Sweet Potato Spice Cookies

Hello everyone! The next cookie recipe for my cookie challenge is a sweet potato spice cookie. Sweet potato in cookies, say what??? That is actually what I thought at first... it did not seem very appealing to me. But, the idea stayed in the back of my head and kept creeping up the more I thought about it. So, I guess it crept up enough huh? :) This cookie just seemed to fit the Thanksgiving spirit of the week, so here it is!
Now, I modified the order of how the ingredients are added to the batch because I FORGOT to add the oats... sigh... I realized that after the cookies were already baking. The cookies still came out okay, but I can see how the oats would really have added to the texture. So next time I won't forget that important ingredient :)
Another thing, I did remove the butterscotch chips (1 cup) that the original recipe called for since I'm not a huge fan of butterscotch chips, but feel free to add it into the recipe. Another idea I had was to instead add 1 cup of white chocolate chips. Maybe next time!
Hope you are having a wonderful turkey day, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato Spice Cookies


Ingredients:
-3/4 cup butter, softened
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1 egg
-1 cup finely shredded uncooked sweet potato
-3 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
-2 cups AP flour
-1-1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 cup coconut flakes
-1 cup chopped pecans


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, sweet potato, and orange juice concentrate. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the coconut flakes and chopped pecans.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe originally from Taste of Home - Sweet Potato Spice Cookies
For more of my cookie challenge cookie recipes, click here. 

No Bake Cookies

Hello everyone! Continuing on my cookie challenge, today I bring you No Bake Cookies. I was introduced to these marvelous things a long time ago, I think even before I got married. Back then I wasn't too confident about baking, so the thought of making cookies that didn't require baking were very appealing to me. I made these cookies and my then boyfriend (now husband) absolutely loved them! So I saved the recipe. It is such a simple cookie to make that I feel like I should make it more often... and it would be soooooooooooo hard to get rid of them... ;)

One tip though, this batch I made for a church luncheon, and so I doubled the recipe. It made 94 cookies! But, I wouldn't make more than that at once because towards the end the cookie "batter" started to harden a little bit inside the pot I mixed the ingredients in. So if you need to make more than 2 recipes of this cookie, I would recommend making it separately so you will have a fresh batch again. I have never tried to reheat the batter, so I don't know what that would do...

Hope you enjoy the cookies! :) These cookies nestled in tissue paper in a festive holiday tin would be so cute and a perfect gift for anyone special!

Chocolate Peanut-Butter No Bake Cookies

Makes ~3-4 dozen cookies (Tbsp sizes)

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups oatmeal
Waxed paper

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil the sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the tablespoonfuls (or whatever size you desire), until cooled and hardened.


Recipe from Food Network, courtesy of Helen Ostrosky
For more of my cookie challenge cookie recipes, click here. 

Polka-Dot Macaroons

Hi everyone! For my first cookie challenge, I have chosen to make these Polka-Dot Macaroons. Why? Well, we were having friends over for a gathering with lots of little kids, and the fun colored M&M's just made it so cute for them! Or so I thought... it seemed to be a big hit with the "big kids" too :)
These are very simple cookies to make, just takes some muscles to mix the ingredients since the condensed milk and the coconut flakes just want to stick together rather than blend well. So roll up your sleeves and "get 'er done!" so to speak. Enjoy the cookies!

Polka-Dot Macaroons
Makes ~3-4 dozen cookies


Ingredients: 
-5 cups coconut flakes
-1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
-1/2 cup AP flour
-1.5 cups M&M's miniature baking bits


Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 350F. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut flakes, condensed milk, and flour. Stir in the baking bits.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 in. apart (cookies don't grow during baking process) onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F for 7-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets and let cool completely on wire racks.


Recipe originally from Taste of Home Magazine "Fall Baking Cookbook" 2010, submitted by Janice Lass in Dorr, Michigan.
For more of my cookie challenge cookie recipes, click here. 

25 Days of Christmas Cookie Challenge!

The holidays are just around the corner! Are you excited for this? I sure am!!! 
Today at work I had an idea of celebrating this holiday season with a personal challenge. With the theme of "25 Days of Christmas", I want to challenge myself to try and post about 25 different holiday cookies/bars from now until the end of the year. A little ballsy, I know, but hey, why not? So, below is the list of cookies that I plan on trying, and as I blog about the different recipes, I will also link them below. If I end up changing any of the recipes, I'll let you know.


25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipes


1. Almond Bars
2. Angel Wings
3. Berry-Cream Cookie Snaps
4. Candy Cane Cookies - completed 12-11-11
5. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
6. Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Snowballs
7. Chocolate Pecan Tassies - completed 11-27-11
8. Chocolate Snowballs - completed 12-7-11
9. Coconut Clouds
10. Coffee Bonbons - completed 12-12-11
11. Creme de Menthe Truffles - completed 12-11-11
12. Delicate Thin Mints
13. Dipped Pecan Spritz
14. Eggnog Thumbprints
15. Festive Shortbread Logs
16. Mocha Crackle Cookies - completed 12-18-11
17. No Bake Cookies - completed 11-21-11
18. Polka-dot Macaroons - completed 11-20-11
19. Rudolph Treats - completed 12-13-11
20. Rugalach
21. Shortbread Hearts
22. Swedish Butter Cookies - completed 12-5-11
23. Sweet Potato Spice Cookies - completed 11-23-11
24. Thumbprint Cookies - completed 12-4-11
25. Yuletide Cherry Cookies


And here is a cookie recipe I made and gave out to my neighbors last year: Danish Butter Cookies

Streusel Cupcakes

Happy Friday everyone! Ever go to your local coffee shop and crave one of those yummy pastries displayed? No? NO?!!! Well then, you have much stronger will power than I do... I'm one of those weak souls who drool at the sight of a fresh sweet pastry treat. Well, I'd go broke if I bought one every time the craving hit (and it hits a LOT). So, when I saw this recipe on my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, I marked it that I definitely wanted to try! This coffee cake-like cupcake was so nice, and the milk glaze on top added a nice crusty topping along the streusel topping. 
I adapted the ingredients a bit because I ended up having a lot of left-over streusel topping and milk glaze with the original measurements. Also, I think that this recipe would make a lovely loaf too (haven't tried that yet but next time I may make just 12 cupcakes and one loaf).
Hope you enjoy this recipe, and have a fantastic weekend!

Streusel Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups sour cream


Streusel Topping:
1-1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature


Directions:
1. Make the streusel topping: whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until combined but still crumbly. Refrigerate 30 minutes before using.
2. Preheat oven to 350F and line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, and then add the vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. On slowest speed setting, add flour mixture and sour cream; alternating the flour mixture and sour cream in batches (3 of flour mixture and 2 of sour cream). Stir until just combined. 
4. Divide batter evenly among lined tins. Sprinkle half the topping over cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Once baked, transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.



Milk Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.


5. To finish the cupcakes, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers. 


Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes