Foolish Cookies for April Fool's Day

I debated about whether to post these cookies  because they turned out kind of funky and silly, but then again, April Fool's Day is all about silly isn't it?!?  These cookies definitely fit the bill. Or maybe I'm just making a fool out of myself:)

I spied a fun April Fool's Day place setting in Phyllis Hoffman's Easter Issue of Celebrate magazine, where the classic plastic disguise glasses(big nose attached to black glasses) were used as the napkin rings( in photos above and below).  Isn't that a cute idea? I immediately thought of making them into a cookie version, and went to work right away on fashioning a template.  They didn't turn out quite the way I envisioned(they need more nose detail to start with), but they are still a fun, tasty cookie. I used a small biscuit cutter to trace the opening  for the glasses on the template and then punch out the center of the dough.  The hole seemed to bake inward in the oven though. I used these recipes for the cookies and royal icing.

 To ice the black frames, I first traced around the opening with the biscuit cutter and a black edible ink marker. It helped tremendously in keeping them more symmetrically round (Thanks for the great idea Callye!). I added a lollipop stick in case someone wants to disguise themselves, but it would be just as cute as a regular cookie at a place setting, especially with the plastic version nearby.
Have a fun April Fool's Day!

Linked to:

Tasty Tuesdays
Inspiration Friday
I'm Lovin' it Fridays 
Sweets for a Saturday 
Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello

BAKE SALE for JAPAN~ TODAY!

http://www.thetomatotart.com/life/
The BAKE SALE for JAPAN is on(click on link above)!  I have a dozen peanut butter sandwich cookies up for bidding:) 

Bicycle Cookies

A young boy I know asked if I would contribute some cookies to his Bicycle Safety  Fair. The Fair  is the crowning event toward earning his Eagle Scout award.  He told me that I could make any kind of cookies that I wanted, but of course bicycle cookies were the logical choice.

I hope he liked them! I didn't get to talk to him when I dropped them off due to all  the hubbub.
The cookies were made using my favorite sugar cookie recipe with royal icing, both recipes found on this post.
I  used my new AmeriColor Super Red and Super Black Soft Gel Paste Food Coloring, and as you can see they worked great!  I love them!

All bagged up with coordinating ribbon and ready to roll! :)

Linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays
I'm Lovin' it Fridays
Inspiration Friday
Sweets for a Saturday

Online Bake Sale for Japan~Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Some of you might remember these cookies:) I blogged about them HERE(including the recipe).  They are peanut butter sandwich cookies, and oh, SO GOOD! A creamy, sweet peanut butter filling studded with mini chocolate chips and chopped peanuts, between two classic peanut butter cookies adds up to an exceptional cookie!
I have brought them back into the spotlight because a whole batch of these cookies are going on the auction block to raise money for the people of Japan.  Sabrina of The Tomato Tart, has kindly taken it upon herself to ambitiously organize an online bake sale.  It will take place on March 30, auction style on Sabrina's blog.    There are about 90 bakers from 9 countries participating.  If you are interested in acquiring some goodies, be sure to visit Sabrina's blog on March 30! I might be bidding on some goodies also:) All proceeds will be donated to Second Harvest Japan. For more information visit The Tomato Tart.

Linked to:
Inspiration Friday
Tidymom's I'm Lovin' it Fridays
Dianne's Change Your World Fridays
Lisa's Sweets for a Saturday 

Two-Ingredient Homemade BISCUITS

Yep, you read correctly, homemade biscuits using only two ingredients!  All you need is cream and self-rising flour. The fat is in the cream, and the self-rising flour provides the salt and leavening. It can't get much easier than this! These biscuits were so much better than the baking mix in a box version, but just as easy!

After combining the 2 ingredients and stirring until blended, roll dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times. Roll to 1/2- inch thickness.

Cut biscuits with a 2-inch cutter.  (Next time I think I'll use a 3-inch cutter; these were a bit too small.)

Place biscuits close together on a lightly greased (no greasing necessary on my stoneware!)  baking sheet.

 Bake 10 minutes until golden brown.  Add butter and ENJOY!  We sure did!

Whipping Cream Biscuits (Tammy Algood: cookbook author)

2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup whipping cream (I had heavy whipping cream on hand)

Preheat oven to 450 degreesF.  Combine flour and cream in a mixing bowl, stirring just until blended. (The dough will be a little stiff.) Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times.  Roll  to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a 2-inch cutter.  Place biscuits close together on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake 10 minutes.  Makes 12 biscuits.

Linked to:
Tidymom's I'm Lovin it Fridays
Inspiration Friday At the Picket Fence

Leprechaun Granola

Looks like some of the wee leprechauns were at my house last night and ran off in such a hurry that their hats flew right off! :)

Aren't they cute?  So tiny.  I wish I could have caught a glimpse of one of the little lads! I knew I should have set a leprechaun trap! Sigh...maybe next year.

 My family has enjoyed this granola for many years!  It can easily be modified for any occasion, as you can see:)
I clipped the recipe from a magazine at least a decade ago.  I really don't remember where I found it, but I'm glad I did!

Fruit n' Honey Trail Mix  (I usually double the recipe)
3 1/2 cups raw oatmeal
3/4 cup whole peanuts(I used dry roasted)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups any combination of dried fruit (I used raisins, but then added green m&m's, and leprechaun hats(recipe below), chocolate chips, and mini marshmallow rainbows from Lucky Charms cereal.)

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except the dried fruit/candy.  Spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet and bake it at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let it cool and stir in the dried fruit and candy. Break up any clumps and store granola in an airtight container.

Leprechaun Hats
36 mini marshmallows
18 mini oreos (separated so that each cookie makes two hats)
About 8 ounces of Wilton's green candy melts

Melt the chocolate as directed. For each hat: Dip a cookie into the chocolate and try to let the excess drip off.  Set on waxed paper flat side down.  Dip a marshmallow in the chocolate and let the excess drip off.  Place marshmallow on top, center of the cookie. Let dry. Optional:  If desired, use frosting (I used royal icing) to make a hat band and adhere a shamrock sprinkle while the hat band is still wet.  Makes 3 dozen mini leprechaun hats.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Linked to:
 Tasty Tuesdays.

Happy Birthday Munchkin Megan!

Today our little munchkin, Megan, is 4  years old!  What a big girl you are now, Megan! Here she is on her first day of preschool, all ready to go with her new backpack.  She even put her sandals on all by herself:)
Megan is our very own little "Curly Top" and we are so happy that she's part of our family. Sandwiched between a big sister and a little brother, she's as sweet as the filling in a sandwich cookie! Though her little brother is only 14 months younger, she loves being his second mommy, always ready to help him out and comfort him if need be. She loves to play with her dolls too. I know she's going to be happy when baby sister arrives!

 

Megan is such a tender-hearted little sweetheart and we are thrilled to have her as our granddaughter. She's as cute as can be! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!  We sure do love you tons, and miss you too! XOXO Grandma and Grandpa

Pie Cookies for Pi (3.14) Day

Well, a little late in the day, but it's still Pi Day.  My pie cookies ended up looking more like crostata cookies than pie, but hopefully you get the idea:)
I used the play dough cookie recipe that I have used a couple of times before. It's a soft bite and a tasty cookie.

They were as easy as pie to make:)  I merely added blue food coloring to some of the dough for the blueberry pie cookies, and red for the cherry pie cookies. I left the pie "crust" as is. I did flute it too, but unfortunately it didn't keep its shape very well.  Hence, the crostata look.

Play Dough Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)
* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 3 ounces cream cheese
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* red and blue food coloring

1. In the electric mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into thirds. Tint one portion red and another portion blue. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out the red dough and cut with round cookie cutter(mine was 3 1/2 inches) to make a "pie". Pinch off some of the plain dough and roll into a rope for the "crust".  Place it around the edge of the red "cherry" disc, and flute.   Use another portion of the red to make small dough balls for the "cherries".  Do the same with the blueberry pie cookies.
4. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 10-12 (3 1/2 inch ) pie cookies.

Linked to:
Tidymom's   I'm Lovin' It Fridays
Inspiration Friday At the Picket Fence
 Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green.

Shamrock Triple Thumbprint Cookies

When I made Double Thumbprint Heart Cookies last month, Rachel of Sun Scholars commented, "How about using the same idea to make little clovers?!!!"   I thought that was a great idea!  Thanks for your clever suggestion, Rachel.

It's a very simple process.  Start with three balls of dough(each about 3/4 inch) arranged like this.

Press your thumb into the middle of each ball.  Let the munchkins help:)

With your thumb, press down the dough where the three balls meet, to flatten the seams.

With a small amount of dough, form a stem and attach it to the "shamrock".

I filled my shamrocks with lemon curd (tinted green) because I had some homemade in the fridge.  Of course lime curd would be really good too!  (I don't care for (green) mint jelly:))  These cookies turned out soft, and really flavorful.  I LOVE how they look!

Shamrock Triple Thumbprint Cookies (modified from Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  butter, softened
• 1/4  cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1    egg
• 1  tablespoon  milk
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  to 1/3 cup  lemon curd (tinted green with food coloring)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until mixture is combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
2. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. For each cookie on an ungreased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet place 3 dough balls, sides touching, to form a triangle. Press thumbs into each ball to form an indentation in each.   Where the 3 dough balls meet, press the seams down to flatten.  With a small amount of dough form a stem and attach to the body of the cookie. Leave 2 inches between cookie on the cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack. While warm, fill each indentation with lemon curd. Cool completely. Makes about 16 cookies.
To Store: Place filled cookies in a single layer in covered storage containers and store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.


I am linked to Lynn's(Sprinkles of Flavor)FIRST linky party: Sharing Sprinkles of Suggestions Saturday

and Alissa's Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green.

Double Vanilla Delights~Rainbow Cookies

I have been seeing so many beautiful rainbow cookies, cakes and cupcakes around the blogosphere that I was itching to jump on the bandwagon! I also had this vanilla cookie recipe on my "to bake" list for awhile now. I decided to kill two birds with one stone by making the cookies into a rainbow.

The original recipe called for glazing the tops of the cookies with untinted frosting, but I thickened the frosting, tinted it the colors of the rainbow and converted these into sandwich cookies. The cookies on their own are delicate and buttery, but with the smooth, sweet filling sandwiched between two of them, they're out of this world. It's a very tasty combination. 

If you want to add some cheer to someone's day (including your own), go ahead and make these cookies. Just looking at them makes me happy:)

  “May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.”

~Irish Blessings quote 


Double Vanilla Delights (adapted from Jess of  my sweet gems)


Cookie Ingredients
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Sugar (for rolling cookie dough in)
Frosting Ingredients
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
Heat oven to 375°F. For cookies:  Put softened butter into bowl and add the vanilla. Beat until creamed together. Add sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and egg to butter mixture; continue beating until well blended. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Continue beating until well mixed.
Place additional sugar into small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, for frosting: Combine  the vanilla,  half & half, 2 tablespoons butter and 4 cups powdered sugar in medium bowl. Beat at low speed until smooth.  Divide the frosting into six small bowls.  Tint each with a different food coloring(I used Wilton concentrated paste): purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Take 2 cookies and sandwich some frosting between them. Makes 20 sandwich cookies.

Enjoy!

This cookie is linked up to Amy's (U Try it) Culinary Smackdown Battle-Cookies! Check out her wonderful blog and all the great cookie recipes linked up!

Leprechaun Beard Cookie Pops

I made some St. Paddy's Day cookies the other day, and decided to make a leprechaun beard cookie pop, in the fashion of my mustache and lollilip cookies:) I displayed my three cookies together, so you can see all the components as a unit, and get the idea for the beard. Here's the solo leprechaun cookie from last year.

Here's how the leprechaun beard cookie pop looks in action. I had a bit of a hard time taking the wee leprechaun's photo; there was a small window of compliance, and he wanted me to hold the cookie to his chin. Consequently the photo was taken one-handed, and a bit too close.  He's a happy little leprechaun, and was rewarded with the cookie pop:)

This is the cute ribbon that triggered the inspiration for the beard pops. I love it! Since I didn't have a beard cookie cutter, I free-handed a template, cut from a file folder.  I set the template on the cookie dough and cut around it with a small sharp knife. I made the cookie fairly thick so that I could insert the cookie stick(before baking) and have it stay put and support the baked cookie. Let the cookie pops cool for awhile(firm up) before moving them to a cooling rack to completely cool.  When you remove the pops from the cookie sheet with the spatula, be sure to include supporting the section of the cookie where the stick is inserted, to prevent breakage.

I also made some shamrock cookies using the cutter that Diane (Created by Diane) gifted me with last year (they didn't arrive in time for St. Paddy's Day last year).  Thanks Diane, I love the cutter!

All the cookies are sugar cookies with royal icing.  You will find the recipes HERE on my blog.

Have fun with your own wee ones making cookies for St. Patrick's Day! 

I'm linked up to "Fridays Unfolded" at:

Lemon Shortbread Truffles

If you are a lemon lover, I guarantee you will love these lemon shortbread truffles. With the addition of shortbread, they also fit the bill for St. Patrick's Day. Next time I will add a little more shortbread cookie crumbs to bind the filling a bit more and because I love shortbread. Regardless, with the sweet and tangy lemon curd/lemon zest combo, these are fabulous.

After biting into the candy coated shell, you are rewarded with a soft, creamy filling,and a hint of shortbread cookie crumbs. My homemade lemon curd (recipe soon) made the truffles extra special.
I decided not to add the yellow food coloring to the filling, as the recipe suggested, because I wanted to be able to see the lemon zest and cookie crumb, but I wish I had added a small amount to the shell, just for a color contrast.
My husband tried one and called it "killer!" I agree, and for that reason I'm sending the rest of the truffles with him to work:)

Lemon Shortbread Truffles ( *Adapted from about.com)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened  (*I only had 3/4 cup, so to that added 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese)
• 6 ounces white chocolate, about 1 cup of chips
• 1/2 cup lemon curd (I made my own)
• Zest of one large lemon
• A few drops of yellow food coloring, optional (I didn't use)
• 3/4 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
• 1 lb white candy coating

Preparation:

1. Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with aluminum foil and set aside for now.
2. Place the softened cream cheese in a mixer bowl and beat on medium-high until smooth and creamy. Add the melted white chocolate and mix on low until smooth.
3. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cookie crumbs, lemon curd, lemon zest, and food coloring, if using. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour, until firm enough to scoop.
4. Shape the mixture into small balls and set the balls on a foil-lined baking sheet. Put the sheet in the freezer to harden the balls for about 20 minutes--you don't want them frozen, just firm enough to hold their shape when dipped.
5. While waiting for the truffles to firm up, prepare the candy coating by melting it in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir until melted and smooth.
6. Once the coating is melted and the truffles are firm, dip each one in the candy coating and place it on the foil-lined baking sheet. If you want, you can decorate the tops with extra shortbread crumbs or slivers of lemon rind while the coating is still wet. Repeat until all truffles are dipped.
7. Refrigerate the tray until the coating is set, about 10 minutes. Store Lemon Shortcake Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.