Krumkake

Being the good Scandinavian girl I am, I decided to make Krumkake this year.  My Grandma Huesmann usually makes this but I decided to give a try for myself.  It is easy but time consuming.

As you can see, it is a very high tech and modern machine we use :)

 

We borrowed this iron from my mom’s friend Patty.  I might have to scour thrift stores and garage sales this year to find one of my own to use for next year.

Recipe:

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

Combine beaten eggs and sugar; beat well.  Add melted butter, flour, and extract.  Cook as directed with krumkake iron.  (Basically it is like making a very thin, mini pancake.  Then you roll it up around the rolling cone-or in my case a turkey baster.)

Here is the finished product.  To eat fill with whipped cream and topped with a cherry or strawberry.  DELICIOUS!!!

Tanner thought the whipped cream was mmm mmm good :)

COMING IN DEC....12 Day of Christmas Cookies

What is this about you ask?? Well, I have been thinking about things to blog about and decided to take on a a Christmas project and blog about it. Every year, I usually host a cookie bake at my house, but since I am prepping my house to go on the market and don't technically live there right now, is seems logistically impossible to host a bake this year. Instead I will be doing my cookie baking and blogging about it. Starting Dec 1st is my 12 days of Christmas Cookies. These aren't going to be your Grandma's chocolate chips either. I am abandoning all that is comfortable and known to me in the world of baking (Classic peanut butter kiss, sugar cut-outs, and spritz) and making 12 days of cookies that I have never attempted to make before. Here's where you come in. I am taking suggestions for fabulous, fun, possibly daunting and time consuming cookies. Paul has already been scanning the cook books and giving me suggestions. (After I explained to him that brownies were NOT cookies, he grudgingly took the 3 types of brownies off the list) Please e-mail me @ heidi_lynnc@hotmail.com with any recipes you may want to see but never had the ambition or time to tackle yourself :) I will be making roughly 6 dozen of each cookie.

I will post the recipes and pictures of my final projects as they are produced. I will also be honest about the time and ease of the recipe so I can either encourage or warn other Christmas cookie bakers about it. Side note to family and friends- like what you see or not, you may just be getting a gift basket of these cookie creations. There is no way I am going to spend my Dec eating 72 dozen cookies :)

Caramel Macchiato Thumbprints :)

Well, here's how my cookies turned out. Not quite as pretty but they are certainly DELICIOUS. They have just a touch of coffee flavor that I love and are perfect with a cup of coffee or ice cold glass of milk. They actually weren't as hard to make as I expected either. (a little more labor intensive than your standard chocalte chip, but worth it)

Tip: If the indents are a little shallow after baking use your thumb or finger to make a bigger depression to pour the caramel into. (theis must be done right after they come out of the oven though)

Recipe


2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder or granules
1 tablespoon hot water
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
18 caramels (from 14-oz bag), unwrapped
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening


1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Stir in cookie mix, flour, butter, vanilla and egg until very soft dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and milk uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring once, until caramels are melted. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon caramel into indentation in each cookie. Cool 15 minutes.
5. In another small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

Cookie Making Today!!

So this afternoon my friends and family are coming over for our annual cookie bake!! I provide all the cookie basics (flour sugar, etc.) and they bring the extras for a cookie of their choice. Then we bake away until we have piles and piles of delicious treats to share with everyone!! I can't wait to see what we make this year :) The picture is the cookie I am going to attempt to make called a Caramel Macchiato Thumbprint. I'll post the recipe and pictures of my finish product after today :)