Janet's Firework Cookies

Prep Time: 20min | Total Time: 60 min | 24 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 vanilla cake mix

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 2 cups Oreo cookie chunks (14 chocolate cream-filled)

• ¾ cup red, white, & blue M&M's, divided

• ½ cup red, white, & blue sprinkles, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together the dry cake mix, butter, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla until soft dough forms.

2. Stir in the cookie chunks, ½ cup M&M's, and ¼ cup of the sprinkles gently.

3. Refrigerate the dough for 30 - 60 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Roll into 24 even dough balls. Press the remaining M&M's into the tops of the dough balls. Add extra sprinkles to the tops of the the dough balls, if desired.

6. Place the dough balls on cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, before moving them to a piece of parchment paper on the counter.

8. Let the cookies cool completely so they set up, then store in a tightly sealed container.

Cookie recipe courtesy of Inside Bru Crew Life.

Stunning Views on Catherine Court

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For the full listing, visit click HERE

Janet's Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

Prep: 30 min | Total Time: 90 min | 18 cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 bag (15.25 oz) of your favorite red velvet cake mix (our favorite Old School Brand Red Velvet Cake Mix is available for purchase at Eddy Street)

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled

• ¼ cup of confectioners sugar

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened 

• 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl stir together cake mix, cocoa powder, eggs and butter until well combined.

3. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and coat in confectioners’ sugar.

4. Place cookies in the freezer and freeze for 15 minutes.

5. Remove cookies from the freezer and roll each cookie for a second time in confectioners’ sugar. Place each cookie 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

6. Bake Cookies for 16-18  minutes or until centers of cookies are semi-firm to the touch.

7. Remove cookie sheet from the oven and place on a cooking grid for 2 minutes. 

8. Next Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place individually on the cooling rack to cool completely. 

9. Make Filling. In a large bowl, add 1 package of cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

10. Next, gradually add confectioners’ sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat on high until smooth.

11. Assemble Cookie Sandwiches. Using a spatula, take a generous amount of cream cheese icing from the bowl. Spread icing onto the bottom of a cookie. Next, take another cookie and place on top of the iced cookie to assemble a sandwich.

12. Repeat until all cookies have been assembled.

Table Tip Tuesday: Decorating for Thanksgiving

Decorating for Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be over the top or simple. At the end of the day, it’s all about what makes you happy.

Here are a few details to think about when determining the setup for your Thanksgiving feast:

Serving the food:

• Buffet-style leaves more room on the table for decorating

• Family-style means you’ll be passing the potatoes so be sure to allow for extra room on the table to set serving dishes

Table settings:

• Formal: Bring out the good China and silverware

• Casual: The dishes can do themselves

If you decide to embellish your table, I recommend the following layers:

• Charger plates or placemats: these save your tablecloth from spills which inevitably happen

• Dishes: White dishes (you can never go wrong with white dishes)

• Napkins: Fabric napkins by themselves or paired with a cute napkin ring or paper guest towels (there are so many cute prints now)

• Centerpiece: Fresh Flowers or a faux arrangement… hello velvet pumpkins

• Twinkle: Battery operated candles in a beautiful votive holder or battery operated light strands are great too

Finishing Touches:

• Little details can go along way. A simple hand written note about why you are thankful for the people at your table is a great way to express your gratitude, it can also double as a perfect placecard

Hopefully this Table Tip Tuesday helps you narrow down your plans for decorating. Notice we didn’t give any tips for cooking. I leave that to the pros. Love you Mom!