Thursday, September 27, 2012

Sugar Crinkle Cookies, A Little Bite of Sweetness!

How can you resist such a tiny bit of sweet, buttery goodness? Maybe just one more...
After my son taste tested a few of these, I packaged them up to go to a bake sale.
These little gems are tender inside and slightly crisp on the outside with a gentle lemon flavor. Great for a quick dunk in a glass of cold milk or beside a cup of tea.
Makes approximately 5 dozen.
 Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar for rolling them, maybe a little more
Beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and flavorings. Beat until blended.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to the butter mixture, beating well.
Cover and chill dough for at least 2 hours, this will make it much easier to roll into balls, less stuck on your hands.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar.


Place balls on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350F. for 8-9 minutes or until slightly golden on edges toward bottom.

Allow to rest on sheets for 2 minutes then remove to cooling racks, this way they are less apt to break.
I really need some better lighting in my kitchen...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Super Easy, Fudgy, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I was browsing the cookie section of my recipe binder with an upcoming bake sale in mind, when I ran across this recipe for chocolate crinkle cookies, I couldn't remember the last time I made them, nor why I hadn't.
There are a few things to consider when packing something to go, distance, temperature, will it need refrigeration, to whom is it destined, and who is going to be handling the delivery.
 Since these were going to a bake sale, I will give you my thoughts on bake sales whether you want them or not.
1. The items you are donating should not exceed the price for which it will be sold; in which case you would do just as well to give them the money it would have cost for the ingredients.
2. The items should be something easy and popular, this is not the time to experiment with the spinach brownie recipe you want to try but you know the rest of the family won't touch them.
3. Don't send something fragile. It may be picked up several times and a ziploc full of crumbs does not sell.
4. Don't send a product which will need refrigeration, it won't get it then it could be rancid by the time it is eaten.
5. Always package items in containers you do NOT want returned.
I had a very hectic week so I did this in stages, not a bad idea even for easy weeks. I made the dough the night before while dinner was cooking, then placed in a container to chill overnight. This dough is easier to handle if chilled at least 2 hours.
Makes approximately 48 cookies.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2  1oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
confectioners sugar for rolling, 1-1 1/2 cups (that's a guess)
I melted the unsweetened chocolate in a small, very heavy bottom, sauce pan.
Mix, in a small bowl, flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
Cream the butter, add sugar, beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well.
Add the flour mixture, alternately, with the milk, until all is incorporated.
Chill at least 2 hours.
When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator, and preheat the oven to 350F. Fill a small, shallow bowl with confectioners sugar. Using a spoon, scoop out a heaping teaspoon sized amount and roll in your hands until you have a smooth ball. Drop into the sugar and roll until well coated. Place on a lightly greased sheet pan.
I am having problems with the light settings on my camera, the cookies are not really blue, sorry.





 Bake for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool before popping one into your mouth, trust me on this one!
 As they bake and rise slightly, they form interesting cracks all over the exterior, mmmm.

 This is how I send them to the lady in charge of the bake sale, covered in plastic wrap too. This way she could sell them as a whole or divide them into little baggies to sell in small quantities.
The bake sale was to support The Homeschool Foundation, which helps single parents with homeschooling materials and so much more http://www.homeschoolfoundation.org/ , check them out!