Today is National Macadamia Nut Day.

When we think of this delicious nut we instantly think of Hawaii however they actually originate in Australia where the tree they grow on is native.    Demand and prices for these treats are quite high due to the slow growing nature of the plant and producers need to plant large orchards to be able to keep up the supply.  Macadamia Nuts are now grown in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Mexico, South Africa, and Israel to name a few.

Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets with margarine or cover with parchment paper.

In mixing bowl add butter and sugar.

Cream together

Add egg and vanilla.

Beat together until smooth.

In another bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture.

Chop the macadamia nuts.

Add nuts and chocolate chips to batter.

Stir to incorporate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake until golden about 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies Full Recipe

Today is National Anisette Day.

Anise Biscotti

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. In a small bowl combine the brandy, anise extract and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder.
5. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter and stir well.
6. Mix in half the brandy mixture.
7. Add another third of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining brandy and finishing with the last of the dry.
8. Stir in the almonds and anise seed.
9. Form the dough into two logs 2 x 13 inch long on and place one on each cookie sheet.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool completely.
11. Reduce the oven to 300 degrees F.
12. Cut the logs into 3/4 inch slices and place those on cookies sheets.
13. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, turning once, until dry and browned. Let cool.

Today is National Creative Ice Cream Flavour Day and National Gingersnap Day.

Gingersnap Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In another bowl cream the butter well. Beat in the sugar, then the egg and finally the dark molasses.
4. Adding 1/3 at a time mix in the flour mixture until you form a soft dough.
5. Using your hands take about a 1 tsp size amount of dough and roll it into a ball.
6. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake until the tops are rounded and cracked about 10 minutes.

Today is National Chocolate Pudding Day.

These cookies are great used to make ice cream sandwiches.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In another bowl mix the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add the eggs and mix well.
4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Today is National Pecan Sandies Day.

Pecan Sandies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, vegetable oil, 1 cup white sugar and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
4. In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Mix in the pecans.
6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in remaining white sugar.
7. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden.
9. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Today is National Chinese Almond Cookie Day.

Almond Cookies

1. In a bowl stir together flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in egg white and almond extract.
3. Stir flour into butter mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and chill for 2 hours.
4. Roll the dough into ¾ inch ball and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass flatten slightly. Press an almond into the centre of each cookie.
5. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 12 minutes or until set but not browned.

Today is National Oatmeal Cookie Day.

Oatmeal Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture then stir in the rolled oats.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets, and flatten slightly. Bake for 10 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven.

Today is National Pfeffernuesse Day.

This is a traditional German cookie normally dunked in wine over the Christmas season.

Pffeffernuesse

makes 24 cookies

Things can get so chaotic during the Christmas season. You need to shop for gifts, decorate you tree and house, attend many social and work functions and most importantly do your holiday baking. Some people are happy just picking up something from the store and others will forgo baking altogether but here is a great idea if you want the home baked treats without all the work. This past Sunday I attended a fantastic brunch that included a cookie swab with 5 incredible women.

A cookie exchange is a easy way to get a variety of holiday treats to put out for company in the up coming weeks without a lot of fuss. All you need to do is bake a dozen cookies for each participant of one kind of cookie or treat. In my case I made 6 dozen Strawberry sandwich cookies; one dozen for myself and a dozen for each of the other guests.

If everyone else does the same you end up with a great variety of cookies. You can pick really simple recipes like the Snowballs or showoff your decorative side with the sugar cookies. You don’t even need to make cookies. I ended up with tarts and chocolate truffles.

Our host for the cookie exchange, my boyfriends sister Erin did a fabulous job on the brunch. Her dining room was decorated like something out of a magazine and brunch was divine.

Cheese, fruit and decadent chocolate croissants started out the festivities as we were all introduced to each other or reacquainted.

Like any occasion involving just woman it wasn’t long before laughter broke out and stories of work and families were shared liked old friends.
A brave soul, our host tried out a recipe on us for the first time and it was delicious. It was a English muffin, ham and egg concoction with a tomato jam that was perfect served with a side salad. The dish was not at all heavy for the occasion so I will definitely be posting the recipe in the next couple of days for everyone to try.

I think everyone went home extremely content that day, bellies full and arms laden with holidays treats. And while our holiday baking is done and a little more pressure off our shoulders, I think it was the great food, friends old and new and great conversation that made the day a huge success.

Clockwise from top left: Snowballs, Belgian Cookies, Everything Tarts, Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Trufflesm, Sugar Cookies

Heather’s Sandwich Cookies

(I used 3 different jams this time around)

Andrea’s Belgian Cookies

make approx. 60 cookies

2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
*the above ingredients should be room temp.
Jam, any flavour
White incing
Maraschino cherries, quartered.

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs.
2. Combine flour, salt and baking soda and gradually blend into butter mixture.
3. Press into a ball and chill.
4. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough, 1/4 at a time, till 1/4″ thick.
5. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out dough and arrange 1 1/2″ apart on a ungreased cookie sheet. You can line it with parchment paper if you want.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cook on rack. You can freeze the cookies at this point for later use.
7. Spread jam over one side of cookie and top with a second. Spread the top of the cookie with icing and place a cherry in the middle.

Christine’s Snowballs

3 cups plain peanuts, chopped in blender
1 can Condensed milk
Icing sugar

1. Mix together peanuts and milk in saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until mixture starts pulling away from edges of pan. Let it cool a bit before rolling.
3. Roll mixture into 1″ balls and roll in icing sugar.
4. Snowballs can be frozen.

Lisa’s Sugar Cookies

2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vanilla
5 cups flour

1. Cream together the sugar and butter on mixer speed high. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and beat on medium speed.
2. Add the flour one half at a time, do not over mix.
3. Chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Roll out dough and cut into festive shapes. Place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let cool completely.
6. Decorate with icing.

Royal Icing

2 cups powered sugar
4 tsp milk
4 tsp corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine all ingredients.

Butter cream Icing

1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb powdered sugar
milk, few tablespoonful.

1. Combine first 4 ingredients. Add milk by the tablespoonfuls until your desired consistency.

Connie’s Everything Butter Tarts

Premade tart shells
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup each raisins, pecans and coconut

1. Mix together all ingredients.

2. Spoon mixture into shells and bake for 10 minutes  in preheated oven at 425 degrees F. Turn down temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 10-15 minutes more.

3. Let cool in pan for a few minutes then finish cooling on rack.

Erin’s Chocolate Truffles

1 packages Baker’s Semi Sweet baking chocolate
1 package cream cheese, softened
2 large high quality chocolate bars or 1 bag chocolate chips for dipping.
Toppings: Skor, coconut, nuts, sprinkles, powered sugar, cookie crumbs

1. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth.
2. Melt baker’s chocolate according to directions on package.
3. Combine cream cheese and chocolate and cool completely in fridge or freezer.
4. Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper.
5. Melt dipping chocolate in microwave.
6. Roll cream cheese mixture into balls and dip into melted chocolate with toothpick.
7. Place on wax paper and sprinkle with toppings. Keep refrigerated or freeze with wax paper between layers.
Yield: depends on the size of your balls.

Today is National Cookie Day.

Here are a few cookie recipes i’ve already posted. But of course I also need a new one.

Strawberry Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Sugar Cookie #1
Sugar Cookie #2
Scottish Shortbread
Mom’s Shortbread

Peanut Butter cookies