I am not a baker...

baking is not my thing- the  butter, the sugar... it kills me, every tastey little bite...alas the only real food eaten today was pizza- from Leonardo's... it was amazing! After a whole day of baking I didn't want to even think about cooking dinner- enter the nom-tastic Super Delux...

Last year I made healthy treats for the holidays- people weren't having it! So now, once a year there is a dessert indulgence- and I've come to terms with it!  Today's cookie baking bonanza started around 10 AM.-read, I started eating cookies at 10 AM!!  I set to work with my coffee, kitchen companions, and began making treats for neighbors, friends, and family. 

 Ramsey was right in my corner, under my feet- occupational hazard- powdered sugar on the nose!

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

 Last night we unveiled the wrapping paper. Our paper choices are a bigger surprise than the gifts themselves. Each roll gets a special hiding spot in each respective closet, until the wrapping and sharing.  A Christmas tradition we started back when we were dating, it gets better and better each year. I look forward to wrapping gifts, knowing it holds such a special part of the season for us- end mushy segment.  We each ooohed and aaahed the selections. I went with a retro teal, blue, sliver and white style for the hubs. He totally loved it.  He knows I adore paisley more than 1985 and found paisley Christmas paper- bonus points for style!


Snickerdoodles



Snickerdoodles and brownie bites

 There was a lil' something special  from the ladies to me! How sweet... funny they found a couple sweet 22 oz bottles of beer for their Daddy- both IPA's.  From Whiskey there is the Dogzilla black IPA, and Ramsey the Alpha Dog IPA.  Pitbulls really are a thoughtful breed!
Rumor has it there is a Dogfather Imperial Stout in his stocking, but don't believe everything you hear...
I leave you with cookie recipes for all of the tastey treats being delivered in the morning!
(in each goodie bag is a treat for the neighbors dogs... er cat in one instance... for dog treats see this post- ahhh and check out Blitzie photos!!!)

Cheatin' Brownie Bites- ABSOLUTELY not from scratch

1 box of brownie mix + oil, eggs, and the water the directions call for

Preheat oven to 325

Spray mini muffin pan with non stick spray

put about 2 tsp brownie mix in each muffin spot ( I added heath bar to the middle of mine)

Bake for 20 minutes

Let cool

Run knife around edge

twist bites out and eat...

Go run 3 miles :)



Snickerdoodles

3 cups flour- felt so naughty using white all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Cinnamoon Sugar Dusting

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the dry ingredients together well.

Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs- beat some more.  Add vanilla- beat again.

Stir in dry ingredients 1 cup at a time.

Cover dough and put in fridge for 1 hour.

Pre heat oven to 375.

Once chilled roll dough balls into about a 2 inch circle- roughly. Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar dusting and place on baking sheet- 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11 minutes.

This makes roughly 4 dozen- try not to eat them all- it will test your forititude for sure!

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Toast 1 cup Walnuts for about 5-7 minutes in oven while getting all of the ingredients set.

2 cups flour-again all purpose white flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup sugar

1 cuup softened butter

1cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup roasty toasty walnuts

Icing

1/2 of a 8 oz cream cheese package- I used the light version

1 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp maple syrup

Mix together dry ingredients

Beat butter and sugar togther until fluffy- using a hand mixer or stand mixer makes it much easier (unless you've got guns!!!) Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla and keep beating!  Stir in dry ingredients, one cup at a time. 

Cookie dough will seem wetter than typical cookie dough- but these bake into softer cookies!

Drop dough (roughly 2 tsp amount) onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Allow your cookies to chill.....

Prepare icing by mixing confectioners sugare, maple syrup, and cream cheese until smooth, creamy, and blended.

Okay-not being a baker I rig my "piping bag" using a ziplock. Fill it with icing. Twist the end. Snip a tiny... super small... corner off the end of the bag.  Decorate at until your heart's content..

Even with this amount of frosting I had a TON left over- you could probably 1/2 the recipe and still be fine!

If I even look at another cookie I will lose it... but then again I am NOT a baker!

Merry Christmas!!