Cookie Swap

This semester the theme for Kindermusik Our Time was Milk and Cookies.  I love to bake and share cookies with my Kindermusik families during the holidays, so this year one of my classes had a cookie swap.  I had everyone bring 3 dozen cookies.  At the end of class we sampled and swapped cookies to take home.  Several of the moms shared their recipes, and I wanted to post them for everyone to enjoy.  You can find more cookie recipes on my personal blog.

Snickerdoodles - Crystal Langella, Lucas' mom.

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs
Fun Sprinkles for kids (optional)

Blend 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar together and set aside.  Sift flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together.  Blend butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together and mix until smooth.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, mixing well to form dough.  Use a tablespoon, scoop out pieces of dough and roll in a ball; toss in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a cookie sheet; repeat with remainder of dough, placing cookies 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet. These cookies will spread!  Bake at 375 for 10 -12 minutes or until golden brown, remove from oven and cool before serving.

Peggy's Print Cookies - Alice Suroviec, Peggy's mom

1 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c of sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
strawberry jelly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.  In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a mixer.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until just mixed.  Slowly add the flour mixture until a dough forms.  Scoop the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar.  Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Press a thumbprint into each ball and fill each indentation with jelly.  Bake until the edges of cookie are golden, about 15 minutes.  Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Mint Chocolate Cookies - Alice Suroviec

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
10 oz package chocolate and mint morsels

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in morsels. Drop by well rounded tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets.  Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

Gingerbread Cookies - Kathryn Nobles, mom to many!

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. dark molasses

1/4 c. water

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground allspice (I admit to not using this)

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

mini-chocolate chips

writing icing

Beat sugar, shortening, molasses and water in a large bowl on low speed until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips/icing. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle wax paper with flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin until 1/4 inch think. Cut with gingerbread man cutter or any favorite cut-out, sometimes I use a Christmas stocking. Using a spatula, lift the gingerbread shape onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with mini chocolate chips...eyes, buttons. Bake approximately 5 minutes. Let cookies cool and then finish decorating with icing.

Some of my gingerbread men have only chocolate chips, others have a combination of chips/icing. This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Oat Bars (no bake) - Kathryn Nobles

2 sticks of butter, melted

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. oats

3/4 c. peanut butter

8 oz. chocolate chips

In a saucepan on the stove, melt butter and add brown sugar and vanilla and mix well. When well blended, add oats and let cook for 5 - 10 minutes on low. In another saucepan melt peanut butter and chocolate chips together until smooth and creamy. In a 8 X 8 glass dish, layer oats on the bottom with peanut butter mixture in middle and oats on top. Refrigerate for at 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow bars to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before cutting.


Happy Baking!

Cookie Recipes

Music is my passion, but baking is too. Since the holidays are here I thought I would share some cookie recipes with my Kindermusik families. I'm posting them at my other blog all this week, so check it out.

Holiday Cane Cane Cookies

Dinner's ready

The following recipes are from three Thursday morning Kindermusik moms. They were waiting in the hall while their children were in Imagine That! and the subject was "what to have for dinner." They agreed to bring a few of their favorite recipes to share with one another. Now, I willl share a few of their "easy to make, my kids love these" recipes with you.

Baked Ziti with Sausage - from Susan Lataif

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes
salt
1 lb. ziti or penne
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan chees
2 T. minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 13 X 9 inch baking dish with 1 T. oil Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 - 6 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl.

2. Drain all but 1 T. fat from skillet, add remaining 1 T. oil and garlic, cook until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, return sausage to skillet, and simmer until thickened, 15 - 18 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 T. salt and pasta. Cook until slightly underdone. Reserve 1/2 c. cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot along with reserved water. Stir in tomato sauce.

4. Pour half of pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. pour remaining pasta into dish, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from over and let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Chicken Casserole - from Amy Diprima

Cooked chicken - shredded
2 cans veg-all
1 can mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
chicken broth
1 stick butter
1 c. self-rising flour
1 c. milk

Cook chicken and shred into pieces (can cook small hen or buy one already cooked). Put chicken in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Drain two cans of veg-all and place on top of the chicken tin the casserole dish. Mix 1 can mushroom soup and 1 can cream of chicken soup together. Layer on top of the veg-all. Fill soup can with chicken broth and pour on top of casserole. In separate pan, melt 1 stick butter. Mix 1 cup self-rising flour with butter. Add 1 cup milk and mix well. Immediately pour over the casserole.Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes until bubbling and brown all over.

Chicken Enchiladas - from Stephanie Brooks

1 c. sour cream

1 can condensed fat free cream of chicken soup

12 flour tortillas shredded cheese

1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

1 small onion

fajita seasoning mix

Cook 2-3 chicken breasts - cut up. Add chopped onion once the chicken is almost finished cooking. Then add fajita seasoning mix and follow directions for how much water to add. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Spoon about 3 T. of sour cream mixture down center of each tortilla. Add chicken and chees to each tortilla and roll up. Place in a greased casserole dish. Spoon sour cream mixture on top of tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degress for 25- 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with rice and re-fried beans.

End your meal with an easy chocolate cake...you make and bake in the same dish and it's so moist!

Wacky Cake - from Kathryn Nobles

4 1/2 T. cocoa

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a 13 X 9 baking dish. In a 2 cup measuring cup, mix the liquid ingredients, then slowly add to dry mixture in your dish. Stir, whisk or use a hand mixer until smooth. Bake for 25 minutes, cool and cut into squares.

Look for more favorite recipes over the summer, and feel free to share your favorite quick and easy meal.