I’ve had a very busy weekend which included two Holiday parties. As often happens, many unexpected occurrences added to what was already a pretty hectic schedule. Wanting to make cookies for the parties, I fell back on an old bakers “trick”: change up a recipe to make it appear “different”. In this case, I took two of the recipes I have already blogged about (you can find the recipes under the categories section) and added something to give them new twist.
First, I made the recipe for Coconut Cookies, following it exactly as written. I rolled the dough into small rounds and baked for 8 minutes. Then, I removed them from the oven, pressed a small spoon in the center and added raspberry preserves. Then, popped the cookies back in the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cookies are done, and whoila! Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies!
Running out of time, I decided a bar cookie would maximize my time. I followed the recipe for Choco-Orange Brownies, but left out the orange extract and zest. Instead, I finely chopped some peppermint sticks and mixed it into the batter, baked as directed and cooled. When the brownies were ready to be served, I dusted them with powdered sugar and sprinkles of peppermint.
Do remember that baking is supposed to be relaxing and not stressful. During this very busy season, improvising will help to make the holidays more enjoyable. I hope you are enjoying every minute of your cookie baking, gift wrapping, and family and friends!
The baKING Way! 
