Sugar Cookie Debut

This weekend marked the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange with the Wilson/Feit/Dunahee/Cooper/Livezey Clan! Unfortunately our little man wasn't feeling top notch and had a slight fever so the two of us stayed home and enjoyed some Mommy and Landon time while Dad (Nick) respresented our family. Despite the setback I still needed to make 6 dozen cookies/treats to share with the rest of the family so off to the store I went!

This year I made my old faithful-go to dessert.. Oreo Balls! MMMM! Love them. I didn't get a picture of them by themselves but if you look close you can see them in one of the pictures. They aren't quite finished and still in the pan but you get the idea. For those of you who have never tried an Oreo Ball-they are delish. Here is the recipe:

1 package of regular oreos

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 package of white almond bark (coating for candy or fruit)

1 package of the chocolate candy coating

Crush all of the oreos in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Put the crushed oreos in a bowl with softened cream cheese and mix together (I have found it easiest to use my hands).

When it is mixed put the mixture in the fridge to cool. This makes it easier to form into balls. When cool form the mixture into about 30-36 balls (smaller than a golfball). Put them on a cookie sheet and stick them in the fridge or freezer to cool down again. While they are cooling melt your white almond bark -follow the directions on the package you bought. Some recommend microwaving and some want you to use a double broiler.

Once the white almond bark is melted dip your oreo balls in it (I have found using a fork is best so that the excess chocolate can drain easily). Once they have all been dipped you can melt the regular chocolate and use a fork to drizzle it over the top to make them pretty. Cool them in the fridge, break off excess chocolate and they are ready to go! Yummy

The other cookie I decided to try out were my Uncle Tom's famous sugar cookies. For as long as I can remember my Uncle has made these cookies at every Thanksgiving and Christmas gathering we have had. As a small child I would spend the night with my cousins and we would have a blast sitting at the kitchent table decorating Uncle Tom's cookies . We have all begged him for the recipe several times, but he has never given it to us... until last summer.

I was at my Parents' house and Uncle Tom and Aunt Claudia happened to be there. Out of the blue Uncle Tom said he had a suprise for me. He came back from his car with the pan he makes his cookies on, a rolling pin (the same kind he uses) made by a company years ago in his home state of Michigan that he found at an antique store (i believe), an old feed bag (used to roll the dough out on) AND the children's book that he found online and bought for me that contains the famous recipe! Yes, all those years we wanted to get our hands on this recipe and it came from a children's book! :)

(Please note: This is not the page that has the recipe-this only shows how to bake them and unless my Uncle okays it- I am not authorized to release the recipe or the name of this book! ;)

As you can all imagine I was super excited! I have been afraid to try to make them thinking they would never taste them same... until today. I decided it was time. :) So.... below you will see a few pictures of my sugar cookies made with all the utensils my Uncle Tom and Aunt Claudia found for me. :) If you guys read this- they turned out pretty good, not as good as yours, but okay for the first time around! Landon certainly enjoyed them!