Frosted Vanilla Cookies

About two years ago I decided to have a cookie swap party. I invited some friends and we were each to make a few dozen of one cookie. Then we would swap them and have a variety of cookies for neighbor Christmas gifts. I had this recipe in mind but could never find the Vanilla Bean Paste. Finally our Williams Sonoma gift card from our wedding over three years ago saved the day as it purchased the paste. Of course since then, I have seen it elsewhere with a cheaper price tag. But the point of this little intro is that I was finally able to make the desired cookies and now they are desired all the time, they are simply delicious. "Better than Snickerdoodles" a friend remarked (and she loves Snickerdoodles). I thought about not sharing this recipe, then I could have my secret recipe. Then I realized I would have to share when I made them and that didn't make sense, so here it is:

Frosted Vanilla Cookies

(As this was at least two years ago, I do not have a source. I only have a printed copy, with no website/blog/name to give credit to, sorry.)

Cookies:

1 c unsalted butter

1 T vanilla bean paste

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 egg

2 c flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cream of tartar

1/4 t salt

1 c finely chopped walnuts (I didn't have a full cup of walnuts, so I added some pecans)

1 c sugar for rolling

Frosting:

1 T vanilla bean paste

1/3 c half and half (or heavy cream if it is all you have, like I had)

1 T unsalted butter

2 c powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and vanilla bean paste on medium-high speed until smooth. Add 1/2 c sugar, powdered sugar and egg and continue mixing until combined. Add walnuts and continue mixing until combine.

Roll dough into one inch balls, roll ball sin sugar and place on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or a silpat. Bake for 9 minutes (I only baked for 7 minutes) or until just beginning to brown. Place baked cookies on a cooling rack until completely cool.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all frosting ingredients and beat at medium speed until smooth. Frost each cooled cookies with one teaspoon of frosting.

My Sister Dishes on Costco Chicken

My sister has started blogging again and recently shared this post on Costco rotisserie chickens. She shared some great ideas and recipes perfect for using the chicken. We actually had a chicken taco salad tonight for dinner and last week we put some in pitas.

20 Ways to eat a Costco Chicken

Most rotisserie chickens don't interest me. But Costco chickens are different. They're bigger, they cost several dollars less than at the grocery store, they are juicy, and they have flavor!! I get one every time I go to Costco, and sometimes that's a lot.

There is only one rule when buying a Costco chicken: Eat or take the meat off the bone immediately. You will curse yourself if you leave it in the fridge to cool and then try to pull the meat off the bones. It just won’t work and you’ll be left with a mangled bird.

I decided to put together a list of all the ways to eat a Costco chicken, because sometimes when I come home with one I think... "so what am I going to do with this?" And then it ends up sitting around and getting picked at, but it doesn't really live up to it's full potential. :)

Some of these recipes are so obvious they don't require a recipe. Chicken Quesadilla? I won't bore you! Some are my own recipe that I've created, but most are from other blogs. If I've linked to it, I've made it and loved it enough to share!

1. Carve it up and eat it as the main course
2. Add to a green salad
3. Chicken Taco Salad
4. Chicken Sandwiches
5. Add to Suddenly Salad
6. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
7. Chicken Suiza Sammies
8. Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
9. Tomatillo Casserole with Chicken and Hominy (my own recipe... I'll post someday...)
10. Quiche with Chicken and Broccoli (or Ham!) (Again, my own recipe...)
11. Chicken Quesadilla
12. Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Anyone have a really good go-to recipe?)
13. Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
14. BBQ Chicken Pizza
15. BBQ Chicken Braid
16. Chicken Soup
17. Chicken Pot Pie (Mom's Recipe)
18. Chicken and Dumplings
19. Jambalaya (Mom's Recipe)
20. Hummus, Spinach and Chicken in a wrap (My go-to lunch for busy days!)