Hey Everyone,

So Ive been a bit lazy with my blogging. After thanksgiving and that lasagna episode, I was tired....so so tired. But now I'm back. Back with  vengeance. A big cookie vengeance. Every holiday season I go to town baking pumpkin breads and banana breads. Cinnamon swirl bread...and they are sooo good. especially my cinnamon swirl bread. A not too sweet quick bread with a brown sugar  walnut swirl. Yum.
I think I'm going to try my hand at cookies this year. Ive always been a bit intimidated with cookie recipes because they are so easy to scew up if you take your eye off them for one minute.  Or if your oven is acting up that day. But Ive seen  few nice ones that I think are going to make some nifty gifts for my friends.
In Martha Stewart's magazine this month there is an article "One basic dough, 30 kinds of cookies". This looks like it could be right up my alley. I'm all about multi baking. If I can take a basic recipe and tweak it into something else..kudos!.   Of course I'm always out to eyeball a Paula Deen recipe, and Ive got my eyeballs on a few that I most definitely will try because they tend to be very simple to make and so good. And I'm all about a simple recipe.  The first one I saw on her cookie swap show tonight. I tried to insert the link but it wasn't working tonight. You can google the recipe and it will come up.

Paula Deen's Sand Tarts

Makes: 3 dozen cookies
1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in pecans.
3. With floured hands, shape dough by level measuring tablespoons into about 2" by 1/2" crescents. Place crescents, 2 inches apart, on 2 ungreased large cookie sheets.
4. Place cookie sheets on 2 oven racks. Bake about 45 minutes or until edges are lightly browned, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through cooking. With metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks set over waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle remaining confectioners' sugar through sieve over cookies to coat well. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. Store cookies in tightly sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature, up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition facts (each cookie): About 105 calories, 1 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 8 g total fat (4 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 15 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium.

The next recipe I've actually made before. It's a chocolate crackle recipe. It's a recipe from my favorite southern belle Paula Deen (cant remember what she calls them). But this recipe I actually got from food network magazine. So I'm sure its all in the family on that one. Anyway, these are two easy ones that I am definitely going to make within the next week or so. Also, I saw a really cute way to present them as a present. In a plastic bucket (the ones kids use in the sandbox lol) filled with Turbinado sugar to look like "sand". I saw it on the cookie swap and when it was all wrapped in cellophane it looked so cute and fun. I know that is something I'm going to look into. So here's the next recipe.

Double chocolate crackles

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and eggs until combined, then stir in the white chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, then roll in the confectioners' sugar until well coated. Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.

Bake until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Ok so...Im off, so enjoy the cookie recipes and if you try them and like them, leave me some comments on my blog!

Until next time