White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I know my posts have been few and far between during this uber-busy month of December, but never fear, have I got a Christmas gift for YOU!!  This recipe is SOOOOOOO yummy!!  One of my friends shared this recipe with me and it lives up to all expectations!!  White chocolate & cranberries are so popular right now & this recipe is fabulous.  We doubled the recipe to be able to use the entire bag of white chocolate chips.  Waste not, right?  A must try, Cowtown Friends!!

For this recipe, you'll need:

• 1 cup butter (I used margarine), softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs 
• 2 tablespoons vanilla (yes, tablespoons - I had to double check this)
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups white chocolate chips (whole bag)
• 2 cups cranberries (about 10 oz)

Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar with mixer - this is what mine looked like - kind of strange, but here it is.

Then beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour and baking soda.  Mix thoroughly.  I don't have pictures of these steps.  I was too excited about the cookies, you understand.

Add cranberries and white chocolate chips, mix well.  I didn't have as many cranberries as I thought I did so mine were a little light on the cranberries - but if you make sure you get TEN oz you'll be good to go and they'll be even better!  That's my helpful hint, friends :)

Put small spoonful on parchment paper and bake in 375 oven for 8-10 minutes.  My oven bakes fast, so I just baked mine for about 7 minutes.  My friend & I agree these cookies are better chewy than crispy, so less time the better.  

After baking, let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.

And look - don't they look SOOOO yummy!!

Here's another pic so you can decide....

And one more for good measure.

They are SOOOOO good!  You MUST try!!

Merry Christmas, Cowtown Peeps!!

Biscuits Supreme

These are the biscuits from the previous post.  They were SO yummy!  And puffy!!  Next time I make these I'm going to use buttermilk & I do believe they will taste just. like. Cracker Barrel biscuits!  Make fun of me, I don't care!!  Once you try them, you'll be a believer, I'm sure :)

For these little yummies, you'll need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt (I didn't use salt bc I used salted butter)
• 1/2 cup butter, margarine or shortening
• 2/3 cup milk

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt (if using).  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in center (see above).

Then add milk all at once and stir until moistened.  I ended up using my hands and mixing it up, then putting dough on floured surface, quickly kneading dough until nearly smooth and rolling out with a rolling pin.  Then my son & I cut out our biscuits using some non-conventional biscuit cutters.

Baked them in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes and voila!  Biscuits in the shape of halloween cats and hearts lol.  I tried to get him to at least choose the snowman cutter, but he was stuck on halloween cats.  Sigh.

Doesn't this pic just say love to you??

Ham and Green Bean Savory

Alright, obviously December has gotten the best of me and the blogging is falling behind.  I love the busy-ness of December, but it seems like each year is crazier than the last!  Crazy in a good way, of course ;)  But never fear - just eat some of this awesomeness and it will calm you right down and put you in your happy place.  This is an old family recipe that sounds kind of strange, but trust me, it's comfort food at it's best!!

For this recipe, you'll need:

• 3 cans cut green beans
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 2 cups (or more/less) cubed ham
• 3 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour
• 2 1/4 cups milk

Melt butter and flour in saucepan, making a roux

Stir in milk all at once.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Cook one minute more.  You really have to watch this so as not to burn it.  I always come so close to burning it, so this is my advice from experience :)

Over low heat, stir in shredded cheese until melted

Add (drained) green beans and ham.  Continue to cook and stir until all heated through.

For those of you who haven't had this before, I know it looks a little strange, huh??  But trust me - it's SO yummy!!  We usually eat this with cornbread, but we didn't have cornbread so I decided to change it up - I think I may have started a new tradition...

Because ham & green bean savory with BISCUITS was absolutely AWESOME!!  Biscuit recipe coming SOON!  Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Scotchies

I got this recipe off the back of the butterscotch package.  My husband being a butterscotch enthusiast, I thought he would like these :)  He did!  However, I feel that these cookies need a disclaimer, they don't look like I thought they would when they came out of the oven.  They look more like a lace cookie or something like that.  Very thin and can be crunchy if you bake them too long - so be warned!  Yummy and different, but not what I expected!  That being said, they are a good change of pace cookie and perfect for the fall weather we've been having.

For these cookies, you'll need:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups quick or old fashioned oats (I used old fashioned, bc I'm old fashinoned like that :)
• 11 oz pkg Butterscotch Morsels

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl.

Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in large mixer bowl.

I thought it was strange that it didn't make that much batter - that was my first tip off that these cookies were going to be different :)  Gradually beat in flour mixture until all mixed.

Then add butterscotch and oats.  Stir - this is the hard part!!

Drop by rounded tablespoon on parchment paper.  Bake at 7-8 minutes at 375 for chewy cookies; 9-10 minutes for crisp cookies.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Here they are fresh out of the oven~

And here they are - aren't they pretty for fall??  And another warning, this recipe makes a TON so be ready to EAT!!  Enjoy, Cowtown Friends! :)