Tag: christmas

Who doesn’t love a good cookie?

Crazy people. Or boring people.

Who prefers the idea of baking cookies, to actually baking the cookies?

Most people.

Well friends, I like baking cookies but only if they’re quick and easy, and as long as I have most (preferably all) of the ingredients already in my cabinets. The past couple of years I’ve baked cookies for friends/family/work and each time I get the, “Woah you actually BAKED these cookies?” to which I respond with a, “Yeah but they’re super easy. Like genuinely easy, not Ina Garten easy.” Being the nice person I am, I also breakdown the recipes for everyone as proof that the cookies really are that easy.

So to spread some yummy cookie cheer, I’ll share my minimal ingredient secrets with you all!

• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of peanut butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
    • Regular white sugar for a smoother cookie, but if you like a crumblier cookie with a heartier texture use sugar in the raw – I personally prefer sugar in the raw’s cookie texture! Tastes grittier because the sugar doesn’t fully dissolve in the baking process.
  • 1 egg

• Instructions:
  • Preheat oven to 350° F
  • Mix peanut butter, sugar, and egg together until completely combined
  • Use a small spoon to scoop out cookies onto baking sheet
    • I always roll them but other recipes say you can do a simple drop too, no roll
  • Pop cookies in the oven for just under 10 minutes
    • If you use sugar in the raw they take a bit longer to cook, right at that 10 minute mark, but if you use regular white sugar those things are done in like 6-8 mins depending on cookie size
    • It’s also best to take these guys out when they look like they need five more minutes. Once you take them out to cool, they’ll continue to cook on that scorching sheet anyway, and you don’t want a burnt bottom

• Notes:
  • Turn these into “Peanut Butter Blossoms” by adding Hershey’s Kisses on top of the cookies immediately upon removal from the oven. You can use any of the Hershey’s Kisses – I personally prefer the dark chocolate Kisses!

• Ingredients:
  • 1 box of cake mix (literally any kind, red velvet keeps it festive though!)
  • 1 8oz container of cool whip (can be the low fat or reg)
  • 1 egg
  • Confectioner’s sugar (only a plate/bowl full will be needed)

• Instructions:
  • Preheat oven to 350° F
  • Mix together the cake mix, egg, and cool whip until completely combined
  • Form mix into small balls and roll into the confectioner’s sugar until coated
    • The mixture is super gooey, so it’s easier to spoon a drop into the sugar and use the sugar as a barrier between your hands and the gooey mess
  • Bake for 10-12 mins
    • If these guys look like the need five more minutes, let them have their five more minutes. They do all of their cooking in the oven and won’t get much farther once taken out (unlike those peanut butter cookies)

• Notes:
  • These cookies are soft and a tad gooey, but if they taste super gooey and can’t even easily be picked up without sagging… then they’re not cooked all the way.
  • These are also a bit of a blank canvas cookie and taste great with walnuts or pecans added – whatever you picture vibing with the cake box you’ve chosen! Walnuts and chocolate cake mix cookies go well together from my experience 🙂

• Ingredients:
  • Pack of oreos (38 cookies)
  • 8 oz of cream cheese (room temp)
  • 1-2 cups of melting chocolate (either two cups of reg milk chocolate, or one cup white and one cup milk depending on preference/decor!)

• Instructions:
  • Place Oreo’s into gallon ziploc bag and smash those suckers up. Get out all of your pent up anger from 2020, just take it all out on those Oreo’s
  • Mix together the now cookie crumbs and the cream cheese
  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave (or stove if you’re fancy)
  • Roll the cookie mixture into balls and dip into the chocolate using a fork, then place onto baking sheet to dry
    • The decorating/chocolate coating is easier to manage if you form the mix all into balls and place them in the freeze for 10-15 mins to harden and then coat in chocolate. But honestly it’s not super necessary, if you’re as impatient as me then don’t worry about it. But if you like to do things a bit more… “by the book” place them in the freezer for a bit.
    • The chocolate coating bit is where you can get fancy, dipping half the ball into the milk chocolate, half into the white, or drizzle…etc.
  • Once you’re done coating in chocolate, pop in the fridge for about an hour and they’re good to go!

• Notes:
  • Other things you can do to make these more fun is coat in crushed candy cane pieces, sprinkles, nuts, etc – literally anything that you think could vibe with Oreo’s… go for it – they’re your cookies!

• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of butter (softened)
  • 2/3 cup of sugar
  • 2 cups of flour

• Instructions:
  • Preheat oven to 325° F
  • Mix together sugar and butter until completely combined
  • Add in flour
  • Mix all ingredients until perfectly combined – get your hands in there!
  • Option to roll out dough and use cookie cutters for fun shapes, or you can simply roll into balls and flatten into a round cookie
  • Add a sprinkle of sugar onto the top of the cookie for a lil sweet pizazz
  • Pop in oven for 14 – 16 mins or until golden brown

• Notes:
  • These are fun to, of course, coat in icing or sprinkles, but honestly sometimes sugar cookies are best just as they are – simple and sweet.

• Ingredients:
  • Pretzel sticks or regular pretzels
  • 16 oz of melting chocolate (dark, milk, white – whatever your preference)
  • Toppings of choice (sprinkles, candy cane pieces, nuts, M&Ms, etc.)

• Instructions:
  • Prep a baking sheet with wax paper
  • Melt chocolate by filling a tall cup, mason jar, etc (something tall that the pretzel stick can be mostly dunked into) with the melting chocolate
    • If you doing smaller regular pretzels instead of rods, use a bowl instead of cup!
  • Heat cup in microwave in 10 sec intervals, stirring and heating until completely melted
  • Dip pretzels into the chocolate, lay out on the wax paper and then add your topping

• Notes:
  • This can get real messy, real fast – but that’s okay. There are sinks in the kitchen for a reason 🙂
  • It’s also super preference based. Go with whatever your taste is, honestly if you don’t want toppings then don’t put toppings. Simple chocolate covered pretzels are nice too 🙂

. . .

Baking cookies shouldn’t be stressful, if anything it should be a way to put stressful things out of sight and out of mind for a little while. So if you’re someone who likes cookies, but doesn’t care for the whole extravaganza that some cookie recipes call for… try some of the above recipes. If you’re having a small get together or want to make some cookie boxes for friends and family, the above options make such a nice spread that everyone will think you went ham and did the whole grand cookie extravaganza – and it’s not a crime to let them think you made some intricate cookies 😉

. . .