Wednesday, December 23

Recipe: Easy Christmas Cranberry Scones (and Rave Reviews from First Time Scone Bakers)

They're moist on the inside, with a nice light crunch on the outside (recipe here)

A little shout out for another long time favorite recipe from the Farmgirl Fare archives. . .

Beautifully golden brown and dotted with jewel-like dried cranberries (and optional chopped pecans), these cute little scones are sure to brighten any holiday table. I named them Christmas Cranberry Scones back in 2002 when I baked them all afternoon at a kitchen store holiday open house, but they're tasty any time of year.

Buttery and crumbly and rich, try them for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea. They also freeze beautifully.

If you've never made scones before, have no fear! This easy recipe is the perfect place to start, as you can see from the rave reviews from Farmgirl Fare readers below.

Thanks so much to all of you who take the time to comment on my recipes. And thanks for pinning them on Pinterest!

Wishing you a joyful, peaceful, and delicious holiday season!

Read the rave reviews below. . .

Tuesday, December 22

Recipe: Really Easy Baby Shortbread Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips and Toffee Bits (and Rave Reviews)


A scrumptious cross between butter cookies and shortbread, these are one of my all time favorite cookies. Perfect for giving and munching! (recipe here).

Think there's no time left for holiday baking? Think again. These cute baby chocolate chip and toffee cookies are perfect to have on hand this time of year, and the batter comes together in less time than it takes the oven to heat up. I've been making them since 2009 and everyone always loves them.

They keep for several days and travel well, making them a wonderful choice for holiday goodie boxes mailed to faraway loved ones. They also freeze beautifully, so you can bake them now and enjoy them later.

Pile them on a pretty plate and serve them to guests as a light dessert with coffee, or add them to an afternoon tea tray. Pack them in little cello bags tied with a colorful ribbon for handy holiday gifts, perhaps tucked into oversized cappuccino cups.

I'm a sucker for any recipe that calls for English toffee bits, but these cookies would also be good made with all mini chocolate chips, or mini chips and finely chopped pecans. And for shortbread purists, I bet they'd be very nice without anything extra added at all.

Below is a sampling of what Farmgirl Fare readers have said about this recipe. Thanks so much to all of you who take the time to comment on my recipes. And thanks for pinning them on Pinterest!

— Oh, how dreamy and delicious they are - many, many, thanks!

— I made SEVERAL batches of these last week—for dessert for guests, for a church meeting, and then for a bake sale. Of course, I had some here and there and they are marvelous. One of my favorite cookies now.

— I made these cookies and they are awesome! They taste even better the next day. My husband couldn't stop eating them.

— I made these as part of the Christmas cookie assortment that I make for my coworkers. First, they were easy. Second, they came out looking just like yours. And third, they are fantastic! Everyone loves them.

— I made those cookies a little over an hour ago. I think I ate half the batter and thereafter half the cookies. I'm currently typing this out of sight of the freezer so I won't go steal more.

— I just wanted to send a heartfelt THANK YOU for this recipe. I make lots of people happy with it!

— These are now a regular in my holiday cookie baking. They are amazing!

Baking up a holiday storm? These recipes all keep well and make nice gifts:
Christmas Cranberry Scones (tasty any time of year!)
Easy Chocolate Biscotti Cookies (a great recipe for first time biscotti bakers)
Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti (one of Joe's favorite cookies)
Quick and Easy Raspberry Almond Bars (made with raspberry jam)

Craving more than cookies? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where cute is a way of life—right down to dessert.

Wednesday, December 16

Recipe: Easy Chocolate Biscotti (and Rave Reviews)

Easy Chocolate Biscotti Recipe - perfect for holiday gift giving! — FarmgirlFare.com
Homemade chocolate biscotti makes a delicious holiday gift (recipe here).

Looking for a last minute holiday gift idea? Think homemade biscotti! I've been making and giving (and eating) this Easy Chocolate Biscotti for over 15 years, and it's always a huge hit.

Have you ever wondered how to make biscotti? These twice baked, crunchy Italian cookies always look so elegant and perfect, especially when packed up in little cello bags and tied with a pretty ribbon, but they're easier to make than you might think.

This simple recipe is ideal for first time biscotti bakers for two reasons: the buttery dough is easy to work with, and the chocolate makes it dark, so no one will be able to tell if all your cookies aren't the same exact shade of golden brown.

These biscotti stay fresh for several days, making them perfect for gift giving. They also freeze beautifully. The cookies have a nice (not break-your-teeth) crunch that stands up to dunking in coffee, but they also taste great on their own.

But don't just take my word for it. Below is a sampling of what others have said about this recipe since I originally shared it back in 2005. I especially love hearing about all the signature touches. Mint chocolate chips mixed in to the dough? Yes, please!

Thanks so much to all of you who take the time to comment on my recipes. And thanks for pinning them on Pinterest!

More below. . .

Friday, December 4

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Molasses Spice Cookies (Big and Soft or Small and Crunchy)

Big and Soft Old-Fashioned Molasses Ginger Spice Cookies - FarmgirlFare.com
An old-fashioned treat that brings back—and  makes—sweet memories (recipe here).

I baked up the season's first batch of these Big, Soft, and Chewy Molasses Ginger Spice Cookies a couple of weeks ago and they disappeared in a flash. It seems there are a lot of molasses spice cookie lovers out there but not a lot of molasses spice cookie bakers!

I've been making this easy recipe all year round for at least 15 years, but they always seem so festive during the holidays, reminding me of ice skating and red mittens and crackling fires and early Christmas morning.

There's something about really big cookies that people just love. I started baking and selling oversized cookies 30 years ago and everyone from little kids to big tough men always goes crazy for them.

Old-fashioned molasses ginger spice snap cookies - FarmgirlFare.com
Even better by the little dozen? (recipe & molasses ginger cookie lore here)

What's especially nice is when one cookie dough will give you two completely different cookies, just by changing the size. These 2-inch Molasses Ginger Spice Snaps are cute and crunchy, and one batch bakes up 12 dozen cookies that store really well, making them perfect for gift giving. I like to pack them up in little cello bags and tie them with a colorful ribbon. Both versions of these cookies also freeze beautifully.

Happy holiday baking!

Can't survive on just cookies? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where it was 19 degrees F this morning and looked like an icy wonderland out there. It's time to fire up the wood furnace and celebrate the coziest, tastiest time of year!