Cookies for Santa: Basil Infused Chocolate Chip

I gave Santa the shock of a lifetime when he bit into these amazing and delicious cookies. On the outside they look like a chocolate chunk cookie, but they taste so much better than the classic.

The secret lies in step one, infusing the butter with fresh basil. This important step may sound odd, but the result is a hint of "something" that taste great but remains your little secret. St. Nick will definitely know these are special without being able to put his finger on what makes them so good.

I may never make another boring chocolate chip cookie again!

Gingersnap Cookies

I know in the new year everyone is watching what they eat. My house is no different, but I don't think we should have to do without - but simply have treats in moderation. What I loved about Simply Recipes Gingersnap Cookies was that I could freeze the dough and easily slice off just what I wanted to bake. Don't even get me started on my levels of self control. With this freeze-for-later recipe the self control is built in. It takes 10 minutes for my oven to heat, and 15 minutes to bake.... as opposed to walking through the kitchen and devouring a handful of cookies that are sitting out on the counter. I slice the gingersnap cookies very thin so they are crispy and "light" or maybe they just give me the feeling that I'm indulging without overindulging. These are SO good with a glass of milk, truly addicting!

Without further adieu, here is what you need to gather for your own batch of self-controlled Gingersnap Cookies.

8 oz unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 small eggs or 1 1/2 large eggs
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

I first creamed the butter in my KitchenAid mixer until soft.

Then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

I really enjoy this Mexican vanilla I purchased across the border.

Add the vanilla to the mixer.

Along with the eggs.

Continue to beat until fluffy.

Before adding the molasses, I first sprayed the measuring cup with Pam!

That way sticky liquids like molasses or honey will slip right out.

The smell of molasses reminds me of BBQ, I love it.

Okay, so add the molasses to the mixer and continue to beat until well-mixed.

Next, I sift the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Flour.

Baking soda.

Salt.

Cinnamon.

Ground ginger.

Ground black pepper (yes, this ingredient surprised me too.)

Once the dry ingredients are sifted together, add this to your mixer in thirds. Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

All mixed!

Now, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap - leaving some overhang on the side.

Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.

Here all the dough is packed in tightly and leveled off on the top.

Cover the dough with the plastic overhangs and freeze until very firm. I left in the freezer overnight.

Yeah, it's the next day and I can't wait to try these crispy cookies!! Unmold the rock hard dough from the loaf pan. This was super easy because I used a silicone baking pan, I just love those!

Here is my Gingersnap brick.

Slice brick into thin slices.

Place on parchment-lined sheetpan. Space an inch apart because they do puff out a bit.

Bake at 350 degrees until the edges turn dark brown. My perfect number was 16 minutes...but this all depends on how thinly you have sliced the dough. You may only need to bake for 7-10 minutes.

I just love how thin and crispy these turned out and SO full of flavor!

Wrap up your unused brick of dough in plastic wrap.

Then I wrapped like a present (to myself) with brown parchment paper.

To remind me what the baking time and temperature is, I wrote it right on the package. As you can see in the picture, I made the dough in early December and I JUST finished slicing the last bit of the brick last night. I'm savoring the last cookie as I type this. Time for a new batch!

It's Party Time

I spent all day Friday sitting in a class to better prepared me to take my CMP in January. When it was finally over I met Jim for dinner and then came home to start crossing off large chunks of my to-do list. As a meeting planner I've learned that the LIST is your best friend. For me, I need to get my thoughts on paper - for one it helps me organize everything I need to do, and it also helps me rid my brain of little things I need to remember. Get it on paper and you don't have to stress about keeping every little detail in your head - that is what your list is for. Around Thanksgiving I started looking through magazines and online for menu ideas. Last year I had a cocoa and dessert party. This year I'm going back to a buffet of hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. About two weeks ago I finalized my menu and made a list of everything I was planning on making. This helped me to realize if I was heavy on cheese or needed more meat items. Jim and I are expecting about 25 people - half men, half women. Knowing this, I need to have an adequate amount of filling appetizers, which is why I'm serving Hot Roast Beef Party Sandwiches and Chipotle Meatballs in Peach Pecan BBQ Sauce along with Shrimp Skewers. For those who like to pick and snack (like me) I have several dips - a spicy cheese spread, a vegetable, a creamy. Also, I tried to select dishes that I could make ahead of time and would also hold together well sitting out on the table - Procuitto Pinwheels and Fig with Stilton Squares. My list consists of the name of the dish, where I found the recipe (so I can locate it when it's time to make it), I add a check mark when I have all the ingredients for that recipe and then I write "MADE" when the dish is complete and in the fridge or freezer.

It's finally party day. I've been looking forward to this Saturday morning for a long time. Like a kid on Christmas I woke up at 6:30 AM with butterflies. Today is the do or die final step for our Holiday Cocktail Party and I'm loving every minute of it. I have no idea what it is about throwing a party, but it is so freaking exhilarating!

I accomplished A LOT last night. I finished making all the dishes except for three that I will do today: Flourless chocolate cake, Roast Beef Sandwiches and Fig Stilton Squares. All three of those should be a sinch to make. I cleared the buffet table and set out all of the dishes I will use today.

This is a very helpful tip from my mom: use stickies to lable what food goes where. This saves you time when you are trying to put food on the table AND arrange it on your table at the last minute. Go ahead and lable the dishes, then you can move them around and plan the flow of your buffet. This is also a good time to look at what needs a serving utensil, and GO AHEAD and set those all out now too! Do as much the week ahead as possible.

These minature picture frames are a great idea too. I bought these at Hobby Lobby for HALF OFF the original price. They have many uses too. I like to write or print the name and ingredients of dishes and set these out as my food markers. I love to talk about food and especially my homemade stuff, but when the 19th person asks you "what is this?" you will wish you had put out a card labeling all your dishes. Alternatively, add a ribbon to the back and your favorite picture and this makes a great Christmas ornament for your tree. I've seen this in magazines that sell four of these small silver picture frames for $20. I bought these for $1.99 each!
I created this set up by the door. Allyson is baking custom cookies for me that look like our party invitations. As guests leave I will give them each a cookie and thank them for coming. Jim laughed at me, but I put a little sticky on top of the dish that says "cookie from allyson." Lable EVERYTHING so you won't have to guess what you meant that side table for the night before.

Now, let me share one of my recent recipes.

HOMEMADE BAILEY'S

1 can condensed milk
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp chocolate syrup (I do not reccomend the sugar free chocolate syrup, but this is all I had)
16 oz heavy cream (2 cups)
4 eggs
14oz Irish liquor


Then I added an additional:
1 T instant coffee
1 T chocolate syrup
16 oz heavy cream


The recipe is simple: Put everything in a blender and BLEND.

Condensed milk.

Instant coffee.

Vanilla.

Almond extract.

Chocolate Syrup.

Heavy cream.

Eggs.

Whiskey. I used a good old Irish Whiskey.

This is what it looks like before. This is what it looks like after.

I tasted a bit of this stuff and WOW was it strong! I mean REALLY strong. So I went back to the blender and added another 2 cups of cream and more coffee and chocolate.

This was much better. About a half glass of this will be plenty for dessert! In the Bailey's commercials, they always serve this over ice. I'm not sure I would like that. I covered and placed in the fridge - and will take it out tonight to serve to guests.


AND... I've been tagged! Julie at The Sporadic Cook sent this to me and I thank you s so much for tagging me. This was fun to write, and gave me a much needed break. So here we go, seven things you never wanted to know about Mandy!

1. My favorite Don't Miss TV Shows are Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Barefoot Contessa, Eli Stone, The Unit, Worst Week, Big Brother, The Bachelor.
2. Shows that I cannot watch are any of the CSI or SVU - any crime dramas that are "harsh." They really upset me and I think about those victims for days after watching shows like that.
3. I laugh out loud and/or cry in the card aisle when I'm shopping for birthday/thank you/thinking of you/miss you/get well soon cards.
4. I love to pluck - give me a good pair of tweezers and I will go to town on your eyebrows. Jim loves this about me. yeah, right.
5. One reason I like coconut is because it's the food that keeps on giving. Hours after you eat coconut you can find a piece stuck in your teeth and enjoy the flavor all over again.
6. Throwing parties is up there at the top 5 things I love to do. Although Jim would share with you that I have a mini freak an hour before guests arriving. Jim always stays calm and doesn't react to me at all, he simply brings me a glass of red wine - which does the trick. I love that boy!
7. I'm a big Laurie Notaro fan, her books are so hilarious - I can't help but pass them on to my friends as soon as I finish one.

Now it is my turn to tag, here are the rules:

• A Growing Violet
• My Crazy Life
• J&J Dish It Out
• Kenzies Kitchen
• It's Melissa's Kitchen
• In Good Taste
• From the French Kitchen