November 2014 - Page 3 of 8 - Garden Seeds and Honey Bees

Homemade Oreo Cookies

*2 and 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
*1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
*2 teaspoons Baking Soda
*1/4 teaspoons Salt
*1 cup Butter, room temperature
*1 and 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
*1/2 cup light Brown Sugar
*2 Eggs, room temperature
*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

In a stand mixer cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined.

Whisk together or Sift: Flour, chocolate powder, soda, salt and slowly add to the above creamed mixture until it forms a soft dough ball, cover cookie dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge and using a cookie scoop (size of your choice or about 1 tablespoon per dough ball ) scoop cookie dough out onto Silpat covered 1/2 baking sheet, 12 cookie balls per sheet, pressing each dough ball slightly flat. Keep cookie dough cold in the fridge while each batch bakes. (For best results use a cool baking sheet for each batch of cookies.)

In a pre-heated oven bake 350* F. for 6-8 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing cookies to cooling rack. (Careful not to over bake)

Makes about 25 sandwich cookies (1 tablespoon dough ball per cookie)

Chocolate cookie recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting (for 15 Oreo cookie centers)

*1 and 3/4 cups Confectioners’ Sugar, add more as needed, until desired consistency

*2 teaspoon Meringue Powder, helps keep the frosting shape when piping

*2 and 1/2 tablespoons Salted Butter, softened

*1 and 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla, clear if desired

*4 ounce packages Cream Cheese, room temperature

(Whisk together in bowl Confectioners’ Sugar and meringue powder.)

Mix in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla.

Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder mixture to creamed mixture.

Mix on medium speed until well combined and desired texture, scraping sides every so often. Frost or pipe the frosting filling onto one cookie bottom and top with another cookie making a sandwich cookie, repeat and enjoy.

Large Batch Cream Cheese Frosting (for 30 Oreo cookie centers)

*3 and 1/2 cups Confectioners’ Sugar, add more as needed

*2 teaspoon Meringue Powder, helps keep the frosting shape when piping

*5 tablespoons Salted Butter, softened

*2 and 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla, clear if desired

*1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese, room temperature Whisk together in bowl Confectioners’ Sugar and meringue powder.

Mix in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together butter, cream cheese and vanilla.

Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder mixture to creamed mixture.

Mix on medium speed until well combined and desired texture, scraping sides every so often. Frost or pipe the frosting filling onto one cookie bottom flat side and then top with another cookie making a sandwich cookie, repeat and enjoy.

Note: Refrigerate frosted cookies if not eaten right away or any unused frosting.

Makes about 15 sandwich cookies.

Also see Rose Sugar Cookie Frosting recipe

Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, with families getting together to show gratitude for our abundant lives and harvests. We all have been blessed so much.

We hope you’ll enjoy making these treats with family and friends.

Brownie Turkey

*Brownies baked on a Parchment covered 1/2 baking sheet (See recipe below or use 2 fudge brownie mixes and follow directions on box.)
*Nutter Butter Cookies

Suggested decorating Supplies:

*Milk Chocolate Frosting, as needed for glueing/frosting candy or nut decorations
*Almond Bark, white and/or Chocolate Almond Bark, melted and used as the glue
*Orange Candy Melts, melted and used for beak, turkey feet and glueing candy pieces to turkey brownie/cookie
*Candy Corn, feathers and beak
*Sixlets, black, brown and etc…, (feathers or eyes)
*Mini M&Ms, type used for eating or baking, (eyes)
*Cinnamon Bears, sliced for snood/wattle
*Reese’s Pieces
*Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, cut in half for turkey hat
*Gummy Fishes
*Candy Eyes
*Whole Pecans
*Hazel Nuts, eyes
*Sliced Almonds
*Orange Jelly Beans, I used egg shape
*Egg Shaped Cookie Cutter, cutting brownie to desired shape (turkey body)

Decorate your turkey brownies as desired.

Half Baking Sheet Brownies

*1 cup of Butter or Shortening, melted
*3 cups Granulated Sugar
*6 Eggs
*3 teaspoons Vanilla
*2 cups All-purpose Flour
*1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
*1 cup Baking Cocoa, powder
*1/2 teaspoon Salt

Mix together the wet ingredients, with wooden spoon; melted butter/shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined well and do not beat or whip.

Whisk together the dry ingredients; Flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon just until smooth.

Pour brownie mixture onto 1/2 baking sheet (lined with parchment paper and sprayed with a cooking spray for easy removal) smoothing out batter as much possible onto parchment covered baking sheet.

Bake brownies in a pre-heated 350* F. oven for 25 minutes or until done.

Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool and using an egg shape cookie cutter press out shape and cut them as desired for each turkey. (See below the pictures.)

Note: Milk Chocolate Frosting goes well with these brownies

Brownie recipe adapted from my friend Rhonda.