Firecracker Cookies

From: MomDot

Ingredients:

• your favorite sugar cookie recipe
• butter cream or white frosting
•  2 packs of pop rocks
• white sugar + blue gel paste

1) Make your favorite sugar cookie recipe
2) Frost with butter cream
3) Create blue sugar by adding sugar and blue gel paste into a blender and turn on for 30 seconds
4) Sprinkle sugar on frosting
5) Sprinkle pop rocks on cookies…you will hear them crackle as they hit the frosting
6) Enjoy!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I used Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and Betty Crocker buttercream icing to make these. So they were incredibly easy to make and I loved the combination of flavors. They weren't too sweet at all. The Pop Rocks do pop less the longer they sit on the cookies, so if you want a really big pop just sprinkle them on right before putting them in your mouth. I would love to make these again though!

Lemon Sugar Cookies

From: Great American Brand Name Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 cups unsifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat sugar and shortening until fluffy; beat in eggs. Stir in dry ingredients, then lemon juice; mix well. Chill 2 hours. Shape into balls; roll in additional sugar. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten. Bake 8-10 minutes or until done.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Such a simple recipe and such delicious cookies. A bit more flavor than your average sugar cookies. I will definitely make these again!  

Jelly-Filled Thumbprints

Ingredients:
1 roll (18 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam or red currant jelly
1/3 cup white vanilla chips

Heat oven to 350. Into large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir in coconut.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. With thumb or spoon handle, make indentation in center of each cookie. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam into each indentation.


Bake 10-13 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.


Into small resealable food-storage plastic bag, place vanilla chips; seal bag. Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Squeeze bag until chips are smooth. Microwave longer if necessary. Cut a small hole in bottom corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag gently to drizzle melted chips over cookies.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Instead of a roll of sugar cookies, I bought the Ready to Bake. They were cheaper and made 8 more cookies. I didn't put coconut in the cookies, partially because I don't like coconut and partially because I didn't have time to run to the health food store to buy just a cup of coconut. And the store I went to didn't sell vanilla chips, so I used white chocolate.

What I'll do differently next time:
I would like to try them with vanilla chips, or maybe a different jelly. These were so good, but they can easily be changed to your taste. You could use peanut butter cookie mix instead of sugar, and they would become peanut butter and jelly cookies. Or try any type of jam or jelly besides the ones listed in the recipe.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! Super easy and really tasty!