Bake and Share These Sweet Recipes for a Meaningful Cause
Valentine's Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate love in all its forms…to link together and connect with our communities, friends, and family. A time to engage in acts of kindness and bring happiness and hope to others? A time to cherish the love that surrounds us and build stronger connections within our communities? Yes, please!
We give you, THE COOKIE CHAIN.
The Cookie Chain is a fun and impactful initiative that combines sweet treats with meaningful action to support pediatric cancer research. Think “random acts of kindness” through cookies!
Participants bake or order cookies, package them with personalized postcards and deliver them to family, friends, neighbors...anyone! Each delivery adds a “link” to the chain, spreading joy and raising funds for pediatric cancer. It’s a simple way to make a big difference—one cookie at a time.
Baking is a love language all its own. When you share your masterpiece, you're not just offering a treat, you're sharing a piece of your heart, baked with warmth and a sprinkle of playful whimsy.
With that, we’re sharing three sparkling recipes from our cookbook All the Good Cookies sure to delight anyone! Your Cookie Chain just got stronger … and a bit more dazzling if we say so ourselves!
RAINBOW SABLES (All the Good Cookies - p. 3)
Yield: about 7 dozen cookies
A French bakery classic, sables are the epitome of three basic ingredients (butter, sugar, and flour) coming together with little else to create a melt-in-your-mouth delight. Dressed up in sparkling crystal sugar, they shine.
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Colored decorating sugars
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with
the metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse to blend
until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to a mixer
bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Beat to blend, then scrape down the
sides of the bowl and mix again. - Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces. Form each piece into a 4-inch log
and then roll each in a different color of decorating sugar. Cover each
log and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days. - Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
With a serrated knife, cut the logs into ¼-inch slices. Place 1 inch apart
on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the
bottoms are lightly browned, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven
racks halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for
3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the
remaining dough on cool cookie sheets. - Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
ORANGE STIR ‘N’ DROP (All the Good Cookies - p. 87)
*Dairy Free*
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
A recipe so simple it’s the perfect first step for kids to start baking on their own. Stamping the cookies with a glass is a task even the tiniest hands can accomplish.
2 large eggs, at room temperature
⅔ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Orange decorating sugar
- Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange zest in a large mixer bowl and
beat until well combined. Add the sugar and beat until thickened. With
the mixer on low, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. - Using a level small (2-teaspoon size) cookie scoop, drop the batter about
2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. - Stamp each cookie flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in decorating
sugar. (Lightly oil the glass, then dip in sugar. Repeat dipping in sugar
so bottom of glass is completely covered each time.) - Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly
browned, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven racks
halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough on cool cookie sheets. - Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
COOKIE PRESS HEARTS (All the Good Cookies - p. 95)
Yield: About 10 dozen cookies
Made with love! First of all, hearts…and then there’s the pink crystal sugar!
3 sticks (¾ pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
Decorating sugar (any color)
- Preheat the oven to 400 ̊F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixer bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, and the vanilla.
- Slowly add flour, beating until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Spoon dough into cookie press fitted with heart template. Squeeze dough onto the prepared cookie sheets 1 to 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with decorating sugar. Using the palm of your hand, gently press down.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown slightly at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets on the oven racks halfway through the baking time. Cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining dough on cool cookie sheets. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Join The Cookie Chain Today
…and help us see how far we can go together!
This is what love can do!
