Delicious and Easy Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

I absolutely love coconut macaroons and these chocolate dipped macaroons are not only tasty but very easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Macaroon Ingredients:

3 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 tbl. cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, broken up (you can use different chocolate- dark chocolate is decadent and a lighter sweeter chocolate like semisweet is great too).

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix coconut, cornstarch, sugar, egg whites and vanilla in heat proof bowl.
Set bowl over a pot of boiling water or double boiler. Heat, stirring until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Spoon out macaroons, about a tablespoonful each, and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 min. Remove to wire rack.

Place chocolate in small micro-safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 1 min. Stir until smooth. Dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.
Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet and set in refrigerator.

Valentines Day Hot Stuff Cookie Bouquet

OK.. yeah, so I am cheating here a bit as this isn’t a recipe but I  just thought these were the neatest cookies ever. They say that the road to a man’s heart is through his stomach and here is the perfect gift to get there! Fill him up with these freshly baked, romantic cookies, weighing a quarter pound each –this Hot Stuff Cookie Bouquet is the gift that is sure to satisfy, even the manliest of men. Choose from a 7, 9 or 12 cookie arrangement.

Baked fresh daily, this cookie gift bouquet is made from delicious butter crème cookies. Icing artists will hand-decorate each cookie just for you. Cookies are approximately 4-5” tall, depending on shape and design. Bouquets containing 3 or 5 cookies arrival in a white ceramic coffee mug with a red bow. If you have the time and the talent, you could easily use one of the sugar cookie recipes found here, add some sticks and creative icing and make your own!

Love Letter Sugar Cookies

What a better way to say I love you than to spell it out with Love Letter Sugar Cookies! These are super easy and really tasty. A perfect treat to make with your kiddos as well.

Love Letter Sugar Cookie Recipe:
2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter or margarine
2 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven 475°F.
Blend flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter and rinds until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Blend sour cream in evenly. Gather dough into firm ball. Divide in half.
Roll out onto well-floured board to 1/8″ thickness. Cut in 3″ x 2″ pieces and form the shapes of letter or use cookie cutters if you have them.

Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with water; sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 6-8 min or until golden brown.

Chinese Fortune Cookie Recipe For A Do it Yourself Treat

Chinese Fortune cookies make a fantastic gift for Valentines day simply because you get to write your own message inside them and share with your friends and loved ones.

You can make them super special by writing a one of a kind message to your loved one… something in which they will never forget. You can purchase fortune cookies with a special message or make your own! The recipe is making your own Chinese Fortune Cookie is below.

Chinese Fortune Cookie Recipe:

1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 400° F. Butter/grease about 2 cookie sheets and place aside. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture. Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. With the back of a spoon flatten the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many at a time because it takes time to fold each one immediately as the come out of the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.
Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup or small glass and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside.

Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm and whoila, you’ve got Chinese Fortune Cookies!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Heart Cookies

For someone who enjoys peanut butter and chocolate together, this cookie is the ultimate in taste! A sweet and crunchy cookie offers the best of both worlds.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Heart Cookies are made using two different types of dough and are so much to bake and share. My son’s preschool teacher just begs me make them for the Holiday parties every year!

If you are really a chocolate or peanut butter fan you can add a lite cream flavored frosting to really make the taste pop.  We hope you love this Valentine Cookie Recipe as much as we do~.

Chocolate Cookie Dough:

* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 oz chocolate, melted and cooled
* 2 1/4 cups plain flour
* 2 tbsp cocoa powder
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt

Peanut butter Cookie dough:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup smooth peanut butter
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 egg
* 3 tbsp milk
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 cups plain flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt

Mix chocolate dough: 1. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract and melted chocolate. 2. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. 3. Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat until combined. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Mix peanut butter dough: 1. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugar. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla extract. 2. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. 3. Add flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until combined. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Assembling: 1. Roll out doughs to about 1/2 inch thick and use a large cookie cutter to cut the large shapes. 2. Use a smaller cookie cutter to remove the centers and switch them, creating a two-toned effect. 3. Bake at 350F for 12-13mins, until the edges of the peanut butter cookies are golden brown.