ahhh, January... Wait, where did December go?

Basketball games ~ Monday's & Friday's.
Cookie Competition, December 6.
Leesburg Christmas Parade, December 10th, morning.
Filming, December 10th, afternoon.
Home Fellowship Group, December 10th, evening. 
Skit Team Filming, December 8th, 9th, & 10th (it was freezing!!!) there was filming on the 17th too, but I was sick & didn't go.
Being sick December 12th ~ 23rd.
National Harbor Christmas Lights, December 17th, evening & bundled up with LOTS of tissue & cough-drops but spent a lot of time inside at the Gaylord Hotel!
Christmas Program, December 18th.
Baking.
Cooking.
Christmas, December 25th... 

(deep breath in, now, breath out)

Seriously, it's been extremely busy these last few months!  

First things first, I know I told you about my Brown Butter Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Rosemary Caramel and my Spiced Chocolate Truffle Cookies, didn't I?  

(Sorry about not linking back, I can't remember the sites I got the recipes from!!!)

I didn't?  Well!!! 

First off, the Brown Butter Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Rosemary Caramel

oh goodness!

Sooooo good!

The cookies were ultra light and the caramel was sweet with a hint of savory.

Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies with Rosemary Caramel

1 cup (2 sticks) butter - divided use
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  

 

Rosemary Caramel:
1/2 cup butter
4 sprigs fresh rosemary (I only used 2, I didn't want a super strong rosemary flavor)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, over low heat, heat 1/2 cup butter until nut brown in color, (after foaming subsides) being careful not to burn. Remove from heat to cool. 

2.  In a bowl cream together remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add brown butter; mix well. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour and baking powder; mix until blended. 

3.  Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough until firm, 1 hour or more.

4.  Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).

5.  Roll out dough and cut into small (2-inch) scalloped rounds, as you can see, I used snowflakes.... 

Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

6. Cool completely on a wire rack.

7.  To make rosemary caramel, melt butter over low heat in a heavy sauce pan. Place sprigs of rosemary between two sheets of waxed paper and pound until flattened. Place sprigs in butter and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove sprigs from butter. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling, stirring frequently, until caramel reaches 242°F or 115ºC (use candy thermometer); remove from heat. 

8.  Spread rosemary caramel on a cookie and top with another.

9.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

These were made for Lisa's 9th annual cookie competition/exchange as were the:

(These are my new favorite cookies!)

 Spiced Chocolate Truffle Cookie with Sea Salt

Ingredients:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Directions:

1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water (double boiler). Stir until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
2. In your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and espresso powder and beat to combine. 
3. Fold half the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the remaining chocolate. 
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, chili powder, cardamom, baking powder and salt. Fold into the wet mixture. Fold in the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes to cool and thicken.
5.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
6. Drop the batter in rounded tablespoon-fuls into parchment-lined sheet pans, leaving at least 1 inch between the cookies as they will spread quite a bit (I fit 8 per pan). 
7. Sprinkle each cookie with a few grains of coarse sea salt. 
8. Bake about 8 minutes until shiny and crackled on top, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. Let cool on the pan at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy! 

Then....

December 10th was the Leesburg Christmas Parade

pretty fire engine! :)

Our kids (the CT kids) were in the parade for the 3rd year.  

They did an excellent job!

The same day we went out to the Jester's Farm to do recording for our Christmas night production.

They will be posted soon on http://www.youtube.com/user/calvarytempleva!

Then there were basketball games the CT kids, as always, have great games!

Then the annual Calvary Temple Kids Christmas Program.  My nieces and nephew are always in it, as are all the kids at Calvary, since the day they were born!  Calvary is family and why not show off family while glorifying the Lord!?!?

Then Christmas!  The best day of the year!  The day to celebrate the GREATEST gift ever given to man-kind, JESUS!  He humbled Himself, left the splendor of the glory of heaven and came to earth to dwell with man in the flesh! 

As always, have a blessed day!

~a