This December I posted a series of favorite cookie recipes on my Instagram page along with a quilt from my little quilt collection in each post. It was a lot of fun picking and baking favorite cookie recipes and deciding how they coordinated with a quilt. I am recapping them all in this post so, if you are interested in one or more recipes, you can easily access them here.
[lt_recipe name=”Peanut Butter Kisses” servings=”Makes about 3 dozen” summary=”What tastes better than peanut butter and chocolate? These cookies are easy to make and the recipe can easily be doubled. This red and green four-patch is a simple little quilt that is spruced up with a wide border to showcase some hand quilting. Don’t you love how beautiful simple things can be?” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/red-and-green-four-patch-with-chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies-203×300.jpg” ingredients=”1/2 cup peanut butter;1/2 cup creamy peanut butter;1/2 cup brown sugar;1/2 cup granulated sugar;1 large egg;1 teaspoon vanilla extract;1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour;1 teaspoon baking soda;1/4 teaspoon salt;additional sugar for rolling;” ]Cream butter and peanut butter with a mixer.;Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy.;Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.;In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and whisk to blend.;Add flour to other mixture and beat on low until completely combined.;Shape dough into approximately 1-inch balls.;Roll balls in additional sugar to coat and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.;Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 8 minutes.;Remove from oven and press a Hershey’s kiss into top of each cookie.;Return to oven for 3 minutes more.;Let cool on pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.;[/lt_recipe]
Note: Chocolate kiss will remain soft for several hours. Do not stack until chocolate has rehardened completely or you will have squashed kisses.
Next up, are two of my favorites, lemon flavored anything and house quilts. Oh, and blue and white. I guess that makes three favorites. How about you, do you have favorites?
[lt_recipe name=”Lemon Crinkle Cookies” servings=”About 3 dozen” summary=”Lemony, soft and chewy cookies taste light and delightful” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Lemon-crinkle-cookies-225×300.jpeg” ingredients=”1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened;8oz. package plain cream cheese, softened;1-1/2 cups granulated sugar;Pinch of salt;1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (about one large lemon);2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice;1/8 teaspoon yellow liquid gel food coloring (not the traditional liquid kind);1 large egg AND 1 additional egg yolk;2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour;2 teaspoons baking powder;1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, for rolling cookie dough;” ]Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and food coloring (I find it’s easiest to drip the food coloring in 1-2 drops at a time until you get the color you want) until fully combined and fluffy (about 2 minutes).;Add egg and second yolk and beat until very creamy (1-2 minutes).;Whisk flour and baking powder together in small bowl to combine.;On low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix just until fully combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.;Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl to prepare for rolling the dough balls.;This dough is very sticky, even when chilled, so I recommend using a cookie scoop or at least a couple of teaspoons for scooping it from the bowl and dropping on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.;Roll the dough into a ball and then roll in the confectioners’ sugar to coat. Place balls back on the cookie sheet.;Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit until cookies are puffed and crackly, about 13-14 minutes.;The cookies will be soft in the center. If they start to brown around the edges, they have baked too long.;Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.;[/lt_recipe]
Christmas is about giving so the next combination of #cookiesandquilts is about a very special gift I received from a very special and generous quilter, @inspired_by_fiber. The quilt pictured was made by her and arrived as a surprise gift. Little did she know that her timing was perfect and her sweet little quilt lifted my spirits as nothing else could at the time. The warmth of red and brown still gives me a cozy feeling when I look at it. I’m pairing it with my yummiest cookies, Snickerdoodles. I have used this exact recipe for over 25 years and it’s always a winner with my family.
[lt_recipe name=”Snickerdoodles” servings=”About 3 dozen cookies” summary=”A favorite cookie!” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Red-and-brown-wrench-quilt-with-Snickerdoodles-300×213.jpg” ingredients=”2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour;2 teaspoons cream of tartar;1 teaspoon baking soda;1/4 teaspoon salt;1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened;1-1/2 cups granulated sugar plus (in a separate bowl) 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon;2 large eggs;” ]Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.;Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.;Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.;Add the flour mixture in 4 parts and beat thoroughly after adding each part.;Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.;Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.;Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut, then roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment.;Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just lighly browned, but still soft.;I find it easier to get equal size cookies if I divide the dough into 4 parts and then roll 9-10 balls from each segment. I hope you like them!;[/lt_recipe]
Beware the snowball cookies! It’s hard to eat just one. Speaking of temptation, do you ever get the urge to make a Christmas quilt right in the thick of a lengthy “to-do” list? C’mon, admit it….I know I’m not the only one… Well, I suggest doing something with the 4-patch block because they are super easy to work with and you can satisfy the urge, then get back to what you should be doing, all in the space of a few hours. Now, hopefully you have some time to bake some cookies.
[lt_recipe name=”Snowball Cookies” servings=”Makes 3-4 dozen” summary=”Give them a taste! Yummy!” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Red-and-green-with-snowball-cookies-1-225×300.jpg” ingredients=”1 cup butter;1/3 cup sugar;1 teaspoon vanilla;1/2 teaspoon almond extract;2 cups all-purpose flour;1 cup finely chopped pecans;Dash of salt;Powdered sugar;” ]Beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until softened, about 1-2 minutes.;Add sugar, beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.;Add vanilla and almond extract and beat well.;In separate bowl, whisk together flour, nuts and salt.;Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring well after each addition. Stir until dough just comes together. Do not overmix.;Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to a day.;Prepare powdered sugar by sifting into a bowl. Use enough to easily roll each cookie twice.;Remove from refrigerator and shape into 1-inch balls. I find it works best if I flatten the dough slightly before chilling and then use a knife to cut it into equal squares, then roll into balls with my hands.;Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes, remove cookies and roll in powdered sugar. Cool thoroughly.;After cooling, roll again in powdered sugar. ;[/lt_recipe]
The next post is more of a “small” than a “little” quilt and was purchased from Bellwether Dry Goods. Bellwether provides hand quilting services as well as very high-quality finished quilts for sale. All are hand quilted. This one was purchased during an open house when I told myself, “I’m just here to look at the pretty quilts and definitely not buying anything.” But this one said “Christmas” to me so well I took it home. The cookies are PeppermintKiss Cookies because one just has to have thepeppermint/chocolate combo at Christmastime.
[lt_recipe name=”Peppermint Kiss Cookies” servings=”Makes about 60 cookies” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Green-wreath-applique-with-peppermint-cookies-300×300.jpg” ingredients=”1 cup unsalted butter, softened;1-1/2 cup granulated sugar;2 large eggs;1-1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract;1/2 teaspoon salt;2 teaspoons baking powder;3 cups all-purpose flour;sanding sugar in red and green (the small bottles provide enough);Hershey’s kisses (I used 60 but it depends on how large you roll the cookie balls);” ]In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar, about 3 minutes to get it really fluffy.;Mix in one egg at a time, followed by peppermint extract.;Add salt and baking powder.;Mix in flour one cut at a time, thoroughly bending each cup before adding the next one.;Chill dough for 1-2 hours, overnight is okay.;Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.;Add sanding sugar to a small bowl, use two bowls if using two colors.;Unwrap the chocolate kisses.;Scoop enough dough to roll into 1″ balls. This size makes a nice ratio of cookie to chocolate kiss.;Roll in sanding sugar.;Bake for 9 minutes, remove from oven and immediately press one kiss into the center of each cookie. Return to oven for 3 more minutes.;Put pan of cookies on a wire rack and let cool for 5-7 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. This takes a couple of hours so the chocolate gets firm again.;[/lt_recipe]
More lemon is in store for you and these turned out really good. In fact, the eight cookies in the picture are all that are left. My normally non-sweets eating husband couldn’t stay out of them. Once I took the picture, three more disappeared. The recipe only makes two dozen and I haven’t tried doubling it because they are just too tempting. I think these cookies pair well as desert for a spring brunch or afternoon tea so you might see them with another quilt this spring. I thought it might be nice to end the cookie series with a nod toward spring as we enter the depths of winter. Enough talk, here is how to make Lemon Drop cookies:
[lt_recipe name=”Lemon Drop Cookies” servings=”Makes 2 dozen” summary=”Very light and tender cookies with a tangy lemon taste – a bit like lemonade in cookie form!” print=”yes” image=”https://ewwcm6nohpq.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cheddar-four-patch-and-lemon-drop-cookies-300×300.jpg” ingredients=”1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (one note on butter – for baking, generally, but especially for these cookies, I like European butter and used Kerrygold Irish butter for these. It has higher fat content and less water. More fat means more flavor and less water means a more tender cookie);1/4 cup powdered sugar;2 tablespoons granulated sugar;Zest of one lemon (note on lemons – size varies! Right now, the lemons in my local store are outstanding so a half may have more juice than a whole lemon at other times. I estimate the zest I used to be about 1-1/2 tablespoons);2 tablespoons lemon juice;1-1/4 cup flour;1/4 teaspoon baking powder;1/8 teaspoon salt;For the glaze:;1 cup powdered sugar;4-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (may need to adjust to achieve correct consistency);Multicolor sprinkles;” ]Beat butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until creamy.;Mix the granulated sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl until well combined. Add to the butter mixture and beat until smooth.;Add the lemon juice and beat until well combined.;In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.;Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low after each addition. After all dry ingredients are added, mix on medium until well combined.;Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.;Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.;Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are just barely turning brown. Do not overbake. Cool on pan for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.;Make glaze by whisking powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. The glaze should be a fairly thick (not watery) consistency so be prepared to adjust the amount of powdered sugar (if it’s too runny) or lemon juice (if it’s too thick) as needed. You want the glaze to remain on the cookie after dipping and not soak completely into the cookie.;Dip cool cookies top down into the glaze. It’s okay to get glaze on the bottom of the cookie. Put glazed cookies on wire rack with foil or waxed paper underneath to catch the drips and immediately dribble some sprinkles on top. Leave cookies on racks until the glaze completely dries and hardens.;[/lt_recipe]
This was a really fun series for me and I’m already making a list for #cookiesandquilts2020. There will be some new quilts from 2020 and we will revisit some more of the ones already in my collection.
