Molasses Cookies from Shayla Asay

Molasses Cookies from Shayla Asay

Notes: These were so good!

3/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cloves
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger

Mix first four ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Dough should be fluffy and "rollable". Shayla always adds more flour a little at a time. Roll in 1" balls and roll in sugar (she uses Sugar in the "raw" for crunch).

Bake at 350 for 7 to 8 minutes.

S'Mores Cookie Bars

S'Mores Cookie Bars (from here)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars (from here)

Notes: These were a) easy b)quick and c)delicious. Will make for all group get togethers I have to go to in the future...

 1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter, room temperature
8oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1.  Preheat oven to 350
2. Line a jelly roll pan (15x10x1) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. In your mixer cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4. With mixer on low, add in your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Mix until just combined.
6. Press dough evenly into your prepared pan (dough will be sticky)
7. Bake for 20 mins until edges begin to golden.
8. Cool completely before frosting.

Use a buttercream frosting.

Chewy Lemon Snowdrop Cookies

Chewy Lemon Snowdrop Cookies (from Kim Routsong)

Notes: These were sooooo good! The perfect chewy lemon cookie.

1 3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter

zest of 2 lemons
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lemon juice
about 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Set aside.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, lemon zest, sugar, and agave nectar. Mix until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides.

3. In a small cup, combine the lemon juice baking soda. With the mixer on low, add in flour mixture and lemon juice mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and mix the dough by hand a few times to ensure an even distribution of the ingredients.

4. Roll the dough into balls, one inch in diameter. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets , and then toss in powdered sugar to coat

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (from here)

3 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 c. pumpkin puree, chilled  (I didn't chill it.)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting: recipe from Megan's Whoopie Pie's

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until combine. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small icecream scoop, drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets (dough wasn't a typical cookie dough thickness...more like cake batter, but a little thicker than that...somewhere in between).

Bake for 12 mins convection, 15 non-convection

Let cool and fill with frosting.

Megan's Amazing Cream Pie Cookies

(from Megan Hebdon) - These were incredibly delicious

The cookies were:
2 Devil's Food cake mixes
5 eggs
1 cup oil
extra flour
some water (1/4-1/3 cup)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  

The frosting is:

6 oz. secret ingredient (:)
1/2 cup plus 2-3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
powdered sugar
1 small container marshmallow fluff

Beat secret ingredient, butter, and vanilla.  Add powdered sugar until desired consistency.  Add marshmallow fluff.  Pipe in between cookies.

My most favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (from here)

Notes: I might never make another cookie again.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions

Evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. (on convection setting if you have it.) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.)

Put the butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on medium power until melted. (Alternatively melt in a small saucepan.) Cool slightly. Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the pans. Bake, until golden, but still soft in the center, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies (from here)

Notes: I saw this in a blog I follow (link above). It sounds soooooooo good! I want to try them sometime.

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and well-combined.

3. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

4. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Scoop the cookies into about 1½ to 2″ balls and then roll in the cookie crumbs. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops are slightly puffed.

5. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Stuffed Cookies

Stuffed Cookies (from here)

Notes: I haven't made these, and they sound absolutely terrible for you. But I'm slightly intrigued and want to try them...

Click the link for the recipe and photos.

Andes Crème De Menthe Cookies

Andes Crème De Menthe Cookies (from here)

Notes: I haven't made these yet, but they sound good. I have some mint chocolate baking chips that I want to use and thought this might be a good option.

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 (10 ounce) package Andes mint baking chips

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Blend butter, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until ingredients are mixed.

3 Add Andes Baking Chips and mix.

4 Add Flour and continue to mix until all ingredients are well blended together.

5 Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes.

6 Spoon out approximately 1 oz of dough per cookie.

7 Form a ball and then slightly flatten.

8 Place on non-stick baking pans and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.

9 Cool on pans for 2 minutes, then remove.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/andes-cr-me-de-menthe-cookies-andes-mint-cookies-95863#ixzz1FqxQm04T

Sugar Cookies from I Am Baker

Sugar Cookies (from here)

Notes: Try these next time (recommended by Sheelagh Evans)

Amanda's Amazing Sugar Cookies II

* 1-½ cup Butter (I Use Unsalted)
* 2 cups Sugar
* 2 whole Eggs
* 2 whole Eggs Yolks
* 4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
* 2 teaspoons Almond Extract
* 4 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Add in 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks and mix until combined.

Add in vanilla and almond extract; mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly (about a cup at a time) add flour to butter mixture and combine. You can use a mixer or not, just depends on how strong you are. ;)

I usually just mix ingredients until they are combined, as I have heard that if you over-mix this dough it will get tough.

Put dough in some Saran wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. When you are ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out, cut out cookies, and bake for 6-8 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies (from here)

Note: This make a really YUMMY crunchier/chewy sugar cookie.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yields ~40 cookies.

Royal Icing (from here)

Royal Icing
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired. Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid. Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies - From Annie's Eats

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk to blend. In a the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light in color, about 1 minute. Blend in the oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips with a spatula.

Drop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets (I used a medium-sized dough scoop), spacing them a few inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the tops feel set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup hershey's cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
powdered sugar

in a large mixing bowl, combine sugar & oil. add cocoa; blend well. beat in eggs and vanilla. combine flour, baking powder & salt; add to cocoa mixture blending well. cover; chill at least 6 hours. heat oven to 350. shape dough into 1 inch balls. roll in powdered sugar. place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. bake 12 to 14 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack. makes 4 dozen.

Breakfast Cookies

6 tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. regular oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. chopped pitted dates
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 c. sweetened coconut
1/4 c. dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray, or cover sheets with silicone baking mats.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

3. Remove the saucepan from heat, and add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth.

4. Combine the dry ingredients - flours, baking soda, oats, salt - in a separate bowl.

5. Add the butter-sugar mixture to the dry ingredients.

6. Whisk the egg gently in a small bowl, and add to the mixture, along with the vanilla. Add the dates, almonds, coconut, and cherries, and mix well.

7. Spoon the mixture by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pans. Bake for 12 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and dry to the touch. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly. Attempt to eat just one at a time.

Chocolate Chewies

12 oz, weight powdered sugar
2 oz. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 whole egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir dry ingredients togehter in a stand mixer. Turn mixer on low and add egg whites one at a time - the batter will be very dry until the last egg white. Add vanilla and turn mixer on high for 2 minutes.

Spoon batter onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely before eating.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

Notes: This recipe makes a soft sugar cookie. Very good! Of course, you have to sneak in the sour cream when Brandon is around :)

Blend together until smooth:

1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup melted Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 eggs
1 Cup Sour Cream

Combined in separate bowl:

5 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder


* Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.

* Make a ball out of the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge 2-3 hours or until firm. Over night works well too.
* Once dough is firm roll out a portion of the dough onto a floured surface. You want the dough thick. I roll mine out to be about 1/3" thick!
* Cut with cookie cutters and place on greases cookie sheet.
* Back at 375 for 10-12 min. You don't want them golden brown. They will be the same shade as the uncooked dough.

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/2010/02/bestest-sugars-cookies-ever-ever.html

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine peanut butter and sugar until creamy. Beat eggs & vanilla. Pour egg mixture into peanut butter mixture and mix well. Scoop a spoonful into your hand and roll into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Using a fork make an imprint into the ball, turn fork and press again. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. (Small scoop from Pampered Chef is just the right size for making these)

Strawberry Cookies

1 package strawberry cake mix
1 egg lightly beaten
1 carton frozen whipped topping thawed (8oz)
2 c. confectioners sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and whipped topping until well combined. Place confectioners sugar in a shallow dish.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into sugar; turn to coat. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. biscuit/baking mix
1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, beat the milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add biscuit mix just until blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.