Cottontails

One of the things I love the most about holidays is that it gives me a really good excuse to make themed desserts.  Brenna loves arts and crafts, and cookie making is an amazing opportunity to combine her love of creating things with my love of cooking to make some really fun Easter themed cookies and some really great memories as well.  I looked on the internet and decided on some super cute Cottontails and Robin Egg Nests (3 different types mind you...because I am the world's most indecisive person).  I'll post the Nests in a separate post because I really want to get the Cottontails posted since quite a few people have asked to see them.

All 3 of my kids had a lot of fun making them.  You don't need a whole lot of ingredients for these and the dough is super easy to make.  Forming the cookies is a little tricky at first, but after a few of them it does get easier, so don't get discouraged.  Tyler was actually really good at making them...see even a 10 year old can create Cottontails.  It's kind of like playing with Play-Doh because you have to roll the dough into a ball and then into a rope...kind of like the snakes we all used to make as kids.  They had a lot of fun with the decorating part.  The colored sprinkles give them just the right Easter touch....the rainbow mix was actually Tyler's idea.  Good thinking buddy!  If you like the taste of sugar cookies, you will definitely like these cookies!

I know what you are thinking.  I can't believe they are going to eat ALL those cookies!!  While I might eat some of the cookies, I will definitely be sharing a majority of them with the neighbors and taking some to our family Easter celebration on Sunday.  My favorite thing to do might be to cook and bake, but my second favorite thing to do is share what I have made with my friends and family!!

Cottontails

*Recipe yields approximately 2 dozen cookies.

3/4 c/ butter, softened

2/3 c. white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Colored sugar

Miniature Marshmallows

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric hand mixer.

Add the egg and almond extract and blend well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a smooth dough is formed.

Don't be surprised if you have to use your hands to mix at the end.  These are very hands on cookies!!

Roll 1 tbsp. of dough into a ball using the palms of your hands.

Just like playing with Play-Doh!

Roll each ball into a 5 1/2" rope...just like a Play-Doh snake!  It should look something like this.

It should not, however, end up looking like this! =)

Nice try Assistant Chef...try again!

Fold the dough rope in half.

Gently twist the rope twice to form the rabbit.  Can you see the little bunny yet?? 

Even Aiden played with the dough...although it was admittedly hard to keep him from eating it.

Trying to roll the dough!  He's still in training!

Tyler on the other hand gets a gold star!

Rolling it into a rope.  His art teacher should be proud!

It took me a good 4 or 5 tries to get my first cookie from not ripping apart.  Tyler only needed one try!  I was amazed.  What technique!

In a small bowl, place some colored decorating sugar.

Gently press the cookie into the sprinkles to coat well.

Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet 1" apart from each other.

Brenna decorating her "Cottontail".  You REALLY have to use your imagination for hers!

Hmmmmm....which cookie can I steal first???

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 15 mins.

Remove from the oven and immediately place one miniature marshmallow on the bottom part of each cookie. 

Return to the oven for an additional minute to slightly melt the marshmallow.

Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet until slightly cooled.  Then gently transfer to a plate to cool completely.

The finished Cottontails.  Cute!

Recipe for: Cottontails

www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com

To prepare: Preheat oven to 325°.  Recipe yields approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

Directions

¾ c. unsalted butter, softened 2/3 c. white sugar 1 egg ½ tsp. almond extract 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder Colored sugar Miniature marshmallows

1.       In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric hand mixer. 2.       Add the egg and almond extract and blend well. 3.       In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. 4.       Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well until dough is smooth. 5.       With the palms of your hands, shape a tablespoon of dough into a ball.  Gently roll the ball into a 5 ½” rope.  Fold the dough in half and gently twist twice to form the shape of a rabbit. 6.       Gently press one side of the cookie into a bowl of colored sugar. 7.       Place the cookies 1” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 8.       Bake in a preheated oven for 15 mins. 9.       Remove baking sheet and immediately place 1 miniature marshmallow on the bottom part of the cookie. 10.   Return to the oven for an additional minute to slightly melt the marshmallows. 11.   Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet until slightly cool. 12.   Transfer cookies to a plate to cool completely.



Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

I have never in my life cooked with leeks before.  I've always glanced at them in the produce aisle and wondered what they tasted like, but had never actually encountered a recipe that called for using them.  They look like scallions on steroids, so I always just assumed they had an onion-like flavor.  Imagine my delight when Brenna selected the pureed broccoli-leek soup from The White Rachel Ray Binder as the next recipe to try. 

I will admit that leeks were kind of on the expensive side ($2.49 for the bunch of 3), but they were well worth it.  I loved the flavor!  They were much sweeter and milder than a regular yellow onion, but still had the taste of an onion.  Plus they don't make you cry when you chop them up.  Like the onion, they grow in soil, but unlike the onion which develops a bulb, the leek is made up entirely of bundled leaf sheaths.  The grit gets in between the individual sheaths so you have to make sure you clean your leeks very well.  Te recipe does not call for soil, sand, grit or any type of debris.

I chose to make the soup on a night my husband had a work event, so he didn't get the pleasure of sampling the leek, but knowing my husband, it's green and resembles and onion so he wouldn't have tried it anyway...and since I'm not his mom I can't make him try one bite.  Tyler wasn't a fan of the soup but finished his whole bowl.  Brenna and Aiden ate a few bites and didn't care for it very much, but they did get grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it so they were all still happy and fed.  I think it may have actually been the Gruyere cheese which turned them off more so than the leek because it has a much stronger flavor than the cheeses they are used to.  I think if I had substituted Cheddar the soup would have went over much better with the kids.  

Either way, this gentle giant of the onion family has indeed earned at least one new fan!

Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

*Serves 4

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets

4 tbsp. butter

4 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (I had HUGE leeks so I only used the 3 and could taste the flavor just fine)

Salt

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (normally I hate nutmeg, but it actually worked in the soup so don't leave it out!!)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

4 oz. of grated Gruyere cheese (about 1 cup)

The Leek aka the gentle giant!

Cut off the root end and the green tops.  Halve the white part lengthwise and discard the outer layer.

Soak the stalks in cold water for 10 mins and then rinse under cold running water to remove the grit from between the layers.

The broccoli florets ready to be steamed.  Cook the broccoli until soft, drain and set aside.

Once the leeks are cleaned, cut them into thin slices.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the leeks and sprinkle with salt.  Continue to cook and stir until the leeks are soft, approximately 15 mins.  Stir in the chicken broth and cook until half the broth is absorbed.

Place the leek mixture and broccoli in a food processor.  Add the cream and blend until smooth.

Add the pureed mixture back into the skillet, season with nutmeg, cayenne pepper and additional salt if needed.

The spices!

Add the cheese and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.

Since the heat was so low I decided to let the Assistant Chef have a hand at "cooking for real".  She was quite happy about this!

Assistant Chef helping to make the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  I used one piece of American Cheese and one slice of Gruyere Cheese so I would feel more grown up and gourmet.  Slices of toasted baguette or other bread would be nice too!

Pureed Broccoli-Leek soup.

Recipe for: Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

http://www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com/
To prepare: Leeks must be cleaned very well so you don’t have sandy soup!  Recipe yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets. 4 tbsp. butter 4 leeks, white parts only, cleaned well and thinly sliced. Salt ½ c. chicken broth ½ c. heavy cream ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg Pinch of cayenne pepper 4 oz. (about 1 cup) Gruyere cheese, grated

1.       Steam the broccoli florets until soft.  Drain and set aside. 2.       In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the sliced leeks, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until soft.  This should take about 15 mins.  3.       Stir in the chicken broth and cook until half the liquid is absorbed. 4.       Add the leek mixture, broccoli and cream to a food processor and blend well. 5.       Transfer pureed mixture back to the skillet and season with the nutmeg, cayenne pepper and additional salt if needed. 6.       Add the cheese and continue to cook over low heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

My husband's birthday was this month and Brenna and I wanted to make something special for him for dinner, because at my house, food equals love!  I asked him what he wanted for dinner and what kind of cake he wanted.  He chose tacos for the main dish and said he didn't want any cake.  WHAT?!?  No cake?!?  Unheard of.  So in order to honor his wishes we decided we would make some type of cookie...he never said no cookies!  I found a couple of recipes that looked intriguing and decided to just combine parts of them, add a few things we had in the fridge that needed to be used up and see what we came up with.  Drum roll please...the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookie was born.  These sandwich cookies have a peanut butter cream cheese filling and taste like a glorified Nutter Butter cookie...which as an added bonus just happen to be one of my husband's favorite cookies!  They are pretty rich and sweet, but so incredibly good!  I love sweets and even I couldn't eat more than 1 in a sitting...plus I had to have a glass of milk.  The kids loved them and even my husband was glad I ignored the no cake request.  If he had requested a cake I would have probably had to make a boring cherry chip cake (yuck!).  These cookies are 100 times better!  Cherry chip what?!?  Exactly!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

*Makes approximately 17 sandwich cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. quick cooking oats

3 tbsp. butter, softened

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

4 oz. cream cheese

2 1/2 tbsp. french vanilla coffee creamer

1 c. powdered sugar

The Assistant Chef preparing Daddy's surprise cookies!  She was very excited!

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.

She got to mix first with the whisk.  Then I helped using the electric hand mixer.  I personally think the hand mixer is easier, but that's just me.

Add the egg and blend well.

The peanut butter mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture.  I'm not sure why she opted for the "spoonful by spoonful method" vs the "dump whole bowl method".

Assistant Chef mixing the batter.

Almost done!

Add the oats and mix well.



Using a tablespoon sized measuring spoon, scoop out even amounts of batter and using your hands roll into balls.  Place on a greased baking sheet.



Using a glass cup, flatten the cookies into uniform circles about 1/4" thick.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 mins.  Remove from oven and let stand one minute on the cookie sheet.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, cream cheese and coffee creamer.

Using a hand mixer, blend well until very smooth.

Add the powdered sugar and blend well.

Place cookies upside down on a plate.  Place a generous amount of the filling on each cookie.

Top with another cookie and press down gently, spreading the filling evenly.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies!

Happy Birthday!

Recipe for: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

To prepare: Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Recipe yields approximately 17 sandwich cookies.

Ingredients

Directions

½ c. butter, softened     ½ c. creamy peanut butter     ½ c. white sugar     ½ c. packed brown sugar     1 tsp. vanilla extract     1 egg     ¾ c. all-purpose flour     ½ tsp. baking soda     ¼ tsp. baking powder     ½ tsp. salt     1 c. quick cooking oats     3 tbsp. butter, softened     ½ c. creamy peanut butter     4 oz. cream cheese     2 ½ tbsp. vanilla coffee creamer      1 c. powdered sugar

1.       In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla using an electric hand mixer. 2.       Add the egg and blend well. 3.       In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 4.       Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. 5.       Add the oats and mix well. 6.       Using a tablespoon sized measuring spoon, scoop out even amounts of batter and using your hands roll into balls.  Place on the prepared baking sheet. 7.       Using a glass cup, gently flatten each ball into a ¼” thick circle. 8.       Bake in a preheated oven for 10 mins.  Let cookies rest for one minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool. 9.   In a small bowl make the filling by creaming together the butter, peanut butter, cream cheese and coffee creamer until smooth. 10. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth. 11. Place one cookie upside down on a plate. 12. Add a generous scoop of filling onto the center of the cookie. 13. Top with a second cookie and gently press down,  evenly spreading the filling between the two. 14. Repeat steps 11-13 until all the cookies are used up.