Guest Post: Raspberry Chocolate Macaroons

I love when my sister guest posts! 

She always has the best recipes. 

Here recipes are some of the most popular on this blog! 

I knew I had to have her contribute a recipe 

for 1 Yr Blogiversary Celebration Week 

since she has been such a BIG part of this blog from the beginning. 

I asked her to come up with an awesome Valentine's Recipe, 

and she did not disappoint. 

She really loooooves Macaroons so this was the perfect 

Valentine's Day recipe for her! 

Bon appetit!

Raspberry Chocolate Macaroons

Shopping List:

1 C Confectioner's Sugar

3/4 C Almond Flour

2 lg Egg Whites, room temperature

pinch of Cream of Tartar

1/4 C Superfine Sugar

Chocolate Ganache:

3 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (60-64%), finely chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, soften

1/8 teaspoon raspberry extract

Method:

1.     Pulse confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. I don’t have one so I just used a whisk. Sift mixture 2 times

1. 2.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and keep whisking until soft peaks form.
   3.     Reduce speed and add superfine sugar. Increase to speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form. (approx. 8 minutes)
   4.     Sift flour mixture over the egg whites and fold the mixture until smooth and shiny. Be careful not to under or over mix the batter.
   5.     Place a pastry bag inside a glass so that you can easily scoop batter into the pastry bag. Twist the bag right above the tip before adding the mixture so it doesn’t start seeping out before you’re ready to pipe!
   
   
   
   6.     Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly space ¾ inch round cookie shells by swirling the batter in a circle and lifting up in the middle. Once you pipe all the shells that will fit, pick up the cookie sheet and tap it against the counter as to release air bubbles and flatten out the peaks formed when lighting up with the piping bag.
   
   
   
   7.     Let stand for 15 minutes to adjust to room temperature. When putting the sheet into the oven reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes and at the halfway point, rotate the sheet. Repeat until you’ve used all your batter.
   8.     Let cookie shells cool completely. If you have trouble with the shells sticking to the paper spray the hot sheet with water. The steam will help release them.
   
   9.     Pair up like-size cookie shells and pipe the raspberry chocolate ganache onto shells and carefully sandwich together.

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache:

11.  Melt chocolate and heavy cream in a double boiler.

22. Remove from heat and add butter and raspberry extract.

33. Stir and let stand until cooled complete and slightly thickened.

44. Scoop thickened ganache into piping bag and evenly pipe the ganache amongst the macaroons.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Only a few days left to enter our Red Keurig Mini Brewer BIG GIVEAWAY!  

Click HERE to enter!!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the perfect Valentine's Day Dinner Menu 

for You and Your Sweetie! See you then!

12th Day of Christmas Cookies: Katie's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge

It's the 12th Day of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

I can't believe it! 

This little journey has been so festive and fun! 

I have enjoyed connecting with some women I don't see that often, 

and some I see quite frequently! 

And all of these delicious cookies! 

It's hard not to try and bake them all! 

Today we are wrapping up with my dear friend Katie again. 

She is sharing her Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge recipe. 

In case you hadn't noticed, it's only 4 days til Christmas! 

And the time is past to be baking long, involved recipes. 

These next several days should be spent enjoying friends and family, 

not slaving away in the kitchen! 

So if you are still in need of a quick little dessert, 

you've come to the right place. Katie is not even using an oven! 

Nope! The microwave...

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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge

This is the easiest recipe for fudge I have ever seen. 

It's literally 4 ingredients and very few steps. 

AND, the best part is, it doesn't involve an oven or a stove top!

Shopping List:

1 10oz bag Peanut Butter Chips

1 12 oz bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

2 14 oz cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk (split)

2 tsp Vanilla (split)

Method:

1.Start by lining a 9x9in pan with foil. (If you dont, you won't be able to get fudge out of the pan)

2.Pour the entire bag of peanut butter chips and 3/4 of a can of sweetened condensed milk (you can add more if your fudge is still too thick)

3. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir mixture until all the chips are melted and SCM is mixed well. Put back in microwave for 30 seconds if necessary (I find it takes only 1.5 minutes total to get to the right melted consistency.)

4. Add 1 tsp vanilla to melted peanut butter mixture. Mix well.

5. Pour and spread with a spoon or spatula into the bottom of the pan.

6. Repeat steps 2-4 with semi-sweet chocolate chips. **You may need to add the entire can of SCM to the chocolate chips if it is too thick. 

7. Pour chocolate chip mixture on top of the peanut butter mixture and spread evenly with spoon or spatula. 

8. Refrigerate until fudge is solid and easy to cut with a large butcher knife. (Usually 2-3 hours)

9. Once fudge has set, store at room temperature (refrigeration not recommended). 

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That's it! So quick and easy! I can't wait to try this.

Thank you so much for joining us on the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! 

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. 

Now pick your favorite and go make it with some special people in your life!

Tomorrow, I am sharing a delicious Classic Christmas Wassail recipe! 

This MIGHT BE the best hot drink you've ever tasted. 

And since you can make it in a slow cooker, 

make it the morning of and its ready by dinner! You'll love it!

I'll also recap the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. See you then!

9th Day of Christmas Cookies: Hannah's Cran-Pistachio Cookies

Only 3 days left of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! 

Today my sister Hannah is sharing an awesome 

and unique festive cookie recipe that I am dying to try! 

You all know how important my sister (also my best friend) is to me. 

And I am so thankful she shares on this blog frequently. 

I hope you enjoy her Cran-Pistachio Cookies!

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Cran-Pistachio Cookies

Shopping List:

1 (1 lb 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix 

1 box (4 serving size) Pistachio Instant Pudding and Pie Filling Mix 

1/4 C Flour 

1/2 C Butter, melted 

2 Eggs 

1 C Dry Roasted Salted Pistachio Nuts, chopped 

1/2 C Dried Cranberries, chopped 

Optional - Green Food Coloring

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine cookie mix, flour, and pudding in a bowl. Add melted butter and eggs. This is where you would add green food coloring if you desire, but I forgot to. Mix well. Add pistachios and cranberries. Maybe add less pistachios than it calls for. It's a lot. 

3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded balls of dough onto paper and flatten with fingertips. 

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Be careful to not over bake because these are supposed to be soft. Let them bake a little longer on the pan once you take them out of the oven. 

 Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

XOXO Hannah

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Tomorrow is the 10th Day of Christmas Cookies 

and I'll be sharing a modified, but festive version of the Peanut Butter Blossoms!

8th Day of Christmas Cookies: Julie's Peanut Butter Blossoms

10 Days til Christmas! WHAT?!

I am so excited I can hardly wait. 

This is literally the best 2 weeks of the year in my opinion!!

And today is the 8th Day of the 

12 Days of Christmas Cookies! 

Wow!

My good friend, sweet Julie is sharing a most delicious and 

most festive Peanut Butter Blossom recipe.

I really can't remember the last time we had a Christmas 

without these delicious little cookies. 

They are so yummy!

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Julie's Peanut Butter Blossoms

Shopping List:

1 3/4 C Flour 

1/2 C Sugar 

1/2 C Firmly Packed Brown Sugar 

1 tsp Baking Soda 

1/2 tsp Salt 

1/2 C Butter

1/2 C Peanut Butter 

2 Tbsp Milk 

1 tsp Vanilla 

1 Egg 

Method:

1. Combine in large mixing bowl. 

2. Shape dough into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar. 

3. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 min (I found 10 was enough) until golden brown. 

4. Remove from oven and top each hot cookie with milk chocolate candy kiss. 

XOXO Julie

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I love this recipe so much! 

And I discovered a slightly variation that gives it a whole new flavor, 

while adding some Christmas color! I'll share this recipe on Tuesday.

Until then...

We'll see you tomorrow for the 9th Day of Christmas Cookies 

when my sister Hannah makes Cranberry Pistachio Cookies!

6th Day of Christmas Cookies: Melissa's Peppermint Puppy Chow

Here we are already 1/2 way through the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! 

I am so grateful for the women who have shared all of these wonderful recipes! 

I know I will trying several of them for Christmas! 

Today, my good friend Melissa is sharing her recipe! 

Melissa, like Katie has been such a special friend to me 

and another person I have looked up to for quite some time. 

She is one of the most caring and authentic people I know!

The Sloop Family

Puppy Chow. I MEAN...  I LOVE Puppy Chow. 

If you recall from this past Fall, we made Pumpkin version of this yummy snack. 

So I was so excited when Melissa told me she was making a Christmas version! 

Yes, please! Check out her super easy recipe!

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Melissa's Peppermint Puppy Chow

Shopping List:

15-17 crushed candy canes (appx 1 3/4 C)

  

**I like to crush my candy canes in the blender - much easier and quicker! **

6-7 C Rice Chex cereal

2 C Ghiradelli White Melts or White Almond Bark

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate on low hear in pan.  

2. Pour over cereal and gently mix.  

3. Place crushed candy canes in a ziploc bag or large container and gently shake to mix.  

4. Place candy covered cereal on cookie sheets to cool.  Enjoy!

XOXO Melissa

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Love it! I seriously can't wait to make this. 

We'll see you tomorrow for the 7th Day of Christmas Cookies 

for some Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies!

5th Day of Christmas Cookies: Katie's Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Royal Icing

 It's the 5th day of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies and, 

I can't even tell you have excited I am for this post. 

I have been since I received the photos a few days ago.

 My dear friend and matron of honor Katie is so creative! 

In fact she is the owner of Katie Hall Creative, 

her own photography business 

(you'll be able to tell that from the cookie photos). 

Katie is someone I have looked up to since we became friends 

when I was in college, and I am so grateful to her for sharing this recipe!

Katie, and her beautiful family.

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Sugar Cookie Cutouts with Royal Icing

Shopping List:

3 C All-purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 C Sugar

2 sticks Unsalted Butter, cold, cut into chunks

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and mix on medium speed until well combined.
4. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour mixture, scraping sides of bowl as needed until dough comes together.
6. Place wax paper on countertop and lightly flour surface.
7. Take half of the cookie dough and knead together and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness with rolling pin.
8. Cut out snowflakes with cookie cutters and place onto prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

9. Place cookies into refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill. This will help the cookies keep their shape when baking.
10. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.
11. Allow cookies to cool on pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to continue cooling.

12. Once cookies are cool, decorate with royal icing and sprinkles. Makes 2 - 3 dozen, depending on the size.

Royal Icing

For the icing:

4 C Confectioners’ Sugar

1/4 C Meringue Powder

1/2 Scant Cup Water

To decorate:

Piping Bags

Piping Tip – small round Wilton No.2

Squeeze Bottles

Gel Coloring

Sprinkles

Method:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder and mix on low.
2. Add water and beat on medium speed for 5 - 7 minutes until icing is fluffy and stiff peaks form.
3. Place icing in plastic airtight containers until ready to use. Portion out icing into separate containers, using 1 container for each color you plan to use. It is best to work with about 1 cup of icing at a time.
4. Use a toothpick and a small amount of gel coloring to tint icing.
5. To pipe details or outlines on cookies, place a small amount of icing in piping bag fitted with No. 2 round tip. Gently squeeze icing and trace the outline of your cookie or pipe snowflake details. Allow outlines to dry for about 20 minutes before flooding.

6. To flood cookies, thin the icing with 1 teaspoon water at a time. Stir icing with small spatula and continue to add water as necessary to reach desired flooding consistency. If you lift your spatula and the icing drips and falls back into itself after about 7 seconds, it is a good consistency. Makes enough to decorate 2 - 3 dozen cookies.

XOXO Katie

Original Recipe from: Mobile Bay Mag

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Thank you so much Katie! I am definitely going to give these cookies a try!

Join us tomorrow for the 6th Day of Christmas Cookies: 

Julie's Peanut Butter Blossoms!