Cherry Cordial Cookies

I am a HUGE dessert person.  I will willingly admit I have a sweet tooth (while Carl will not admit he has a sweet tooth, but hey, I'm not the only one that eats everything I bake....)  So when I talked to my cousin a couple days before our Christmas Eve get together and nothing about lots of desserts on the menu came up, I sprang into action and went on a baking spree.  These Cherry Cordial Cookies were one of my choice items and ended up getting rave reviews from all types of family members.  Score!

Cherry Cordial Cookies
(adapted from this recipe)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup Splenda sugar blend
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained and patted dry
36 Hershey's Cherry Cordial Creme Kisses

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

Whip the softened butter and sugar together.  Add in the egg and almond extract and mix well.  Gradually add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until well incorporated.  Now add in the chopped maraschino cherries and mix until just combined.

Place small tablespoon sized dollops of dough on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms barely begin to brown.

As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, firmly press a Hershey's Cherry Cordial Creme Kiss onto each one.  Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy your kisses!

Eggnog Extravaganza

My search for eggnog recipes continues.  Of course, I thought the eggnog muffins were yummy for breakfast, but now I've moved on to something a bit sweeter - cookies!

Eggnog Cookies

Cookies:
3/4 cup butter -softened
1 1/4 cups Splenda sugar blend
1/2 cup low-fat eggnog
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon       

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbs low-fat eggnog
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp rum extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookies sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggnog, egg yolks, and vanilla.  Mix until just combined.  Gradually add in the flour, powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Once everything is well mixed (but not over mixed) spoon tablespoon sized dollops of the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges barely begin to brown.  Let sit for several minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling.

Mix together all of the glaze ingredients until well combined.  Once cookies are completely cool, leave them on the cooling rack, place a paper towel or wax paper underneath, and drizzle this glaze over them.  Sprinkle with cinnamon!

Chocolate & Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches

Hello Christmas season!  My mom's office Christmas party was today so last night I baked these super festive cute holiday cookies for her to bring.  The chocolate cookies have a true wafer taste - chocolatey, but definitely not to sweet.  This evens out well with the sweet peppermint middles, giving the whole cookie sandwich a good balance.

Chocolate & Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches
(Adapted from the Chocolate Mint Wafer recipe in The Taste of Home Baking Book)

For the wafers:
2/3 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend
1/2 cup packed Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (of course you can use 2 cups of all purpose, I just wanted to add some fiber)
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp salt
About 5 drops of green food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Once this mixture is fluffy, mix in the milk and egg.  Gradually add in the flours, baking cocoa, and other dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until firm.

After the two hours have passed, remove the dough and let it warm just a bit so it's not frigidly cold.  If it's too cold, it can be hard to work with.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut with a cookie cutter that is approximately 1.5 inches.  Place cookies on a greased baking sheet about an inch apart.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Let cool for several minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  This recipe should make around 75 wafers.

Combine all of the filling ingredients and mix until everything is very well combined. 

Once the cookies are completely cooled, ice the inside of half of the wafers and top with the remaining wafers.  As an added bonus, I added red sprinkles on the outside of the icing to make them extra festive!