Fruit Pizza

Fruit pizza is one of our family's favorite desserts and I like to use it as my go-to dessert when we have company. There isn't any specific measurements I use, but after eye-balling it this past weekend this is what I came up with:

1 1/2 rolls sugar cookie dough (yes, you can make the dough, this is just WAY faster)
2 lbs strawberries
2 bananas
3 kiwis
1/2 package cream cheese (4 oz)
1/2 tub whipped cream
1 yoplait yogurt (I prefer peach or lemon)

First, set out your cream cheese and cookie dough for about 30 min so that they are soft enough to work with.
Roll out your cookie dough onto a cookie sheet until it covers the entire thing. Bake as directed BUT keep an eye on it. You may have to adjust to cooking time but it takes about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
In a medium sized bowl combine your cream cheese, whipped cream, and yogurt. Once the cookie has cooled, spread it evenly across the entire cookie.
I like to wait until the end to cut my fruit so that it all stays nice looking. Cut your strawberries horizontally (so they make circles) and layer those first. Then cut and layer on your bananas, followed by your cut up kiwis. I personally like to add berries on top, but most of my family doesn't like that. It does add nice coloring to add raspberries and blueberries.
Slice and enjoy!

Rolo Cookies

Today I needed some sheets put on my bed, and also a Dr. Pepper, but didn't want to go down to the basement for the 500th time in 15 minutes. So I asked B to go for me (I know, lazy). He told me yes, if I would make him some of "those yummy fudgy cookies you gave me and K at lunch the other day". He was talking about these.

Seriously, they are amazing, and not just for sentimental reasons, mostly because they are delicious. But they do make me think of this place:

and of these people:

And those are some very, very happy thoughts.

The cooks made us these cookies super often. Once a week maybe... Definitely not often enough! You should make these cookies, and then tell me how awesome they are. I, on the other hand, am going to be making these cookies with my kids this time (the last batch I made with my cute friend Meagan, and they were delicious, and I ate like half a batch by myself! And I have a hard time even feeling bad about it.)

Description:
YUMMY!!!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
1 Cup Butter
2 t. Vanilla
2 T. Sugar
3/4 Cups Cocoa
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
48 Rolos (You can also use the caramel filled kisses... I imagine that you could come up with some pretty delicious combinations I'm thinking the mint filled kisses....)

Directions:
Combine flour, cocoa, and soda. Set aside.   Beat sugar (both kinds) and butter until blended.   Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry mixture. Shape into small balls. Press Rolos in each center of ball and cover with dough.   Roll in (the 2 T.) sugar.   Bake on un-greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Number Of Servings:Makes 4 dozen (The number of rolos in a bag-- ish, convenient, huh?

Mother's Day flower bouquet

Many moons ago I came across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and have wanted to try it ever since. I decided to try to use the recipe to make a cookie bouquet for the mom of the fmaily I work for. I may or may not have eaten half of the batch myself.... (not all in one day). Just the ones that didn't stay on the sticks...

Brownie Roll-out Cookies They're like chocolate sugar cookies. To DIE for... I'm suggesting that we swap these out for regular sugar cookies for Christmas plates, they're that good.)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup lightly salted butter, softened (Deb note: I don’t really see “lightly salted” much these days, so I used one stick salted, one stick unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter.1/4" thick plus. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (secret trick: roll the cookies out with excess cocoa powder rather than flower to keep the cookies brown.) This is the part where I used wooden skewers to make them flowers.

Can we please talk about how cute this kid is? I <3 him already!

Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

At this point you can eat the cookies as they are. You could sprinkle with powdered sugar, or you could frost them with some good old butter cream frosting.

The Decorators:

And here are the decorator's final products

Add a dollar store pot, some floral foam, some crumpled tissue paper and a ribbon. Voila!

I think, if I were a mom, I would be very happy with coming downstairs to one of these.

One for my boss, one for the neighbor (who is amazing)

Star Wars Cookies

I (Rachel) am a huge nerd and absolutely love anything Star Wars. I have been pining over the starwars cookie cutter set from the moment I saw it. My wanting paid off when for Christmas my mom bought me the set! 

 

I'm going to be completely honest when I tell you mine did not turn out this cute. Due to my inability to count, I over mixed the royal icing and it turned out super thick. Lesson learned.As a heads up, this is an all day or two day project.

Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth with hand mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt by hand. Cover. Chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit . Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with your fancy Star Wars cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely

My mom threw away my recipe (huge sad face) so I don't have the icing recipe. It's just your standard royal icing recipe...

On a side note, if you don't want to fork out the dough (haha) for these cookie cutters, the recipe works great with any cookie cutter. Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter...Go wild! They don't spread out and turn into blob-like shapes as they bake. Here are my cookies :

Fortunate?

This time of the year signifies the beginning of the new Chinese new year! 2011 is the year of the rabbit

This week was a little (read: A LOT) stressful and on Wednesday (?) night, to blow off some steam, I made Fortune Cookies! They were way easier than I thought they would be! My roommate helped me come up with clever fortunes. 

I got the recipe here, and the directions are pretty easy!

Fortune Cookies

1/2 C flour- If you have bread flour, use it. (I didn't.)

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla- or sometimes I use 1/2 almond 1/2 vanilla (I am in love with almond, so I did the half and half.)

2 egg whites

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend to combine. Be sure to blend till it's completely smooth!


 Place in a container and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper*(I didn't have any when I made them, but used a sprayed cookie sheet, it worked fine, but I think that the parchment would be WAY better). Draw 3-4 (3-inch) circles on paper (Here, I dipped a glass in flour and put it on the greased sheet). Turn paper over. Spoon 1 teaspoon batter into center of each of the drawn circles; spread evenly to fill circle. 

Bake at 400° for 5-6 minutes or until the cookies are brown just around the edges and a little toward the centers. Remove from the oven. Let sit for a few seconds (just a few!) before removing from pan. Working quickly, loosen edges of cookies with a spatula, and turn over.

Place fortune along the center of 1 cookie. Fold cookie over so the edges meet ; press edges together. Gently pull the ends of the cookie down over the rim of a small bowl (or jar); hold for a few seconds or until set. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies. Makes about 24 cookies.

Easy Pumpkin cookies

Ok, here is the easiest recipe known to man for the yummiest cookies!



1 box spice cake mix
1 small can (or 1/2 a big can) pumpkin puree
Mix them together till all the cake mix is wet. Then add, pretty much whatever you want. I like raisins. The people in dinner group seemed to like the chocolate chip ones better. It's about a cup of mix-ins. You could add nuts too...
Anyway, put the cookies in plops on baking sheet. They don't rise much. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes.
Then enjoy the deliciousness! (I ate 3 last night) And a few more today... But with the pumpkin and the raisins they're WHOLESOME! Right?

Mom's Molasses Cookies

I've been craving Molasses cookies for the past couple of days. But in my extreme laziness I didn't want to ball my own cookies. So I found out that a girl in my ward has a cookie scoop, and I borrowed it and so I made these delicious molasses cookies:

 3/4 c butter (I did 1/2 c butter, 1/4 c shortening)
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp soda
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves (I didn't have any, so I didn't put any in and it was fine!)

Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg. Mix in dry ingredients. Refrigerate for one hour (I know, a whole hour, but it's important). Roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. (I just did sugar and it's good).
Bake at 375* for 8 to 10 minutes. Then... PERFECTION.