Showing posts with label food gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food gifts. Show all posts

Pinwheel Cookies


This is a favorite cookie to make. I love folding down the pinwheel and I love baking and eating them too. You can make them with a cookie cutter which punches out four-armed shapes. Just dab with jam in the center, flip the ends, and bake! It's quick, easy, and impressive! You can also make them without a cookie cutter if your good at cutting straight line. If not Amazon has some that are dishwasher-safe plastic. If you buy the cutters from Amazon it includes instructions and recipes.

My favorite filling to put in the center is chocolate or vanilla doughnut filling but I know that most people put jam in the middle before folding the sides down. With me I like to fold the pinwheel first, bake, then add the doughnut filling to the center. You have to wait until the pinwheels have completely cooled because cream filled doughnut filling is made with lots and lots of crisco and powdered sugar so it will melt if you don't.

I kid you NOT these cookies are delicious and they look soooooo beautiful in a big bowl; pilled up real high. Give as a gift on National Make a Gift Day which is celebrated on December 3rd.

Serve these during National Cookie Cutter Week the 1st week in December (we blogged it here), National Cookie Month in October and National Cookie Day too.
Note: There is a flat spiral cookie that's called a pinwheel as well.
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Buy from Amazon

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions

  Beat butter, cream cheese, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in flour and baking powder. Mix until stiff dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Lightly beat egg white and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough, 1/2 at a time, into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. With sharp knife, cut dough into 3-inch squares. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with egg white.

With sharp knife, cut the dough diagonally from each corner to within 1/2-inch of center of each square. Place small amount of jam in center. Fold alternate corners of the square to the center to form pinwheel, overlapping the dough at the center pushing down gently to seal in center.




Bake until set, about 9 to 12 minutes. Using spatula, immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Cookie Cutter Fudge Gift

It's Christmas, everyone is expecting fun food and everyone is always looking for new gifting ideas too. Well I found this great idea for gifting fudge from Betty Crocker. This is a fabulous idea and Oh so easy too! Happy Cookie Cutter Week everyone! This is one idea I'm going to do myself.

Source: bettycrocker.com via Jacqui on Pinterest
Betty Crocker says "Here's a sweet gift for someone with everything. Place cookie cutters & fudge into cellophane gift bags, & tie with ribbons." Well I think that's a fabulous idea. I think it would also be fun to place a dozen of them in a flat box, you know like a candy box. How fun would that be to open a box of 12 different cookie cutters filled with homemade fudge! You could even use the cutters for brownies or cookies too.Wow I would love for someone to give me this as a gift myself. Really...

If you know someone who collects cookie cutter; this would be a great gift idea for them.
  • Follow this link for recipe and instructions. 
For A Dinner Dessert Idea:  Try serving your after dinner dessert in a over sized cookie cutter and let your guests eat it out of the cutter with a spoon. Then tell the guests they get to keep the cookie cutter as a parting gift. Great idea right! :) I love it!

This post is in honor of National Cookie Cutter Week which is celebrated the 1st week of December. We Blogged it here-

Fun with Butternut Squash Pear Bisque and Fish Crackers

Fun With Food! Yes! Last night I was surfing around pinterest looking for some food fun that would be perfect for a cold rainy night and I found this photo of Butternut Squash and Pear Bisque. Along with the recipe for both the bisque and the fish crackers.


Now I was thinking... this would be a fantastic idea for little girls learning to cook in the kitchen. I have 4 great nieces that would just love making this.

My family spends lots of time on the river so these cute little fish crackers would make a lot of familiar fish giggles for sure.

I think having kids involved... in the making of something like crackers for soup would be a fun way to get them to eat some healthy soup. I even like the idea of the soup/bisque in the coffee mugs too. I think this is the best idea yet for little hands being able to grip and hold. Ohhh and the fish cracker on the end of a cane pole! Just genius! When I invite the girls over I'm going to say... "Come on girls lets go fishing in the mud hole!"

 Not only would the kids learn to cook but they would have a wonderful food craft day too. I mean who could resist a day of cutting out crackers with fish cookie cutters? Then drawing the fish faces and fish scales on. :)

The idea of sharing this little project with the girls sounds like something right in the middle of my river bed too! Gosh even the boys would like this food project. I can just see the kids now. A day of soup making and cracker crunching sounds like a fine way to enjoy a cold rainy night to me.

Thank You Resources:
You can find the soup recipe at memoriesinthebaking.blogspot.com. You can find the recipe for cheese and walnut crackers at savoringtimeinthekitchen.blogspot.com

Hurray for "Food Fun!"
Remember this great idea for National Soup Month & National Soup Swap Month in January, National Bread Month in November, National Pear Month in December and fun outdoor teas. Fish crackers would be a fun food gifts too. Dads would love it! Fishermen would love it! And what a fun idea to take to someone sick in bed. These little fishies would surely bring a smile to their face.

Reindeer Feed Recipe


Cyber Monday is today!  Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday. The term Cyber Monday is the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.

Reindeer Feed Recipe
Originally uploaded by Betty Crocker Recipes
Now for me.... I am most definitely checking out the Internet for Christmas shopping specials. Like most of us I will be online off and on all day. Because of that I wanted to find a snack recipe that would be perfect for a lazy day of online shopping so I picked this reindeer feed recipe that's right up my alley for munching all day.

Guys It's Really Pretty... and the kids love the title.
Hey save the recipe for your next Christmas Party too! Just so you know... I made a big batch of this last night. I mean really, it only has 3 ingredients in it. I really love vanilla baking chips and this simple recipe calls for 2 whole cups. I thought the crushed peppermint added a nice red touch to the snack which makes it perfect for gift giving. In fact I'm making this for Christmas food gifts this year. There's a slight pink tent to parts of it so I think it would work great as a Valentines gift as well. I don't think you would want to call it "Reindeer Feed" if your giving it for Valentines Day though. giggle~ Betty Crocker may even have a Valentine name for it. Hummm what could you call it. Love Potion # 9? haha! But for now.... it's great Internet food and TV food for me. :)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 cups Rice Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal
  • 1 bag (12 oz) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)
  • 1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes (14 miniature, unwrapped)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper. Place cereal in large bowl.

2. In microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth. Stir in half the crushed peppermint candy.

3. Pour over cereal; toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture in single layer on cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container.

Betty Crocker Tip: To make feed bag, cut two 6 1/2 x 5-inch rectangles from a piece of muslin-type fabric. Using a hot glue gun, run a bead of glue on edge of three sides of one rectangle. Top with other rectangle to form pocket. Turn pocket inside-out. Roll down top opened edge to create a cuff.

Betty Crocker Tip: This recipe is gluten free. When cooking gluten free always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is gluten free. Products and ingredient sources can change.
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November 28 Holidays:
Make your own head Day. What? Yep that's a Weird Holiday for you.
Red Planet Day: The 4th planet in the solar system.

Thank You to MunatyCooking blog for the sweet sunshine cookbook :)