Cookie JOY!!!!!!

So I am somewhat of a Christmas cookie baker. Hmmmmmm - no oven this year. This oughta be a challenge! It's REALLLLYYYYYY stressing me out not having an oven.

Unfortunately, the oven blew up the week before Thanksgiving. There was no way I was buying a new oven days before I was feeding 30 people on Thanksgiving Day. I have suffered with this teeny oven for 21 years. I was determined to re-do that whole wall and treat myself to double ovens once my oven went to appliance heaven. But not the week before Thanksgiving! And certainly not the month of Christmas. Like there's not enough stress to go around...

We figured out Thanksgiving - quite the challenge and not without it's stress. The bandaid to get through Christmas was to buy the biggest, best priced countertop oven I could find. And I did. I test drove it immediately and it does fit 24 "balls" on a cookie sheet so I should be able to pull this off. Baking 4 dozen stuffed shrimp may not work out so easily. Sigh. Ok - first things first. COOKIES!!!!!

Today I am making 6 dozen of my most favorite Christmas cookie. This is a recipe that my mother made every Christmas. It comes from a Pillsbury cookbook pamphlet printed in the 1950s I think! The darn cookies are addicting so the problem lies in - can I resist eating them all before the big day!!?Aggghhhhh - you'd never know I am a fitness trainer and a food coach! Oh well, do as I say, not as I do?!

Anyway - I'm sharing some joy with you. Because this is my ultimate cookie joy that I catch each year. Joy in baking, joy in eating, joy in giving...

Brazilian Jubilee Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3/4

cup granulated sugar

1/4

cup packed brown sugar

1/2

cup shortening

2

teaspoons vanilla

1

egg

1 1/2

cups all-purpose flour

1

to 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules or crystals

1

teaspoon baking powder

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1

cup chopped Brazil nuts

36

milk chocolate stars (from 14-oz bag)

Additional chopped Brazil nuts, if desired

DIRECTIONS

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat sugars and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in vanilla and egg. On low speed, beat in flour, instant coffee, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and 1 cup nuts until dough forms.
• 2Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
• 3Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with 1 chocolate star. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack; cool 5 minutes (chocolate will soften). Spread chocolate over cookies to frost. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts.

In place of the Brazil nuts, try almonds, pecans or macadamia nuts.

To prevent Brazil nuts from becoming rancid, store them in the fridge.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)

High Altitude Directions

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1 Cookie)

• Calories 120
• (Calories from Fat 60),

• Total Fat 7g
• (Saturated Fat 2g,
• Trans Fat 0g),
• Cholesterol 5mg;
• Sodium 50mg;
• Total Carbohydrate 13g
• (Dietary Fiber 0g,
• Sugars 8g),
• Protein 2g;

Percent Daily Value*:

• Calcium ;

Exchanges:

• 0 Starch;
• 0 Fruit;
• 1 Other Carbohydrate;
• 0 Skim Milk;
• 0 Low-Fat Milk;
• 0 Milk;
• 0 Vegetable;
• 0 Very Lean Meat;
• 0 Lean Meat;
• 0 High-Fat Meat;
• 1 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:

• 1;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Look what Missy brought me the other night! She's two for two. She totally gets me! Thanks my friend...