Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I’m back! Just in time for the the most wonderful time of the year. Don’t worry, my epic Thanksgiving recap post will be coming soon, but first COOKIES! As you know, red velvet is always a hit on Mahogany Trail. These were no exception. They’re the perfect holiday cookie. You can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge. I always add in red velvet bakery emulsion to really boost the flavor and the color. You can pick it up at Sur la Table. These cookies are perfectly chewy with a rich chocolate flavor. Bottom line, if you love red velvet these are for you. Enjoy!

3 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 tsp red food coloring
1 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whip butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs 1 at a time, blending until combined after each. Add in milk, vanilla, lemon juice and red food coloring. On low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1-2 hours. The dough needs to be firm enough to roll into balls. Preheat oven to 350. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll dough into medium balls. Roll balls into powdered sugar and evenly coat. Transfer to lined baking sheets and flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes. Eat immediately, it’ll be worth the burns. LOL! Store in an airtight container.

Mini Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are so fun and festive, plus they come together in a flash! They are perfect for holiday entertaining or just watching your favorite Christmas movie. I’ve always loved shortbread cookies and these do not disappoint. You could make them anytime of year with any type of sprinkles you like. They’re also super fab dipped in chocolate.

1 1/4 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsp red and green nonpareils

Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor pulse flour and sugar until combined. Add butter and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in medium bowl. Gently knead in sprinkles until blended throughout. Pat dough into about an 8×5 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 1/2 inch squares. Place squares on an ungreased large cookie sheet. Baked 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to a week.

Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars

We seem to have a lifetime supply of chocolate chips on Mahogany Trail. It’s the strangest thing. I have a little glass jar that just always seems to be full of chocolate chips. It never fails. These sweet chewy caramely bars will never fail you either. Next time you feel like cookies, give these a try. Plus they’re even easier, no scooping spoonfuls of dough.

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil. Spray it down with cooking pray. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once combined add the chocolate chips and the toffee bits. Beat on low until evenly combined. Spread dough into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Lift foil out of pan and cut into squares.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love oatmeal cookies, but can I ask a question? Why do most people insist on putting raisins in them? Ugh! Not a fan. I do however, love cranberries. So that’s where the idea for these cookies came from. While I was at it, I figured what the heck and tossed in some white chocolate chips too. So forget the raisins and give these a try.

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup whit chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well blended. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until no patches of flour are visible. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips and stir until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 6 minutes and then rotate sheet and back an additional 6-7 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before removing from sheets (if you can wait that long).

No Bake Cookies

These were my absolute favorite cookies when I was a kid! My brother and I would beg Angie (our nanny) to make them for us. I think I actually got a spanking because of these cookies. Angie tried to tell me that she couldn’t make them because it was raining. I was so mad that I called her a liar. Once you taste the cookies you’ll understand why I was so heated. LOL! Come to find out, it’s actually true. The cookies will not set up if it is raining, so keep that in mind. So today I’d like to make a public apology to Angie and thank her for bringing these wonderful cookies into my life.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats

Line a baking sheet with wax paper, set aside. Place butter in large saucepan with sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. Bring ingredients to a rolling boil while stirring continuously. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until throughly blended. Add in quick oats and drop by teaspoon-full onto waxed paper. Let cool until hardened.

Red Velvet Cookies

Red Velvet could quite possibly be the most popular cake flavor ever. I seriously don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it. If you do, I recommend you cut that person out of your life. You don’t need that negativity. These days we have red velvet everything thing- cheesecake, pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc… Here’s me hoping on the bandwagon, even though my Mother can confirm it’s always been my fav. There is a lot of controversy over the real red velvet and why it’s red. So before we get to the recipe, here’s a little red velvet history.

Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times: In cakes, an acid like buttermilk or vinegar may be used to activate baking soda, a common leavening. The reddish tint produced by the acid and the cocoa might explain why some chocolate cakes are called devil’s food, a theory that was held by James Beard. Home bakers in the South may have decided to exaggerate cocoa’s natural hue with food coloring and — Eureka! — they had red velvet.

Another theory is that home cooks started adding red food coloring after Dutch process cocoa became widely used. (The Dutch process makes cocoa easier to dissolve by adding an alkalizing agent like potassium carbonate, decreasing the acidity in the batter and muting the redness.)

2 1/4 cups flour
3 Tbsp unsweetned cocoa powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Red food coloring or red velvet coloring

In a mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder and salt until well blended, set aside. In the bowl of your mixer whip butter, shortening and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, then egg white, vanilla, lemon juice and food coloring. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees during last 10 minutes of chilling.
Shape dough into about 3 Tbsp balls and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Flatten balls with greased hands to about 1/2-inch. Bake in preheated oven 9 – 11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. These would be great with cream cheese frosting (see banana cake post for recipe) and holiday sprinkles.

Nutella CheeseFAKE (no bake cheesecake)

So I guess I have World Market to thank for this recipe. Last Wednesday they had a one day sale on Nutella. We may have gotten carried away. I thought oh we’ll grab a couple jars. It was a really good deal. Then we walked in and it was like a crazy mad dash to grab what little was left. The associate yelled the maximum allowed is 8 jars! 8 jars? I only planned to get 2 or 3, but when I heard this it was like a voice in my head yelling MUST HAVE 8 MUST HAVE 8! So now that I have a 6+ month supply of Nutella you can expect quite a few recipes using this wonder product.

This recipe is so simple, but you will be blown away by how absolutely amazing it tastes! It literally takes less than 15 minutes to put together. That’s why it’s a cheesefake, not cheesecake. I served mine in little jars (oddly enough also purchased at world market back at Christmas). It’s the perfect sweet individual dessert to serve for a party or outdoor event. Enjoy!

6 Oreo cookies, crushed
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Nutella
8 oz heavy whipping cream, whipped
3 tbsp chocolate chips

Pulse cookies in food processor until fine. Spoon into the bottom of 6 small ramekins or jars. Beat cream cheese and Nutella until smooth. Gently fold in the whipping cream, reserving about 1/4 to top the dessert. Spoon Nutella mixture on top of cookie crumbs. Top with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate chips or nuts if desired.

Banana Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Icing

Who doesn’t love whoopie pies? They’re so fun and nostalgic. Red velvet is usually our flavor of choice, but I had some brown bananas staring at me this morning. They were just begging to be whipped up into something delicious. These pies are so light and fluffy. The cream cheese icing is my fav recipe, just cut in half. This recipe should make 12 assembled whoopie pies. Enjoy!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Icing:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

For the whoopie pies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Combine banana and sour cream in another bowl. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed, until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add banana mixture in 2 additions, alternating with flour mixture. Spoon batter onto prepared pans in 1 1/2 inch rounds, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment, with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool.

For the Icing: Beat cream cheese and butter until combined. Add confectioners sugar a half cup at a time, combining after each addition. Add vanilla.

To assemble pies: Flip cookie over and pipe (or spread) icing on top, then top with second cookie.

Life Changing Nutella Cookies

Ok so I know you probably read the title and think I’m going a little overboard. That’s fine. Talk to me after the first bite. Life. Changed. We all know nutella is the best thing (besides my Papa Chuck) that ever came out of Italy! I love these cookies for oh so many reasons! First of all they take about 2.2 seconds to make, second they only have 122 calories and third they’re freakin’ delicious! I could go on and on, but instead I’ll just let you get to baking. You won’t regret it.

1 cup Nutella
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together until dough forms. Roll into one inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Smash down with your hand or the bottom of a glass. Bake for about 10 minutes rotating pans half way through. Try not to eat the whole pan.

Raspberry Lemon Bars

Raspberries are the fruit of the weekend on Mahogany Trail. We’ve had chocolate raspberry banana bread, raspberry lemonade slushies and these little beauties. I love lemon bars and what goes better with lemon than raspberries. Two of my favs combined for the perfect spring dessert.

for the crust:
1 stick + 1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

for the filling:
12 oz frozen raspberries thawed
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
2 tbsp lemon zest (3 lemons)
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the bars out once they’ve cooled.

To make the crust:
Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, then add in vanilla. Add flour until just incorporated. Dump dough in baking pan and press with your hands until it evenly covers the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until slightly golden brown.

To make the filling:
Put the raspberries in a fine mesh sieve and press through (this removes the seeds) into a large bowl. Add sugar, egg whites, egg, lemon juice and zest, flour, and salt to the bowl and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the crust (don’t worry, it’s a very loose mixture, it will thicken) and bake for 25 – 30 minutes depending on your oven and the sized baking dish you use.

Let cool to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours until completely cooled. If you let them cool overnight, they’re even better!