Cooking with Mom

I have always been a fan of food.

It's my downfall.

At the age of 2, I could eat an entire slice of Marie Callender's fresh strawberry pie with whipped cream all by myself.

I still can.

I enjoy food.

I do not enjoy food as much when it is time to wear a swimsuit.

 

During the holidays, I always loved helping  my mom make cookies.

Something was really, really funny back here in 1988.

My mom and I were rockin' the spiral perms.

Rockin' them.

 

One of the recipes I would help my mom make was Hershey Kiss Cookies

I decided to make these with my sweet girl the other day.

This is a great recipe to have your kids help with because you can make them unwrap all 48 Hershey Kisses for you!

And then she got to put the kisses in the cookies.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 bag of Hershey's Kisses Chocolates (48 kisses) - unwrapped


• 1 1/2 cups of white flour - all-purpose


• 1 teaspoon of baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon of salt


• 1/2 cup of shortening


• 3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter


• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar (plus 1/2 cup for rolling the cookies)


• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar - lightly packed


• 1 egg


• 2 tablespoons of milk


• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375 F. degrees.

Remove the foil from the chocolate kisses.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and the salt. Set the bowl aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and the peanut butter until well blended.

Add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, milk and the vanilla – beat well.

Gradually beat the flour into the peanut butter mixture.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.

Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. The cookie will crack slightly around the edges.

Remove the cookie from the cookie sheet and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

The chocolate will firm up again once the cookies have totally cooled.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

***

These cookies always make me think of Christmas.

They are a tradition in my family.

My mom still makes them.

But now she makes them with her grandchildren.

Here's 4 of her 6 lovely grandchildren.

Will there be any more?

Not from me there won't.

No, sir.

I guarantee it.

I love the coziness of baking in winter.

When the snow is freshly fallen and still looks beautifully white.

After Christmas, the snow doesn't seem as lovely.

It becomes more of a burden.

A dirty, muddy, slushy, cold burden.

And I love baking at my mom's house instead of my own for the following reasons:

1)  She has more kitchen space

2)  Her kitchen gets messy . . . not mine!

3)  She has gas heat.  Because butter at room temperature at her house is actually the room temperature the recipe intends.  Room temperature at my house is, well, you might as well still have the butter in the fridge.  I tried to set the butter by the hearth pad of the wood stove once.  This was NOT a good plan.  I do not recommend this idea.

4)  She plays the Brenda Lee Christmas Album with the song "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree"

5)  Her house is way more festive.  You would not believe how many Christmas trees this woman has in her home.  Does anyone know how many?  Anyone?  Does anyone even know who my mom is?  Anyone?

Hmmmmm.

For those of you who do know my parents, here is a HILARIOUS picture for you:

The End.