12 Days of Christmas, my first recipe this year…the Walnut Kiss!
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Christmas
12 Days of Christmas – Coconut Cookies (macaroon style)
My daughter’s friend, Amanda loves my chewy coconut magic bars so every time there is a party or celebration I make them for her as I know it means a lot. Last night Amanda’s mom was hosting the soccer dinner party for the girls and I realized I didn’t make the magic bars for her so I created this recipe for a flourless coconut cookie with chocolate chips for them.
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Holiday Favorites and Must Have Gifts
I often am asked what my favorite cookbooks are, favorite baking items and what my favorite appliances are. For the holidays, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you so you can give a gift to your loved ones, it’s a great gift list!
Favorite Cookbooks
- Appetizers by Martha Stewart (her latest book is so inspirational)
- Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
- Tartine (this is a newer book but fabulous)
- Flour – this cookbook comes from a bakery in Boston
Baking Items
- 1/2 Sheet Baking Pan (as silly as it is, it does matter)
- 1/4 Sheet Baking Pan (one of my favorites)
- Parchment Sheets – I get this one because they lay flat, no curling edges
Appliances/Gadgets
- Amazon Echo (Alexa) my favorite gift for the holiday
- Kitchen aid Mixer (Splurge for holiday gift request)
- Food Processor – a must have in any cooks kitchen
- Cuisinart Immersion Blender with Attachments (this one eliminates pulling out the food processor for small jobs)
- Commercial Grade High Heat Spatula – 9.5″
- Commercial Grade High Heat Spatula – 13/5″
- Mandoline – MUST HAVE
- Stock Pot – Great for Soups
- Thermos (I get one for my children every year for Christmas)
- Crock Pot – Great for make it and leave it meals or this one for Programmable Crock Pot
- Electric Griddle – great for pancakes
- Pastry Cutter – stop using your fork, it’s time to upgrade
- Scale – must have for baking and proper measuring
12 Days of Christmas – Pecan Confectioners
I was dating someone from the south who taught me a lot about southern traditional dishes and the simplicity of southern dining. He had many favorite recipes like my chicken spaghetti bake (my number one searched recipe from my blog and super yummy) but his most favorite recipe was pecan confectioners. He didn’t have the recipe so it became the running joke that they even existed as I couldn’t find a recipe for them on the internet. I just figured the cookie or nut was just a recipe that the southerns had from generations prior or they are called something else and one day maybe I’d be lucky enough to try one.
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12 Days of Christmas – Chocolate Chubbies Cookies
With Christmas right around the corner, how do I not share a new cookie recipe with everyone?
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12 Days of Cookies – Susan’s Thumbprint Cookie
WOW…there is so much to say about my friend Susan but I want to first start off and say what an amazing cookie she introduced to me! This version of the thumbprint cookie came from her mom and she’s been making them for as long as she could remember. We added both raspberry jam and apricot jam and they were both equally amazing!!!!
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12 Days of Cookies – Spritz (Almond) Cookies
What’s a “spritz cookie” or “almond cookie” I bet that’s what you are thinking right about now as I never knew the name of this type of a cookie, I always thought it was called a “Jewish cookie” but really that’s not a name for a cookie now is it. I say a Jewish cookie because when I go to the deli’s out here (most of which are Jewish), they always have these cookies in the display case. And while we have great Italian deli’s most don’t serve cookies.
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12 Days of Cookies – Chocolate Crinkles/Krinkles
I don’t know about you but I’m sooooooo behind with Christmas and yet I feel like I started long ago, so I’m thinking, how does that happen?
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