Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for December, 2009

Ring in the New Year with the festive bouquet overflowing with cookies to celebrate the season. 

The 9 cookie version of the bouquet comes with 2 champagne flute, one clock, 4 celebration balloon, and one champagne bottle-shaped cookies.  The large cookies each measure about 5 to 6″ tall and about 3/8″ thick depending on the cookie design. We also add a center cookie where you can add a personal message. This stylish cookie gift is available in 5 different sizes with prices starting at just $29.

Buy the Happy New Year Cookie Bouquet Today!

My Dad can eat a whole batch of this Christmas candy in one sitting, but that might be why he has a jolly tummy just like Santa.  Seriously, this peanut brittle is quite tasty and oh so easy to make.

1 1/2 cups raw peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

In a glass bowl, stir together the salt, corn syrup and sugar.  Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on 100% Power for 9 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in the butter and vanilla.  Then microwave on 100% power for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove from microwave and stir in the baking soda stirring really well…note the mixture should be foamy.  Stir in the peanuts. Then pour the mixture onto a well-greased cookie sheet (or on a cookie sheet lined with Sil-pat).  Cool the mixture completely and then break into edible-sized pieces.

I know what you are thinking – date balls for Christmas – yuck.  Well maybe that is just what I thought.  At any rate, these classic Christmas cookies are now one of my favorites.  The melted dates are blended with butter to create a scrumptious almost caramel like texture that is infused with rice krispies for a bit of crunch.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them!

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 lb. pitted dates, cut fine
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups Rice Krispies®
extra fine flake coconut

In a medium-size heavy saucepan, melt the dates, sugar and butter together over medium heat (stirring constantly) until it is smooth (almost like caramel).  Remove from the heat. Then add the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt stirring well.  Be sure to cool the date mixture slightly before adding the eggs so they don’t get scrambled.  Put the mixture back on the stove over low heat stirring until thickened.  Again remove from heat and mix in the nuts and the rice krispies until well distributed.  Cool completely.  Place the coconut in a small bowl. Butter your hands to keep the mixture from sticking and form the mixture into 1″ diameter size balls and then roll the balls of cookies in coconut.  Place on wax paper until the cookie balls are set.  Store in an airtight container.

Milk chocolate & peanut butter cookies are one of my favorites because I just love the smooth melty texture and taste of this sweet combination.  These cookies are a childhood favorite and my kids love them too! In my house we usually end up doubling or tripling this recipe because they disappear so fast.

½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
½ cup peanut butter
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 bag of miniature peanut butter cups (unwrapped)
Christmas themed miniature paper baking cups

To make the cookie batter, cream together the sugars and the butter until fluffy.  Then mix in the egg and peanut butter stirring well.  Finally add the baking so and then the flour mixing until you get a well-blended dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.  Meanwhile, line a mini-muffin pan with the mini paper baking cups. Remove and form into about 24 – 3/4″ round dough balls.  Place each dough ball in a mini baking cup. Bake dough balls in the oven at 375 degF for about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie pressing down until the top of the peanut butter cup lines up with the top of the cookie. Leave the cookies sit in the muffin tins for 10 minutes and then remove them cooling the rest of the way on a cooling rack. 

In my family, we pop these little bite size morsels in the microwave for maybe 10 seconds so the chocolate gets a little melty when we want to have a real Christmas cookie treat!