Christmas is a wonderful time of year to bake cookies and it is a fantastic opportunity to make family memories, too. Have your children help you bake cookies and all of you can delight in the sweet smells as the cookies bake. You can take turns telling tales while you share a cup of hot chocolate. The wonderful family memories will last a lot longer that your cookies will! My all-time favorite cookies are TOLL HOUSE chocolate chip cookies. I can nearly smell warm chocolate chip cookies as I am writing about them; they are so deeply imbedded in my memories of Christmas.TOLL HOUSE chocolate chip cookiesNestles has made different types of morsels to suit everyone’s personal desire and taste. They now have white chocolate morsels, swirled milk chocolate and caramel morsels, semi-sweet chocolate swirled with white chocolate morsels, mini morsels and the regular semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Each bag has its own recipe but each type of morsels uses the same ingredient, with the exception of the White Chocolate Chip Cookies which have one additional ingredient for the “dry” mixture (Nestle’s TOLL HOUSE BAKING cocoa). If you want to double the recipe in order to be part of a cookie exchange group, the main ingredients for each type of cookie can be doubled. Then it would be necessary to double the amount of morsels. The basic ingredients doubled are:  4 & ½ cup all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups butter softened (4 sticks), 1 & ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 & ½ cup of packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 4 eggs.For:White Chocolate cookies you will need to add 1 additional ingredient to the dry mixture. It is 1 & 1/3 cups Toll House baking cocoa to the dry mixture and 2 packages (12oz.) of Nestle’s TOLL HOUSE Premium White Morsels. Milk chocolate and caramel cookies you will need 2 packages (12oz.) of Nestle’s TOLL HOUSE Milk Chocolate and Caramel Morsels (1 cup chopped pecans, if you want). Swirled semi-sweet white chocolate cookies you will need 2 packages (12oz.) of Nestle’s TOLL HOUSE swirled Real Semi-Sweet & White Chocolate Morsels (2 cups of nuts, if you like). After you have gathered all your ingredients, heat the oven to 350*. You will need 2 bowls:  a medium one for the dry mixture and a large one to mix all the ingredients for the cookies. In the medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients (4 & ½ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda). In the large bowl, add the 1 & ½ cup of granulated sugar and 1 & ½ cup of packed brown sugar, 4 sticks (2 cups) softened margarine, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat until creamy. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after adding each one.Now, gradually add the dry mixture. Stir in 2 bags of your choice of morsels (and nuts if you choose). Drop a rounded tablespoon of bread onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Place a few morsels on top of each cookie and bake 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks. This will make about 9 dozen of the best tasting cookies you will ever have!It is fun to see if someone in your family or a close friend wants to share their favorite cookies with you by becoming part of a Christmas Cookie Exchange. Because many people have favorites of their own, you will be able to delight in a variety of cookies. It is simple when you double your recipes. You will be able to share ½ of your baked goods and hear ½ of theirs so you will have a larger choice. My family likes my Christmas cookies but they also like and delight in eating different kinds of cookies baked by their aunt. In Favorite Christmas Cookies 1, you saw how I made Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies. In Christmas Cookies Part 3, you will see another kind of cookie called Swirled Turtle Brownies. You can also see other recipes in the article entitled “Cookie Exchange Will Save at Time at Christmas”. Delight in the time you spend making Christmas cookies and memories and remember, make it fun.

It says it makes 1-1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies, but it made 14 huge honkin’ ass cookies that I finished up breaking into two pieces. 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted bleached all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 stick butter, melted and cooled until warm 3/4 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. Nutella 1 large egg 1 additional egg yolk 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1-2 c. semi or bittersweet chocolate chips 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (discretionary) Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 20 x 14 baking sheet without sides with parchment document. Mix flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. With electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until painstakingly blended. Mix in Nutella, egg, yolk and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips. Form 1/4 cup bread into ball. Holding ball by fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at thir base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to charming bread’s potholed surface. Place formed bread onto sheet, about nine balls per sheet. (Smaller cookie sheets can be used but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and the time may need to be adjusted). Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden, yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes. Start checking at 13 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets. Store in airtight containers.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Making a hard or crunchy cookie is simple to prepare but making chewy and soft cookies is really a challenge. But don’t you worry, because herewith are some simple procedures to prepare or bake soft, moist and fantastic tasting cookies. 1.Know exactly how long you should bake or cook the cookie mixture or bread. Unlike any other baked goodies, cookies are simple to prepare – that is why they only require a few minutes to prepare. So if by any opportunity you leave them inside your oven for more than the required baking period, the baked bread is likely to be converted into crunchy or hard. In order to make chewy and moist cookies, remove the  pan from your oven until the sides of your cookies are slightly brown and the center looks soft. Don’t worry about the soft part of the baked bread because they take up again baking even after you’ve gotten them out of your oven. The remaining heat of the pan is enough to completely cook your tasty cookies. Let the baked cookies cool down before transferring them into another plate or tray. 2.Know the exact amount of flour needed. Cooking pastry including cookies require precise measurement of ingredients particularly the flour. Cookies or other pastries be converted into hard whenever you add huge amount flour. Every time you combine flour in your mixture, see to it that you fluff it up by slightly whisking it by spoon. Place the required amount in a measuring cup but don’t compress or tamp the flour. You may use spatula or a knife with flat edges to remove the excess flour. 3.Know the sweetener that you’ll use. Some people are not aware that the kinds of sweetener or sugar you add or use for your cookie mixture produces a huge effect to its consistency. Putting white or refined sugar results to crunchier cookies while those cookies which are made by brown or unrefined sugar, honey and molasses be converted into soft. Whenever you want to prepare or bake chewy and moist cookies, you may use corn or heavy syrup. 4.Keep the mixture or bread cool. Before baking your cookies or bread try to place it inside the fridge for few minutes before baking it. Cooled or frozen bread ordinarily results to thick and soft cookies while warm bread is likely to produce flat and crunchy cookies. 5.Keep your baked cookies properly. Cookies are similar to other pastry goodies; they need to be kept properly to maintain their fantastic taste and texture. Baked cookies need to be positioned in a sealed jar or container after they have cooled down. Never store your baked cookies unless they have completely cooled or else cookies will be converted into tacky because of the humidity or moisture they’ll generate inside the container. In order to maintain the chewy and moist consistency of your baked cookies, place an apple or small bread inside the container. The apple and the bread will give ample moisture to your stored cookies which maintains the chewy and soft texture of these delights.

Sample recipe from THE HEALTHY VEGAN DVD. With Rose Elliot www.thehealthyvegandvd.com www.roseelliot.com

Chocolate is a touch that suits every occasion and can be gifted to anyone. The smell of chocolates itself is irresistible. I have tried to bring a list of common chocolates that people generally eat.
Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolates have a creamy, sweet and mild flavor. They are a combination of sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin, vanilla, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Milk chocolates are mostly used in dessert sauces, fondue, dipping coatings and chocolate garnishes. These chocolates control milk solids and the most eaten chocolates in the world.
White Chocolate
White chocolate is different from the other chocolate flavors. It is made of sugar, cocoa butter, dry milk solids and vanilla essence. Creamy white in color, white chocolates are used for all types of cooking and baking. They are available in bars, blocks, discs and chips. They have a mild and pleasant flavor.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is sweetened and has a high content of cocoa solids and a small amount of milk. Some dark chocolates have no milk. Mostly, dark chocolates control 35 percent chocolate liquor. Other ingredients that make up dark chocolates are cream, sugar, butter, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Mostly people use dark chocolates in baking and dessert recipes.
Semisweet Chocolate
Semisweet chocolate as the name suggests has a low content of sugar . Semisweet chocolate complements well with other flavors. They melt easily and thus are used for dipping. You may find semisweet chocolates in different forms like- chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, bars, and disks. Semisweet chocolates control about 40-60% of cocoa solids. They have a sweet flavor. They are used in preparing cakes, cookies and brownies, and can be used alternatively with sweet dark chocolate.
Bittersweet Chocolate
Bittersweet chocolates have small or no amount of sugar. These chocolates are also known as baking or cooking chocolate. They control mild sugar, cocoa, butter, vanilla and lecithin. The amount of cocoa solids in bittersweet chocolates ranges from 60% to 85%. It you find a recipe that uses bittersweet chocolate then you should not substitute it with semi-sweet or sweet chocolate. These chocolates have a rich flavor and are used for preparing cakes or other steamed desserts.
Unsweetened Chocolate
Unsweetened chocolates are also known as bitter chocolate, chocolate liquor or baking chocolate. These chocolates have no sugar they are made from finely ground and roasted cocoa nibs, and have no alcohol content. Unsweetened chocolates are used in cakes, brownies, and cookies but sugar is added in the recipes

cookie picture with a suddenly…

Food is perhaps one of the nicest gifts people can accept during Christmas season. Aside from being a likely staple piece on the table during Christmas Eve, Christmas food gifts can mirror excellent taste to gift-givers.
Even though it is still months before Christmas time, it’s never too early to reckon about the food items you can give out as gifts.

Well loved edibles you can give as presents for Christmas are baked goodies, candies, chocolates, and specially-baked breads. Homemade cookies and Christmas fruit cakes are also part of the category which you can hand out to friends, relatives, co workers and associates.

Throughout the years, potential Christmas food gift thoughts or stuff people hand over includes sophisticated boxes of chocolates in several Christmas shapes like a Christmas star, Frosty the Snowman, or the traditional Christmas tree; an assortment of fruits, unique and stylish arrangements of fruit baskets, conventional Christmas hampers that is loaded with nice treats such as ham and cheese, fruit cakes and puddings, tarts in different shapes and sizes, holiday shaped shortbreads, and one or two bottles of wine.

Christmas food gift giving can be made personalized into different variations. One example would be the Wine and Gourmet food gift basket that may include gourmet pepper and crackers, a smoked salmon with gourmet cheese spread or a Sesame Crackers food gift which consists of a choice of garlic and cheese mix.

You may also want to consider giving a Christmas food gift that includes a wide choice of various nuts such as almonds, pili nuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and many others; a Candy food gift basket may consists of several variations of candies and sweets treats; or a Healthy Christmas food gift that includes snack boxes such as bottles of preserved fruits, maple syrup, honey, jams, fruit tarts and fruit-filled pies.

But, in the middle of the so-many potential Christmas food gift stuff, cookies-in special shapes, taste, and dimension-are constantly on top of the list. Here are a few of the cookie essentials you need to know prior to giving out this most well-liked Christmas food gift.

1. Influence on the recipient’s preferred cookie. Knowing your recipient’s most desired cookie will make it simple for you to buy or set up your gift. If not, go for typical cookie favorites such as the fresh ginger cookies, the fruitcake cookies, the holly Christmas cookies, the Christmas tree cookies, and the chocolate chip or the oatmeal cookies.

2. Make the appearance eye-catching. Be artistic in packing up your cookies by trimming it with ceramic, metal, or plastic stamps or baking molds or by adding up exceptional add-ons to the finished product like colored sugar, finely chopped walnuts, or colorful candy sprinkles. Make sure that you adorn the exterior of your cookie box with unique marks, exclusive cards, and colorful and vibrant stickers or a lovely wrapping document.

3. Take full advantage of your effort. If you are baking the cookies all by physically, make sure that you are set up to bake a large collection of cookies by chilling a number of rounds of this bread ahead.

Learn how to add sugar for yule log cookies with expert holiday recipe tips in this free dessert video. Expert: Jennifer Cail Bio: Jennifer Cail has been cooking and baking since she could reach the stove at the age of 4. Filmmaker: randy primm