12 Days of Cookies – A bon appetit cookie extravaganza! Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream

This wonderful event, in it’s second year, is the brain child of Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes , but this year is being organized and ran by Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench . How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity and after last year I sure earned my way in the hard way! There are 10 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the first 12 days of December. These cookies are coming from bon appetit’s Holiday Cookie-a-Day Slideshow . These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day! Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen Courtney of Coco Cooks Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook Kelly of Sass & Veracity Michelle of Big Black Dogs RJ of Flamingo Musings Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench Tiffany of The Nesting Project Day 2 of the 12 Days of Cookies was a HUGE success!? I loved these cookies and could sit down and eat a whole bath of them!? Lucky for me the batches are really small… Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream ( bonappetit.com ) The orange juice and grated peel in the icing between these gorgeous crispy pecan lace sandwich cookies makes them an ideal accompaniment to any holiday dessert spread. Makes about 18 (I only got 12 out of this) Ingredients COOKIES 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1 cup coarsely ground pecans (about 4 ounces) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract FILLING 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon orange juice 3/4 teaspoon grated orange peel Preparation COOKIES Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until bubbling and lightly browned, about 11 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. FILLING Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon filling onto bottom

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12 Days of Cookies – A bon appetit cookie extravaganza! Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies with Orange Buttercream

12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza! Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies…

This wonderful event, in it’s second year, is the brain child of Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes , but is being organized and ran by Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench .? How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity and after last year I sure earned my way in the hard way!? There are 10 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the first 12 days of December. These cookies are coming from bon appetit’s Holiday Cookie-a-Day Slideshow . These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day! Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes (honorary member and our founder but not participating this year) Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen Courtney of Coco Cooks Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook Kelly of Sass & Veracity Michelle of Big Black Dogs RJ of Flamingo Musings Sandy of At the Baker’s Bench Tiffany of The Nesting Project For my first cookie and to kick of the event I have chosen and rather simple cookie.? I based my choice on the ingredients I had on hand in my pantry and the use of fresh cranberries was intriguing!? Lucky for me they are totally delicious! I did skip the white chocolate as no one in the house is a fan and I had major problems with the drizzle…you still get the idea right? Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies ?( bonappetit.com ) Chunks of fresh cranberries and dark, milk, and white chocolate chips dress up oatmeal cookies for the holidays. Makes about 30 Ingredients 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup old-fashioned oats 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries 2 ounces milk chocolate or white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling) Preparation Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light brown, about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Stir chopped milk chocolate in top of double boiler until melted and smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies in zigzag pattern. Let stand until milk chocolate sets, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Would I make these again? Not so sure.?

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12 Days of Cookies – A bon appétit cookie extravaganza! Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies…

So you all know I live in Florida…

I love living in Florida and part of the reason is for the incredible diversity that you find throughout the state.? One of my favorite places to go is to Kissimmee in the Orlando area.? There is so much to do and I mean beyond the Theme Parks.? What about checking into your hotel and going on a beautiful hike through one of the nature parks scattered throughout the area?? Did you know that Osceola County has the largest population of nesting bald eagles in the continental U.S. It’s also one of the country’s few re-introduction sites for the endangered Whooping Crane. You can spot some of these awe-inspiring birds at Lake Lizzie Nature Preserve

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So you all know I live in Florida…