Christmas Cookie Week Day #1

#ChristmasCookies

Welcome to Christmas Cookie Week 2013! This year, 8 bloggers have come together to share a daily recipe for yummy and delicious cookies that we hope will inspire you during this season of Christmas baking! Everyone's from different parts of Canada,  except for me....I'm an Alabama Girl... but we all share a joy of baking which makes for love…fresh from the oven! 

Angie from Echoes of Laughter

Julie from Sober Julie

Stacey from This Lil’ Piglet

Joann from Woman In Real Life

Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life In The Suburbs

Grace from Sense & Simplicity

Donna From An Anglo In Quebec

Ricki Jill from Art@Home

Before you scroll down, please press play and listen to Cyndi Lauper and Frank Sinatra sing Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

My daughter Shanley Belle and I baked during the week of Thanksgiving, and now we have some wonderful cookies to enjoy during Christmas.  Most of these recipes are freezer friendly.  Family members chose their favorites for us to bake, and the first cookie is Mr. Art @ Home's favorite: Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies.  Pair them with a traditional New Orleans Milk Punch and you'll think you're in heaven!  I've posted about these before, and you can read my original post here.
Neiman Marcus is a favorite American department store with most stores located in the South and West.  When our oldest daughter was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, we had no family close by and only a few friends.  Most days Shanley Belle and I would visit the Neiman Marcus Mermaid Bar for lunch so I could be around other people.  Actually, her first outing was to the Mermaid Bar when she was only a couple of weeks old!  

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature1 cup packed light brown sugar3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 large egg2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 ¾ cups all purpose flour½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder, slightly crushed1 ½ cups (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Method:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets. Cream the butter with the sugars using the paddle attachment until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a small one ounce scoop or a large spoon, drop onto the cookie sheets.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or 10 - 12 minutes for a crispier cookie.  

Perfect Pairings:

Warm Milk

Brennan's Brandy Milk Punch

I hope you'll join me all week for Christmas Cookie Week!

Linking to:

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill