Potato Chip Cookies

Potato Chip Cookies
Buttery, rich with a light crunch…Bet you can’t eat just one!
Makes 2-3 Dozen.

3/4 cup butter (not margarine)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup crushed potato chips (We recommend the kind with ridges.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashew nuts, chopped

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Mix well.

2. Add flour. Mix well. Add potato chips and cashews.

3. Roll into 1″ balls and flatten with a fork.

4. Bake at 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until light brown. Remove to a cooling rack and store in an airtight container for 1 week, if they last that long!

You’re invited to click Teapots ‘n More and browse our newest selection of teapots, tea accessories, teacups, tea miniatures and elegant tea sets.

Red Hat Tea Cookies

Red Hat Tea Cookies
Use your favorite rolled cookie recipe or the following Sugar Cookie recipe.
(makes 3-4 dozen)

1 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened (butter tastes the best)

1 ½ cup granulated white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. grated orange peel

8 tsp. milk
Edible decorations

1 . In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, orange peel and vanilla. Add eggs; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in milk.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into the creamed mixture.

3. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill one hour to overnight.

4. On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/4 to 1/8″ thick. Cut out cookies with a hat shaped cookie cutter. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375°F for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove to a cooling rack.

5. Ice the cooled cookies with thinned out red Royal Icing (recipe follows) and allow to completely dry on rack. Store in an airtight container in flat layers with wax paper placed between each layer of cookies.

6. When ready to decorate, use red Royal Icing to attach candied violets, hard frosting flowers, cupcake sprinkles, edible glitter, “ribbon” strips and bows made from “Fruit by the Foot” or rolled fondant. You can make daisies by flattening miniature marshmallows and cutting several slits halfway into the marshmallow all the way around it. Add a dot of yellow frosting to the center.

Check out your local cake decorating store for premade frosting flowers, sprinkles, fondant in a variety of colors, by Wilton, and other decorating supplies.

Royal Icing
Terrific for Gingerbread houses, too!

1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
3 egg whites
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
Red Paste food color (available where cake decorating supplies are sold)

1. In a large bowl beat all ingredients except paste food color for 5-7 minutes with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Transfer to a small bowl; cover well with plastic wrap. Place a damp towel over the plastic wrap cover. Remove only as much as you will need at one time and always remember to replace cover. This icing will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

To color icing:
Using a toothpick, transfer a small amount of red paste food color to the frosting and mix in. The red color will darken a little as it sits, so wait 5 minutes before adding more. (Be sure to use a clean toothpick every time you add paste to frosting to ensure you don’t get frosting in the food color.)When you have the desired color, take a small amount out and dilute with a few drops of milk at a time until icing is a spreading consistency. Use thinned out icing to frost the cookies. Use the thicker icing to attach decorations.

You’re invited to click Teapots ‘n More and browse our newest selection of teapots, tea accessories, teacups, tea miniatures and elegant tea sets.

Sugar Shortbread Hearts

Sugar Shortbread Hearts
(Makes about 4 dozen)

1/2 cup softened butter (do not use margarine)
generous 1/4 cup powdered sugar
grated zest from one lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Sift together the flour and salt. Mix 1/2 at a time into the butter mixture, beating well after each addition to combine.

2. Knead the dough until it no longer clings to the hand. Add a few drops of milk if necessary to moisten.

3. Divide into two balls, wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Roll each dough ball out to 3/4 inch thick on a floured board. With a small heart cookie cutter (1″ size), cut out the cookies until all the dough is used. Dip cookie cutter in flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking to cutter.

5. Place on heavy baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes or until set and just turning golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Cookies keep up to 4 weeks in an airtight container.

You’re invited to click Teapots ‘n More and browse our newest selection of teapots, tea accessories, teacups, tea miniatures and elegant tea sets.

Gingerbread-Lemon Pinwheels

Gingerbread-Lemon Pinwheels
(Makes about 4 dozen)

For gingerbread dough:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
2 large egg yolks
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

For lemon dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Make gingerbread dough: In a bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and molasses until smooth. Beat in egg yolks until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic and flatten slightly. Chill until firm but pliable, about 1 hour.

3. Make lemon dough: In a bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

4. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic and flatten slightly. Chill until firm but pliable, about 1 hour.

5. With a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, roll out gingerbread dough into an approximately 12 by 15 inch rectangle. Slide dough, on waxed paper, onto a baking sheet. Repeat to roll out lemon dough and chill both doughs until slightly firmer, about 10 minutes.

6. Lightly brush top of lemon dough with some milk or cream. Carefully invert gingerbread dough over lemon dough, lining up edges as evenly as possible. Remove waxed paper from top of gingerbread dough. With a sharp knife, cut rectangle in half lengthwise to make two 6 by 15 inch rectangles. Transfer one of the rectangles to another sheet of waxed paper. Let stand about 10 minutes to soften slightly.

7. Lightly brush top of one rectangle with milk or cream. Starting on long side of one rectangle, lift waxed paper to roll doughs into a tight, even cylinder. Repeat to roll other rectangle. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap rolls and slice crosswise into 3/8″ thick rounds. Lay cookies 1″ apart on greased baking sheets. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes until cookies are set and edges begin to brown. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Store in airtight container for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 4 months.

Click Teapots ‘n More to browse a large selection of teapots, tea accessories, teacups, tea miniatures and elegant tea sets.

Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies

Brown Sugar Shortbread
Very rich, tastes like buttery caramel cookies

(makes 3½ dozen)

1 cup softened butter (do not use margarine)
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 ¼ cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

2. Gradually stir in flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes.

3. Pat into a 3/8″ thick rectangle measuring 11″ by 8″ (about the size of a sheet of lined paper).

4. Cut into 2″ by 1″ strips. Place 1″ apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until bottom begins to brown. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container 1-2 weeks or freeze for 3-4 months.

You’re invited to click Teapots ‘n More and browse our newest selection of teapots, tea accessories, teacups, tea miniatures and elegant tea sets.