HOMEMADE FORTUNE COOKIES

Thinking of making a customizable treat for someone in your life? Perhaps Valentine’s Day is coming up, maybe you want to cheer a friend up or you need the perfect gift for your anniversary. Look no further than this easy to personalize fortune cookies recipe! Not only can you leave super cute handwritten notes for someone inside or notes of encouragement but the cookies themselves are pretty addictive! When creating my fortune cookies I noticed that it is important to work quick which is why I recommend making your notes or messages ahead of time and having them already prepared. Additionally, when creating customized fortune cookies, you want to make sure you don’t make the batter too thick so that they dont turn into mini pancakes. Instead, spoon out as much as you need and spread it out in a circular motion so you can almost see the parchment paper underneath. Lastly, I would also recommend creating only making two fortune cookies at a time as you need to work fast and it can get harder the more you make at one time. Enjoy!

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INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 20 Fortune Cookies


4 Egg Whites
1 Cup of Flour
1 Cup of Sugar
4 TBSP of Water
2TSP of Almond Extract

You will also need:
Hand Mixer
Whisk
Medium Size Bowl
Baking Tray
Parchment Paper
Muffin Tray


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DIRECTIONS:

Write out your ‘fortunes’ on strips of paper 4.5-5 inches in length.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form .

Add in your flour, sugar and almond extract, and mix with a whisk until it turns into a paste.

Add in your water and continue to combine with a whisk.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and make circles with the mixture about 4.5 inches in diameter. You don’t want to do more than three at a time (I found my sweet spot to be 2) and don’t make them too thick or else they will come out like pancakes. So make sure they are thin!

Bake for 4 minutes or until edges brown slightly.

Remove from oven allowing to cool for 5 seconds before quickly but carefully pealing the pancake off the parchment and folding it in half with one of the notes inside. Pinch the sides together before folding it in half again using a cup or a lip of a bowl (see below photo for demo).

Place in muffin tray to cool and harden.

Flip parchment paper over and repeat. NOTE: You don’t want to use a piece of parchment paper more than twice otherwise the cookies start to stick to the paper.


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I hope you enjoyed this homemade fortune cookies recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy baking!!!


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S'MORES COOKIES IN A JAR

Friendly reminder, you don’t need to spend a million dollars to show loved ones that you care about them this holiday season. Instead, give them a gift that is both homemade and personalized like that of some freshly baked sweets!

I for one love receiving homemade cookies or handmade gifts during the holiday season and one such gift I love to not only give but receive is ‘cookies in a jar’. This year, wow your friends with this festive s’more’s cookies recipe! No matter if you decide to bake them yourself or give a jar of cookie mix to someone as a gift, these cookies are sure to impress everyone on your list!



INGREDIENTS:



You will need 1L jars! Each jar yields approximately 9-10 cookies!

- FOR THE JAR -
1.75 CUPS of All-Purpose Flour
1 TSP of Cornstarch
1/2 TSP of Baking Soda
1/2 TSP of Salt
1/3 CUP of Brown Sugar
1/4 CUP of Granulated Sugar
1/4 CUP of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
4-5 Graham Crackers
1 Cups of Mini Marshmallows
9 Hersey Pieces


- FOR BAKING -

1/2 CUP of Salted Butter
1 Egg
1/2 TSP of Vanilla


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DIRECTIONS:

When building the cookie mix jar, first make sure they are clean and dry inside.

Mix all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, and then dump it into the jar using a paper funnel and packing it down.

Next dump in your Brown sugar, followed by your granulated sugar, and topped with the semi-sweet chocolate chip to create three additional layers.

Next, add a layer of cling wrap followed by your graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey bars. You want to do this so that they can be easily removed from the jar and separated from the mix when your recipient is ready to make the cookies.

Seal the jar and decorate as desired.

Make sure while decorating the jar to add a tag with the following instructions on how to bake the cookies:

- Preheat oven at 350
- Add 1/2 Cup of Salted Butter, 1 Eggs, and 1/2 TSP of Vanilla to a large bowl and beat until well combined.
- Open the jar and removed the top layer that is wrapped in cling wrap - set aside
- Dump the remainder of the jar in with butter and egg mixture and blend till cookie dough starts to form.
- Break graham crackers up and add 2/3 of broken crackers and 2/3 of mini marshmallows to the dough, folding it in. *You will want to save the remaining 1/3’s for garnish!
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and create dough balls 2-3 TBSP in size and bake for 8 -10 minutes or until almost done, before removing the cookie trays from the oven, garnish with the remaining graham crackers, marshmallows, and pieces of the Hersey chocolate, and return to oven for an additional 2 minutes. (If desired, switch the oven to broil and toast the marshmallows on top. Just be sure to watch them because the small marshmallows burn quickly!)
- Cool for 2-3 minutes on a wire cooling rack before eating or storing in an airtight container.


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I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!


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Smores.jpg

3D GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE

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Level up your dessert table this year with this 3D Gingerbread Christmas Tree! It is not only so fun to make but it is also the perfect centerpiece at Christmas dinner. If you are looking for something to do that not only fill the house with the best smell (HELLO GINGERBREAD COOKIES!!) but is also a great activity the whole family can get involved in, this is it!

Happy Holidays my friends!


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INGREDIENTS:

Makes 1 Christmas Tree

- Gingerbread Cookie Recipe -
2/3 of a CUPS of Butter (unsalted) - softened
2 CUPS of Granulated Sugar
2 Large Egg - at room temperature
2/3 of a CUP of Fancy Molasses
5.5 CUPS of Flour (All Purpose)
3 TSP of Ginger
2 TSP of Cinnamon
1 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Ground Cloves
Large Pinch of Salt

- Decorations -
Cookie Icing - White, Green, Red are traditionally used
Sprinkles
Icing Sugar

- Tools -
10 PC Christmas Star Cookie Cutter - I found mine on Amazon and it arrived in 2 days! *Please note I did not use all 10 stars, I started from the smallest and worked my way larger. If you want to use all 10 stars (and have a massive tree) you will need to double your gingerbread cookie ingredients)
Wax Paper
Parchment Paper
Baking Tray
Icing Piping Bag and Decorative Tips


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DIRECTIONS:

Blend softened butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in your egg and fancy molasses.

In a separate bowl mix your flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and salt. Whisk until well mixed.

Slowly start to add your flour mixture into your butter mixture until a dough starts to form. You may want to finish it off with your hands.

Make two dough balls from the mixture and wrap them in plastic wrap before placing them in the fridge for an hour.

After an hour, remove the dough balls from the fridge and let them rest for 10 minutes before rolling them out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used my clean countertop to roll the dough out and placed wax paper on top of the dough for easy rolling.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut out 2-3 cookies of each size (starting from smallest and working your way larger) of the Christmas Star and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place each shape 1/2 - 1 inch apart because the cookies do spread out and puff up a little. I didn’t use all 10 of my stars (I think I stopped at 7) as I didn’t want my tree to be too big.

Bake for 11 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool down before stacking them from the largest size to the smallest size. Use a little bit of icing when stacking to help hold them in place and level them out.

When you get to the final star cookie use icing to stick it to the top standing up to create a Christmas tree star!

Decorate as desired.

Allow to dry/harden in a safe place and store at room temperature.


I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!


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PEEK-A-BOO SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES

The Best Shortbread Linzer Cookie Recipe

It's not always easy to keep up financially with the holidays. Although I love giving people gifts and putting a smile on my friends and family members faces, my thoughtful nature can get quiet expensive if I'm buying everyone gifts. That is why during the holidays I love to bake! Putting your efforts towards spreading holiday cheer through making something can often be the perfect gift to share with loved ones. One of my go - to holiday gifts this year are these super cute peek-a-boo shortbread snowflakes. I filled mine with my favourite jam, Bonne Maman but you can use Nutella, Dulce De Leche, or whatever filling you like! Enjoy!


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Peek a boo jam filled shortbread snowflakes

INGREDIENTS FOR SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES:

1 CUP of unsalted softened butter
3/4 Cup of Icing Sugar
1/2 TSP of Vanilla Extract
1/4 TSP of Salt
2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup of your favorite jam!

*you can dust the cookies with icing sugar at the end for extra effect!

STRAWBERRY JAM

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HOW TO MAKE SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES:

In a mixer or by hand place softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and mix until well incorporated. 

Add in your all-purpose flour bit by bit till a dough starts to form. (TIP: If it is too sticky you can always add a little bit more flour at the end)

Once the dough is formed wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Once ready, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Roll out dough between two pieces of wax paper! Use snowflake cut out to make your desired shape and place on a baking tray lined with a cookie sheet or wax paper. Half of these will become 'Peek-A-Boo' tops to the cookie (TIP: Once on the baking tray it is easier to make the smaller inside 'Peek-A-Boo' cut-outs using a smaller snowflake and extracting the inside cut out with a toothpick!)

When ready place in the oven for 20 minutes or until cookies become golden on the edges. Rotate the trays halfway (about 10 minutes).

Let cool before sandwiching a layer of jam between the bottom full shortbread cookie and the 'peek-a-boo' cut out top shortbread cookie!

Enjoy!


If you like this Shortbread Linzer Cookie recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!


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HOLIDAY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIE RECIPE!

Queue the Christmas music, ......"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"
The holidays are a great excuse to get together with family and celebrate. With all the parties and gatherings you are going to this year perhaps a little baking session is needed. Here's an easy and fun gingerbread cookie recipe that is not only delicious but great for any party. This year I was even thinking I could write people’s names on them and use them as place cards on a dinner table! Or keep some blank cookies for my nephew and nieces to decorate as a pre-dinner activity. I recently made a 3D gingerbread Christmas tree which turned out amazing! The creative opportunities are endless! Enjoy!

Makes about 30 cookies


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INGREDIENTS FOR GINGERBREAD COOKIES:

1/3 of a Cup Butter (unsalted) - softened
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg - at room temperature
1/3 of a Cup of Fancy Molasses
2 and 3/4 Cups of Flour (All Purpose)
1 1/2 TSP of Ginger
1 TSP of Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/4 TSP Ground Cloves
Pinch of Salt

*You will also need cookie cutters and icing!


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HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD COOKIES:

Blend softened butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in your egg and fancy molasses.

In a separate bowl mix your flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and salt. Whisk until well mixed.

Slowly start to add your flour mixture into your butter mixture until a dough starts to form. You may want to finish it off with your hands.

Make two dough balls from the mixture and wrap in plastic wrap before placing them in the fridge for an hour.

After an hour, remove the dough balls from the fridge and let them rest for 10 minutes before rolling them out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used my clean countertop to roll the dough out and placed wax parchment paper on top of the dough for easy rolling.

Cut out your shapes and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place each shape 1/2 - 1 inch apart because the cookies do spread out and puff up a little.

Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 10 if you want them soft and 12 if you want them crunchy.

Remove from oven and allow to cool down before decorating.


If you like this gingerbread cookie recipe or have any comments/questions about how to make gingerbread cookies, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!


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