Snickerdoodles

 Made these for a friend, Makayla, per her request, for a treat on her last day at work with me. Really good and soft snickerdoodle. Another Modern Honey yummy. You don't need to chill them, but can if you have time. I also tap my cookie sheet 2 or 3 times on the counter when I pull them out so that they are a flatter cookie. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 3/4 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar (for less tang, use 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer. 
• Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined. 
• In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. 
• If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Roll into small balls until round and smooth.  Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered.  
• Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.  

Reese's Cup/Chocolate Chip Cookie

I think this recipe originally came from Modern Honey. What I love about it, as someone with nut allergies in the house, but also peanut butter lovers, I can bake a few off for a really awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe before I add in the peanut butter cups. The original recipe also called for 4 ounces of cookie dough, but I didn't feel like it got done enough inside. It was still pretty gooey. So, we did 3 ounces. I would probably bake a couple off at ten minutes, too, and see if you like that bake. It's really easy to overcook the bottoms. I would take them off the sheet as soon as you pull them out of the oven. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter, cold and cubed

• 1 cup Brown Sugar

• 1/2 cup Sugar

• 2 large Eggs

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 

• 3 cups Flour

• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch

• 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1 cup Chocolate Chips, I also added in some mini chips, too. Double the recipe and do a cup of each. You won't be disappointed 

• 1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter Cups (chopped)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

• Add in eggs and vanilla and mix for 1 minute longer.

• Fold in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips and a heaping 1 cup of peanut butter cups, reserving about 1/3 cup for the top of the cookies.

• Roll into 4 to 6-ounce balls. If making 4-ounce balls, you should end up with about 12-13 cookies or if you roll into 6-ounce balls, you should end up with 8-9 cookies.

• Place on a parchment paper lined, light-colored baking sheet. If you are NOT using light colored baking sheets, reduce the oven temperature to 390 degrees to ensure the bottom of the cookies don't become too brown. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Do not overbake as these cookies are supposed to be slightly soft in the center. As soon as you remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully place the extra peanut butter cups on top of the cookies. Allow to set up for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies or Better Known as the Best Cookie of 1999

I remember my mother pulling this from somewhere. It was voted as the best cookie of 1999; possibly by Martha Stewart.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter


Mix sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, soda and butter. Add cocoa and flour. Chill for one hour. Roll balls of dough in sugar.

Bake.

Polvorones de Canele

We have entered another state... New Mexico!!! And these cookies were so delicious that we just had to share:)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or use parchment paper.

*In a medium bowl, cream together 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture to form a stiff dough. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Mix together 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; roll balls in cinnamon mixture.
*Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until nicely browned. Cool cookies on wire racks. Yummy!!!

Neapolitan Swirl Hearts

I found this recipe for cookies when I was looking for something 'different' to make for Valentine's Day this year but mine did not and would not turn out how they were suppose to... so instead I made mine into swirl cookies and they turned out quite yummy:) I think that these would also be a great cookie for a baby shower- just swap out the pink dough for blue or green:)

Neapolitan Swirl Hearts
~1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
~½ cup sugar
~1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
~¼ teaspoon salt
~2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
~2 ½ tablespoons Dutch Process cocoa powder
~Pink food coloring
~Milk and sugar for top

*In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. With the mixer speed on low, gradually add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

*Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. It will be loose and crumbly in texture. Knead the dough with your hands until it comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the dough into equal thirds. Take one third of the dough and knead cocoa powder into it and set aside. Take another third and knead the food coloring into it and set aside. You will now have pink (or whatever color you chose to use:), brown and white dough. Take a small amount of each of these, form into a ball and roll out... if you do it all at once you will end up with just a darker version of your colored dough and not a swirled pattern by the end- still yummy but not as pretty:) Cut with a cookie cutter and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Continue until all of the dough is gone... enjoy:)

Basic Shortbread

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's website. It is super easy and very tasty and can be stored for a month and the flavor just deepens.

Makes a 13x9

1 1/3 cups of butter
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Butter a 13x9 baking pan, and line bottom with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed until just combined.

Press dough into prepared pan, leveling and smoothing the top. Using a knife cut dough lengthwise into nine strips, each slightly less than 1 inch wide. Cut the strips crosswise into thirty-six 3-inch bars. Using the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer, create a decorative pattern on the surface.

Bake shortbread until evenly pale golden, but not browned, 70 to 85 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Invert pan, and remove parchment. Turn shortbread over, and carefully break, or cut with a serrated knife, into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

 

 

I am not sure if this is my grandmother's recipe...I did get it from my mother's recipe collection, so it could be, but I most closely relate this recipe with my Grandma Jackson. Every Christmas she would make these. They are my Uncle John's favorite.

Makes about 36 cookies. Doubles well.

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Hershey kisses

Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients into another; slowly add the dry to the wet and mix together. Form into balls, roll in white sugar. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes, add kisses to center of cookie, pushing all the way down, gently. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Cool on rack.

Fudge

The same friend of mine who made the salted nut rolls also made a delicious batch of fudge...

Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 5oz. can of evaporated milk
12 squares (1 1/2 pkgs) semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 7 oz container of marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

~On medium, heat in a 3 quart heavy saucepan sugar, butter and milk to a full rolling boil, while stirring constantly.
~Continue to boil on medium heat for 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
~Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and marshmallow creme until melted.
~Add vanilla and nuts and stir.
~Spread mixture immediately in a foil lined 9 inch square pan. At room temperature, cool at least 4 hours. Store in airtight container. Makes 3 pounds:)

Salted Peanut Rolls

This is a recipe from a friend of mine... she made them for a cookie exchange. I could not get enough of them... I think I ate all of them:)

Salted Nut Rolls
1 12 oz. pkg. peanut butter chips
1 12 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick margarine or butter
2 cups party peanuts
2 cups mini marshmallows

~Melt the first four ingredients together... stirring until smooth.
~Cool a little and add the nuts and marshmallows.
~Pat into a pan, cool & cut. Enjoy... you won't be able to stop at just one- I know I couldn't:)

Sugar Cookie

I have been looking for a tasty sugar cookie and I have finally found one. This one is a recipe form Alton Brown that I have tweaked just a little bit. These are delicious... even Drew said these are some of the best that I have ever made:)

Sugar Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

~Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat. If planning on sprinkling colored sugar on them, sprinkle milk on the top of each one and then put the sugar on top- this gives it something to stick to. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Snickerdoodles

From Gray Road Quaker Church "Friends" Cookbook

350 degrees for 8-10 minutes

1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix everything together. Chill for 30 minutes. From into balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar.

Note: Even if don't seem done, they probably are. :) Just the edges should be golden brown. If you leave them in too long, they will become impossibly hard.

Gingerbread Cookies

350 degrees for 10 minutes

2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses (mild flavor)

Mix together and form dough into balls. Roll in white sugar before baking. Doubles well.