Challah Wreath

Challah
Makes 2 wreaths

Ingredients

• 1 lb water
• 2 oz fresh yeast
• 2 lb 12 oz hi-gluten flour
• 4 oz sugar
• .75 oz salt
• 8 oz eggs
• 4 oz oil

1. Mix yeast and water together first, then combine all ingredients together in mixing bowl and mix on low for 12 minutes.
2. Ferment dough in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. (Some people put it in the oven with the oven off but the light on.)
3. Scale the dough into logs.* Each wreath will need 6 logs (3 of each size). So scale six - 6 oz logs, and six - 4 oz logs). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Once the dough has rested, roll out each log into a long strand. Cover and let rest again for a few minutes then roll once more. The longer the strands the bigger your wreath will be.
   
5. Braid 3 pieces of 6 oz strands together, pinching the ends. Do the same for the 4 oz strands.
   
6. Egg wash the top of the 6 oz strand braid and place the 4 oz strand braid on top.
   
7. Shape into a wreath, place on sheet pan with parchment and egg wash.
8. Repeat steps 5 - 7 for your second wreath.
   
9. Place sheet pan in oven once again with just the light on for about 20 minutes or until dough has proofed.
10. Egg wash again and then bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.

*When scaling the logs, if there is enough left over dough you can use it to make a regular 3 braid challah loaf.

-amanda

Day 12: Oatmeal Scotchies

It's the last day of cookies. How sad. :o( For the last cookie, I made something I had never heard of this until this year, and boy are these cookies yummy! Enjoy!


Oatmeal Scotchies
Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 2 cups butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Once creamed add eggs and vanilla, mix until combined and creamy. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.

Thanks for joining me for my 12 Days of Cookies!

-amanda

Day 11: Scotcharoos

Butterscotch and chocolate and peanut butter, oh my! These little yummies won't last long. And of course, my favorite part about them...no baking! Super easy to make. :o)

Scotcharoos (from All Recipes)
Makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 6 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Generously butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, mix together corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until peanut butter melts. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in crisp rice cereal.

3. Transfer mixture into a well buttered 9x13 inch pan. With your hands well buttered, pat it down into pan.

4. In a medium saucepan, over medium low heat, melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips until smooth. Spread over top of bars and let bars cool. Cut into squares.

-amanda

Day 10: Thin Mints

I think you will either love or hate these crackers. I had a lot of people who love thin mint cookies, say these tasted almost just like them, and they loved them! Other people just didn't the idea of a chocolate on a cracker. I really enjoyed them, and I hope you will too!

Thin Mints
Makes 80

Ingredients

• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate
• 80 Ritz crackers
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1. Melt chocolate using a double boiler or the microwave. (Do not overheat or get water into the chocolate)
2. Once chocolate is melted, stir in a couple drops of peppermint flavor into the chocolate.
3. Dip crackers into the melted chocolate and then place onto a cold cookie sheet and put into the refrigerator to set. (The cold sheet tray will keep the bottoms neat.)
4. After a few minutes take them out and package them up.

If you'd like to add sprinkles or crushed peppermint, do so after dipping and before refrigerating.

-amanda

Day 9: Mudslides

If you love chocolate then these cookies are for you! You must have a scale to measure out the ingredients for this cookie. Sorry I don't have any other measurements.

Mudslides
Makes about 1 dozen large cookies

Ingredients

• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 oz butter
• 4 eggs
• 12 oz sugar
• .5 oz coffee extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 oz cake flour (or all-purpose if you don't have cake)
• 1/3 tsp (or a little more than a 1/4tsp) baking powder
  
• very small pinch of salt
• 14 oz chocolate chips, frozen
  
• 2 oz walnuts, chopped and frozen

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Soft together the flour, baking power, and salt.
   
3. Melt the unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Once melted remove from heat.
   
4. Quickly whip the eggs, sugar, extract, and vanilla together.
5. Slowly fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture continuously stirring.
6. Fold the sifted ingredients into the mixture.
7. Finally quickly add the frozen chocolate chips and walnuts.
8. Use a large or small cookie scoop depending on what size cookies you want.
9. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Batter will be very wet and liquid at first. If it is too liquid to hold any shape wait a minute or two before scooping, but don't wait too long because then the batter will get too hard to scoop.

-amanda

Day 8: Snowballs

The classic snowball nut cookie. If you are a nut lover you may want to double the nuts in this recipe.

Snowballs
Makes 2 dozen.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Cream together butter and sugar, then mix in vanilla and salt.
2. Gradually add flour to mixture and then chopped pecans. Mix until well combined.
   
3. Chill dough for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place on baking sheets.
6. Bake for 10 -15 minutes. Once they are light brown on the bottom they are done.
7. Cool for about 5 minutes, and then roll in powdered sugar.
   

-amanda

Day 7: Eggnog Thumbprints

These don't really have an eggnog taste in my opinion but other people thought so. Either way they are pretty good. :o)

Eggnog Thumbprints (from Allrecipes)
Makes 48

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together 3/4 cup butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture by hand to form a soft dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Make an indention in the center of each cookie using your finger or thumb.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
4. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, and rum. Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of filling onto cookies. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Let stand until set before storing in an airtight container.

-amanda