.  
3. Cover the kiss with frosting.  
4. Pipe ribbon around the base of the kiss with contrasting frosting.

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Catchall Bars

This is the second cookie from the list six that can be made from the Basic Cookie Dough recipe I posted last month.  Since it was made in a bar form, baked in layers and cut after baking--it was easier and faster than the last recipe.  Also I think everyone that tried both cookies liked this one better.  It was tasty, but I couldn't decide which I liked best. You be the judge!


RECIPE:
Basic Cookie Dough recipe
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate pieces
1 1/2 cups toffee pieces
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup flaked coconut (I didn't use a whole cup of coconut, since we're not that crazy for the stuff.)
1 cup chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with foil extending the foil over the edges of the pan.  Grease foil; set pan aside.

2. Prepare Basic Cookie Dough as directed.  (See recipe here.)  Press three-fourths of the dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Bake crust in the preheated oven about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. In a large bowl, combine chocolate pieces, toffee pieces, coconut, and pecans.  Add the sweetened condensed milk.  Spread mixture evenly over the baked crust.   Crumble the remaining one-fourth of the dough evenly over the top.

4. Bake about 20 minutes more or until crumbled topping is lightly browned.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Using the edges of the foil, lift out of the pan.  Cut into bars.  Makes 24 bars (I cut into smaller pieces so I got more than 24 bars).

To store: Place bars in single layer in an airtight container; cover.  Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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Cinnamon-Sugar Roll Cookies

 This is one of the six recipes the Basic Cookie Dough from my previous post is used in. If you like cinnamon and nuts you'll love this cookie!  It's really yummy and easy to make.  A little time-consuming since you have to wait for the dough to stiffen hard enough to cut into slices (a couple of hours), but if you have the time easy and well worth it.


Basic Cookie Dough (click here for recipe)
1/2 cup salted and roasted mixed nuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Vanilla glaze
chopped salted and roasted mixed nuts (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, combine the 1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture clings together.

Prepare Basic Cookie Dough.  Place dough between sheets of lightly floured waxed paper; roll into a 16x9-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle nut mixture evenly over dough.  Starting from a long side, roll up dough tightly.  Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper.  Freeze about 2 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut roll into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool on cookie sheed for 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.  Drizzle cookies with vanilla glaze.  If desired, sprinkle with additional chopped mixed nuts.  Makes about 60 cookies.


VANILLA GLAZE: In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon milk.  Stir enough milk (3 to 4 teaspoons) to make a glaze of drizzling consistency.

To store: Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in a airtight container; cover.  Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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Basic Cookie Dough

This one dough can be made into six different cookies, Cinnamon-Sugar Roll Cookies, Mexican Chipotle-Chocolate Bites, PB and J Bars, Catchall Bars, Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints, and Espresso Tarts--enough variety to amuse any palate.  Just think around holiday time, if you made one of every batch, how much time you would save and still be able to wow everyone with your wondrous assortment.  Check back, I'll be making and posting the recipes for these cookies, beginning with the Cinnamon-Sugar Roll Cookies.

BASIC COOKIE DOUGH
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, shortening, and cream cheese.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.  Makes about 2 1/4 cups dough. Use in desired recipe listed above.






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Caramel Corn Cookies

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens 2010 Christmas Cookies magazine.  I know, I know who can think of Christmas cookies during the first week of June??  But a lot of these cookies are just good chocolatey yummy cookies.  No chocolate on these, however, they are supposed to match the taste of rich, buttery caramel corn.  I disagree...but they are very good.  So I'm going to share them here.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup miniature round caramel bits or butterscotch flavor pieces
1/2 cup chopped honey-roasted peanuts
Coarse sugar or turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease the cookie sheet; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine shortening and butter.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in egg, honey and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with mixer. 

Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the carmel bits and peanuts.

Place coarse sugar in a small bowl.  Shape dough into 1 1/4 balls.  Roll balls in coarse sugar to coat.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are golden and edges are firm,  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.  Make about 48 cookies.
To store:  Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover.  Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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