Quick Cookies During Crazy Holidays!

Tis the season for baking cookies!  Aaaannnd about a billion other things that you have to get done before the Big Day.  There's shopping, list making, decorating, and last minute hoopla, all on top of your regular daily hustle and bustle.  So who's got time for baking?  Don't worry, this blog post is going to be all about baking creative goodies in a way that you can be efficient, have fun, and have something in time to bring to the Holiday office party.

This is usually my time of all day/night crazy baking.  And even though I greatly enjoy my holiday baking extravaganza, I just didn't have the time and energy I usually do to do it this year.  But I wanted to bring something fresh and new to the office, and most importantly, I needed to take some time out of my busy schedule for something that makes me happy.  So how did I reconcile this conundrum?  I theorized about this for a week or so, and decided to create one simple base batter and make several different types of cookies from it.  I only made 4 types this time, but the combinations are vast for any number of cookie concoctions you want to toy with.

There are 3 types pictured here, but the cookie dough base is just a basic sugar cookie, which you can count as a type all on its own.  From left to right, we have Butter Brickle, Andes Mint, and Candy Cane cookies.  Here's what you'll need to make them:

I have always made my own sugar cookies from scratch, but like I said, sometimes you need a shortcut, and this time I took it.  Betty Crocker makes a pretty good simple sugar cookie bag mix, and it's really quick and easy, but of course any sugar cookie mix will do.  So for the base dough, follow the instructions on the back of the cookie mix.  I just used one bag of "snack size" mix for each cookie type I wanted to make.  The package says it makes 1 dozen cookies, but I got anywhere from 14-16 cookies out of each bag.  All of these cookies bake at 375, so go ahead and preheat the oven.

Butter Brickle Cookies:

Follow the bag instructions for making up the batter then add the following:

1/4 cup of Heath English Toffee Bits

1/4 cup of  Kraft Caramel Bits

Lightly grease the cookie sheet with cooking spray for these.  The package says "ungreased," but you will need it because the toffee and caramel bits will stick if you don't.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 13-14 minutes or until edges are golden.  Let the cookies stand for a couple of minutes then tranfer to a wire rack or large piece of wax paper to let them cool the rest of the way.  Although, you really should shove a couple in your mouth while they are still warm and gooey because, OMG!

I forgot to add these to the "what you'll need" picture

Andes Mint Cookies:

Follow the bag instructions for making up the batter.  Here are the extra ingredients you'll need:

1/4 cup of Andes Mint Baking Chips (melted)
Extra Andes chips for topping (UNmelted)

Microwave the chips in a cup in 20 second intervals, stirring between each one, until completely melted.  Pour onto dough and quickly knead it together with your hands.  The mint chocolate will want to set up pretty fast, so I found that using my hands was fast and efficient, plus left a marbled-like pattern in the dough, which was pretty cool!  Bake for about 10-11minutes, and when they are almost done, pull the tray out and scatter a few bits of Andes on top of each cookie.  Put them back in the oven for one more minute, then remove, let stand for a couple of minutes, and transfer to the rack or wax paper to cool.  

Ok, while those are cooking, let's move on to the last batch!

Candy Cane Cookies:

Follow the bag instructions for making up the batter.  Here are the extra ingredients you'll need:

1/4 cup of Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips 

2 candy canes for topping (crushed)

Add the peppermint chips to the batter and stir until everything is mixed evenly. Bake at 375 for about 10-11 minutes.  Pull the cookies out and top with crushed candy canes and bake for another minute.  Let stand for a couple of minutes and transfer to rack or wax paper to cool.

Whether you divvy them up in decorative bags or festive containers to give to others as gifts, be sure to enjoy a few yourself as a reward for all your hard work this Holiday Season.  Enjoy your cookie break with a cup of hot coffee, or better yet, a cup of warm cocoa.  Sit down, slow down, and enjoy yourself and reflect what the season brings/means to you.  

Does Gluten-Free Have To Be Flavor-Free?

Generally speaking...ok, all-the-time-speaking, I don't do sugar-free, caffeine-free, fat-free, or "free" anything!  Why?  Well, lots of reasons, most of them having to do with taste.  However, it also has to do with the seriously unnatural chemicals and/or processes that go into making "free" foods. That being said, there are naturally "free" things that I do enjoy without trying to go "free":  such as caffeine-free teas, gluten-free fruits & veggies, fat-free Red Vine licorice (you know, natural things), etc.

What I would like to focus on today, is the topic of gluten-free, (even though I could talk about red licorice all day).  I have been anemic my entire life (which, as far as I know, has nothing to do with gluten, just hear me out).  I have good days and bad based on what I decide to eat/drink, as well as my mental and physical stress levels.  Lately, I've been feeling super fatigued on a regular basis.  But I'm taking my iron supplements every day, and I'm not drinking coffee (an iron succubus).  So what's the deal?  And then, JT asked me to look for some Chips Ahoy kind of cookies that might be gluten-free while on one of my hunting and gathering trips.  So, I went to the awesome Natural Grocers in town, and they had some cookies in the Chips Ahoy style, made by Kinnikinnick.

I thought about to my visit back home for Thanksgiving, and how my cousin told me that she was allergic to wheat gluten and how she was on a completely gluten-free eating regiment.  Now that I think about it, my family has always had bad digestive systems, but it's generally because we listen to our mouths instead of our bodies most of the time.  Anyway, my cousin talked about how eating gluten-free was sometimes really hard because some things that were made gluten-free tasted really awful.   Case in point, she had me try some gluten-free graham crackers, and they were truly off-putting.  However, I smothered them in melted Andes Mints, then they were not so bad at all!  But then again, that's not really fair because I could smother anything in Andes Mints and it would be epically awesome!  So I decided then and there that all things gluten-free tasted horrible and I would be going nowhere near such things!  Now I'm not talking about the naturally gluten-free foods that I don't even pay attention to what kind of "free" they are, mind you, just the kinds of foods that we enjoy with gluten, manufactured to be without.

That being said, remember the gluten-free NOT Chips Ahoy cookies I was telling you about?  FANTASTIC!!  Seriously, I could hardly tell the difference, and the difference I could tell, I thought was better in the Kinnikinnick gluten-free cookies!  But are things that are manufactured to be gluten-free actually good for you?  Or do they have the same kinds of chemicals and unhealthy processing practices as sugar-free foods?  After some light research, what I found so far was that gluten-free manufactured products are made with wheat flour substitutions like potato starch and corn starch, which can raise your blood sugar levels, which can lead to a whole other set of problems, but not any chemical crap.  So, look for gluten-free substitutions that either do not have these starches, or at least eat them with cautious moderation.  And remember, according to Cookie Monster, "cookies are a sometimes food," so guide your paunch. *Note to self*

Ok, back to what I was saying at the beginning about feeling bad on a regular basis.  Well, I always immediately think when I'm really fatigued that it has to be my low iron or stress, but this week, I kept thinking that I did't know if I felt like I'm lacking necessary nutrients, or if I'm slowly poisoning myself with something.  So I did some research, and I am pretty sure that I also have either a gluten allergy, or I am gluten intolerant.  But the more I am learning the more I want to seriously put this theory to the test.

See, I kept ignoring any symptoms or self-diagnosis that would lead me to have to stay far far away from gluten, because, when I think "gluten-free" I think "yuck!"  So, it was easy for me to just ignore it and keep poisoning my body slowly.  But now that I've had those awesome Kinnikinnick cookies, it has opened my mind to the possibility that eating a gluten-free diet may not only be doable, but that it might actually have the potential to be a tasty lifestyle!

So, I'm going to test the gluten-free waters to see if  A) I do in fact have a gluten allergy/intolerance, and  2) to challenge myself to make some tasty recipes using all gluten-free ingredients.  I will keep a journal of sorts of my progress and findings, and report back.  Hopefully, I will eventually have a whole new section up here for gluten-free dishes for you to try!