Thursday, December 15, 2011

My Twist on Cookie Recipes



In this household we like to have fun.  I am a good baker but my kids are not very interested in baking unless I make it interesting. The Christmas Season is not right without a mother load of baked goods.  I have fond memories of my mom baking around the holidays and the glorious creations that came out of the kitchen.  She went to town:  kolachke, pecan cups, rosettes, pizelles.  My repertoire is a bit different and I strive to get my girls involved.
If it can be skewered, it's much more fun! Cookies on a stick!  Cheap bamboo skewers can be bought anywhere:  Dollar store, grocery store, etc.  This recipe is super simple. A few updates make it even more fun:

1 bag of pretzel rings (Jay's Brand or Aldi are the only brands I can find in ring shapes)
Hershey's Kisses - unwrapped
M*Ms - use Mint, plain or peanut butter

Oven at 375 degrees
Cut skewers in half using kitchen sheers

Place skewers on cookie sheet. Place pretzel ring on top of the skewer.
Unwrap Hershey's kisses (great job for the kiddos) and place in the hole of the pretzel ring
Bake for 5 minutes
Take M&M and smoosh the chocolate down onto the skewer and spread it out within the inner pretzel ring.  (be careful to not accidentally burn your arm on the hot cookie sheet).

Allow to cool completely.  This will take awhile at room temp, so I give it 10-15 minutes at room temp and then put the entire cookie sheet into the fridge.

For a charming presentation, get some floral foam, cover it in foil and arrange the skewers by inserting the bottom of the skewer into the foam. You can also cover the foam after you've arranged the cookies using some wadded up foil or cotton balls.

I hope to post more simple practical twists soon. 

*Blogger keeps rotating my photo. Sorry it's sideways.  :-(

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