Once you have the animal cracker cookie cutters -you have to make animal crackers – right? This recipe has the added ingredient of cinnamon – which makes it extra delicious!

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer until creamy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.

Check your dough, if the dough seems too soft, add 1 tablespoon more flour.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.

Roll each portion between 2 pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness.

Stack the pieces, with parchment between the two, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.

Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and cut out the animal shapes, re-rolling and continue cutting until all the dough is used. Bake 9-10 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool cookies on a wire rack and decorate with glaze icing or royal icing.

This are so fun to make and eat! Traditional colors and of pink and white topped with nonpareils are just so cute!

I found this Animal Cracker tin at an Antique Store – great to put the cookies in to share.

Fall is coming and with it comes Halloween treats. Use the scaredy cat cutter and use yellow glaze with fall sprinkles.

This recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction, one of my favorite food blogs. She has amazing recipes, which include helpful hints and resources. For the recipe and complete directions, click on the link below. Enjoy!

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/animal-cracker-cookies/

Are you ready for the 4th? Need some quick ideas for desserts?

Use your favorite cupcake and buttercream frosting to make cupcakes, then add stars or blue and red decorations. Placed on stars and stripes plates makes them look extra festive. You can also use our Chocolate Party Cupcake recipes:

Print Recipe

Chocolate Party Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese and chocolate chip filling.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cupcake

Servings: 24

Author: Mary Beth

Ingredients

Cupcake

• 1 Chocolate Cake Mix

Cream Cheese Fillings

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (plus a few more to add to filling layer, if desired)

Frosting

• 1 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanillla
• 1/4 cup sprinkles, optional

Instructions

Filling

• Beat cream cheese, sugar, salt and egg together in a bowl.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Set aside.

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place 24 cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
• Prepare cake mix according to directions.
• Fill each cupcake liner approximately 1/4 full of chocolate cake batter.  Using a small pitcher to fill the cupcake liners makes it easier – and is less messy than using a spoon.
• Put about 1 tablespoon of filling on top of chocolate layer in the center of each cupcake.  Can add a 2-3 chocolate chips  to center, if desired.
• Add layer of chocolate over filling, so liner is filled about 2/3 full.
• Bake according to cake mix directions,  about 12-15 minutes, or until cupcake top bounces back to touch.
• Let cool in cupcake pan for a few minutes, then cool on a cooling rack.

Frosting

• After cupcakes are completely cool, can frost with your favorite frosting or use the Buttercream Frosting above.
• Cream butter with mixer.  Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowl often, about 2 minutes.  Add a few drops of milk at a time, if too stiff and add a little bit of powdered sugar at a time if you want a stiffer frosting.  
• Pipe or frost with a knife.  Add sprinkles and other decorations, if desired.

Notes

This is a version of a recipe Cathy Oesterling shared when we worked together for University Extension.

Another quick idea is to make Rice Krispies cookies and melt white chocolate chips (instead of chocolate and butterscotch chips) for the frosting and then add stars.

Print Recipe

Grandma Davitt’s Rice Krispies Cookies

Love these cookies!  Always a favorite at scouting and team meetings!  Plus easy to make, store and  transport.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Total Time17 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cookies

Servings: 25 people

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanillla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 7 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Frosting

• 6-8 oz chocolate chips
• 6-8 oz butterscotch chips
• Optional – Chocolate Drizzle, Sea Salt Flakes

Instructions

Cookies

• To make clean-up easier, lightly spray 12 x 17 jelly roll pan, mixing bowl and spatula with no-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
• Measure Rice Krispie cereal and place in mixing bowl.
• Place sugar and corn syrup in 3-quart saucepan, cook on medium high, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil.  Take off heat, stir in peanut butter until all ingredients are blended together.
• Pour peanut butter mixture over Rice Krispies and stir together and put in a  jelly roll pan (or 9x 13 pan if you want a thicker cookie).
•  Press the cookie firmly  and evenly into the pan with the  spatula sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. 

Frosting

• Mix the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in small glass bowl and melt in microwave, about 1 minute on half power.  Time and level with vary with microwaves. Stir until all chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
• Spread an even layer of the melted chips over the cookies.  Let the bars firm up for a few hours before cutting (unless you are really hungry).  Can add drizzle of  white or dark chocolate to decorate  and some sea salt flakes, if desired. 
• If there are leftovers, you can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.  If room temperature is warm, you can also store in the refrigerator.
• Note:  The original recipe called for 6 ounces (1 cup) of each of the chips, but I like a bit more frosting, so I use about 8 ounces (1 1/4 cups) of each.

I added some Toll House chocolate chips to the mix – they are my husband’s favorite. I just used the recipe on the package.

Have a Happy and Safe July 4th!!!!

What a beautiful spring day! Time to plan the Easter menus and activities! We are going to grill salmon and have asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes (I do occasionally make things besides desserts). Since we don’t have grandkids yet, but still want to have fun, we are planning an Easter Eggs hunt for our “big” kids! Not to disappoint you – I am working on desserts today.

When I am planning holiday menus, I like to include traditional favorites, along with trying some new recipes. Today I baked these Glazed Lemon Cookies – and they were the perfect “light” cookie.

Happy Easter! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Party Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese and chocolate chip filling.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cupcake

Servings: 24

Author: Mary Beth

Ingredients

Cupcake

• 1 Chocolate Cake Mix

Cream Cheese Fillings

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (plus a few more to add to filling layer, if desired)

Frosting

• 1 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanillla
• 1/4 cup sprinkles, optional

Instructions

Filling

• Beat cream cheese, sugar, salt and egg together in a bowl.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Set aside.

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place 24 cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
• Prepare cake mix according to directions.
• Fill each cupcake liner approximately 1/4 full of chocolate cake batter.  Using a small pitcher to fill the cupcake liners makes it easier – and is less messy than using a spoon.
• Put about 1 tablespoon of filling on top of chocolate layer in the center of each cupcake.  Can add a 2-3 chocolate chips  to center, if desired.
• Add layer of chocolate over filling, so liner is filled about 2/3 full.
• Bake according to cake mix directions,  about 12-15 minutes, or until cupcake top bounces back to touch.
• Let cool in cupcake pan for a few minutes, then cool on a cooling rack.

Frosting

• After cupcakes are completely cool, can frost with your favorite frosting or use the Buttercream Frosting above.
• Cream butter with mixer.  Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowl often, about 2 minutes.  Add a few drops of milk at a time, if too stiff and add a little bit of powdered sugar at a time if you want a stiffer frosting.  
• Pipe or frost with a knife.  Add sprinkles and other decorations, if desired.

Notes

This is a version of a recipe Cathy Oesterling shared when we worked together for University Extension.