As for the Reindeer Bites Cookies…what’s not to love?  These cookies are simple to make, and even though they look rather plain, there are so many wonderful add-ins: the coconut-shredded AND coconut extract, graham cracker crumbs AND pieces, caramel bits and chocolate chunks.  The batter of these cookies reminded me very much of the Samoas/Caramel deLite Girl Scout Cookies.  So yes, I indulged in cookie dough batter.  Again.  And suffered for it.  Again. You would think I would have learned my lesson by now….but I just couldn’t resist this delicious cookie dough!  I’m guessing Santa’s reindeer are going to enjoy these too.

Here’s the recipe, in case you want an extra special treat for the reindeer when they visit your house…

Reindeer Bites Cookies

recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. butter flavored shortening (Picky Apple Note: I substituted real butter for this!)
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1 c. caramel bites
• 1 c. coconut
• 1 c. chocolate chunks
• 1/4 c. graham cracker chunks

Buttermint Drop Cookies

recipe adapted from Your Homebased Mom

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• green food color, liquid or paste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (peppermint, not mint)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 C flour
• 8 oz. Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In your mixer beat together butter, sugars, and salt.  Add in eggs, food coloring, and extracts.  Add in baking powder and baking soda.  Mix in flour.  Add in 2/3 of baking chips reserving rest for the top.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until dough is chilled but not solid. (Picky Apple Note: I only let my dough chill for about 30 minutes, max, and they still turned out fine.  Just expect your cookies to spread out more if you don’t chill the dough.)

Scoop dough into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Press 4-5 baking chips into each cookie .  Bake 9-10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden.  Let stand for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

I’m sharing this post with The 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange at Tatertots & Jello.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

from recipegirl.com

Brownie Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Cookie Dough (Egg Free!) Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It’s okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

If you’d like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Have you heard the urban legend about the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?  Well, as the story goes, a lady and her daughter enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie at the NM Cafe in Dallas, then asked to buy the recipe since they loved the cookie so much.  Supposedly, the lady bought the recipe for “two fifty” thinking the waitress meant $2.50, but when she received her bill, the charge was for $250.  In her outrage, she shared the story (and recipe) with as many people as possible.

This urban legend is still circulating via email today, and you can read more about it here and here.

To refute this claim, Neiman Marcus published the infamous cookie recipe for free.  It is available online (and also included in their cookbook).  And although the story isn’t actually true (or IS it?), these cookies are truly delicious.

I think the key to their deliciousness is the instant espresso powder.  And before you coffee haters reject this one, you can’t even taste the coffee.  It simply enhances the chocolate flavor.  I promise!  My husband had his doubts too, but he loves these cookies as much as I do.  As with any recipe featuring chocolate, I think it’s super important to use good quality chocolate.  My go to chips are Guittard Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips.  Love them!  You can see them pictured below with my instant espresso powder of choice and my much-loved, well-worn recipe.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Neiman Marcus

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).

Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds.  Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.  Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges.  Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Ingredients:

In a medium bowl, cream sugars with butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and add vanilla. Add baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Next add flour, one cup at a time, beat in well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Roll tablespoons of dough into rounds and bake in 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake! Cool on wire rack for 2 minutes. Decorate with crushed peppermint and white chocolate drizzles.  Hint:  Press the crushed peppermint on cookie right after it gets out of the oven so that it can stick on the cookie.

For my Cookie Boxes (given to family and friends), I’m planning:

• Mexican Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
• Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Peppermint Bark
• Snowballs
• Peppermint Double Chocolate Cookies
• Momofuku Compost Cookies
• Spiced Snowcaps

I probably won’t get them all done, but if I get at least 5 different things in the Cookie Boxes this year, I’ll be happy.  The Snowballs (also called Mexican Wedding Cookies) are the only ones I’ve made before, but this time I’m using a slightly different recipe.

I’m also baking Fresh Gingerbread Cake with Whipped Caramel Frosting for Christmas Eve.  If I’ve got time, I’d really like to make Chocolate Bread Pudding Cake with Eggnog Sauce, too.

And let’s not forget the Cinnamon Rolls that have become a Christmas Day tradition!

So, I’ll be spending LOTS of time in the kitchen this week.  Before I dive back in to all the baking, here’s today’s recipe.  I’ve only just begun, and I’m already in love with my first recipe! (A sure sign I know how to pick them, right?)  This is a Bobby Flay recipe, and he’s one of my favorite chefs.  These cookies are similar to the Chocolate Turtle Cookies from a few years ago.  BUT, I like these even better because they’ve got cinnamon AND chocolate, and the filling is dulce de leche.  YUM!  And they just LOOK good, don’t they?

Mexican Chocolate Thumbprints

from Good Housekeeping, December 2010

Ingredients:

• 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 6 tablespoon(s) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) espresso powder
• 2 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) vegetable oil, combined with above
• 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup(s) ground pecans
• 1 cup(s) dulce de leche

In large bowl, with wire whisk, stir flour, cinnamon, and salt until blended. In small bowl, with rubber spatula, combine cocoa powder, espresso powder, and oil until mixture becomes smooth paste.

In another large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, on medium speed until combined. Beat in vanilla, then cocoa mixture, until combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until dough comes together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Roll 2 teaspoons dough into a ball. Dip top of ball into egg whites, then pecans. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 1 1/2 inches apart. With thumb or back of wooden spoon, make a deep indentation into center of each ball.

Bake, 1 sheet of cookies at a time, 9 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. If necessary, make indentations again. Cool on pan on wire rack 2 minutes. With metal spatula, carefully transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

To serve, fill center of each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon dulce de leche.

I bought this with dreams of cooking through the entire cookbook with The Littlest Apple, enjoying the experience as we went along and hopefully finding a few new things for him to eat.  While we DO cook and bake together fairly regularly, this particular experience was less than idyllic, ending with The Littlest Apple crying and in time out.  Just keeping it real, folks.

Honestly, this cookbook pleasantly surprised me.  As expected, there are lots of easy recipes a preschooler can make, and it is certainly geared toward kid favorites (chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, pizza).  Here are some of the titles: Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce, Cookie Monster’s Homemade Peanut Butter Sandwiches (the recipe is for the peanut butter), Ernie’s Frozen Fun Pops, Zoe’s Rainbow Salad Boats.

But the first section of the cookbook has recipes from Martha, Emeril, Jamie Oliver, Rachel Ray, and Alton Brown.  The rest of the cookbook also includes some surprising recipes like Grover’s African-Style Peanut Butter Soup, Bert’s Tutt-Frutti Turkey Salad (which has curry), Grover’s Egg and Sausage Strata and this recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Bars.  We all really liked these Bars (though it does seem to be one of the less healthy recipes from the book!).  Great for breakfast, snack or dessert.

This cookbook also contains lots of useful information about getting kids involved in the kitchen and making food fun.  Each recipe includes at least one kid-friendly step, and there are even some Sesame Street stickers at the end.  This is such a cute cookbook!

Best Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

from C is For Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
• 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil.  Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well-mixed.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the oil, eggs, and vanilla.  With a wooden spoon, mix in the flour mixture until blended.  Stir in the oats and blueberries.

Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Lift by the foil from the pan and cut into 24 bar cookies.

Sugar Cookie Bars

recipe from Annie’s Eats
For the cookie bars:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda

For the frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 5 tbsp. milk
• Food coloring, sprinkles (optional)

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.   Grease a 13 x 18″ rimmed baking sheet (mine was 12 x 17″).  Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla, seeds from the vanilla bean, and lemon zest.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda.  Stir together with a fork to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed just until incorporated.

Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet and press into an even layer.  Bake 10-15 minutes, until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Blend in the vanilla, salt, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the milk.  Tint as desired with food coloring.  Spread over the cookie in the pan, add sprinkles (if using), cut into bars and serve.

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Makes about 60 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup peanut butter-chunky is preferred, but smooth will also work
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended.  Mix in the chips.  If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours, or for up to 1 day.  (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets.  If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets.  Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes.  The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges.  Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with wide metal spatula-they’ll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Un-baked Cookie Nests

from Kitchen Simplicity

Makes: 12 large

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• mini chocolate eggs and coconut, for decorating.

Bring sugar,  milk and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well incorporated.  Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups (or use un-greased silicone muffin cups for easier removal). Using the back of a spoon press the mixture down in the middle and up along the sides, forming a nest. Allow to harden.  Using a knife, loosen the edges and gently pop out the nests.  Store covered at room temperature for up to two days. Freeze for longer storage.  To decorate: sprinkle with coconut and fill with mini eggs.