Hey There! It’s been a while since I’ve posted on the blog. I have been on here frequently, adding more recipes, but I thought I’d check in and do some writing.
What have I been up to? Well ’tis the season! Christmas shopping, holiday baking, just the general preparation for Christmas. I love decorating the house, putting up the tree, wrapping presents and BAKING!
I mean, I love to bake any time of the year! But this time of year I pull out all of the classic recipes, like shortbread cookies, oatmeal scotchies, chocolate toffee bars etc.
This year I did switch it up, and popped a few new recipes into the mix. And they turned out awesome! I can’t wait to share them with you.
But for now, it’s all about the cookies.
I’ve had this whipped shortbread cookie recipe for years. Back in the days when I worked in a bakery (haha coincidental?) a co-worker of mine gave me the recipe for these cookies. I’m a little biased, because I really have yet to taste a better shortbread than these. 😉
It really depends on your shortbread preferences though. Some recipes are crunchy and buttery, others are soft and buttery. I have always been about the soft, chewy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie.
It’s not even mid-December and I’ve already whipped up two big batches of these cookies! They seriously disappear so fast. I’m still working on making a GF version for myself, but that always takes time trying to figure out measurements.
Mr. FIL and I decided to drop off baked goodies to all the neighbours around us this year, so I’ve been doing lots of extra baking.
There are two other awesome things about these cookies.
1- you can bake them waaay ahead of time, and they’ll store for a couple of weeks. (Thanks butter and sugar!)
2- there are only 5 ingredients in them, so they’re super easy to make!
I love rolling them into a ball, then pressing them into sprinkles. Makes for a super festive cookie!
Our Christmas plans are definitely moving at a quick pace, and full steam ahead. Mr. FIL and I always host my brother and father-in-law on Christmas Eve. It’s become tradition and it’s super fun. The boys get their lobster fix, as we usually order three large cooked lobsters, and they drench them in butter. And I do up a bunch of other appetizers to go with them. It’s a super fun, relaxing night. We play cards, eat till we explode, and have a few drinks.
Every year I make sure to get a picture of this guy in front of the tree. Some years I can bribe him with cookies to wear ridiculous elf hats, antlers, all that stuff. But for this picture I thought I’d be nice and just stick him in front of the tree.
When there’s treats involved, he will do anything I want.
Christmas morning Mr. FIL and I open presents in the morning, then I make Belgian waffles for the 4 of us again. Sooo goood.
I love Christmas traditions, and that’s definitely one that we’ll have for years to come.
Speaking of Christmas traditions, this next cookie is also tradition. It happens to be Mr. FIL’s all-time favourite cookie. How did I stumble upon this recipe? Well quite a few years ago, a friend of mine gave me one of those Christmas mason jars with a cookie mix in it. All I had to do was add butter and eggs. (I think). Anyway, this jar had oats and butterscotch chips in it. I whipped them up, and he was in absolute heaven.
The problem: I threw out the recipe by accident.
Thankfully Google did not disappoint, and I managed to find out that it’s actually a Hershey’s recipe! So I printed it, and keep it safe in my little recipe box, for when Mr. FIL gets a cookie urge.
Haha, who am I kidding… Mr. FIL always has cookie cravings! He’d eat sweets every day if I let him! I don’t think he’d ever object if I made these on a weekly basis…
If I was going to leave cookies out for Santa, these definitely would be my choice.
I’ve made these for a cookie swap before too, and I’ve had so many people ask me for the recipe over the years, that I’m glad I can just send them over here to check it out.
I will say, having the blog has been so awesome for that. I love it when people ask me for a recipe, and I can just say “it’s on the blog!” 🙂 It actually makes life sooo much easier. I’ve spent so much time over the years writing recipes out for people. This way, they can come on their own time, and retrieve them.
I really try to mainly focus on healthy food to share with you on this blog, but it’s Christmas time, and sometimes you just need some special treats! It’s that time of year to eat, drink and be merry!
Stay tuned… next week I’m going to post some yummy Christmas treats that won’t expand the waist-line, but are super delicious!
Classic Whipped Shortbread Cookies
A simple, easy shortbread recipe that makes amazingly soft and chewy shortbreads. A perfect traditional Christmas treat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold vegan butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour I use Better Batter
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, vanilla and icing sugar until it is smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the flour and cornstarch. Beat the mixture on high speed until it is smooth and whipped.
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Roll the shortbread mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and drop on a non-stick cookie sheet. Flatten with either your hand or a fork.
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Bake for 11-13 minutes. Remove when the edges are just starting to lightly brown. DO NOT over bake! It is better to slightly under-bake these cookies than over.
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Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to finish.
Recipe Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
I always find these cookies taste better the next day when the ingredients have time to settle.Â
Have fun with these cookies and coat them with Christmas sprinkles or whatever you'd like!
Oatmeal Scotchies
Oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips that are tender, soft, with a slight crunch. The cookie monster in my house can never get enough of these!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1-1/2 cups butterscotch chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
*See note below.
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In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
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In another large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats. Mix until combined.
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Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, and stir until just combined. Mix in the butterscotch chips.
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On greased cookie sheets, drop spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely on the sheets. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
*cookie dough always bakes a little better if you have time to chill the dough. Pop it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. Your cookies will still be great even if you don't refrigerate them, I have done it both ways.
