Tag Archives: Christmas Cookies

A Yummy Cookie Recipe with my Least Favorite (Hated) Ingredient! :-)

I just want to go on the record and say I hate coconut. And this includes anything with coconut in it. Almond Joy candy bars. Coconut Cream Chocolates. Just not for me.

Now fresh coconut is another story but how often do you really eat fresh coconut unless you are on a Caribbean Island. LOL

I love to bake and it would never have crossed my mind to ever make Coconut Macaroons. Until now!

I took a baking class at Kitchen Window in Minneapolis to learn how to make French Macaroons. Fabulous! Since it was a holiday baking class they also taught us how to make a few other classics of which Coconut Macaroons was one of them. I thought okay, I will make them in class and never make them again. I WAS SO WRONG.  

The secret is the coconut. Don’t use the sweetened shredded stuff you find in grocery stores that’s all sugar coated and doesn’t actually taste like fresh coconut. Use real Unsweetened Coconut Flakes or Chips. I used the Chips which are bigger and I think creamier.

 

 

 

I bought my chips online as I couldn’t find them even in the premium high end grocery stores. I bought dried chips and also Organic. FYI…..they make a super healthy snack.

 

 

Here is the recipe:

Coconut Macaroons

Yield

36 Cookies

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Butter, unsalted
  • 1 pound Sugar, granulated
  • 6 eggs
  • 18 ounces coconut flakes, unsweetened
  • Dark coating chocolate, melted (optional)

Method

  1. Place the butter and sugar in a sauce pan and heat to 150 degrees F while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and beat in eggs a few at a time. Stir in Coconut.
  2. Return to the stove and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the plan (this happens around the 170 degree F range).
  3. Let the batter cool to room temperature. (I googled this and room temp is around 70 degrees).
  4. Scoop the batter onto the baking mat, using an ice cream scoop.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes.
  6. Brush simple syrup over the cookies as soon as they come out of oven. (See Simple Syrup recipe below).
  7. If you would like to add chocolate to your macaroons, wait until the cookies have completely cooked, dip half of each cookie in chocolate and return to the baking mat to set.

Simple Syrup:

Equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil and allowed to cool. Could be infused with a flavor as well.

My Tips:

  • I used chips not flakes
  • I would not advise using an ice cream scoop. The cookies would be huge and they are so rich. I used the smallest cookie dough scoop from Pampered Chef.
  • I made a double batch so with the smaller scoop I ended up with 150 cookies!! A single batch next time will be best. 🙂
  • If you press them together when forming them it will help in them not falling apart and being so fragile.
  • I baked mine 12-13 minutes. Watch your oven because if it runs hot the cookies may burn.

 

 

 

 

*Recipe by Kitchen Window~3001 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN ~ www.KitchenWindow.com

 

If you like Coconut you will love these!! If you hate Coconut like me I think you will LOVE these!

Enjoy!

 

 

Home for the Holidays – Recipe

Is there a certain food or cookie that brings up memories of Christmas past? A visit to Grandma’s house? A favorite cookie that Mom made at Christmas time only? It may be something that you didn’t even like but it still brings a fond memory. One that makes you feel like you have ‘come home’ when you see it.

For me it was ‘Ribbon Salad’. My Mom made it every Christmas from the time I was a child until decades into adulthood. I didn’t like it and neither did my sisters. It is a red and a green jello square with a mayonnaise middle served on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Although to me not the tastiest, it definitely had a festive look.  As I got older I realized it wasn’t about the taste but the tradition my Mom enjoyed. It was served in my childhood home every Christmas Eve as well as each Christmas when I would visit my Mom as an adult. With Mom passing away two years ago I wish I could have some of her Ribbon Salad with her this Christmas.

 

Ribbon salad

 

Personally I have a recipe that I started making as a young adult, kept making it as I got older and then continued making it every year for my niece. It didn’t seem like my Christmas baking was complete until I made them and my niece couldn’t wait for me to show up with them. Cereal Wreaths! I even brought them to Florida and lugged them onto a cruise ship two years! I hope she remembers the tradition and begins it herself.

I have seen them made with Cheerios but yeck…..they just have to be made with Cornflakes. 🙂  it is a basic easy recipe, a little time consuming on forming them, but oh how festive on your plate come the holidays.

 

Cereal Wreaths

 

RECIPE:

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
  2. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.
  3. Add corn flakes cereal. Stir until well coated
  4. Using 1/4 cup dry measure coated with cooking spray, evenly portion warm cereal mixture. Using buttered fingers, quickly shape into individual wreaths. Dot with cinnamon candies.

 

If you haven’t tried these give them a go. I highly recommend them.

 

Merry Christmas to you and your family. May it be a blessed and special time. What is your favorite “Home for the Holidays” recipe?

 

 

Shar Sitter, owner Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis MN.
CHSE and APSD Home Stager Pro Trainer
www.RoomsWithStyle.com
952-567-1124

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Need a Fast Easy Christmas Treat?

The kids forgot to tell you they need treats for a school party, oops…you need something for the office party or you need to bring something to that cookie exchange.

Whatever it is we always need a super easy yet “Man you went to so much work” type of treat and I have just the one for you.

Chocolate Brownie Christmas Trees!

You literally make a pan of brownies from a box, cut them into triangles and decorate. That’s it. So here is the recipe and how I did it:

First, prepare the brownies per the instructions on the box. Cut them into triangles.

I then added short candy cane sticks to the bottom of the triangles.

 

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Next I added a small line of green icing for garland.

 

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I wanted super easy so I bought prepackaged icing already in tubes. The cookie icing for the garland and the small tubes for the ornaments.

 

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With the small tubes I added the ornaments and a little star on top. That’s it. Super easy, they will look great on a plate of treats and most importantly who doesn’t like brownies!!

 

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Shar Sitter, owner Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis MN.
CHSE and APSD Home Stager Pro Trainer
 www.RoomsWithStyle.com
952-567-1124