Holidays Archives - Looks Like Homemade

Baking, For the Freezer, Holidays, Recipes

Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Walnuts

ByCarrie Hill | On December 04,16 | 0 Comment

Oatmeal is good for you, right? So these Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate & Walnuts are really really good for you……

Okay maybe not – but these cookies are swoonworthy – and definitely packed with flavor. I like that they use old-fashioned oats – I think they hold up better, they don’t “dissolve” into the cookie – which means a better oatmeal-cookie-texture.

Use semi-sweet chips if you prefer, but I’m a dark chocolate fan for sure. They get a little crunchy and a little soft – great for lunchboxes, holiday gifts or dunking…or all three. I have a 3/4″ cookie scoop, and although it’s technically a uni-tasker – its a must-have in my kitchen. Using teaspoons to put cookies on a tray is old-school – and it works fine, but I never had look ending up with uniform size cookies.

I hope you like these – they’re so much better than oatmeal raisin cookies – which are gross – and just one reason to have trust issues. Raisins are ick.

Baking, Desserts, For the Freezer, Holidays, Recipes, Wanderlust

Swedish Spritz Cookie Recipe

ByCarrie Hill | On November 26,16 | 0 Comment

These tasty butter cookies are a holiday tradition in our home. While you can dye and color the dough to make green trees or whatever you like, I prefer the plain sugar cookies with sprinkles and redhots as decoration.
You need a cookie press for this recipe. You could roll them in logs and refrigerate and slice, but it’s just not the same. I got my cookie press on Amazon.com – It’s the OXO Good Grips Cookie Press and it works well – it works BEST if the cookie sheets are really cold, but that’s not really practical when you’re baking dozens at a time – just be patient and understand that the dough consistency is directly related to how the cookies come out of the gun and onto the sheet – don’t be afraid to chill the dough down if things just get a bit too soft.

Colored sugar and red hots for tree stars or holly berries are my favorite decorations – but you can do absolutely whatever you like!

Enjoy!

Baking, For the Freezer, Holidays, Recipes

Chewy & Spicy Ginger Cookies

ByCarrie Hill | On November 20,16 | 0 Comment

I love ginger cookies – not the dense, tasteless gingerbread men with the too-sweet frosting – I like ginger/spice cookies that are not as sweet and taste great with a hot cup of coffee – dunked of course. This recipe is pretty tasty and has A LOT of spices in it – hopefully you have this in your cabinet and you aren’t running out the buy a spice just to make these cookies – but remember old spices are not bold spices – so when in doubt throw it out.

These also freeze and transport really well – so ship them to a loved one this holiday 🙂

Baking, For the Freezer, Holidays, Recipes

Amish Cookie Recipe

ByCarrie Hill | On November 20,16 | 0 Comment

These are a much requested cookie in our house. Todd likes them with Pecans as well as Walnuts – so choose whichever you like. They freeze, transport and mail quite well. They don’t get super brown – so don’t overbake waiting for them to brown up!

In some cookies, it is okay to substitute margarine – but these just dont taste or turn out the same if you do substitute. They’re not bad, just not as good…so use the real stuff.

Breakfast, Holidays, Recipes

Southwestern Breakfast Casserole

ByCarrie Hill | On November 18,16 | 0 Comment

NO BREAD! Prep ahead as this one sits overnight – you don’t HAVE to let it sit – but if your potatoes are still frozen when you put it in the oven, plan on a bit of extra baking time.

I really don’t like soggy bread bake things – including french toast – so finding a breakfast casserole recipe was a bit difficult. I made this one out of a few different recipes – with an end goal of being able to eat it on it’s own with a slice of toast – or wrapping it up in a warm tortilla for a breakfast burrito! You can add fresh peppers, jalapeños, etc – whatever works for your palate. Leave out the beans, use regular breakfast sausage instead of chorizo – this recipe is very flexible! Enjoy!

Baking, Entertaining, Holidays, Recipes

Incredible Dutch Apple Pie Recipe

ByCarrie Hill | On January 23,16 | 0 Comment

I love apple pie, honestly I love pie, but I hate making pie crust and I think it’s a waste of time. Its futzy and never turns out great for me – so…confession time…I buy pie crust. Pillsbury does a completely acceptable job, and it makes throwing a pie together pretty fast. Generally pie crusts come 2 in a package, so you could make 1 apple pie, or two “one crust pies” like a pumpkin pie and a ……. dutch apple pie!

I don’t eat pumpkin pie – it is too close to pudding consistency – and pudding is against The Food Rules! (capitals and punctuation required) So at holiday time, I have to make something besides pumpkin pie, but I don’t want an extra pie crust laying around – so I fiddled and faddled around until I came up with this dutch apple pie recipe. Enjoy!