Welcome 2015!

Sculpture at Uffizi Gallery, Florence

We had celebrated Christmas at home mainly packing for our trip and having a quiet but busy day with church activities. Molu was invited by her voice teacher to sing the first solo that starts the Christmas Eve service at their Episcopal Church. She did a great job with this song in the church full of unfamiliar people.  Just got back from our visit to HAunt's house full of love and food. Kids were devastated as always to leave but are coping nowadays by thinking of the next time we meet. It is as cold in the bay area as it was warm in the east coast! I am still keeping our nativity set up. It emanates a warmth that I love to look upon these cold evenings.

The year went by rather quickly. Getting most of these two weeks as holidays was a much needed break from the feverish pace at work. My mom is starting to forget things as she is progressing in old age. Time to think of a visit to India to see her. Old age will catch up with all of us yet we all go through the youthful years with this thought rarely bothering us. Here is a road picture my daughter clicked for me from the car while traveling back from somewhere. I hope our lives will settle down in the end as peacefully as the sun set this day.

I also have some pictures of the cupcakes my daughter made for her class party. I am not exaggerating when I say it was all done by her including the little christmas tree on top to decorate the mini cupcakes. She used the recipe from a bakeware set we had bought for her.

She had added christmas colors to the cupcake batter which I thought looked very pretty! Of course we cannot see this once the frosting goes on top.

I made the usual appam and stew to celebrate Christmas. Took some of the fruitcake I had made with us for the visit to the east. My girl made the best tasting marshmallows with HAunt. I couldn't get pictures once they were cut into cubes and rolled in sugar. Here is a picture of the slab of goodness. 

HAunt and my girl also made cookies and icing and we all had fun decorating cookies. There is a Raphael in all of us:-)

While there we visited the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.  It was good to see and read about all the deep feelings associated with it. Philadelphia served as this great nation's capital under two of its first presidents. George Washington & John Adams. At the suggestion of cousins who are Philly residents we gouged ourselves on philly cheese steaks(PCS) at Jim's Steak's. I had loved PCS the moment I tasted them at my university town in Fayetteville, Arkansas. But I could never get that taste back in any of the places I had tried here in Cali. This one blew me away. There is no equal to what we had here! My son was so enamored, he went for seconds despite the long line and my husband also joined him. The light fluffy bread and the tender moist beef are the secrets of this delectable dish.

When H visited China last year he had brought back a cute Budha. This morning when we woke up we saw light falling in such a way that the Budha was lighted. It was good to see the enlightened Budha first thing in the morning. 

Wish you all a wonderful year ahead with good times and cheer throughout.

Triple Hazelnut Truffle

This is an easy dessert or shall I say, snack? After all that work they do taste like glorified milk chocolate which is perfectly fine with me. The crunch gives it a healthy snack persona:-) And beware, if you hope to taste some you might as well do that right away since there may not be any left if you wait. So here is the scoop which is actually available all over the net with a search for 'triple hazelnut truffle'. I found this recipe in a magazine while waiting - can you guess? - in the dentist's office!

In The Mix

Nutella Hazelnut Spread - 3 tbsp
Hazelnut flavored liqueur - 2 1/2 tbsp
Light colored corn syrup - 1 tbsp
Milk Chocolate - 5oz
Hazelnuts - 1/3 cup (salted, toasted)

How To Do

The 'triple' in the name comes from the three forms of hazelnut in the recipe. Since my girl and I spent most of the time hunting for the liqueur, we substituted hazelnuts with walnuts which were easily found that day. The liqueur maybe difficult to find. Frangelico is the recommended brand. Can be substituted with any fancy sounding hazelnut syrup as we did.

Once you are setup with all the ingredients, you need an expert chopper like my girl. Chop away the walnuts and chocolate to as small as you have time for. She does this job very well.

Now mix all the ingredients together and boil in a double boiler. I just boil water in a larger pan, place the ingredients in a smaller pan and place it over the boiling water. Keep on stirring while all ingredients mix together. Remove from heat and set to cool after pouring into a flat pan. You can refrigerate it to satisfy little people who cannot wait that long.

Once cooled, make them into little balls and start enjoying right away. I had some biscotti at home that I dipped into the still pliant mix and results were extremely satisfying as you can see below. Gives it a nice twist. I loved these too. But kiddos preferred the truffles. Easy activity, tremendous returns!

PW's Key Lime Pie !

It is no secret that I am a fan of Pioneer Woman. Now that she is on Food Network, I have a little fan to watch it along with me. One of the episodes featured a quick Key Lime Pie and my girl wanted to make it. We could not find a recipe on PW's blog or on Food Network site. She wanted it so bad that she recorded the already recorded show using a tablet so we could watch it in the kitchen for instructions while making it! She had also entered the ingredients in her little book so we can shop for it. Family was visiting and HAunt & HCousin happily offered to help her in this pie making quest. They had fun making it and the end result was delicious as well as good looking! We will definitely be making it again. It is the perfect summer dessert. I wanted to put down the recipe here so next time we don't need need to hunt for that video. Thanks PW for an "OMG, it is sooooo good!" recipe. This recipe is halved and can make 6-7 cups. This is mostly an eye witness account and from hearsay as I had no part in making it.

In The Mix

for custard

fresh squeezed lime juice - 1/2 cup (not diluted with water)
sugar - 1 cup (or less if you are not a sweet tooth)
butter - 1 stick
eggs - 7

for crust 
graham crackers  - 6
sugar - half of  1/3 cup (1/6th cup)
butter - half of 1/3 cup (1/6th cup)

for the whipped cream
heavy cream - 3/4 cup
powdered sugar - 1/4 cup


How To Do

Heat the lime juice in a pan. Add the sugar and butter and let that melt in. Beat the eggs and add that in and wait for the custard to become thick and heavy. Set to cool. You can refrigerate it to fasten the process if needed.

Now we go for the crust. Crush the graham crackers. HAunt did this by crushing them in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin. Mix the sugar and butter with the crushed graham crackers in bowl. The resulting mix should be slightly crunchy without any lumps.

Now we are whipped away to the whipped cream. (In the words of my little chef who is dictating the recipe while mom is furiously typing away) First add the heavy cream into a mixer along with the powdered sugar. Mix together until nice and fluffy like a long haired cat's fur:-).

Done! Finito! Well not really. Time to pick a clear glass container and add each layer to make the mini pie. First add in the crust, then the custard on top of it and lastly the cream. Cover in plastic wraps and leave in the fridge to set. When dessert time comes get these beauties out, add some lime zest (we forgot this), get a spoon and dig in!

Still Here..

I haven't gone anywhere folks. Still pottering around! Hope Easter Holidays went well for those who observe it. Kitchen fires have been burning and yummy food devoured but mostly the good old trusted recipes. Visitors, work and Kid activities do not leave much time for blogging. The husband for his part has concocted a fantastic stuffed/baked fish inspired by a Food Network Show I think. It came out way better than my own baked fish for sure. I'll be posting this here as soon as we can get a decent pic. Till then here are a bunch of spring flowers from the backyard and some cupcakes I made for a fundraiser in my son's class.

Updated with Cupcake/Frosting Recipes on April 18, 2010
It looks like these are probably some recipes that my kids will want to look up later. I have made so many batches of cupcakes and frosting that I have lost count. I experimented with a bunch of recipes I found online and finally settled on the ones that appealed to all of us. So here they are with links as well as the actual recipes for easy reference:

You will need the following for cupcakes and frosting:

cupcake baking pan (available in target, grocery stores etc.)

cupcake liners (available in Michaels, grocery stores)

reusable piping bags with different tips for frosting (Found a nice set in a grocery store for $3.99)

sprinkles (Michaels, grocery stores)

always bring the butter called for in recipes to room temp before creaming.

if refrigerating the frosting, give a quick whip to bring it back to life for use.

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CUPCAKES
Vanilla Cupcakes from cupcakerecipes.com : The layout of this site is easy to follow and you feel like you can try things from it right away and will come out right. Well, it is true. The vanilla cupcakes came out just perfect every single time I made them!

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg whites from large eggs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
The first time I made ~ 12-15 cupcakes by halving all the measurements above. The full quantity makes about 25-26 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line the pan with cupcake liners.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt with a whisk. Add shortening, milk and vanilla and combine together very well. Remember to scrape bowl always. I used the whisk for this step. Now beat in egg whites and the full eggs in two steps. Beat until fluffy and smooth. About 3 minutes did it for me.

Fill liners to a little less than 2/3 with the batter. Bake for about 19-20 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I find that it is better for me to take out the cupcakes with liners from out of the pan within 2 minutes of coming out of the oven to prevent the cakes from sticking too close to the liners. Now let cool completely.
The cakes are ready for frosting!

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Chocolate Cupcakes from cupcakerecipes.com : I DID NOT make this cupcake but plan to soon and I have complete faith in the site that this will come out just fine too. So this is for future reference since this is what the kids would really love.


Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla
4 oz melted unsweetened baking chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with liners.
Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Mix at low speed for 30 secs and at high for 3 minutes after scraping bowl.
Fill liners to a little less than 2/3 with the batter. Bake for about 19-20 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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Coffee Cupcake adapted from  Martha Stewart's site : I didn't use the whiskey etc and the espresso powder was replaced with nescafe classic instant coffee powder I had at home. I am sure it will be even more tasty with espresso powder but this one came out wonderful and the kids too loved it! I also halved the recipe to get about 12-13 cupcakes.

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tbsp instant coffee/espresso powder
1/8 cup milk
1/2 stick (4tbsp) unsalted butter (room temp)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour the boiling water over coffee powder and stir well. Cool and combine with milk.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Beat butter and the two sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
Add the egg and beat well. For recipe using more than 1 egg, always beat in 1 at a time.
Beat in the flour mix in 3 steps alternating with the coffee mix, beginning and ending with flour.

Fill liners to a little less than 2/3 with the batter. Bake for about 19-20 minutes or until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

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FROSTING
That ends the cupcake recipes from the web that worked out to our taste. Now for the frosting. The chocolate frosting is what took the most tries but the journey to get there was rather sweet:-) 


Buttercream Icing from wilton.com : Easy to make and since Wilton is a major source for decorating supplies, it is only understandable that they have a very useful site. For decorating tips, start here and go from there..

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (room temp) - the recipe for 1/2 cup butter & 1/2 cup shortening. I replaced
                                                             the shortening with butter for convenience.
1 tsp clear vanilla extract ( I used regular color. clea is used for pure white color I think)
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

Directions
Cream the butter (and shortening if following the org recipe) with an electric mixer.
Add vanilla and slowly add sugar, 1 cup at a time beating well at medium speed for about less than 3 min.
Add milk and beat at medium speed until fluffy.

Frosting is ready. Will keep in a closed container in the refrigerator upto 2 weeks.

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Best Frosting Ever Had by missydew, a contributor to  PW's Tastykitchen. This one is a little intriguing as it uses flour. I had my doubts too but for reasons I cannot fathom, found it a very satisfying frosting. It went very well with the coffee cupcakes. It feels light and fluffy on tasting and is a bonafide dessert.


Ingredients
1 cup milk
5 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temp)
1 cup granulated sugar

Directions
In a pan, whisk the flour completely into the milk and cook at medium heat. Keep whisking so no lumps will form. Continue till the mixture really thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Now add the vanilla and combine together.

Meanwhile cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes will do the trick.
Beat in the flour mixture to a whipped cream consistancy. This is best spread with a table knife or thin spatula.

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Chocolate Frosting from cdkitchen.com: This frosting has the right sweetness and the right chocolaty taste and we loved it.


Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter (room temp)

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa powder (I used a heaped 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
extra milk as needed

Directions
Beat butter until fluffy. Slowly add 2 cups of the powdered sugar.
Beat in 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. Add in the Cocoa and the remaining powdered sugar.
Since the powders can fly when beating, I folded them together with a spatula first and then
did the beating.


More milk by the tsp can be added for the desired consistency. Time to decorate!

Goes well with vanilla cupcakes.

That brings us to the end of the dessert saga. I know I will come back to this compiled post many a time if the young customers at home really mean what they eat!

Added 5/19/2012:

Found an even better chocolate frosting at joyofbaking and have to add it here for later.
unsweetened chocolate - 3 oz chopped coarsely
unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened
confectioners powder - 1 cup
vanilla extract - 1 tsp

 Melt the chocolate in a stainless steel  bowl over boiling water and cool to room temp.
Cream butter with a mixer for about one minute and add sugar slowly and beat until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract  and add chocolate on low speed to mix well. Then beat on medium speed to the right consistency (2-3 min)

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

No more baking posts. I promise! This is the laaaaaast.... I had always turned away from cookies in general, especially sugar cookies when presented on the usual platter of snacks. I don't have a sweet tooth. Honestly.  Then why oh why did I go and make these? One word. Kids! Yup, they were day dreaming as well as night dreaming about frosted cookies ever since Christmas came around. Since I haven't done cut-out cookies at all, I wasn't sure what or where to start. With work and some holiday activities going on I simply couldn't get to these until later.

Decided on this recipe from how2heroes mainly because of the video demo for both sugar cookies and royal icing.  Denise's instructions are clear and filled with useful tips. Both kids diligently watched with me and on their own and were a big part in the process. If you remember those superbly made Christmas Cakes from Casino in Cochin with the yummiest icing (yes, even for my non-sweet tooth!)  then you will know why I wanted hard (royal) icing. This one came out fine but nowhere close to that icing/cake combo. Maybe it was the combo of fruitcake/icing that made the taste so great. Wait a minute! I think I will check this out next time I make fruit cake.

I am repeating the recipe here for easy reference. I hope the video will stay forever as that helped the most.

For Sugar Cookies

In The Mix

unsalted butter - 24 tbsp (3 sticks brought to room temp)
ranulated sugar 1 1/3 cup
kosher salt - 2 tsp
egg  yolks - from 3 eggs
pure vanilla extract - 2 tbsp
all purpose flour - 3 3/4 cups (I sift this)
parchment paper or silpat - to line cookie sheets

How To Do

Beat the butter and sugar until the color changes to a lighter shade and fluffy. I used a hand mixer but an electric stand mixer is bothering me in my dreams ever since I saw how much easier it is to use it. But the sheer idleness it will face once the cookie making is over prevents me from getting my hands on one. We'll see how long I can hold off:-)  Add kosher salt and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg yolks one by one. Beat till well combined. Add in the flour in small quantities and beat till fully incorporated. Denise cautions that beating too much will move the cookie texture to that of short bread.

I loved the idea of using plastic wrap to spread the dough. So I made it in two batches as the recipe suggests. Just place the dough b/n two sheets of the wrap and roll away into a consistent thickness. This dough is totally flexible and my inexperienced hands found it to be an easy task. Repeat with the second part. Now keep the sheets in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour. This is to make the cookie cutting easier. The dough will obey the cutter and handling in general better when not too soft. I made the cookies the next day. Need to take it out a good 15 minutes before you start to cut so the dough will yield properly.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Remove the top plastic sheet, use cutters and other tools and have fun making all kinds of shapes like we did!

Line cookies sheets with parchment paper and place cut out cookies with a spatula about 1/2 inches apart. Cook for 12-15 minutes. I swapped the racks as well as turned the sheets around 8 minutes into the baking for even baking as suggested. Take out and cool on a rack before icing.

For Royal Icing
Denise gives a video demo for the icing too.  We didn't prefer the tartness of the icing from the lemon so for the second batch I didn't use lemon but and substituted with water instead. I also added almond extract the second time which came out good too. Used meringue powder (egg white mix) instead of fresh eggs.When she tasted it before the icing hardened, my daughter said it tasted like sweet tart. Once it hardened the tartness blended in and couldn't be detected as overpowering but kids still preferred not adding the lime. I made the icing each time but there was enough left over from the first time and so just making the icing once and using economically might last it for the two sets of cookie dough.

In The Mix
confectioner's sugar - 1 lbs
meringue powder - 1/4 cup (Michael's has it)
water - start with 7 tbsp
vanilla or almond extract - 3 tsp
food coloring
parchment paper - to make piping cones

How To Do

Beat the sugar and meringue powder at low speed first for a minute or two. Add in water and vanilla extract and beat together. Add more water 1 tbsp at a time till the right consistency is achieved. Being able to make a figure of 8 as the video shows and seeing it well before it melts back into the mix is the right indicator. Divide into as many colors you want to do. Add a few drops of the food coloring and combine. Remember to keep aside some as is for white coloring.

We had a few colors and so I made as many cones as I needs with the parchment paper. Fold the paper from one end till it meets diagonally to make a triangle. Cut off the sheet and cut the diagonal. Fold together into a cone with the diagonal side forming the tip of the cone. Taping the cone and standing it in a glass for easy pouring are all wonderful/quite useful tips. Thanks Denise!

Cut off the end if needed and start the artwork. This is the bestest part of the entire thing!!! Total unadulterated fun since elementary school days:-)) Cookies were cut in many imaginable shapes and were colored as it pleased us.

Will I repeat this exercise? But of course! Remember the adage, "It is the  participation that counts"? No, I am not talking about when India comes up with zeroes or close in the Olympic Gold tallies but about  real applicable situations:-) Well, this was one such situation. Once the cookies were done and the colorful icing was prepared and coned even the reluctant Dad jumped into the fray.

I told you we went to town with the icing and shapes. Didn't I?

Frosted cookies were left overnight for the icing to harden and while I won't advice the sweet fest for the health conscious or the slow metabolism crowd, the young citizens were happily devouring one crazy design after another. Enough said!

Apple Car....t A Fun Kitchen Activity With Kids

"Mom, Mom I want you to do the cutting." says my girl. She's been at it from the morning. I wave her away impatiently. "Later Molu, Mommy is busy". She is persistent yet yielding so Mom gets away without cutting anything. Later, when the two of us were all dressed to go out but waiting so we can open the door for the cleaning service, I could still see the unspoken request in her face. I give up and say, "Now is the time to do this cutting. Where and what do you want me to cut?" Little did I know that this oh so patient requester had a very specific task at heart  and knew exactly how to go about it!! The above picture is the result of our few minutes together in the kitchen. A lovely fruit snack that she observed in their baking class by volunteering Moms.

To make it, I was assigned to peel and cut carrots. Not to be cut long but as discs K? We don't have pear? No problem. Let us use those apples sitting in the fruit bowl. Now we need some cream cheese and with some colorful fruit loop cereal pieces we are all set. I still had no clue what it is all about. So I went about focused on  following the deftly thrown instructions from up there on the high stool.

Finally the apples were cut as specified and we glued the carrot discs to each side with cream cheese. Then it dawned on me that we are trying to make a fruit car here. Call me clueless, though I prefer guileless:-) Now I am totally on board and dutifully pasted on the carrots as well as the fruit loops. Let me put it into a recipe format here.

In The Mix

apple or pear - 1
carrots - 1
cream cheese - 2 tbsp or as needed
fruit loops or cheerios - 8 - 12 (fruit loops add color)
whipped cream - (optional)

How To Do

Most of it is as mentioned above. Cut 2 slices from the apple as seen in the picture. Dice the carrots into tire shapes. Glue 2 of these on to each side of the apple pieces. Glue the fruit loops over the carrots. If you glued some of those fruit loops to the top it will look like this.

Or try whipped cream AND fruit loop!

When we took that first bite of this quick snack I was taken aback to find it crunchy and tasty! I know, I know.  It is all the cream cheese. Yet all the additions went very well together! This is so simple, many of you probably are in on this but I am glad that my little one got me to see the possibilities by keeping after me. She made another set just for Dada & bro since they had gone out earlier.

Besan Ladoo. Or is it Laddu?

I used to be known as the 'girl who loved ladoos'. I am talking about the sweet yellow boondhi ladoos that one can get from the restaurants in Kerala. I don't have a sweet tooth. Really! But this was a weakness along with 'pazham pori' . Our college cafeteria used to make the best of both and of course 'those were the days':-) So how did I grow a little out of it? Why when the lovingly bought 100 or so ladoos from BTH in Kochi turned bland and fungified on arrival from the stressful journey. I just lost it looking at all those lackluster ladoos and learned again the importance of having it fresh.

But...an end is always a beginning. When we bought our home and I visited the local Indian store, who was waiting for me there with a sunny face? Besan Ladoos!!!! The texture is what attracted me at first and the famous last name. I mean, who wouldn't want to be acquainted with the 'Ladoo' family? It was love at first bite. To make things smooth, the kids and the husband unhesitatingly jumped on the bandwagon. From then on it was Besan Ladoo fest whenever for us. As luck would have it, our neighborhood store makes the best version of it I think. I love the matte finish over glossy and the non oily texture.

So what better recipe to go chastily to as the Lent season is here and the urge to make a meat dish hits me, than a protein filled snack? I found recipes galore for this sweet on the net but none that gave me satisfaction. Finally I opted to try a combo of what I found and hit it on the second try. How do I know I got it? The taste of course, but also my sonny boy and other big and little besan aficionados declaring it to be oh so yummmm. My son's exact words on first bite were , "Ok Mom, better than last time". Then on second bite..."Wooow, Mom..... Totally...." the rest is history. So here it is, our family approved recipe for besan ladoo. Do add more sugar if you are inclined that way. And this one is for you Geeta.

In The Mix

1 3/4 cup besan flour
2 tbsp fine sooji
3/4 cup sugar (regular sugar in the US is fine enough for this. no need to powder)
1/2 cup melted ghee (not a drop more or less)
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom (can add 1/4 tsp more if u r a cardamom fan)

How To Do

Take a large non-stick pan and mix the besan flour, sooji and ghee together.
Keep out of reach of prying little hands.


Turn on medium heat and keep stirring for 8-10 minutes.
Once the mix rolls like it is loaded with ghee, or when your busily occupied husband jumps up and walks toward the kitchen exclaiming ' hmm.. that smells so good", it is time to remove from heat. See picture.


Wait a minute or two and add the sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well. Wait another 5 minutes or so or till the mix is cool enough to handle. Don't let it cool to room temp. Start rolling into tennis ball sized rounds. I think I am getting the hang of this rolling thing. Don't they look a decent shape now? Anyway, the trick is to keep faith in your rolling abilities. First do a few thick squeezes, and then give very gentle shaping squeezes and believe me they will come out looking decent. This will make about 15-16 ladoos. Enjoy! Next to try is geeta's rawa ladoos. I have got the sooji already...

Peanut Butter Blossoms - Cookies

Just because you have never made a cookie in your life does not mean that you should never try it. Welcome yourself into the cookie making business with this easiest, best looking and kid approved cookie recipe. I chanced upon it in a magazine - I believe it is Martha Stewart Living - while waiting in the doctor's office. I think it was part of a Hershey's chocolate ad and quickly scribbled it down on a little piece of paper. This is a good one to get kids involved. Later I found that it is indeed a popular recipe and you will come across it all over the net while searching with 'peanut butter blossoms'. Now, to the recipe:

In The Mix

You will need about 48 Hershey's kisses. I find that M&Ms are also an easy substitute or any other cute looking chocolate piece. But Hershey's kisses look the best on top!

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 or 1/2 cup sugar to roll cookies at the end

How To Do

Heat oven to 375 C.

Remove foil from Hershey's. Get the kids to do this. Mine enjoyed all of the activity so much and were very good about not eating the kisses. I was impressed. Ask them first to count how many there are, how many we might need, and then get them to unwrap from one bowl to keep in another etc..

Beat shortening and peanut butter together for less than a minute.
Add 1/2 cup sugar & the brown sugar to the mix. Beat until fluffy.
Break the egg into the mix, add milk and vanilla extract and beat together for under a minute.
Kids can share doing this activity. I use a large plastic bowl so things stay clean.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. You can sieve them together to blend well.

Now gradually beat the flour mix into the peanut butter mix. You can do this in 5-6 steps. Once all the flour is added in, beat for 3-4 minutes. I use an electric hand mixer to beat.

Shape into 1" size balls. My Achilles Heel:-) Can never get them ball shapes... Roll gently in the sugar for a nice coat. Do not flatten. The cookie balls will expand into a nice circle once in the oven. Place the balls on a cookie sheet 2" apart. This is very important as otherwise the cookies will stick to each other for lack of space while being baked. You should have about 48 balls. Bake 8-10 minutes until light brown. I have added a picture here of cookies ready to go into the oven for Nancy.


Get the little helpers and chocolates ready to go as soon as the cookies are out. Place a kiss each on the top of the hot cookies. The cookies might break a little but don't worry. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes or so. The chocolate and the hot melted butter inside would have set together by now. Don't press down on the chocolate after the first placement. Store in a cool place and enjoy.

These cookies are very photogenic. Didn't get time to do justice to them in the aftermath. A good single cookie pic will look fantastic.



Added Later:
My daughter took this single cookie picture.

pic added 11/08/2009
I just found that this is a kid approved version of recycling all that Halloween that seems to stay on and on even after downloading stashes of it at work. We usually only trick or treat at the neighboring blocks and the candy is mostly good and I hate to trash them. So I take it to distribute it at work but the kids still get to keep a reasonable amount. I decided to to use them in cookies after countless candy wrapper picking up sessions around the living room:-) Just cut the longer bars and as you can see M&M's are fine as they are.