Angela's Pizzelles

Note from Kate: I recently asked bloggers to share some of their favorite Christmas cookie recipes, along with memories of making them, with the hopes it could be an online version of a Christmas cookie exchange party. Today's recipe comes from Angela, of The Passionista.

I'm actually a recent pizzelle convert myself, since my mother-in-law makes them around the holidays every year. :) I'm sure Angela's family recipe is just as good. Enjoy!

Hi there! I'm Angela from The Passionista, and I'm thrilled to be sharing one of my family's cookie recipes here on Kate's blog.

I have to admit, my Italian family goes way overboard every holiday season with cookies... we're busy in the kitchen from the 1st of December until a couple days before Christmas baking up a storm. We change up the assortment yearly, but these pizzelles are a staple. They are a light, less sugary cookie and very simple to make, too!

Pizzelles

Ingredients:
• 6 large eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like them)
• 1 cup oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 bottle anise extract (you can use any extract flavor you like here)
• Pizzelle Iron, found here

Directions:
Step 1// Beat all of the eggs together in a large bowl. Then, add your oil & sugar and mix until evenly distributed. Next, add the extracts.
Step 2// Add your flour, mixing in each cup as you go. The consistency should be pretty wet, but not runny.
Step 3// Heat up your iron until the light turns on. Take a tablespoon or a small ice cream scooper and place the batter in the middle of the pizzelle iron, to get that pretty design nice and even on your cookie.
Step 4// Close the iron, squeeze it together for about 20-30 seconds, depending on how "brown" you like yours.
Step 5// Open the iron when it's done cooking, and slide the cookie off of it using a spatula.
Step 6// Let cool & enjoy.

Pizzelles are an unusual cookie for those who have never tried them. But, they are a nice change from all of the rich sweets we eat around this time of year and go perfectly with your morning coffee. I hope all of you are enjoying this month with your loved ones! Thank you, Kate, for allowing me to share this!

** Pizzelle iron gets VERY hot and often leaks oil from the batter off the sides, please be careful!**

Justine's Peppermint Kiss Blossom Cookies

Note from Kate: I recently asked bloggers to share some of their favorite Christmas cookie recipes, along with memories of making them, with the hopes it could be an online version of a Christmas cookie exchange party. Today's recipe comes from Justine, of The Red Lip Chronicles.

If you look closely, you'll notice she's wearing a very appropriate pastry-inspired dress in her photo. :) Enjoy!

Hi! My name is Justine and I blog over at The Red Lip Chronicles.

I'd love to share with you a new twist on a favorite holiday cookie of mine the Hershey Kisses Blossom Cookie.

I was so excited when Kate asked me to participate in her holiday cookie recipe posts. That got me thinking what is a holiday cookie to me. There are definitely more traditional holiday cookies that I could think of but this is one of the first things that came to mind. I think it's because I feel like with all the holiday parties I attend this is a cookie staple. It's one of those cookies that looks adorable, is delicious and not too difficult to make.

Sure enough it always makes its way to the dessert table and I'm not complaining. I wanted to take this cookie that already brings about memories of Christmas gatherings and parties and add a new peppermint twist to it.

I love the candy cane hershey kisses that come out around the time of christmas. I actually am not the biggest fan of just eating a candy cane (I know -- GASP!) but for some reason I love candy cane flavored foods and drinks. I think that adding this to the blossom cookie makes it that much more festive and unique.

Admittedly I found some wonderful Cookie Blossom recipes online but I actually just ended up going with the recipe that was on the Hershey Kiss bag.

Peppermint Kiss Blossom Cookies

Ingredients:
• Hersheys Candy Cane Kisses
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Optional: Festive Red and Green Sugar crystals

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat Oven to 350
Step 2: Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture with milk
Step 3: Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Optional Roll in red/green or mixture sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet
Step 4: Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove from oven. Let cool for about 2 minutes
Step 5: Unwrap and place Hershey Kiss into center of cookie. Let cool completely
Step 6: ENJOY!

I hope you enjoyed the cookie recipe and let me know if you try making them! Im sure they'll be a hit at your next holiday party. ;)

Thank you, Justine!

Oatmeal, Craisin, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note: I recently asked bloggers to share some of their favorite Christmas cookie recipes, along with memories of making them, with the hopes it could be an online version of a Christmas cookie exchange party. This recipe is the first of several cookies to be featured this month. I am contributing this recipe. Enjoy!

One of my longtime favorite cookies to make have been oatmeal and chocolate chip ones, because I tell myself they're healthy (with oatmeal), despite there being chocolate in them, and you know being cookies and all.

Lame, I know, but I do whatever I can to justify my sweet tooth.

I actually found a recipe variation with Craisins while I was clipping coupons a few weeks ago. Just picture me knitting a sweater with a dozen cats now. Haha.

Anyway, Exhibit A:

So now, not only do I have oatmeal to justify these as a "healthy" snack, but there's FRUIT too. Am I right? Haha. Anyway, these were really tasty and pretty easy to make. They'd be perfect for any holiday function, or any occasion, for that matter.

Also, just to prove that despite all of the unintentional product placement in this post, I used Aldi brand dried cranberries in the recipe. :)

Oatmeal, Craisin, and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe via Craisins

Ingredients:
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 five-ounce package of dried cranberries, aka Craisins
• 2/3 cup white or semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I always used parchment paper when baking; it's a savior!) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

PS Also, just in case you want in on the fun, it's not too late to contribute. Email me at thriftburgher@gmail.com for all of the details. Recipe deadline is Monday, Dec. 15.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Eat your heart out, Cheesecake Factory. For those of you who don't know, cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. Being a sweet tooth and all, I'm never very picky, but I can have preferences, can't I?

Mark's mom makes me cheesecakes for various special occasions. The most memorable was when she made THREE cheesecakes for my wedding shower. It was pretty low key, but there was so much damn food it was a little crazy. That included the pumpkin cheesecake which I remade over the weekend.

We went to Friendsgiving on Saturday, so I felt ambitious and decided to try my hand at cheesecake. Mark and I got a springform pan for our wedding, and hadn't used it yet, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The cake was a bit more work than I was expecting, but the results were fabulous.

Maybe if you're stumped on what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, maybe give this recipe a try. It's a great twist on the traditional pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy of my mother in law, Debbie

Filling Ingredients:
• 4 packages (8 oz) of cream cheese, softened
• 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice

Crust ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar

Directions:
Crush graham crackers until fine. Stir in sugar, and then butter, until formed. Press down into springform pan, and press edges up the pan and inch or so. Bake crust for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

While crust is baking, assemble filling in two mixing containers. Mix together canned pumpkin, flour and pumpkin spice. Set aside. In mixing bowl, combine both sugars and cream cheese, and mix for a few minutes until smooth. Slowly add eggs, one by one, continuing to mix, and then add pumpkin mixture.

Once crust is removed from oven and cooled for at least 15 minutes, add filling to pan.

Bake for 70 to 90 minutes at 300 degrees. When finished, turn off oven and crack open oven door for another half hour. Remove cake from oven, loosen edges, and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from springform pan and voila! An amazing cheesecake that everyone is ready to devour. :)

Optional toppings include caramel, pecans, bittersweet chocolate drizzle, among others. Mark and I opted for sprinkling some almonds slices on top to keep it simple and give the cheesecake a little more texture.

And a little somebody definitely wanted in on the fun. This little guy attacks us whenever we're in the kitchen making food, particularly when it involves milk-based products. (Say, for example... cheesecake.) It can be a little annoying sometimes, but he's too adorable to get mad at for long. Here's one of Waldo's signature beg faces:

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving/winter holiday desserts?

Call for Guest Posts: Favorite Holiday Cookie recipes

I'm sure it's not a unique perspective, but I've never met a Christmas cookie I didn't like. I love baking them, eating them, trading them. There can be so much meaning with a confectionary treat this time of year.

In the weeks before Christmas, I would like to share a few of my favorite cookie recipes from over the years. However, I would really like this to be community-oriented, much like a cookie exchange party or a neighborhood cookie tour is, so I'm inviting all who are interested to submit guest posts about their favorite Christmas cookies. I'm looking for posts that include the recipe, some photos, and any fond anecdotes making/eating/sharing those cookies.

Please email me at thriftburgher@gmail.com if you're interested!