ghost pops...

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Melt white chocolate and free form ghost shapes with the back of a spoon. Lay lollipop sticks in the center and cover with a little white chocolate to secure. Let dry a few minutes and use mini chocolate chips for the eyes.

Happy Halloween!

classic gingerbread boy cookies...

1 cup butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

1 egg

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixer cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg. Cover and chill for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment or silpat. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place 1-2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min. Let cool. Decorate. Store in an airtight container.

These are soft, chewy and have just the right amount of spice to make the perfect gingerbread cookie. This would be a fun weekend project with the kids! You can go as detailed or as simple (like I did) as you like with the decorating. I personally love cinnamon red hots on my gingerbread cookies...I didn't have any, though. Still delicious!

snowball cookies...

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

powdered sugar (for rolling cookies in)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Fold in chopped nuts.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Placed on greased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 min. Remove from oven and roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Roll in sugar again when cool.

I believe the real name for these is wedding cookies. I've never had or seen these at a wedding. We call them snowball cookies. That is what they look like, after all...

Again, a very easy recipe. You do have to plan ahead a little and take your butter out of the fridge early in the day (as with any cookie recipe...this step really does make a HUGE difference.)

Santa will love them!!! So will you.

peppermint bon bon cookies...

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg (room temp)

1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

red food coloring

1/2 cup crushed candy canes

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Combine crushed candy canes and granutlated sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream powdered sugar, butter, shortening, egg and extracts. Add flour and salt. Mix until combined. Divide dough in half of the dough (making it as pink or as red as you like). Use a Tablespoon to measure out dough and roll into bon bons. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 min.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with candy canes while hot. Let cool completely.

Twelve days and counting...

If you are looking for a new cookie this year, look no further. These little morsels are full of peppermint goodness and can be popped right in your mouth...what's not to love?!?

These are a must every Christmas at our house. These are one of the cookies we leave for Santa because they are his (and Mrs. C's favorite!!) They come together quickly which is always a bonus...especially at this time of year, and they are yum-my.

peanut butter balls...

2 1/2 sticks margarine (NOT butter)

2 cups creamy peanut butter

5 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl mix all ingredients together until the consistency of play-dough. Using a tablespoon measure, roll into balls & place on a waxed/parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate.

2 big Hershey bars (or 8 reg size)

1 12oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 bar of wax (melt in a rinsed out soup can inside a pan with 1-2 in water)

Melt chocolate together. Melt wax separately. Gradually add wax to melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

Drop balls into melted chocolate mixture, pick up with a fork and gently slide back onto lined baking sheet. Keep chilled in fridge.

If you are a chocolate/peanut butter lover...look out. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate & peanut butter and I LOVE these. My sister makes them every Christmas and everyone who knows her hopes they are on the recipient list.

I made these as a Happy New Year gift for a few friends and will probably do it again next year. Nothing says "I love you" like one more treat delivered on January 1st...hee hee!!

(The wax can be found by the canning supplies in the grocery store. Each box contains four bars. You could also melt it in the microwave in a container that you don't mind throwing out.)

ginger snaps...

3/4 cup butter, room temp

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 1/4 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

sugar

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg and mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients, one cup at a time and mix to combine. Chill dough. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar to coat. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for about 10 min. If you like them soft, take them out as soon as the balls crack on the top & let them cool.

This was a recipe from the cookie exchange last week from my cute friend, Stacy. Mine didn't turn out as good as hers...but they tasted YUMMY!!! Bake some up for Santa...he'll love 'em!

chocolate turtle cookies...

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 Tbsp butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans, chopped fine

14 soft caramel candies

3 Tbsp heavy cream

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.Whisk egg white(s) in another bowl until frothy. Place pecans in another bowl. One at a time, roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, 10 to12 minutes. Meanwhile, microwave caramels and cream in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from oven, gently press existing indentations with teaspoon measure. Fill each with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

This was my contribution to the annual cookie exchange that we have for Enrichment each year. Yum, yum & yum! I so wish I had taken a pic of the plate of cookies I came home with...but they disappeared too fast...hmm...

These were a little time consuming, but totally worth it. I think it would be a little easier, and maybe even taste better with caramel ice cream topping (Mrs. Richardson's to be exact) in place of the candies & cream. OR...if you were reeeaaaally daring...homemade caramels.

*Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe*