Welcome to The Cookie Monster, a blog about the most marvelous, versatile, and beloved bakeable item in the land: The cookie. You may see occassional forays into pies, bars, and other sweet treats, but my main focus is and has always been on the bite sized genius behind my very favorite snack. Happy Baking!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Nutella Sandwich Cookies


Happy Weekend Friends!  I managed to bake again this month.  Hooray!  And there are a few fun projects coming up in the near future, but for today I'm sharing my recipe for Nutella Sandwich cookies, and man oh man, are these tasty.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
dash salt
1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cups quick cooking oats
Nutella

Start off by mixing the shortening and the sugars until combined.  Add in the egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda.  Mix well.


Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Roll the dough into half inch balls, and space them 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.


Press the balls flat with the bottom of a glass or a spatula....



Bake at 375F for 8 minutes. let cool on a wire rack before sandwiching.


And enjoy!  My husband insists that the best way to eat these cookies is warm, with some coffee ice cream on the side.


I hope you're all enjoying you're last few weeks of summer!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Minnie Mouse Birthday Cookies!

Hey Blog folk!

Although I have certainly dropped off on the blog posting, I am still baking and doing special event cookies for Friends and Family!  I thought I would share the Sugar cookies I made for my cousin Aubrie's first birthday party.  Minnie Mouse was the pretty pink theme :)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
2 cups flour


Mix together the butter and shortening, adding in the sugar until well blended and fluffy.  Add in your egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Finally sift in your dry ingredients, and mix until well combined.

Refrigerate your dough for 30 minutes or so to make it more manageable for rolling.  When using cookie cutters, sometimes it helps to put the unbaked cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes or so before baking.  This will help the cookies keep their intended shape, and not spread as much on the sheet during baking. Bake for 7-8 minutes at 375F.

I used my go to Royal Icing recipe that I often use for these kinds of cookies.  It dries rock hard and leaves a shiny pretty finish.


Allow these cookies to dry for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before stacking or packaging them.

Some ribbon and packaging and we're ready for the Party!


Happy Birthday Aubrie!!!

Stay tuned for some fun shower cookies coming up within the next month, and if time allows, I might even bake something just for fun :)