Showing posts with label creative cookie exchange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative cookie exchange. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2016

Peach Pie Cookies #thecreativecookieexchange

One of the best things about Summer is definitely the fresh fruit, especially peaches! I love, love, love me some peaches. Peach Cobbler is my absolute favorite dessert (although at certain times of the month, it might be a tie with Chocolate Chip Cookies).

The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange is "Celebrating the End of Summer" and while I'm all about doing a happy dance to celebrate the end of hot Summer days, I am always sad to say goodbye to my beloved peach so of course I just had to pay homage to my favorite fruit.



Peach Pie "Cookies" is just my creative way of saying "peach pie that you can shove in your mouth without looking like an insane person" because that is absolutely what you'll want to do when you bite into one of these babies. I literally almost swooned when I took my first bite. I felt my knees start to buckle and everything, and you know when that happens, you're onto something good.

If heaven were a flavor, this would be it. Who's with me?

Peach Pie Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies or 14-15 small muffin size cookies

 Note: For this recipe I used my Whoopie Pie pan but standard size muffin/cupcake pans will work also, you'll just get more cookies
Ingredients:
1 9" pie crust (use premade or your favorite homemade recipe)
2 large yellow peaches, peeled and diced (approx. 1/4" in size)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons golden or light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
zest of one small lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Approx 1/4 cup water

Streusel Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

 Directions:

 Spray your whoopie pie pan (or cupcake/muffin pan if using) generously with non-stick cooking spray.

Make the streusel by combining all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cutting in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry cutter. Set aside.

 Place the diced peaches, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch and lemon zest in a small saucepan and toss with a rubber spatula to coat. Add the lemon juice and water and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the peaches start to become tender (approx. 5 minutes). Note: If the mixture becomes too dry/thickened while you're cooking it, add a little more water.

Remove from heat, place filling in a bowl and allow to cool to room temp.

 Cut the pie dough into 12 circles (if using a whoopie pie pan) using a cookie cutter or approx. 14-15 if using standard muffin/cupcake pans. The dough should fit into the bottom of each well without any gaps. Tip: You don't want the pie dough to be too thin because it is the "base" of your cookie. I cheated and used a premade dough and just unrolled it without rolling it out any further. Keep this in mind if using homemade pie dough.

 Place the cut circles of dough into the bottom of each greased well. Evenly divide the cooled pie filling into each well and top with the streusel. Then spray the tops with canola oil spray.

Bake at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until the streusel is set and browned. Tip: You want to make sure the crust is nice and crispy so the cookies are easy to remove and the bottom is a sturdy base for the filling.

 Remove from oven and place the pan(s) on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Gently run a thin/sharp knife around the edges to loosen the pies and remove to a cooling rack.


Enjoy!

 These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are made.




Summer is almost over, and we have cookies to remember it by! Hint: a lot of these cookies could be made and frozen, to pull out a slice of summer in February! You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 9:27 PM 159 comments
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Pepper Jack and Green Chile Cornbread Madeleines for #thecreativecookieexchange

Have you ever had a savory madeleine? If not, you're in for a treat with my Pepper Jack Cheese and Green Chile Cornbread Madeleines!
The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange was cheese. As most of you know, I can't eat dairy (wah!) except for small amounts of butter or milk/cream in some baked goods, so to be honest, I was unable to eat my own creation. Everyone who tried them, enjoyed them so I am trusting their judgement on this one. I don't think they would steer me wrong!
These madeleines are not the kind you would have for dessert with a cup of tea (although you could if you wanted!). Think of them as the perfect side dish to a bowl of your favorite chili or tomato soup. 
So, c'mon.  Be wild and take a walk on the savory side! You just might find you enjoy it there...




Green Chile and Pepper Jack Cheese Cornbread Madeleines
Makes 24

Ingredients:
1/4 c diced yellow onion
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
1/2 cup diced green chiles
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 f

Spray a madeleine pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a small skillet and cook the onions over low heat until softened. Drain and set aside to cool.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, honey and melted-cooled butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the cheese and green chiles.

Spoon enough batter to just fill each madeleine cavity. Bake approx. 10 minutes or until the madeleines spring back when pressed and they are lightly browned.

Remove from oven and cool in pan for about one minute, then remove from pan. Repeat process until all batter is used (be sure to cool the madeleine pan before baking the next batch).


Serve warm or room temp with butter.

As with all Madeleines, these are best enjoyed the day they are baked.



Cheese makes everything better--even cookies! Sweet or savory, you can find them here! You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 12:22 AM 10 comments
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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

No Bake Cookie Butter S'mores Bites #CreativeCookieExchange

I've been on a bit of a S'mores kick lately. I recently made these decadent Nutella S'moreos for my Leftovers Club partner. There's something about S'mores that's synonymous with Summer don't you think?



The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange was no bake cookies. After all, who wants to turn on the oven on a hot Summer day? Not me and I'm pretty sure you don't either. On those days, these No Bake Cookie Butter S'mores Bites are the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet craving.
So leave the oven off, grab an ice cold drink, kick back in front of the fan and enjoy one of these No Bake Cookie Butter S'mores Bites!





No Bake Cookie Butter S'mores Bites
Makes 12 large cookies or one 13"x9" pan


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup cookie butter
6 cups mini marshmallows + 2 cups
6 cups Golden Grahams cereal
2 cups dark chocolate

Place the 2 cups of chocolate chips in the fridge 15 minutes prior to making. This will help keep them from melting.

Spray a 12 cup silicone muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line a 13"x9" pan with nonstick foil (alternatively line with regular foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray).

Place the butter and cookie butter in a large pot and stir constantly until melted. Add the 6 cups of marshmallows and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat and fold in the cereal then fold in the chocolate chips and remaining 2 cups of marshmallows.

Divide evenly between the muffin cups and press firmly. Allow to cool completely. Once cool, carefully remove from the pan and serve.

Store leftovers in an air tight container for up to 2 days.


To hot to turn on your oven? The theme this month for the Creative Cookie Exchange group is No Bake Cookies! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links. You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). We all post on the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking (or this month "no baking"), check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 12:00 AM 12 comments
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Monday, April 18, 2016

Candied Flower Shortbread Cookies for #creativecookieexchange





So if you saw my recent Instagram post, you might be guessing who the special person is who inspired these cookies. Well, that person would be my mom!



I don't talk about my mom very often on the blog. I mainly focus on sharing recipes without getting too personal, because after all, you are here for the food. Well, the theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange was Mother's Day so I thought now would be the perfect time to say a little bit about the woman who has been a major influence in my life.

 
My mom was born and raised in the Philippines and had far from a privileged childhood. As a result, she's not a very mushy, sentimental type of person. My mom taught me the value of hard work, to earn what I have and not expect it to be handed over on a silver platter. She taught me to be tough and strong, to put my family before myself and to give without expectation. I am the person I am today because of my mother.

 
My mom has the biggest green thumb of anyone I know. She can grow anything, anywhere. Here she is with her giant collard greens! The leaves are almost as big as she is!!
This woman could literally make roses grow out of a rock (ok maybe not literally, but you get the picture). I don't know how she does it. Growing up, she had these beautiful rose bushes which she would care for and water every day. The smell of roses in our front yard was intoxicating. I, unfortunately, did not inherit her green thumb, but I can bake, and I baked these cookies for her.

These Candied Flower Shortbread Cookies are the perfect tribute to my mom. Made with pretty, edible flowers, they are beautiful, strong and not too sweet, just like my mom...

These cookies are also far from perfect, just like me...

I know your mom would enjoy them too! Why not make some for Mother's Day?

Candied Flower Shortbread Cookies
Makes approx. 18 cookies (depending on the size)
Adapted from Curtis Stone

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling
1 cup + 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt
Egg wash - l large egg white, beaten which 1 tablespoon water
18 edible flowers (small pansies preferred)

Directions:

Prepare the flowers

Gently wash the flowers in cold water and place face down on a paper towel to dry for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the flowers face up and allow to dry completely.

Make the dough

Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using your hand mixer), cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy (approx. 2 minutes).

Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed just until combined.

Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap, form into a disc, wrap tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Bake the cookies

When ready to make the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes so that it is pliable enough to roll out.

Preheat oven to 350f

Roll the dough to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Cut into circles using a 1 3/4" to 2" cookie cutter (depending upon the size of your flowers). You can do a mixture of both sizes if needed. The size of your flowers will dictate the size you need to cut the cookies into.

Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove from fridge and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until just lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place the cookies on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Apply the flowers

Reduce oven temp to 325F

After cookies have completely cooled, brush them lightly with egg wash. Carefully place the a flower on the top of each cookie and lightly brush the flower with the egg wash so that it adheres to the cookie.



Sprinkle each cooking lightly with granulated sugar.




Place the cookies back on the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes or until the flower has dried out.

Remove from the oven and place the cookies on the cooling rack.



Store cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note: My edible flowers were pretty large and thick so I had to use just some of the petals to construct a flower. Small, flat flowers are preferred for this recipe so you can keep the entire flower intact

Mother’s Day is coming! And what better cookies to make than those either in honor of or for our mothers? You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 9:03 PM 18 comments
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Monday, March 21, 2016

Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Hamantashcen #creativecookieexchange

Spring is here, the sun is shining (well at least here in Southern California it is) and the flowers are in bloom! What could be better? Umm....cookies of course! 
 
 

 The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange was Traditional Spring Cookies from Around the World. Originally I wanted to post a recipe for Chinese Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year) Moon Cookies. It is traditional to eat Moon Cakes during this time of year, but I wanted to make them in cookie form using these beautiful moon cake molds. 

I travel to China quite a bit for work, so the Chinese Moon Cookie was a cookie I could relate to. Unfortunately, I ran into a glitch finding the ingredients I needed, so that's a recipe I'll have to save for another day. In the mean time, I still have these cool moon cake/cookie molds which I love...

 

 So operation "Plan B" was Hamantaschen, a Jewish cookie traditionally eaten during Purim. I have never had Hamantaschen before, but I've always been intrigued by the traditional triangular shape and the wide variety of flavors. I decided to take this traditional Jewish cookie and give it a twist with Pistachio Frangipane and Peaches! Normally frangipane is made with almonds, but I wanted to use pistachios for a more unique flavor and also for the beautiful color it would give to the cookies. I added cardamom to the cookie dough to compliment the peach and pistachio flavors. The result was delicious twist on a traditional Spring Cookie!



Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Hamantaschen
Makes approx. 20 Cookies

Note: You will have leftover frangipane from this recipe. It makes a great croissant filling, just spread into an already baked croissant and bake until crispy/heated through


Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting your work surface

 Pistachio Frangipane Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw shelled pistachios
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange peel
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg


Other:
 1/2 cup peach jam or preserves (I used Sara Beth's)
Sugar in the raw for sprinkling
Egg wash (1 egg beating with a little water)



 Instructions:

 Make the filling

 Place the pistachios, sugar, orange zest and baking powder in a food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped.

Add the butter and egg and process until you have a fairly smooth paste.




 Make the dough

 Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on med-low speed until creamy. Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula.

 Mix in the egg yolk on low speed, then mix in the vanilla extract, cardamom and salt. Mix just until combined.

 Add the flour and pulse a few times to incorporate some of the flour, then mix on low until a dough if formed. Divide the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Assemble the cookies

 Working with one disk of dough at a time, place the disk on a flat surface generously dusted with powdered sugar. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the disk, then roll into the dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes using a 3" cookie cutter. Place the disks of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

 Place approx. 1/2 tsp of frangipane in the center of each disk, then place 1/2 tsp of peach jam on top.



 Using your fingertip, wet the edges of the dough with water. Fold one side of the dough (either the left or right) partially over the filling, then fold the other side over at an angle to create a triangular shape. Last, fold the top part over.





Cupcake Project has a great visual tutorial on the folding process. Check it out here

 Brush the cookies lightly with egg wash then sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake at 400f for approx. 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.




 We all associate cookies with “The” holidays in December, but spring holidays are a great time for cookies also! Whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or something else, we’ve found some great traditional cookies from around the world for you!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:


Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 9:19 PM 17 comments
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Monday, February 15, 2016

Passion Fruit Curd Shortbread Cookies #creativecookieexchange


I am in love with sandy beaches, tropical drinks, warm island breezes and this Passion Fruit Curd! How about you?

I originally shared the recipe as a filling for a Vanilla Cake, but for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange, the theme was "Tropical Cookie Take Me Away" and this amazing Passion Fruit Curd immediately came to mind.
Passion Fruit Curd paired with shortbread cookies is sweet, tropical perfection.



Passion Fruit Curd Shortbread Cookies
Makes approx. 20 cookies
** The curd recipe makes approx. 2 cups of curd. You will have leftover curd which should be stored in the fridge.

Curd Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup passion fruit puree
4 tablespoons room temp butter, cubed
pinch of salt

Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar (or granulated sugar)
1 egg yolk
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/14 cups all purpose flour

Curd Directions:
Combine the egg yolks, sugar and passion fruit puree in a saucepan. Cook over med-low heat whisking constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (this takes approx. 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat add a pinch of salt and gradually whisk in the butter until completely melted. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl or jar. Cool completely then refrigerate.



Cookie Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes) scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the egg yolk, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix just until combined.

Add the flour and salt mixture and mix on low speed just until big clumps start to form. Using your hand, form the mixture into a ball.

Shape into 1" balls and place onto prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb, create a well in the center of each cookie large enough to hold about a tablespoon of curd.

Bake approx. 15-18 minutes or until just lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from oven and fill each well with curd. Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to allow the curd to set.



Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.



Serve the same day.

To make ahead, bake the cookies but do not fill with curd. Fill each cookie with curd and sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Enjoy!!


It’s that time of year again, the time when many of us want to daydream about being somewhere else. A tropical treat is just the ticket! The Creative Cookie Exchange is going all tropical this February, and that could mean anything from fruit to spices to cut-out cookies. We’ve got you covered!





You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 10:10 PM 18 comments
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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Cookie Butter and Raspberry Jam Heart-print Cookies


Who doesn't love Valentine's Day? I'm a sucker for anything heart shaped (as you can tell from the blog logo). This month's Creative Cookie Exchange theme was Hearts/Love....totally up my alley.


I had a total baking fail with my Raspberry Palmiers so I went with these Cookie Butter and Raspberry Jam "Heartprint" Cookies. The heart shape makes them perfect for Valentine's Day, but really they would be cute for any occasion especially if you're a cookie butter fan like I am!




Cookie Butter & Raspberry Jam Heart-print Cookies
Makes 24 cookies

 Note: This recipe requires a total of 30 minutes of chilling time

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup Trader Joe's Cookie Butter (or Speculoos Cookie Butter)
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

 Directions:

 Place the raspberry jam in a small bowl and stir to loosen. Set aside.

 Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

 Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use your electric hand mixer). Cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 1 minute). Scrape down the beater and the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

 Add the cookie butter and mix on low speed until combined.

 Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the paddle and bottom & sides of the bowl again.

 Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

 Refrigerate the dough for 10 miunutes to make it easier to handle.

 Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into 1 1/2" balls.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place 12 balls approx. 2" apart on each cookie sheet. With the palm of your hand (or bottom of a glass), flatten each ball into disk approx. 1 3/4" in diameter.

 Using your finger, or the bottom of a wooden spoon, make a heart pattern into the top of each cookie. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.


While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350f

 After 20 minutes, place the baking sheets in the oven and bake approx. 10 minutes. The cookies should look slightly set but should not be all the way done.

Remove from oven. At this point, the heart pattern will probably have faded quite a bit. Using your finger, or bottom of a wooden spoon, reshape the heart pattern. Fill each heart with raspberry jam and return to the oven to bake for another 2 minutes.


Remove from the oven. Cool on the cookie sheets for 30 seconds then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

 These cookies are best the same day they are made/. Store leftovers tightly covered in an air tight container for up to 1 day.
Posted by Faye and Yvonne at 3:37 PM 0 comments
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