Seriously, more cookies?

Yes, more cookies. This week I made fun cookies for class parties and gifts, and now I have to brag about it a little, they turned out so well.

First I made amaretti for my sweetie. He loves anything with almond, and with both almond paste and amaretto, these are one of his favorites. You can find the recipe at here, at Cooking Light.

He also loves meringue cookies, so I always make these for Christmas. They’re super simple and impressive. I even made them on a rainy day and they still turned out crunchy and pepperminty!

Here’s how:

Peppermint Meringues

3 egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 to 4 drops peppermint oil, or 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Red gel food coloring

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form, then add the sugar, a little at a time. Then beat this mixture until stiff peaks form.

Now for the trick: Take a gallon size ziploc, put it inside a large tumbler or glass, and fold the top over the outside, like a collar. Using a paintbrush, paint three narrow but heavy stripes of red food coloring from the tip to the top of the bag. Fill it with meringue, and snip off the corner to make a hole about half an inch in diameter. Then just pipe whatever shape you would like onto parchment lined cookie sheets. You’ll fill up 2 large sheets. I make sticks about 2 1/2” long, and when I get bored with that, simple kisses.

Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour. They can come out of the oven then, or, if you have time, just leave them in the oven until they’re cool. I think they’re crisper if you leave them in to cool.

Keep them in an airtight container, or they’ll get gooey. And that’s not what you want!

Thundercloud and I made these for her preschool class using the ABC Cookie Cutters from SpoonSisters.com and the gingerbread recipe from King Arthur Flour. They totally rocked. The class was a little freaked out about eating cookies that were bitten, the teacher said. But she thought they were funny!

Last but certainly not least, we made these for the second grader’s class party. I know, the kids just threw them in their mouths, but apparently the teacher had shown them around the school first. So I got a little love that way! We used the same gingerbread cookie recipe and I saw the cookies on The Decorated Cookie. Actually, I saw them on Pinterest when I was wasting WAY too much time.

And here’s a funny photo I just have to share. I took it while constructing these cookies, which, make no mistake, were pretty labor intensive. It took about 4 hours, start to finish, even with my minions help, to make 40 of them. But the satisfaction was worth it. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

And now school is out for Christmas break, so wish me luck as I become cruise director for the hooligans at home for 10 days. I better make a trip to the liquor store first.