Delicious Oatmeal Cookies #Christmas #Recipes

Christmas is just about upon us, and there is one delectable treat I always make during the holidays. You got it. Oatmeal cookies. Sweet, chewy rounds of goodness. Mmmm! However, these cookies aren't like any your grandmother made—not unless she was privy to my secret ingredient, that is.

What's the secret ingredient? Shredded coconut. That's what makes these mouth-watering morsels of oaty goodness so moist and delicious.

This is one of my tried and true recipes. I come back to it again and again. So fire up the oven, pull out your best mixing bowl, and let's bake up a batch of cookies.

Raisin Oat Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups raisins

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in raisins, oats, and coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a light greased baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes (or until golden around the edges). Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

So...what's YOUR favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe? Let's make this a cookie recipe swap! :)

Cranberries And Cream Cookie Bars #Recipe

I found a recipe online that combined a cream filling with an oatmeal crust and I fiddled with the recipe a bit. I added extra cranberries and vanilla to the cream filling. I decreased the salt and swapped out the white sugar for brown sugar in the crust. The result is a cookie bar that is wonderful served warm (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream???) or cold (with a cup of hot tea!). I hope you enjoy!

Cranberries and Cream Bars

Ingredients:

CREAM FILLING:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

CRUST:

• 1 cup butter, very soft
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Set pan aside.

2. Prepare cream filling. In the top of a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt until well combined; stir in the cranberries. Cook and stir over simmering water until mixture is thickened, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and coconut. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Press HALF of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake the bottom crust until set, about 10 minutes. (The remaining dough will become the topping.)

4. Remove the bottom crust from the oven. Spread cranberry cream mixture over crust and crumble reserved dough evenly over the top of the cream. Bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Starlight Cupcakes to the Rescue! #Recipe for #Foodies

It's cold. Freezing cold. And I need a reason to smile. What’s a woman to do?

Bake cupcakes! Yes! One of my favorite recipes for cupcakes comes from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have the one I was given as a gift when I married my husband. I also have my grandmother’s Betty Crocker Cookbook which has her notes and hand-written recipes tucked inside. It’s a treasure!

Starlight Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk (substitute almond milk, if you wish)

2 teaspoons vanilla (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon)

1.     Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until ingredients are well incorporated.

2.     Add flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla. Stir just until batter comes together and no flour is visible. (Too much mixing at this stage will develop the gluten in the flour and make the cupcakes tough.)

3.     Line 36 medium, greased muffin cups with cupcake liners. Fill each liner half full with batter. Bake in a pre-heated 350º F oven until golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 18 min. Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature.

I like my cupcakes sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar, but you can use a tub of any flavored frosting you like. Enjoy!

~   ~   ~

As you can imagine, I’ve been antsy lately. So I took on the task of creating a new cover for my book TAKING LOVE IN STRIDE. Here’s what I came up with. What do you think? The story is about a stiletto-loving school teacher who gets into a battle of wills with a do-it-my-way businessman. It’s a fun, sweet contemporary romance.

Kindle Worldwide

Nook Book

iBooks Store

Kobo

Google

If you'd like to see the old cover, click here:

Paperback

As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a few pennies if you click the link to access Amazon.