Easter Giveaway Winners and a Winning Easter Cookie

I was so excited the other day when it finally came time to pick a winner from my Easter Giveaway!!! It seems to have been a very long time since I announced it, but it was really only two weeks! It was hard to believe, but I had 50 entries to print out, fold up and divide into the various giveaway bowls! Now, if I was really organized, I would have decorated an Easter Basket to do the deed in, that was my plan originally, but alas . . . I ran out of time! So y'all just had your names put into a bowl, each labelled with the prize pertaining to that particular bowl and then my dear Todd had the honours of pulling a name out of each one! (If I knew html that would have read hat first, looking all scratched out, but I am not that computer savvy!)



Deborah Dowd you are the lucky winner of the Easter Bunny and The Blonde Duck a lovely egg full of Ferrero Rocher!!!! Oh, I am so excited you would think I had won them myself!!! Please contact me with your personal details so that I can get them into the mail post haste and they can be winging their way to you before Easter!



And Alison a little bird told me that there was something winging it's way over to Ottawa to be shared between you, Lisa, Hannah and Miriam, so watch out for it real soon! (If you can't spoil your own nieces who can you spoil!!)

And just because one of you asked so nicely, here is the tasty recipe for some Easter Cut out cookies.

Everyone's a winner! Enjoy! (stay tuned . . . you never know when I am going to give something away again!)



*Easter Butter Cookies*
Makes about 3 dozen

for the cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

For the glaze:
5 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup water
2 TBS butter, softened
2 TBS light corn syrup
(or golden syrup)
food colour and decorations as desired


Combine the 1 cup of butter, sugar and 1/2 cup of icing sugar in a large bowl. Beat together scraping often, until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well mixed together. Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and add the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Beat well, scraping the bowl frequently, until all are well mixed together. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in some plastic cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*c/375*F.

When ready to bake remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, one half at a time (keeping the other half refrigerated) to 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut with 2 to 2 1/2 inch assorted Easter shaped cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the cookie sheets to wire racks to cool completely before frosting and decorating.

To make the glaze combine the icing sugar, 2 TBS of butter and the corn syrup in a small bowl. Beat at medium speed until well combined and smooth. continue beating, gradually adding additional water if necessary, until you have the desired glazing consistency. Tin with food colour as desired.

Glaze cooled cookies. Place on wire racks placed over greaseproof paper to set. Decorate with additional glaze, decorating sugars, candies etc. as desired. Let stand until completely hardened before storing. (about 6 hours or overnight)

*Easter Spice Cutouts*
Makes about 4 dozen

For the cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3 to 4 TBS milk
decorating sugars as desired

Combine the butter, sugar, molasses, egg and vinegar in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping often, until the mixture is creamy. Reduce the speed to low and add the remaining ingredients. Beat together until well combined. Divide the dough into thirds, wrapping each in some plastic cling film. Refrigerate until firm. (At least 2 hours)

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F.

Roll out the dough on a cool surface that has been dusted with equal amounts of flour and sugar. Only roll out one portion at a time, keeping the other two portions refrigerated until you are ready to use them. Cut with assorted 2 to 3 inch Easter cookie cutters.

Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. Let stand one minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients (except for the milk and decorating sugars and decorations) in a small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often, gradually adding enough milk to make a spreading consistency. Decorate the cooled cookies with the frosting and decorator sugars or candies as desired.

You may also use the glaze from the butter cookies to glaze these instead of the frosting.