Caramel Macchiato Cookies

Can you say YUM!? These are simply delicious! It has a hint of coffee flavor in the cookie with just enough caramel and chocolate to sweeten the deal. I've only made them once, but this is definitely one of my favorites.

What you need:
2 tsp. of  instant coffee
1 pouch  of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 tsp. of vanilla
1 egg
18 caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbl. of milk
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. of shortening (or oil)

What to do:
Heat the oven to 375'F. Take out a large bowl and dissolve the instant coffe in two tablespoons of hot water. (Make sure the water is really hot, not tap hot. If you still have granules after mixing, it's not hot enough. Try again.)

Normally, I'm against using instant cookie mix, but in this case, I give it the thumbs up. Pour it into the same bowl as the coffee, mix in the flour, margarine, vanilla, and egg. Stir it until it looks like cookie dough. You don't need a mixer for this one, hand stirring will work just as well and is easier to clean up.

When you're ready, shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them on your stone cookie sheet (or an ungreased cookie sheet if you don't own stoneware) about two inches apart. These will spread a lot, so trust me on this one. Use the back of a wooden spoon to make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. I tried my finger and it didn't work as well.

Bake them for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. When you take them out of the oven, make sure you let them cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes. Even though you will fall in love with the smell at this point, resist the urge to eat them now. It gets better! After two minutes, move them a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

On your counter top or table, roll out some paper towels, then place the cookies on them about an inch a part. This will make clean up a cinch.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt the caramel and milk uncovered on high for 1 minute. When it beeps, take it out and stir it. If it's smooth, you're done. If it's lumpy, put it back in for thirty seconds, then take it out and stir. If it's lumpy, repeat. If not, your done.

Spoon a 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel into the indentation on each cookie. It doesn't have to be exact, just eyeball it. Don't eat any of the caramel until you're done. Again, resist the temptation to eat a cookie now. It still gets better!

In another bowl (or coffee mug), melt the chocolate chips and shortening (or oil) in the microwave on high one one minute. When it beeps, take it out and stir. If it's smooth, you're done. If it's lumpy, microwave it for thirty more seconds, take it out and stir again. Continue doing this until it's not lumpy. Once the chocolate is smooth, test it for drizzle-ability. Dip the spoon in the chocolate, grab some chocolate, lift it above the the bowl and watch it fall back into the bowl. If it's too slow it may clump when you're drizzling and you may need to add more shortening or cookinig oil. When it's perfect, head over to your cookies and begin drizziling it over your cookies. There is no wrong or right way to do this, have some fun with it.

At this point, it's okay to test one out to make sure the quality is up to your standards. Let the rest sit out long enough for the chocolate to set.

When you hand these out, everyone will think you slaved over them for hours and sing you praises. Don't you dare tell them you used a cookie mix!

(Adapted from Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies 74 Recipe Cards All with Photos)

Peppermint Marshmallows

I made these for the first time this year and love them! Not only do they smell great, they taste awesome alone or in hot chocolate.

What you need:
Butter for greasing
1/2 cup powdered sugar (maybe more)
2 1/2 Tbl. of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
 1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
Another 1/2 cup of water
1 tsp. peppermint extract
red food coloring
candy thermometer

What to do:
Take out a 9 x 12 glass baking dish (yes! I said glass, not stoneware this time) and grease it with butter. If you don't have that exact size, use something close. Dust the butter with powdered sugar, then set the dish aside.

I highly recommend using an eletric mixer a few steps below, so you might as well get it out now. If you have a stand mixer, even better. In a bowl (the one you'll use with your stand mixer), sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of water and let it soften during the next step.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of water over low heat. Keep stirring everything until the sugar dissolves completely. Heat to boiling. Attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pan, and WITHOUT stirring (this is hard for me) cook it for about 30 minutes to 240'F on the candy thermometer. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature at 240'F. If it gets too warm, you will be on your way to making hard candy instead of marshmallows. When 30 minutes is up, remove the pan from the heat (if you're using a gas burner, turn off the gas; if you're using an electric burner, move it to another burner).

This is where I recommend an elecctric mixer. I don't recommend attempting this by hand. If you have a stand mixer, set it on slow speed and slowly add the syrup syrup mixture. (If you're using a hand electric mixer, add a little bit, mix; add a little more, mix some more; repeat until it's all added.) Beat the mixture on high until it triples in volume, about 8-10 minutes. At this point, it will begin to look like marshmallow cream. When you've reached this point, add the peppermint extract and beat for one more minute.

Dig out your spatula, grab your bowl and head over to your pre-buttered dish. Pour the mixture into the dish using the spatula to scrape the sides. Then, wet your hands with water and pat the mixture down in the dish until it's fairly flat (do not attempt this with dry hands). Drop a few random drops of red  food coloring on the mixture, then pull a knife or fork through the mixture to create swirls. When you're done, it will look like you bled all over the marshmallow mixture, but don't worry, it will look better tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow. Walk away from it at this point and let it stand UNCOVERED (another hard one for me) over night, or at least eight hours.

The next day, spread some powdered sugar on a cutting board. Take a butter knife to loosen the edges of the marshmallow mixture from the dish. Your goal is to remove it in one piece. If you don't, no one will know. (Personally, I loosened the edges with a knife, then flipped the dish over on to the cutting board. You can try lifting it out of the pan like the original directions say. Either way, the marshmallow mixture should end up on the cutting board.)

Now you'll need  a sharp knife, butter and a small bowl of powdered sugar. Butter the sharp knife on both sides and keep it around to re-butter the knife as needed. Cut the marshmallows into 1-inch squares (9 rows by 12 rows) or choose another sized of your liking. You could try this with cookie cutters if you're really daring. Dip each marshmallow into the powdered sugar bowl making sure you give each side a good dusting.

When you're done, store them in an air tight container for about three weeks. If you use a 9 x 12 pan and cut 1-inch squares, you'll get about 108 marshmallows, but the end amount will vary depending on how big you cut them. People will be amazed you made your own marshmallows and crown you queen of the hot chocolate!


(Adapted from Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies 74 Recipe Cards All with Photos)