Allison's Recipe Book

Ingredients

1 box red velvet cake mix
8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 bag white chocolate peppermint Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:

In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat. Add cake mix and beat until combined. Chill dough for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Scoop cookie dough with a 1 inch cookie scoop and roll in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and press a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie. Remove cookies to wire rack to finish cooling.

Ingredients:

CHOCOLATE COOKIES
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon (133g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (32g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I use 1 package Baker’s Semi Sweet chocolate)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons (75g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 cup (180g) mini chocolate chips
CANDY CANE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2.5 – 3 cups (300-360g) confectioners sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream or milk
1/2 cup candy cane dust, sifted (about 8-10 candy canes pulverized in a food processor)
crushed candy canes for rolling, optional
Directions:

Begin with the cookies. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. Continue to melt in 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla. Set aside. With an electric or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Beat in the sugars, scraping down the sides every 10 seconds or so. The mixture will be granular.

Mix in the beaten egg/vanilla until incorporated. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients on slow speed. Fold in the mini chocolate chips. Do not overmix at any point in this process.

Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough and roll into a slightly flattened ball. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies have just begun to set with the centers still appearing very soft. They will firm up as they cool.

As the cookies cool, make the buttercream. Beat the butter for 1 minute with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 2.5 cups of sifted powdered sugar and slowly mix on low speed. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 1 Tablespoon of cream/milk. Beat for about 1 minute. Manually stir in candy cane dust. If your buttercream needs to be thicker, add more powdered sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk/cream. If frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt.

Frost the bottom end of a cooled cookie and top with another to make a sandwich. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Ingredients:

1 17.5-oz. bag Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix, mixed according to package directions
(or your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe)
Liquid food coloring, as desired (McCormick Neon shades work well)
Rainbow sprinkles, if desired

Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide dough evenly into five bowls, and color each with a different color liquid food coloring. Roll each color of dough into grape-sized balls. Combine a ball of each color and quickly roll into a larger ball. It will look like a little beach ball. Then roll that ball between your hands and the counter until you have a cylinder about 12 inches long. Starting from one end, roll the dough into a coil, twisting the cylinder as you go. Roll edges of the cookie in sprinkles. Bake the cookies for 10 to 11 minutes, or until done.
Yields: approximately 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

Cookie ingredients:
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3C flour
1/4C unsalted butter, softened
1/3C sugar, plus 1/2C
1 egg
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Apple ingredients:
8C apples (roughly 6-8 apples depending on their size)
1/4C brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a small bowl combine first four dry ingredients for the cookie dough. In a separate bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar. Add egg followed by premixed dry ingredients. Mix until dry ingredients are blended into the dough well. Chill dough until easy to handle, at least several hours.

When ready to continue, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine 3/4 teaspoon and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Peel, core and slice apples. Add to brown sugar and cinnamon mixture, tossing to coat. Transfer apples to an 8×8 baking dish.

Form 1 inch balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place coated dough balls on top of apples, press down lightly to slightly flatten.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until apples are tender and cookie topping is lightly golden.

Allow to cool slightly prior to serving. Serve with optional whipped cream or ice cream. May be stored chilled for several days.