How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 

These delicious little cookies will have all your holiday party guests impressed. Not only do they look like little tarts, but they are the perfect bite size dessert for after Christmas dinner. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (160 grams) light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Next, spray non-stick vegetable spray over 48 miniature muffin tins.
3. In a medium bow, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Next, using a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and then add in the white and brown sugars and mix until light and fluffy.
5. Once mixed, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Next beat in the vanilla extract and add the flour mixture. Beat together all ingredients until evenly mixed. 
7. Fill each miniature muffin cup with a tablespoon of batter.
8. Bake cookies for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. 
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and then gently press on miniature peanut butter cup, unwrapped, into the center of each cookie. 
10. Return the cookies to the oven and cook for another 3 minutes. 

***Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com 

The History behind 'Twas a Night Before Christmas!

"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring now even a mouse." These words have been uttered millions of times over the years since the poems inception in 1822. While we have probably all heard the classic Christmas story, many people probably don't know where it came from. The poem was originally created by an Episcopal minister in 1822, named Clement Clark Moore, for this three daughters. While the poems title was changed from the original, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," it's context and syntax have remained the same. The poem, which describes Santa Clause as a "right jolly old elf" with rosy cheeks, a portly figure, and magical powers, gave the world its first description of Santa Clause. Moore's description of St. Nicholas, helped to popularize the current image of Santa Claus we see today. Due to the poems popularity, Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist, drew a picture of the image Moore's poem created in in 1881 thus forming the modern image of Santa Claus we have today. While Moore's poem did depict St. Nicholas's powers and appearance, it was Nast who gave him his bright red suit with white fur trim, a workshop in the North Pole, elves, and Mrs. Claus. 

Christmas Greeting Cards: How they Got There Start

In the late 1830s and Englishman named Joshn Calcott Horsley helped to popularize the holiday tradition of sending Christmas greeting cards. Horsley would produce small cars featuring festive scenes of the season with a pre-written holiday greeting on them that he would then send out. Due to the recent efficiency of the newly established post offices in the United States and England, they cards because popular overnight. While Horsley was the first to come up with the idea to send Christmas cads, an American card maker, R.H. Pease began following suit in New York shortly after.