Baking Holiday Cookies for Santa Claus

Baking Holiday Cookies for Santa Claus Waking up on Christmas morning excited for opening presents is something that a lot of kids look forward to every time this festive season rolls around. Not knowing if they have the gift that they wanted, wondering if the Santa letters they sent off would be answered that day, and slightly cranky because they didn't sleep the night before is the typical morning of Christmas day for a lot of children. So many parents have a hard time getting their little ones into bed without some sort of bribe, and it's understandable because it's such an exciting time of the year for them. However a good night's sleep is something that all children need; and saying things along the lines of them not receiving their letters from Santa if they don't sleep will dampen the mood for them. So that's when the use of legends can come in to play, and this particular one involves leaving cookies for Santa.

Almost everyone that celebrates Christmas can remember at one point staying awake to look out for old Jolly Saint Nick. Listening for the tell tale sign of something on the roof, or waiting for a man to pop out of the chimney are things that both excite and terrify. Excite because seeing Santa would mean that the presents are there, but terrify because it's not known if said present was received. A lot of children can become very caught up on the whole naughty or nice list, and that's where a lot of restlessness will come from in the night with them thinking about whether or not they have the object they wanted or a big lump of coal. One way to take away the anxiety of the final moments of the waiting is by helping them make and leave out cookies for Santa Claus. This process can really make the difference in eliminating unneeded stress from the kids. The legend of leaving cookies out for Saint Nick has somewhat of a shadowed origin, however the child that does leave Santa cookies is said to be given somewhat of a second chance if they weren't always 'nice'. The cookies basically give Santa that extra boost he needs on such a tiring night, so because of his gratitude, he'll leave behind a nicer present. Now while this needs to be a decision based on their actions throughout the year, letting them have a little extra bit of hope can do a wonder for their enjoyment of the holiday. Baking the cookies with them will not only give them something to look forward to but also serve as a bonding factor. This is something great for the family to practice together, especially because the theme is to do something nice for someone else. It's a great way for families to come together and have fun with something very simple in task, but very meaningful. Typically any type of holiday cookie, or even regular chocolate chip cookies can be used for this little tradition. Don't forget to leave the glass of milk as well! This will really assuage any Christmas Eve jitters and help the child get the proper rest that they need. They fall asleep a lot faster and easier, and once that happens, make sure to move the cookies and milk. It would be an absolute disaster if they thought Santa didn't want what they made for him! Baking Holiday Cookies for Santa Claus

Zucchini Baking Recipes

Zucchini Baking Recipes It always seems like if you plant even one zucchini plant, you have enough zucchini to feed a very large family plus the neighbors. So, of course, there is then the question of what to do with all of that zucchini. It always amazes me that zucchini can taste so good in baked goods. Hope you enjoy these two baking recipes for zucchini!

Zucchini Granola Cookies 3/4 cup butter or margarine (softened) 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla grated rind of 1 orange 3 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup butterscotch or chocolate chips 3 cups granola cereal In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, vanilla, orange rind, and zucchini. Add in the flour and baking soda. Mix in the granola cereal. Then mix in the butterscotch or chocolate chips. Grease a cookie sheet and put teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Chocolate Zucchini Bread 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup margarine 1/2 cup oil 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 5 tablespoons cocoa 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) In a large bowl, mix the sugars, oil, and margarine together. Add the egg into the mixture one at a time. Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Add in the zucchini and dry mixture by alternating. Add in the chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts. Grease a 9x13-inch pan and pour the batter into it. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Zucchini Baking Recipes

Favorite Cookie Baking Tools and Equipment

Favorite Cookie Baking Tools and Equipment Baking homemade cookies is a lot more enjoyable when you have the right tools and equipment. Here's a list of items that will help insure cookie baking success.

Baking Pans and Cookie Sheets: Come in a wide variety of styles and materials. Dark metal pans absorb heat and will cause cookies and brownies to brown more quickly. Shiny metal pans reflect heat making them perfect for more delicate baked treats. Air-cushioned sheets provide extra protection from burning but make it difficult to obtain golden brown cookies. Glass pans carry heat more effectively so your oven temperature needs to be adjusted down 25 degrees when using them. I prefer dull, light colored heavy duty aluminum baking pans. Basic pan sizes you'll want in your collection include: 9 X 13-inch 8-inch square 9-inch square 9-inch round Cookie sheets with or without sides. Although many books suggest rimless pans for baking cookies, I have had great success using rimmed half sheet pans. Bowls: Small, medium, and large mixing bowls in glass or stainless steel. Wooden Spoons: Great for stirring brownies batter Measuring Spoons: One or two sets of graduated spoons designed specifically for measuring Measuring Cups: A 2-cup glass or plastic one for liquids that has a spout and a set of dry graduated measuring cups Spatulas: One thin metal spatula for removing cookies from the pan and a couple of plastic spatulas for scraping cookie dough and brownie batter from bowls into baking pans Whisks: One or two medium to large whisks for mixing both dry and wet ingredients Ice Cream Scoops: Small ice cream scoops make easy, speedy work of dropping cookie dough onto pans. They're one of my favorite inexpensive cookie making tools Microplane: A wonderful tool for zesting and grating zest from citrus fruit and chocolate Silicone baking pan liners: Make clean-up a breeze and are available in a wide variety of sizes. With a silicone liner you are able to forgo greasing cookie sheets too. Just be sure to not cut them. Parchment Paper: An indispensable aid for quick and easy baking. Available in both rolls and sheets, I bake all my cookies on parchment lined sheets for the easiest clean-up Wire Racks: For cooing your cookies and brownies Electric Mixer: I love my KitchenAid mixers, both hand-held and standing versions, for making brownies and cookies. If you only bake occasionally or have limited space, start with one or the other. If you bake a lot, you will eventually want both. Food Processor: I am a fan of Cuisinart food processors. They can really speed up the process for many kitchen tasks like chopping, grating, shredding, and pureeing. Get one that has at least a 6-cup capacity. Favorite Cookie Baking Tools and Equipment

How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes

How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes There are many ways of including quinoa in your diet but one of the more unusual is to include it in baking. As far as I am aware this technique has been devised by me and I have never heard of anyone else using quinoa in this way. I stumbled upon it when looking for inspiration to spice up a simple cookie recipe I was about to make that had too much fat in it.

I wanted to reduce the fat content of this particular cookie recipe as I was trying to reduce fat in my diet at the time. The fat in the recipe was butter but I realized that quinoa seeds have oil in them so could be substituted for part of the butter. The first thing to do is prepare the quinoa in the normal way using 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. You bring it to the boils and simmer for about 15 minutes. You can cook it for less but for baking you need it to be quite soft to blend in with the other ingredients. The quinoa must absorb all the water as you do not want extra liquid in the mix. I there is remaining liquid turn the heat up to full and boil it off for a minute. You reduce the butter content by half and slightly reduce the flour amount as well. you simple replace them with the same amount of prepared quinoa in the mix. The cooking time is the same as the normal recipe but you get a crunchier texture and taste to the cookies. I have used this cooking method for cookies, biscuits and scones. It can take a little trial and error to get the proportions correct. It is a good way to reduce processed fats in recipes. The oil part of the quinoa works to replace the butter and the germ part replaces some of the flour. It is a bit of a balancing act but you will get it with practice How to Include Quinoa Seeds in Home Baking Recipes

Cake and Cookie Baking Tips for Beginners

Are you new to baking cakes and cookies? Not sure how to read and follow recipes? Here are some baking tips to get you started.

All ingredients should be at cool room temperature.

Cookie Recipes

Unless the recipe states otherwise, use unsalted butter. If you have only salted butter on hand, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon per stick of butter. Use regular butter, not whipped, and don't substitute margarine unless the recipe gives it as an alternative.

Unless otherwise stated, eggs used in baking recipes should be the large size.

Use dry measures for dry ingredients and wet measures for liquid ingredients. Measuring cups for dry ingredients come in individual sizes (1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup). You fill the cup completely with the flour or other dry ingredient and level it off. Liquid measures are marked with lines for various amounts (1/3 cup, 4 ounces, etc.), with some space at the top so the liquid doesn't spill. You pour the liquid in up to the desired line.

To measure flour, stir up the flour, then swoop the measuring cup into the flour, and level the flour even with the top of the cup using a knife or the side of your hand. To measure sugar or cocoa, spoon it into the cup. To measure brown sugar, spoon it into the cup and pack it down with the back of the spoon. When measuring sticky ingredients such as molasses or honey, lightly oil the inside of the cup first.

You must sift flour for cakes and confectioners' sugar when you're using it in icing. For cakes, sift the flour, measure it, then sift it again with the dry ingredients. You don't need to sift flour for pies or most cookies.

Chocolate must be melted over low heat or it will burn. You can melt it in the top of a double boiler (a pan with two parts; the top sits in the bottom pan, which contains boiling water). You can also put it in a microwave-proof container and heat on 80 percent power for 1 minute. It should still be lumpy when you remove it; keep stirring until it is smooth. If it is still lumpy, return it to the microwave and heat in 10-second increments on 80 percent power until smooth.

To cream butter (with or without the sugar), beat it at high speed on an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, or until it is fluffy.

If a recipe tells you to fold in egg whites or cream, it means to spoon the egg whites or cream over the batter, then move a rubber spatula in a circular motion from the bottom of the bowl to the top of the batter, "folding" in the whites or cream. You can also use a wire whisk to gently whisk in the eggs or cream.

Use the size of pans indicated in the recipe.

Always turn the oven on for at least 15 minutes before you will be using it, so it has time to reach the proper temperature.

Baking (cookie) sheets come with and without sides. Some recipes refer to a baking sheet with sides as a jelly-roll pan. Cookies bake the most evenly on a cookie sheet without sides, but it's OK to use one with sides.

Space drop cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet so they have room to spread.

Most cookies should cool on the baking sheets for a minute or two to "set" before they're removed to wire racks to cool completely. Cakes should cool completely in the pan before being inverted onto a plate or cardboard round. Run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan first to loosen it.

Cake and Cookie Baking Tips for Beginners

Virginia (Ginger) Van Vynckt is a longtime food writer, cookbook author, and webmaster of MakeGreatCookies.com, a site devoted to cookie baking and decorating.