Maple Twist Cookies

It's four days before Christmas and we're still baking cookies. These Maple Twist Cookies are a favorite of mine. My mother and aunt would make these every year for Christmas.

I tried making these last year but they turned out to be an epic failure because my mother's recipe was a little short on instructions.

This year I called out the reserves on this one. My cousin Jimmy and our good friend Verna both had this recipe so I tried again this year.

They may not look perfect but the taste is what I remember as a kid. A sweet nutty cookie with a maple flavor. There are so many walnut cookie recipes, the combinations in this one are amazing.

What you need for the dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter Melted (save for later)

Using my Kitchenaid stand mixer, I added the flour and baking powder into the mixing bowl and sifted together.

Add the Crisco, brown sugar, and vanilla. I turned the mixer on low speed and added the eggs and milk. Continue mixing until the dough is formed. Separate the dough into 3 equal pieces and put it in the refrigerator for one hour.

While the dough was chilling it was time to make the filling and icing.

Filling for Maple Twist Cookies:
3 cups walnuts (Crushed)
6 teaspoons of brown sugar
6 teaspoons white sugar
Milk

Combine the crushed walnuts and brown sugar and white sugar in a mixing bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of milk at a time and mix until it looks like a paste. Be careful, don't add too much milk, as it will become runny.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Maple extract
1 tablespoon milk

BLACK+DECKER HC306 One-Touch 1.5 Cup Capacity Electric Chopper, White
Electric Food Choppers Dicers


We used our handy food chopper dicer to chop the walnuts fine enough for this recipe. We find this to be a very handy kitchen tool for small jobs like this one.

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Combine and mix well until the icing is smooth.

My Icing and filling

Now that everything is prepared we can make these cookies. Roll the dough out thin on a floured surface. Brush with some melted butter, and spread the filling.

Fold this over 3 times and seal the ends. Cut them into 1/2 inch slices, give them a twist and place them on a greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Ready for the oven

Bake these at 350 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes. Let them cool and add your icing, or you can make the icing a little runny and brush it on while they are still warm.

I made my icing thick and iced them with a small spatula after the cookies cooled, If you do this you will need to double the icing recipe.

I yielded about 45 cookies you should get 15 or so cookies from each section of dough.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!

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Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Well, we're still on our Christmas cookie baking extravaganza and it is not going to end here so stay tuned for more. These Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies always make the cut for the Holiday's or anytime.

I got on the scale today and lost 2 pounds, I really don't know how that happened after a weekend of baking and sampling cookies. Oh well, I'm happy with that for now but I don't think it's going to last over the next couple of weeks.

This is just another cookie we make every year for the Holidays. These Reese's cup peanut butter cookies are so easy to make and another one that is so tasty. After all who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate?

You're going to use the same cookie dough that is in our Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies click the link to get the cookie dough recipe.

Follow the same instructions as in the other recipe for the dough. This time instead of placing the 1-inch sugar-coated balls on a cookie sheet you're going to place them into mini muffin pan.

You'll need a bag of Mini Reese's Cups or least 48 of them. It's a good idea to unwrap them and put them in the freezer while you're making the cookie dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cookies for about 12 to 14 minutes. They will just begin to rise over the top of the muffin pan.

Take them out of the oven, press in the Mini Reese's Cups and place the muffin pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes. After that, turn the muffin pan over and lightly tap the bottom, they will fall right out.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!

Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: 3.5 LBSKitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Plus Series 4.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, WhiteWilton 2105-6746 Perfect Result Mega 48-Cup Mini Muffin Pan, 15x21-inchTop Rated Bellemain Stainless Steel Non-Slip Mixing Bowls with Lids,

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Sugar Cookies

Make Homemade Sugar Cookies:
If you have children or grandchildren you know what fun it is to make and decorate these easy make sugar cookies for Christmas.

Every year we have so much fun making these with our grandchildren and what lasting memories are created.

You can make this easy and buy the sugar cookie dough already made, but here is a simple homemade sugar cookies recipe.

So we continue our Christmas cookies with this easy recipe and oh so messy decorating process with the kids.

Here is what you need for homemade sugar cookie dough:

2 cups butter softened
6 cups flour
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 teaspoons baking powder

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer combine the butter and sugar together. Then add the 2 eggs and vanilla and continue mixing, and then add the baking powder. Now add the flour 2 cups at a time and mix until a dough is formed.

Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out your cookies with your favorite cookie cutters. We used Round, Christmas Trees, Snow Man, Snow Flake, and Santa cutters. Place them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, the time will depend on the size for the cookie. We bake all of the same size cookies on one sheet at a time.

Make Sugar Cookie Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light Karo Syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Beat powdered sugar and milk together, add the syrup and almond extract. Continue to mix until this is smooth. Now you can add you favorite food coloring.

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Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies

Well, it is Christmas cookie week at our house. Jamie and the boys came over yesterday and started off with one of our favorite go-to cookies for the Holidays the Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookie.

These cookies are actually great and fun to make any time of the year. These are known by many people as Peanut Butter Blossoms or chocolate kiss peanut butter cookies.

This time of the year you can find this recipe right on the back of the bags of  Chocolate Hershey Kisses. As for the recipe, we pretty much stick to the ingredients on the bag with the exception of, we use butter instead of shortening. Also, I've included 3 helpful tips that we always use when making these delightful treats.

Here is what we used for the Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies:

48 Hershey Kisses
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
More sugar for later

In a large bowl mix together the butter and peanut butter until it's blended. Add the 1/3 cups of sugar and brown sugar and continue to beat until it's fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and continue to mix.

Now stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt mix this until you have a dough.

 Tip number 1: Set the dough in the refrigerator while you unwrap the Hershey Kisses.

Tip number 2: After unwrapping the kisses set them in the freezer while you prepare and bake the cookies.

Preparing and baking these homemade Hershey Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies:

Add about 1 or 2 cups of sugar into a bowl, roll the dough into 1 inch balls and then roll them in the sugar. We just love having the kids baking cookies with us.

Bobby and Tyler rolling in sugar 

Place these on a ungreased baking cookie sheet about 2 inches apart or you can use parchment paper as we did.

Ready for the oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies puff up and the bottom is a nice light brown.

Out of the oven

Now take the Hershey Kisses out of the freezer and press one into the middle of each cookie.

 Tip number 3: Place the completed cookie sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!

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Here is your shopping list to make these tasty treats. Check your pantry to make sure you have everything you need. Order now and have these delivered right to your door.

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Hershey's Chocolate Kisses, 56 OunceJif Peanut Butter Creamy 16 ozDomino Sugar, Granulated, 4LB CanisterDomino Premium Pure Cane Light Brown Sugar, 1 lbWatkins Original Extract, Baking Vanilla, 11 Ounce (Packaging mayPillsbury Best All Purpose Flour, 5 lb.Arm & Hammer Baking Soda - 16 ozMorton Iodized Salt, 26 oz, Pack of 2