Hello Friends!
I've stepped WAY out of my comfort zone for this weekend's recipe exchange!
I am honestly (and affectionately) known as "the non-cooking" sister in my family, and much prefer holiday wrapping and decorating tasks! I really do not spend much time in my little condo kitchen, and usually don't have baking ingredients in my tiny pantry. I must confess that I had to buy new measuring cups and spoons to make this batch of my personal favorite happen!
The cookies I chose to feature in this blog hop were always waiting for me when my Dad took us to visit his Mom on the first Saturday of every month. My grandmother lived in a little pink house in North Baltimore, Ohio that always smelled delicious! She was a wonderful cook, and it was truly a treat to spend the afternoon with her while my father did accounting work for a friend's business.
Grandma's recipe was straight out of her vintage cookbook, but I did a little website research to jazz it up a bit! Reese's brand peanut butter is the not-so-secret ingredient thanks to the Land-O-Lakes website, and you'll find to the recipe link to my printable recipe {HERE}.
Know that my "adventures in Christmas baking" were not completely "disaster-free," but I did not set off the smoke alarm or have to purchase cookies from a bakery to get pictures for you! I hope that the following step-by-step picture reveal of my culinary experience makes you chuckle!
Please note that I did not use a mixer to prepare my dough. An old-fashioned wooden spoon, spatula, and clean hands to knead and turn it did the trick! I also got a little side-tracked by the holiday Hallmark movie I was watching and added some of the dry ingredients in the wrong order, but it didn't seem to make a huge difference! I did refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking though, and it helped the dough balls keep their form as I rolled them in sugar and placed them on the cookie sheet.
While the dough was setting up in the fridge, I set up my counter and started unwrapping the Hershey kisses needed! It's a good thing I purchased two packages of candy because I tended to pop one--or two, or three--in my mouth as I worked!
My electric oven can be a bit temperamental, so I had to watch my baking time closely. I put 8 minutes on the clock for the first batch, and then had to add 2 more before they were ready. The Hershey kisses get pressed down into the center immediately after you remove the tray from the oven, and cause the cookie to "crackle" a bit.
The photo below depicts what humorously happened when my spatula slipped a bit while transferring my finished cookies to the cooling rack, and the caption pays homage to my father's favorite Clint Eastwood movie! Know that the "not ready for prime time players" were happily eaten, appreciated, and enjoyed "on the spot!" I ended up with about two dozen cookies to package up in festive Ziploc bags.
My holiday care packages were well-received by my school colleagues, and they assured me that my attempt at discovering my "inner-Martha Stewart" tasted good!
If you are still in full-blown school mode for another week like I am, then be sure to pin this
post so you can come back to it when you have time to bake over holiday break! Meanwhile, I am headed to the store today to purchase packaged Gingerbread Men to share with my second graders while we enjoy this fun set of holiday partner poems next week!
Click {HERE} to see it in my store!
Enjoy the rest of these recipes from my
friends at Classroom Tested Resources!
Thanks so much for stepping into our kitchens instead of our
classrooms for a change!
Be sure to follow
to enjoy more fun linky parties in the new year!
As always, thanks for allowing me to share my story!
May the songs and spirit of the season bring you and yours many blessings!
Your post made me smile...my mom was NOT known for her skills in the kitchen, either. She loved my weekly gifts of whatever I'd baked and always kept a few in the freezer "for emergencies." Thanks for bringing a smile to my face today.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad my post made you smile! I bet your Mom really appreciated your sweet treats!
Delete~Jennifer
Even those "ugly" cookies look DELISH!!!! You always have to have a few that fall apart to serve as the testers ;)
ReplyDeleteJulie
The Techie Teacher
You're absolutely right, Julie! They melted in my mouth in all their ooey gooey goodness!
Delete~Jennifer
Yum, thank you so much. These look delicious.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post Jennifer, and I love the new changes to your blog. What is this...new design each year?? LOL! I like changing mine up too. :-)
ReplyDelete