Cookies!

This year's bake sale went well! Over $5,000 was raised to help fight kids cancer. My mom and I had a lot of fun making and packaging cookies for this sale and are already looking forward to helping out next year. If you want to help next year, the event will be held on the second Saturday in December so, SAVE THE DATE!

Butter Spritz Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/4 cup flour
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional) 

Spritz cookie press (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cream butter in a mixing bowl.
• Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
• Add beaten egg.
• Add and combine almond extract.
• Add and combine flour.
• Divide the dough into separate bowls, one for each color. If you aren't coloring the dough, skip ahead to putting the dough in the cookie maker.
• Add a couple of drops of food coloring to each bowl and combine well.
• Cover the dough with wax paper and chill in the fridge until firm again.
• Put dough in the cookie press and punch out directly onto baking sheets.
• Bake for 8-10 min.
• If you put sprinkles on the cookies, do it while they are still warm and out of the oven.

You can also make these cookies by rolling the dough into small balls and flattening them out with a fork - we call these butter buttons.

Cherry Date Skillet Balls
1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar
8 oz chopped dates
1 egg
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup flaked coconut & another 2 1/2 cups
1/2 cup chopped, drained maraschino cherries
1 Tbs vanilla

• In a 10" skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
• Stir in sugar and dates.
• Remove from heat and then stir in the egg.
• Return to heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to a full boil.
• Remove from heat and then stir in the cereal, 1 cup coconut, cherries, and vanilla - until moist.
• Let stand about 10 min - until it's cool enough to handle.
• Take about a tsp of the mixture, roll into a ball, and then roll in the remaining coconut.
• Optionally, put the fridge (I think they taste best cold).

Well, that's it for me this year. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday together.
~ Steph Snack & Family