Linzer Cookies
Linzer cookies are those great little nutty sandwich cookies filled with jam. I like mine with the hazelnuts and low sugar raspberry or blackberry jam. I think you could fill them with chocolate ganache too. They take these special little cookies cutters which everyone says are problematic. I have loads of problems with mine but I’ve found a way to work with the cookie cutters instead of being frustrated by them.
Dicken's Village Church
This year my husband, Ken, and I participated in a gingerbread house decorating party as a group activity. It was a lot of fun to see what everyone did.
With adult help in baking and assembling this is a great project for kids to decorate with all the candies.
I have a recipe that worked for me when I made a gingerbread treasure chest for my grandson’s 4th birthday so I got creative and had Ken make me a pattern. I spent hours pouring over pictures of the buildings in the Dept. 56 Dicken’s Village Collection since I own part of the set. It was fun. Now, I just needed Ken and his magical skills to make me a pattern. This is what we came up with.
Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies
Over the Thanksgiving weekend I had the opportunity to cook with my 8 year-old grandson, Nicholas. After making Buttermilk Pancakes and Eggs for breakfast he made these Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies for his 18-month old sister.
It was good to spend the time in the kitchen with him following a recipe to see where to add or re-word steps for kids to be able to understand and make a recipe on their own. I’ve adapted the recipe for these cookies and added plenty of steps for kids to follow. This is a delicious recipe packed with healthy ingredients.Continue reading
Raspberry Creme Brulee
Crème Brûlée is probably my favorite dessert and it’s easier to make than most people think. With just a few simple techniques you have a fabulous dessert.
The most common Crème Brûlée is Vanilla Bean but I’ve been to nice restaurants that do different flavors. What I love about Crème Brûlée is the smooth creamy texture of the baked custard and a crunchy caramelized top, but adding flavors can change the texture and cause the custard not to set creamy and smooth. I’ve found a great way to add flavor and keep the classic Crème Brûlée texture.
Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Frosting your Sugar Cookies in different colors and then adding decorations is fun and makes a beautiful cookie.
This is a great activity for kids parties. For holiday parties we’ve baked Sugar Cookies in Easter, Christmas and Halloween shapes and mixed up bowls of colored frostings. Then you put spoons or butter knives out on a table with the cookies and let the kids decorate their own. You can purchase 12-packs of Children’s Aprons to protect their clothes.