lifeinmycubicle

If you like cookies with cinnamon, snickerdoodles are for you. A snickerdoodle is a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. Its surface is cracked and can either be crisp or soft.

Things You’ll Need:
bowl
2 cookie sheets
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Crisco
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsps sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

2. Cream 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup shortening and 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl until fluffy.

3. Add the egg and beat until smooth.

4. Mix in 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda and salt. Mix well and form into balls.

5. Combine 2 tbsps. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon and roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture.

6. Place balls on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes until crisp.

Enjoy!!

Here’s a recipe for chocolate lovers out there.

Things You’ll Need:

• 4 bars of Ghirardelli semi-sweet Chocolate Baking bar (4 0z / bar) - I recommend this brand as I have tried other brands and so far this has the best chocolate flavor.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Chop 2 Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking bars.

3. Microwave 2 Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking bars in a bowl for about 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is smooth.

4. In a mixing bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla until creamy.

5. Then in a separate bowl, stir together flour and baking soda. Blend into your butter mixture.

6. Stir in chopped baking chocolate and walnuts.

7. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 10 minutes.

9. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool completely.

10. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

This is my mom’s famous Biscotti recipe. I’ve been bringing my mom’s biscotti to work and everyone loves it because they are not as hard as the traditional biscottis. Ours is slightly soft but still crunchy. Biscottis are great with tea or coffee!! I’ve always thought this Italian treat is hard to make but they’re just as easy to make at home as any other cookie. The baking process is long as these cookies are baked twice, yes…twice. Biscotti would make an excellent gift for the holidays!

Things You’ll Need:

• electric mixer

• whisk

• cutting board

• cookie sheet or biscotti baking pan

• PAM spray

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 3 eggs

• long sharp knife

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare flour and egg mixtures.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and walnuts in a mixer.

Whisk eggs and vanilla extract until well blended. Combine the two mixtures (egg and flour) together and mix until the mixture is thick and sticky.

3. Grease your cookie sheet. Divide dough into two and transfer to a cookie sheet. Form the dough into 10″ long loaves.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned and firm. Remove from cookie sheet and let it cool just long enough that you can touch them.

5. Place loaf on a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2″ thick slices. Do the same thing with the other loaf. Then, on the same sheet, arrange the sliced cookies by facing the cut side down.

6. Put the cookie sheet back to the oven and bake again for another 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and a little bit firmer.

7. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.

I entered this recipe in my company’s bake off contest in 2005 and it made it to 3rd place.

This is a quick and easy coconut macaroons recipe.  Macaroons is one of my favorite dessert when I was living in the Philippines.  If you miss the filipino version of macaroons, give this recipe a try and you’ll love it.

 Things You’ll Need:

• 2 mixing bowls
• rubber spatula/scraper
• baking sheet
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 can condensed milk
• 4 cups shredded or flaked dessicated coconut
• 4 egg whites

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place foil bake cups on a baking sheet.

2. With your rubber spatula, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and egg yolks then mix until smooth. Mix in condensed milk and shredded or flaked dessicated coconut.

3. In another bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar and continue beating until stiff.

4. Mix in the egg yolk mixture. Fill bake cups with the mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.