Gateau Bon Bons (Yum! Almond Paste filled Cookies!)

A rounded little cookie with a yummy surprise in the center;  almond paste!  Think; marzipan.  I love anything almond so of course these are a favorite of mine as well.  In the past I've dipped them in red, green and left white.  This year I did just dark green, with candy sprinkles and a drizzle of glitter icing. 


Gateau Bon Bons

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c butter, soft
1/3 c powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla
4 oz. almond paste

Almond Glaze:

1 c powdered sugar
1/2 t almond extract
drops of food color to make yellow, green, blue, purple or pink
4 t milk - mix all until blended smooth


Heat oven to 375. Beat flour, butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla on medium until mixed well. Slice almond paste into 1/2 inch slices and then cut each slice into fourths. Shape one inch balls of dough around each bit of almond paste. Roll into a nice ball shape. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until they are set and the bottom is just starting to get golden. Remove to a rack and cool completely. Dip the tops of the cooled cookie into the almond glaze. Let set to harden or sprinkle decorator sprinkles or sugar on top if you wish when the icing is still wet.

Homemade Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes but I covered the 'eye')

If you've read my blog around the holidays before, you may already know that I hate making chocolate dipped... anything.  I find it a mind numbing, boring process and usually end up finding creative ways to make the food item into something 'else' that doesn't involve dipping. Like... when I made peanut butter 'patties' in 2008 instead of balls because they were just that much faster to dip!



Or when I got even lazier and poured a layer of chocolate, topped it with the peanut butter center, spread smooth and poured on another layer of chocolate before cutting them because this way I didn't have to dip anything!

But this year... I did it.  I did the dip.  That's how much I love my family.  And yes... they were thrilled.  And many were 'snitched' before dipping, during dipping and after dipping.  I didn't mind though!  I'm just happy they are so appreciative of my baking.


Peanut Butter Balls or Buckeyes

1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c real butter, room temperature
3/4 - 1 t vanilla extract
2 c powdered sugar
1 c semisweet chocolate chips mixed with 1 c milk chocolate chips**
1 T shortening or paraffin

Mix the butter, peanut butter and vanilla; add the powdered sugar and blend.  Form into 1" balls and chill or freeze.  Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave or stove, double boiler method until smooth, stirring regularly. Dip the balls, one at a time into the chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Refrigerate until firm.  I melted a little bit of white chocolate to drizzle on top and placed them in mini cupcake liners as 75% of these will be going on a goody tray for my husbands place of employment. 

*Note:  to make balls, dip all the way and cover any holes or marks with a bit of melted chocolate to seal.  If making traditional buckeyes, you dip 3/4 of the way but leave the small peanut butter circle showing on top to resemble the Buckeye seed from the Buckeye tree.

**You can also use chocolate almond bark or chocolate wafer candies instead of chocolate chips.  Use what you have local or what you like to work with best.

A Cookie a Day Until Christmas... Glittery Snowflake Cookies

Snapped a picture on my phone as I was starting to decorate the glittery snowflake cookies this weekend.  You can find the recipes on my Cookie a Day Til Christmas page or search for recipes in the search box to the right.









You might be interested in edible, food grade glitter:

     

Quick and Easy Cabbage Salad

Although it's the holiday season and I want to keep Christmas cookies and baking in the 'top slot' of my page, there are other recipes I've made and like well enough to store in my blog-files for my kids to use as well as my own quick future reference.  You can still easily search for hundreds of cookie recipes using the search to the right - or the "Cookie a Day" link above.

This however, is a good old fashioned recipe for an alternative cabbage salad when you don't want to make the usual coleslaw with a mayonnaise based dressing.  I used a 1/2 head of fresh cabbage I had in the refrigerator I wanted to use up, but if you opt for a store bought bag of cabbage that is fine too of course.  I love this simple salad.  I had it for lunch and with my dinner for 2 days in a row!




Cabbage Salad

1/2 head cabbage
1 small onion (I like to use 1/2 of a large 'sweet' yellow onion as they are more mild)
3 T oil of your choice
2 T sugar or sugar substitute
3 whole carrots
3 sticks celery
2 T vinegar
A few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper - optional

Grate the vegetables or put them all through your processor.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for at least 2 hours to let the flavors mix. If you use a bagged, pre-shredded cabbage mix, obviously just dump it in the bowl - don't run it through your processor as it will become mush.

Quick and easy to run everything through the processor

A Cookie a Day Til Christmas: Melted Snowman Cookies

How do you tackle the holiday baking when you bake for an average of 100 people?   Baby Steps!  (And a big freezer!).

Today I made homemade fondant and rolled the little heads that will be used for my Melted Snowman Cookies. SO cute and they are always a hit with people.  I have 2 dozen cookie recipes and photos here:  A COOKIE A DAY TIL CHRISTMAS.












You might be interested in this TOY kitchen Melissa and Doug playset for the "littles' or cookie pans or cutters!