Welcome back – grab yourself a drink, put on an apron, get those measuring cups and spoons out and get ready to talk cookies! Historically baking has not been something I do, however over the last several years I decided to pick up a tradition my mom started when I was younger — holiday baking.
This is the only time of the year I make a real effort to bake and I make tons of cookies, tasty fudge and my famous candied pecans, and then I give them to friends and family because for me that’s what love is all about. This week I want to share a few of my cookie recipes along with my fudge recipe in the hopes of inspiring you to do a little baking too — sorry the candied pecan recipe is a secret.
It is important to make sure prior to beginning any baking that you have at least the basics on hand and refer to your recipes for any extras. Basics include: flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract, eggs and butter — lots and lots of butter. Some must have baking utensils and supplies are the previously mentioned measuring cups and spoons, a good mixer or a super strong arm, a few baking sheets, a spatula, parchment paper, time and patience. Are you ready?!
I hope so because we are about to make cranberry white chocolate cookies, not your mama’s chocolate cookies and peanut butter fudge — you can’t see me but I am winking at you because I am excited for you to try these!
The two cookie recipes are the same basic recipe with a few additions to each. For the cranberry white chocolate cookies you will need the following:
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 package white chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
Please note all of these measurements are exact – I know in the past I have told you most of my measurements are guestimates, but baking is like science you must be precise. Preheat your oven to 375 and then combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Then you will beat the two sugars, the butter and vanilla in a mixer until it is creamy. Once your mixture is creamy you want to add the eggs one at a time making sure they each get fully incorporated. Next slowly mix in the flour – I like to use a measuring cup to slowly pour the flour in a half a cup at a time. When everything is mixed together well you will want to hand stir in the white chocolate chips and the cranberries — this makes sure the chocolate and the cranberries stay in one piece so you can really enjoy them in the finished product.
Now you will want to line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and I use a small ice cream scoop to portion out the dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Now this is the important part — it always makes for awesome cookies and I am not sure why — as soon as you take them out of the oven slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto your counter and don’t touch them! Let those tasty morsels cool for about 10 – 15 minutes. This method also allows you to start your next batch of cookies on fresh parchment paper while the first batch cools.
The second recipe – Not Your Mama’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – you use the same recipe and take out the white chocolate chips and cranberries and add 1/3 cup cocoa powder and peanut butter chips! These are like a Reese’s cup and a chocolate chip cookie had a love child and are great with a cup of milk or coffee! These cookies are also great to take to holiday gatherings or to whip up when a friend or family member needs a little pick-me-up.
Lastly, let’s talk fudge. Fudge has always intimidated me because I thought you had to have a candy thermometer, and I will be honest I am a klutz and figured if I had to have something to a certain temperature in a scolding hot pot I was bound to get burned; but I have found the perfect peanut butter fudge recipe that does not require a thermometer.
For this recipe you will need:
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup peanut butter
Bring the sugar and milk to a boil stirring frequently – boil 2 ½ minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla and mix well. Put parchment paper in a 9 x9 dish and pour fudge mixture into the pan and let it cool. Once cool I always put the fudge in the refridgerator to completely set up, but this is a softer fudge so don’t worry if it’s not the hard and crumbly kind.
For me baking around the holidays is a sign of the holidays and the joy it brings me. I love to share the fruits of my labor in cute tins or Tupperware with those we care about, and none of them are complaining about it either! I hope this inspires you to get in your kitchen and try these easy recipes that are sure to please and who knows, you may start your own holiday baking tradition. Remember you can make these recipes your own by adding nuts, or whatever your heart my fancy. As always I am sending love from my kitchen to yours!
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