Tetris Cookies

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved playing Tetris on my GameBoy. Just the word "Tetris" gets that electronic Russian music in my head all over again like an '80s earworm. It's hard not to like Tetris. It's problem solving, creative thinking, and stress management for adults and just plain fun for kids. My husband had a game night at his work and I wanted to contribute something, so when I saw these Tetris cookies by PSHeart, I thought they were perfect! I doubled my recipe, just like the original post did, but there's one little detail they left out that I want to warn you about...

Before I get to that, here's what you'll need to make 88 Tetris sugar cookies (more or less, depending on how large or small you cut them!):

1 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon of milk
4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 and cream the butter in your mixer. Add your sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk and beat hard.

Add the flour and baking powder and beat again - if it's more liquidy than doughy, it's ok.
Cover your workspace with flour and roll out your dough. The thinner the dough, the crisper the cookies. If it's thick, the dough will puff up in the oven!

Now it's time to make the shapes. If you want to use a template, that'd be the smart solution. I decided to eyeball it instead. Meh.

Pop them in the oven until the bottoms and sides are golden brown (anywhere between 5-9 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cookies.

Let them cool before icing. Now if you have the time, you can make your own royal icing. However, by the time I finally got these puppies out of the oven, two hours had already gone by and I was exhausted. I colored white Pillsbury frosting out of a can instead. Don't kill me.

Now my version of Tetris on the Game Boy wasn't in color so I had no idea what color the pieces should be. Really, you can use any colors you want. If you have a black food writer pen, that'll probably work better than the black Wilton sparkle gel icing I used.

All in all, they were a big hit at game night, even if they didn't look perfect and took over 4 HOURS to make. This is one of those times where you can and should tell your kid, "Don't forget to play with your food!"

TOTAL COSTS: About $20 to make 88 cookies

$.99 for the butter

$2.69 for the sugar

$2.79 for the eggs

$2.29 for the milk

$3.29 for the flour

$1.99 for the baking powder

$1.99 for the frosting

$2.99 for the black Wilton Sparkle Gel

Used homemade vanilla extract and had food coloring on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: A little over 4 hours

10 minutes to make dough

2 hours to cut and bake 88 cookies

2 hours to decorate 63 of them

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5

Getting the right thickness, making sure they didn't burn, getting the black lines to be straight...yeah, there are a few places you could mess up. Heck, I dropped and broke quite a few, so try not to get too frustrated if they don't turn out perfect. Whoever is eating them will think they look and taste delicious, no matter what!

Rainbow Cookies

rain·bow

ˈrānˌbō

noun

1. an arch of colors formed in the sky in certain circumstances, caused by the refraction and dispersion of the sun's light by rain or other water droplets in the atmosphere.

I like my definition better: freakin' awesome.

You know what's even better than a rainbow? Rainbow + cakes, rainbow + cupcakes, rainbow + cookies... you see what I'm saying? I decided to make rainbow cookies for a birthday party, based on this post by GoodLifeEats. They look almost too perfect, don't they? That's because they are. Your cookies will not come out like this. If they do, you should start your own business called, "Magic Rainbow Delight" and I will be your first customer. However, if you're like me and NOT an expert baker, I guarantee you'll come up with a cookie that doesn't look anything like the original but will still be to your liking.

To start, make some sugar cookies. I made mine from scratch, because in the comments she says they're delicious but really, they're just meh. The Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix will probably produce the same result and will taste better. But, if you're insistent on making these from scratch, here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter (3 sticks)

2 cups of sugar

2 whole eggs AND

2 whole egg yolks

4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of almond extra

4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

Food coloring

Start by combining the butter and sugar and beat well for a good two minutes. It should be very light and fluffy. After two minutes, add the eggs and egg yolks. Once those are mixed in, add the vanilla and almond extract.

Note the paddle attachment, not the whisk

In a separate medium to large bowl (since it is a lot of flour), combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk together. Slowly add to the wet ingredients until just combined.

Now if you have a kitchen scale, you can use that to evenly divide the dough six ways. If you don't, like me, just eyeball it. Wilton food gel is awesome for vibrant colors - these are the six I used:

So the dough went from this...

To this...

Put the dough in individual saran wrap or plastic bags and stick on the fridge. The original post says "until firm, about an hour or two." I had mine in the fridge for 7 hours and it still wasn't firm but I wasn't waiting any longer.

Use flour to roll out the dough (so it doesn't stick to the table or the rolling pin) approximately 6"x9".

Layer the dough in rainbow order and I recommend having a piece of saran wrap underneath the layers so it'll be easier to wrap up once you're done.

Now you're supposed to cut off the edges so they're clean cuts but my dough was so greasy and soft (even after 7 hours!) that it was a little sloppy but eh, oh well.

Wrap in saran wrap and they say "freeze for several hours." Well, I was going to bed and didn't want it to be rock hard when I woke up, so I put it in the fridge for 10 hours. I should have put it in the freezer, though, because it was still pretty soft.

When you take it out, you should be able to slice 1/4" thick pieces and cut them in half to create rectangles. 

I found this to work only half the time. As the dough got softer, it wasn't as easy to slice so I decided to make some rectangles, some with a cookie cutter (which I don't recommend), some as rainbows, and with the leftovers? Combine them to make rainbow-colored cookies! Let them set one more time = in the freezer = until you're ready to bake.

Once you're ready, bake them at 350 for as long as it takes (the original post says 6-10 minutes but mine took 15 minutes) and let them cool before devouring. But here's the thing: the point of keeping them in the freezer is so they won't expand as much... but you can't tell me that rainbow isn't bloated. So the whole freezing thing? Seems like a waste of time.

But there you have it folks! Rainbow cookies for a birthday party, a St. Patrick's day get-together, or gay pride this month! Sure they don't look anything like the original post, but that's ok. No two rainbows are ever the same!

TOTAL COSTS: Less than $20 to make over 2 dozen (prices from Vons)

$.99 for butter 

$2.69 for sugar

$2.49 for eggs

$4.99 for almond extra

$3.29 for flour

$.99 for salt

$1.99 for baking powder

Food coloring on hand and vanilla extract homemade

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 21 hours
15 minutes to make the dough
20 minutes to color the dough
7 hours to let set
40 minutes to roll out and layer
10 hours to set
30 minutes to cut out pieces
2 hours to let freeze
15 minutes to bake

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5
I suppose if I had put the dough in the freezer when slicing the pieces instead of the fridge, it would have been easier to slice. I was just afraid the dough would have been rock hard. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the outcome. They're not the best tasting cookies I've ever had, but they're definitely the most colorful!

Apple Pie Cookies

One of my favorite seasons is autumn because I love the leaves changing colors, the pumpkin patches, Halloween, and of course, picking apples... too bad it won't be here for another 6 months. No worries, OhBiteIt introduced these delicious apple pie cookies which taste just like fall! But the best part? Not having to deal with cleaning up pie plates or even having to use a knife and fork!


Warning: unless you have a tiny cookie cutter, you won't be able to make more than 4-6 so be prepared to have your heart broken when you eat them all in 10 minutes... whoops... at least you'll have a lot of leftovers!

Ok, run to your grocery store or your pantry and grab these ingredients:

1 box of pie crusts
1 can of apple filling (I only used about 3/4ths of it)
About a cup of caramel sauce
1 egg for the egg wash
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top
Nutmeg for sprinkling on top
A little flour
A cookie cutter (if you don't have one, like me, just use the top of a glass!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees so it'll be ready by the time you're done assembling. 

Unroll one of the pie crusts and dust it with a little flour. I decided to lay down a piece of parchment paper first and I'm so glad I did because  a.) it was a no-mess solution and  b.) I was able to use the same piece when it came time to putting the cookies in the oven.

Grab your caramel sauce and lightly coat the pie crust. If you don't have a brush, a knife would do just fine.

On a cutting board, pour out the contents of the apple filling and chop up the apple slices.

Pour a thin layer of apples on top of the caramel sauce. Don't make it too thick or you'll have one heck of a mess in the oven...

Now take your other pie crust, spread it out (again, I recommend doing this on a piece of parchment paper because you'll be using it later), and cut it into thin slices so as to make your lattice crust.

Place the strips directly on top of the apple pieces to create the pattern. This was the most time-consuming step but it's not difficult, just over... under... over... under...

Once you're done, take your cookie cutter (or glass), dip it into the egg wash (completely optional), cut out a piece, and place the cookies on top of the parchment paper you used to cut the strips. As for the scraps, don't throw them away because you can bake those too!

Take your egg wash and cover the cookies with a thin coat, then sprinkle on your cinnamon sugar and nutmeg. Do the same thing to the leftover pieces.

Every oven is different so bake them for anywhere between 20-25 minutes (or until they're golden brown). Let them cool, as they'll still be oozing apple goodness, and enjoy this autumn treat on a spring day!

TOTAL COSTS: About $11

$2.79 for the pie crusts

$4.49 for the apple filling

$3.69 for Smuckers caramel topping

Egg, cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, flour, glass, and parchment paper already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 50 minutes
25 minutes to prepare
25 minutes to bake

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
The hardest part for me was making the lattice but that's only because I laid all the strips down first and then had to pry them off of the sticky apple filling in order to have them go under and over. Other than that, though, this is easy enough for your kids to help you make and for everyone to enjoy!

Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Valentine's Day is just a week away and maybe the way into your significant other's heart is through their stomach... or maybe you're celebrating Single's Awareness Day and want to treat yourself! Either way, I highly recommend making these red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips (I just starting writing and I've already had 3... and I don't even like white chocolate!). The recipe comes to us from this post by The Recipe Critic.

Now check your cupboards because this calls for a lot of ingredients:

Not pictured: sugar and eggs

* 2 1/4 C of flour
* 2 1/2 T of cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 t of cornstarch
* 3/4 t of baking soda
* 1/2 t of salt
* 8 T of butter (or 1 stick)
* 6 T of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
* 1 1/2 C of sugar
* 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
* 1 1/2 t of white vinegar
* 1 1/2 t of vanilla extract
* 1 T of red food coloring (I used 1/2 T)
* 1 1/3 C of white chocolate chips (divided)
* Parchment paper

Whew! Ok, once you have all your ingredients, preheat your oven to 375 and mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl - the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. The salt is going to give it a nice added flavor, you wouldn't expect it. And try to get all the clumps out of the cocoa powder... I didn't do a thorough job and some of the clumps ended up burning in the oven!

Next, in your mixer combine the butter and vegetable shortening until it's fluffy. Then add in the egg and the egg yolk until they're combined.

Finally, add in the rest of the wet ingredients - the vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring. I only had enough red food coloring for 1/2 Tablespoon and at first I was afraid I was going to end up with pink cookies. However, the color changes in the next step!

Mixer is red - the ingredients looked might pink!

Next, add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once they're combined, mix in 1/2 C of white chocolate chips. Now here's where I made a mistake: I didn't think 1/2 C was enough, so I added in 1 C of chocolate chips and didn't have any extra chips. Ideally, you want to set aside some chocolate chips to put on top of the cookie dough balls before placing in the oven, but that's entirely up to you.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and start to add your cookie dough balls. I've found the best method for scooping out cookie dough comes from my mother - get a glass of water, dip a big spoon into the water, then scoop out some cookie dough and place it on the sheet. Dip the spoon back in the water, and then scoop out another spoonful. By dipping the spoon in the water, you're less likely to have any clumps of dough on your spoon and you don't have to use your finger to get any off!

At this point, grab 5 chocolate chips and place them on top of each mound of cookie dough. I did this for some but not all.. I was getting hungry, what can I say? Put them in the oven for 8-9 minutes (10 minutes burned the bottom of some but again, that was partly the cocoa powder's fault), then let them cool on a rack before stuffing your face.

How pretty some might turn out:

And how realistic some might turn out:

Either way, I can assure you they're delicious and they all look the same once they're in your stomach! Enjoy!

TOTAL COSTS: Free! 

However, I had all the ingredients on hand already

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: A little over an hour to make 3 dozen cookies

40 minutes to make the dough

8-9 minutes in the oven/batch

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5

Pretty straight forward, wouldn't you say? This would be a cute activity to do with your little ones on these snow days!

Tea Bag Cookies - Perfect for a Sherlock Holmes or Downton Abbey Party!

Everyone is hooked on "Sherlock Holmes" or "Downton Abbey" (we're a "Poirot" family, ourselves) so what better way to enjoy the shows than by enjoying some tea bag cookies! These would also be great for a wedding shower, a tea party, Mother's or Father's Day, etc. I found these on FrostMeBlog but incorporated the recipe from Food Network. And yes, it takes three sticks of butter! I was able to make 45 cookies but I think you could probably make 60 (I just put the remaining dough in the fridge for another time).

If you watch the video of Barefoot Contessa making these, there are three things she says to do that I didn't and they still came out great:

1. The butter doesn't have to be room temperature. I took the sticks out of the fridge and straight into the mixing bowl.

2. I didn't separately mix the flour and salt and then add that to the butter mixture. I poured the flour straight into the mixer because I didn't want to dirty another bowl!

3. You don't need 6-7 ounces of semisweet chocolate - I was able to do it with 4 ounces.

Once you've made your dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge. While it's chilling for 30 minutes, that's a perfect time to make your tea bag template. I just eyeballed it, using a corner of a piece of paper for the straight edges. Cut it out and then transferred it to a piece of wax paper. You really don't have to cut out more than one because you can use it over and over again.

Take the dough out and roll it out 1/2" thick using a rolling pin. Note: put flour on the rolling pin before rolling out the dough! Otherwise, the dough will stick to the pin and make a mess. Trust me on this one...

Once it's rolled out, take the wax paper template and cut the tea bags. You can use a knife, a pizza cutter, whatever's easiest for you. As I said, you can probably make 60 cookies with how much dough you're going to make. Cut out the tea bags and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Once all the cookies are on the parchment paper, take a frosting tip or a toothpick and cut out holes at the top of the tea bags. Make sure you do this before you put the cookies in the oven, otherwise you won't be able to string through your tea bag tags.

Put the cookies in the oven for 18-20 minutes. The recipe says for 20-25 minutes but I found that around 18 minutes, they were definitely brown on the bottom.

But while the cookies are in the oven, get your chocolate ready. As I said, I just used 1 box of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate (4 oz) and had enough to cover 43 cookies. Make sure you chop up 2oz. first, put them in the microwave for 30 seconds, chop up the other 2oz., put that in the bowl, and microwave again for another 30 seconds. That way, you won't burn the chocolate.

I gave the cookies about 3 minutes to cool before dipping them in the chocolate. Once all the cookies were covered, I put them in the fridge for 15 minutes, just so the chocolate could harden faster.

If you want to add a string and teabag tag, you certainly can, but I was too hungry to make too many! Enjoy your tea bag cookies! Cheerio!

TOTAL COSTS: $2.99 for Baker's chocolate
Butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt already on hand
Baker's chocolate - $2.99 at Vons

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 2 hours
15 minutes to make the dough
30 minutes to let the dough chill
30 minutes to cut out 40 cookies
18 minutes in the oven
3 minutes to cool
10 minutes to dip all the cookies in chocolate
15 minutes to chill chocolate in fridge

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
The two things that might make things difficult for you are 1.) melting the chocolate and 2.) making sure the cookies don't burn in your oven. Keep an eye on both, though, and you should be fine!