12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Cranberry Bars

Courtesy of Bright Idea Photo

I realized tonight as I wrote up this post that I must love dried cranberries because I have used them a lot in my baking and I think this is my third recipe for Christmas cookes with cranberries.  I have never thought much about cranberries but I do really love them.  I remember the first time I had had 'craisins'; I was in Italy with my friend Gemma and we had met up with some Chilean guys.  We were poor and craisins were the perfect low calorie snack to keep hunger at bay.  Ahhh....good times...really good times....

My love for Starbucks is quite well known amongst my friends.  My favorite drink of all time is a Gingerbread Latte and it only comes out at Christmas, well to be exact November 1st.  Last year one of my favorite bloggers Amanda from Fake Ginger made Cranberry Bars that are similar to Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars.  I actually think that these are much better and I love to eat them straight from the freezer.  You may remember that I am trying to freeze all these goodies...well...even though the bars made it to the freezer there are none left...blush..

I am not going to post the recipe this week because I think you should go to Amanda's blog and check out all the other neat things she has baked and cooked.  Here is the link to the Cranberry Bars on Fake Ginger.

Week 7 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 weeks of Christmas Cookies - Sweet Potato Craisin Cookies

My goal with joining the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies was to bake a little each week and slowly stock my freezer. That isn't really happening because the cookies are so good that we eat them and I never seem to be able to make as much as the recipe says, so I really should start tripling the recipe. I wanted to make some thing healthy this week and to use up my sweet potato. These cookies are really good, a little softer than I like but I don't feel bad eating them in the middle of the night when I am nursing Georgia.

Ingredients
adapted from Vegfamily

1/3 cup  agave nectar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1 3/4 cups whole wheat,
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat together sweetener and butter substitute or coconut oil until smooth. Add vanilla, egg replacer, and pumpkin and beat well. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir flour mixture into liquid ingredients. Fold in dried cranberries and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto unoiled cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes, or until bottoms are golden. Cool on wire rack.


Makes about 3 dozen

Note: If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.





Week 3 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies - Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

I found this recipe while perusing the Cooking Light site and just had to make it.  It isn't a cookie but it is Christmas-y.  I am trying to stock my freezer but these didn't make it past dessert.  everyone loved them and I need to make these again and will need to double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients
adapted from Cooking Light

Crust:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Week 2 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

Apple Craisin Muffins

I kind of invented this recipe, well really I just switched raisins for craisins. These are great muffins! With a nice crunchy top and I love the combination of the apple and cranberries. I really missed muffins and I haven't made many lately so I tripled the recipe so I would have a good freezer stash.

Ingredients
adapted from Sunmaid

1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (large) peeled, shredded tart green apple
1 cup Craisins or dried cranberries


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease or line 12 (2 -inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mix well. Add butter, milk, egg, vanilla and apple. Then add to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in raisins. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Craisin Muffins

Now these turned out fabulously! I can't remember the last time I made muffins. Oh how I have missed them. A nice fresh warm muffin with melted butter on top is my perfect treat. My husband had been gone for 4 days and left me with 2 children who were not sleeping well. I made these after being up at 4 am with one child or the other. They really helped the morning get off to a better start.
I found the recipe here.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups dried, sweetened cranberries


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease or place paper muffin cups in a 12 cup muffin tin.
Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.
Beat the canned pumpkin, eggs, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla together in another large mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well blended. Stir in the dried cranberries until evenly blended. Spoon batter into muffin tins about 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. 3 minutes before turning out from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

White Chocolate Craisin Scones

I have never made scones before and I had always thought they were really hard. Last week I was talking to my friend and she was telling me about how she always likes to make a warm breakfast for her kids on the weekend and scones were one of her favs. My girls are not very adventurous when it comes to food so we don't usually deviate from the pb and toast. But the girls had been sick and I decided to give scones a try. The best part about scones is that you don't need eggs! I seem to always be out of eggs and I go to bake something only to find out I am missing eggs and I can't bake. These were delicious and I reccomend whipping these up in the morning. I found the recipe here.

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons butter, chilled
4-6 oz. white chocolate chips
2/3 cup milk or buttermilk




Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients minus cranberries and chocolate until well blended. Add cranberries to flour mixture, coat with flour. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add chocolate chips and mix lightly. Add milk. Stir, then knead just until all flour is absorbed into the dough.
Turn dough onto baking sheet and roll into a square (about 10"x10") 1-1/2 inches thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into squares or diamonds - leave pieces together.
Bake about 10 - 15 minutes or until just golden.

Everything Muffins

We are hoping to move but last week we had our second offer fall through. I was so bummed! This house stuff is so stressful! Especially cleaning the darn house. One minute I am down and thinking the house will never sell and then we get another offer. Last night we got our 3rd offer and I think this is it. The people love the house you can tell and I think my mural in the nursery actually sold the house! I have always thought that the buyers would be like us and my nursery would sell the house. So here's hoping that I am right. I liked these muffins because they helped me to clean out my freezer and pantry. The less food I have to move the better. These muffins are delicious and healthy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped peeled apples
• 1 cups sugar
• 1 cup chopped fdried cranberries like craisens
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine apples and sugar; let stand for 10 minutes. Add cranberries, carrots, nuts, eggs and oil; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt; stir into apple mixture just until moistened. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Sunny Boy Muffins

It feels like forever since I last made muffins.  We have rearranged our house and as some may know greater organization comes from great mess.  We are almost at the organization part.  I found the kitchen today and I decided to make muffins.  While organizing I discovered that I had two opened boxes of Sunny Boy Cereal or as some may know it Red River Cereal.  I want to use it up so I am looking for creative ways to get my toddler to eat it.  While searching I found these muffins.  I am impressed the flax seeds make the muffin a bit crunchy but they are light and healthy.  I think I will make these again for my friend who is pregnant, it is always good to get good grains in.

Ingredients

3/4 cup old fashioned oats or quick oats

1/2 cup red river cereal, uncooked

1 cup buttermilk (or 1T lemon juice, fill cup with milk)

1 cup flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/3 cup applesauce

1 cup craisins

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Combine oats, Red River and milk in large bowl, let stand 40 minutes. Then mix in egg, vanilla and applesauce.  Add in the dry ingredients and the craisins.  Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

White Chocolate Craisin Muffins

Don't these sound delicious?  Well they are!  Just scrumptious.  The sweetness of the white chocolate is nicely balanced with the tartness of the craisins.  Yum.  Yum. Yum.  That is all I can say really.  I found the original here.  I added my usual apple sauce for half of the butter and I added some vanilla.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup of apple sauce

1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup Ocean Spray Craisins

Instructions

Cream together butter and sugar, add apple sauce, vanilla and eggs and beat with an electric mixer.  Add the flour and baking powder then the milk.  Then fold in the craisins and white chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Quinoa Craisin Muffins

Zoe was baptized on Saturday and as a personal touch to our gifts I made these muffins.  And they are delicious!  Mike said that they were the best muffins yet.  Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients

4 cups of cooked quinoa

¼ canola oil

¼  apple sauce

2 cups of white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3  tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

¾ cup craisins

1 1/2cup skim milk

2  large egg

2 tsp vanilla

Makes 48 small muffins.

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Combine oil, brown sugar, milk, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir dry mixture into wet mixture and combine well.
Stir in  quinoa and craisins and divide amongst 12 muffins tins that have been sprayed with cooking spay.

Cook for 25-30 minutes.