Sugar Cookies

(Pictured on top, frosted)

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

2/3

cup of butter, softened

3/4

cup of sugar

1

teaspoon of baking powder

1/4

teaspoon of salt

1

egg

1

tablespoon of milk

1

teaspoon of vanilla

2

cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill about 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4-1/2- to 6-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. At this point, add colored sugar or sprinkles if you like (otherwise, leave them plain and frost/decorate after they've been baked.)
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Kolacky

(Kolacky pictured on left side of plate.)

Cream together:
 1/2 pint (approx. 1 cup) vanilla ice cream, slightly melted
 1/4 c. powdered sugar
 1 tsp. vanilla
 1 cup soft butter
 3 to 3-1/2 cups flour (add enough to make a stiff dough that isn't TOO sticky)

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Take a portion of the dough (1/3 or 1/4) and roll out into a rectangle, and less than 1/4" thick.
Cut into strips, making squares approx. 2"x 2".

Into the center of each, spoon a scant amount of Solo filling (apricot, raspberry, prune....) and gather up two corners of the dough square, pinching together to seal.

Place kolacky onto lightly greased baking sheet, leaving a little room in between each cookie.

Bake for 20 min., until the edges begin to turn golden.  Remove from oven. Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.

Scotcharoo Cookies

These are CHEAT cookies - made with a cake box mix (something I don't often use) - quick, easy, TASTY!!

If you've ever had Scotcharoos (cooked corn syrup-butter-sugar/peanut butter-rice krispies base with melted chocolate/butterscotch chip topping), they're reeeeeeally good! When I was flipping thru cookie recipes recently, I found an easy recipe, changed a few things, added a few ingredients and came up with a simple cookie recipe that tastes a LOT like classic Scotcharoos! It's a 'cheat' recipe with cake mix, but until I figure out a 'scratch' recipe, this will have to do for now! :)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, mix together:

1 package of chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker devils food or dark chocolate...)

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter

1 Tblsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 beaten egg plus one egg white only

Mix together well - add:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup rice krispies

1 cup butterscotch chips

Drop onto ungreased (or parchment lined) baking sheets by heaping tsps. - flatten slightly

Spritz Cookies

These are my daughter's  (Amie) favorites!! The browned butter in the icing gives the cookies a rich, nutty-like flavor.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine and mix well:

1-1/2 C. (3 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3-1/2 cups flour

When thoroughly mixed, put dough in a cookie press (I use a Pampered Chef 'gun') & squeeze onto cookie sheets, leaving a little space between each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden.

Remove from oven and cool before frosting.

Browned butter icing:

In a medium saucepan, on med-low heat, melt 6 Tblsp. Kick the heat up to medium, stir the butter as it's heating up, watching it CLOSELY. After a few minutes, it will begin to foam. Stir and continue to watch VERY closely (the butter goes from golden brown to BURNED in no time!!) and the second the butter gets golden brown (little speckles will form on the bottom of pan) remove from heat and stir - it will continue cooking. Don't wait for butter to cool; add 3 cups powdered sugar and stir ... add a teasp. of vanilla extract. Add milk SLOWLY, a Tblsp. at a time, mixing well, until a spreading consistency is reached. You might need to add a bit more powdered sugar or a bit more milk, depending on how thick you'd like the icing. It will harden rather quickly, so shake sprinkles on the cookies immediately after frosting each, unless you want to keep them plain.

Buttery Pecan Crisps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (before making cookies, bake pecan halves for 8-10 min. @350... cool & chop up)

Form cookies in 3/4" balls, place on ungreased sheets, leaving a little bit of space (but these cookies don't spread out). Flatten them slightly. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are golden. 

While still warm, put a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl & gently toss warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Cool.

Chocolate Crinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1 stick soft butter

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

1-1/4 sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine: 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder & 1-2/3 C. flour and add to creamed mixture.

Put 1 cup powdered sugar into a bowl.

Roll dough into 3/4" balls & roll the balls into powdered sugar. Place them on parchment lined baking sheets (or lightly greased sheets).

Toffee Almond bars

Heat oven to 350°

Place 2 cups of sliced almonds on a pan & bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool while making the bars.

Grease a 9x13" baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine & mix well:

3/4 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1-1/2 c. flour

Press into the bottom of the prepared pan & bake for 20 minutes or until it's lightly golden. Put on a wire rack.

While the crust is baking, in a heavy sauce pan, combine:

2 Tblsp. butter

1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Over medium heat, stir the mixture continuously until it begins to get bubbly. Cook & continue stirring for 5 minutes. It'll seem to get thin, but after a few minutes will thicken. After 5 minutes of stirring, remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 tsp. almond extract.  By this time, the crust should be finished baking.

Spread the filling evenly over the baked crust - return to the oven and bake for additional 12-14 minutes, until the top becomes golden/light brown.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle top with 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Return to the oven and bake for one more minute - remove and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top. Immediately, sprinkle the chocolate with the toasted almonds.

Almond Crescents

(Pictured with Italian Lemon Cookies)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2 sticks unsalted butter

2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/2 cups flour

1 cup coarsely ground almonds (that have been baked for 8 minutes @350 degr. & cooled completely)

Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper or use a plain aluminum ungreased baking sheet.

Cream together butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. Beat in extracts. Stir in flour and beat til well mixed. Finally, add almonds.

Pinch off tsps. of dough and roll each piece into cylinder 1-1/2 to 2 in. long, form into a crescent shape. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets.

Bake 15-18 minutes or til lightly browned. Let cool, then roll in sifted powdered sugar.

"Cakies", aka Whoopie Pies

People usually call these Whoopie Pies but that name doesn't work here (my kids just DON'T like that name), so: cake + cookies =  CAKIES !!

This recipe makes 16-18 cakies. You could probably make them 1/2 the size, but you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

1.) In a small mixing bowl, combine:

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

SET ASIDE.

2.) In another mixing bowl, combine:

2 cups flour

1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

SET ASIDE.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, combine:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

On medium speed of a mixer, mix for 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down sides frequently.

Beat in: 1 large egg

Mix for another minute, scraping sides of bowl.

Alternately add the reserved buttermilk mixture (1.) & reserved flour mixture (2.) to the creamed butter mixture (3.), incorporating them until all 3 are thoroughly combined. Batter is thick!

Drop HEAPING Tblsp. of batter (gently release into little rounded mounds) onto prepared sheets - 8 to 9 per sheet, leaving space between each.

Bake both sheets at the same time (racks in oven should be spaced apart to allow for circulation) - Bake for EIGHT MINUTES - then quickly open the oven and switch positions of the sheets- close oven door and bake for another 4-5 minutes. Test cakies - they'll spring back when gently touched on the tops. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to wire racks. Cool completely. Take half the cookies, invert them and place a generous dollop of frosting into the center (heaping Tblsp.) - cover with another cookie to sandwich the 2 together.

FROSTING:

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat for 3 minutes on medium speed:

1/2 cup softened butter

1-1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 C. marshmallow 'Fluff'

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (w/Cranberries & White chocolate)

Heat oven to 350º - line baking sheets with parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly:

1 C. soft butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin (canned - NOT pumpkin pie FILLING, just cooked pumpkin)
1 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. flour
1 tsp. bkg. soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1-1/2 C. dried cranberries (craisins)
1-1/2 C. white chocolate chips

Mix well - batter should be rather thick & sticky.  Drop onto parchment by level Tblsp., leaving space between each.  I had 12-15 on each baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes - be careful not to under or overbake these.
Remove from oven and cool completely.  They'll remain rather soft even after they cool off.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Measure 1-1/2 cups of rolled oats (quick cooking), put them in a food processor and let it fly!  You're looking to pulverize the oats to make the cut much finer.  I didn't use my processor - I put the oats in a tall, deep pitcher and used my immersion blender on it. Perfect results too!!  Set the oats aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine & mix thoroughly (in this order):
1 c. soft butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

fold in:
1-1/2 c. (reserved ^ ) oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups flour
Mix everything thoroughly and then let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

At THIS TIME, preheat the oven to 350º.

Line baking sheets with parchment.  
Scoop out heaping, rounded tsps. of dough and put them on the sheets, flattening SLIGHTLY.
I had 12 cookies on each baking sheet.

Bake 13-15 minutes, until the cookies become slightly/lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely ON the parchment.

Mix the icing ingredients & then (w/a pastry brush) brush a thin layer of icing on each cookie. Let dry completely before putting onto a serving platter.
1 Tblsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. milk - or a tad more - enough to make it easy to brush, yet not TOO runny

Peach Bars

Heat the oven to 375º - grease a 9x13" alum. baking pan.

For the shortbread crust, combine these ingredients and knead together until thoroughly mixed. 

1/2 cup soft butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 small egg

1-1/3 cup flour

Press onto the bottom of the prepared pan.  Poke a fork thru thru the dough in a half dozen places - put into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until it BEGINS to turn golden.

Remove from oven. Let cool ten minutes.

Spread approx. 1-1/2 cups peach jam/peach preserves (or apricot) onto the crust

Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly & sprinkle evenly over the preserves. Press down lightly:

6 Tblsp. soft butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats (quick cooking)

Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes, until the topping begins to turn golden.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

These remind me of " yin - yang " !  When making these cookies, you will be mixing 2 smallish batches of dough, chilling them and then rolling a lot of little balls (45-50 each).

Heat the oven to 350º.

Chocolate dough - mix together all ingredients in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tblsp. milk
1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

Peanut Butter dough - mix together all ingred. in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

This works best if you quickly roll all the balls first (peanut butter first, and then chocolate) - if you alternate and make 1 cookie at a time, it's messy and you get chocolate all over your hands, mixing it onto the PB dough.

Roll each type of dough into small balls (1 level tsp. or so - don't forget - you're combining 2 balls per cookie!).  After they're all rolled into balls, take one of each and quickly roll them together between the palms of your hand.  Just a few 'spins' is all you need.  Place the balls into parchment lined baking pans (or greased sheets) - bake for 11-13 minutes.  Remove from the oven, let sit for a minute and then remove the cookies onto cooling racks.

Almond Biscotti

They are not  'bih  SCOTTY' they're ' bee SCOAT ee " !!  Read more here: http://www.mscotti.com/history.html

Heat your oven to 350º.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly:

10 Tblsp. soft butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 eggs

3-1/4 cups flour
1 Tblsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

Stir in 1-1/2 to 2 cups chopped, toasted almonds (to toast them beforehand, spread them onto a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 10-12 minutes @350º - then cool completely before using)

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
Form into (4) logs - put two 'logs' onto each baking sheet. (approx. 10" long  X 2" wide X 1/2" high)
Brush with lightly beaten egg white.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to get golden.
Remove from the oven. Cool slightly. Cut into 1/3 - 1/2" slices.  Lay them flat onto the baking sheets, return to the oven and bake another 10-12 minutes until they're golden.

Lemon Biscotti

Heat your oven to 350º.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly (in this order), stirring as you add each ingredient:

1 stick softened butter (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 extra egg yolks only
1 Tblsp. fresh grated lemon zest
2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

2 -1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom (powder, not whole seeds)
1/4 tsp. salt

(At this point, you could add a cup of finely chopped nuts or 1/4 cup poppy seeds - I chose to leave them plain.)

Divide the dough in half.  Form each into a log and place on a lightly greased baking pan, leaving several inches of space between them.  (Approx. 10" long X 1/2" high X 2-3" wide)

Brush with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden on top.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.  Slice into 1/2" slices, lay them flat onto the baking sheet, return to the oven and bake another 10-14 minutes until they're lightly toasted/golden.

Toffee Almond Bars

Heat oven to 350°

Place 2 cups of sliced almonds on a pan & bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool while making the bars.

Grease a 9x13" baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine & mix well:

3/4 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1-1/2 c. flour

Press into the bottom of the prepared pan & bake for 20 minutes or until it's lightly golden. Put on a wire rack.

While the crust is baking, in a heavy sauce pan, combine:

2 Tblsp. butter

1- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Over medium heat, stir the mixture continuously until it begins to get bubbly. Cook & continue stirring for 5 minutes. It'll seem to get thin, but after a few minutes will thicken. After 5 minutes of stirring, remove from heat. By this time, the crust should be finished baking.

Spread the filling evenly over the baked crust - return to the oven and bake for additional 12-14 minutes, until the top becomes golden/light brown.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle top with 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Return to the oven and bake for one more minute - remove and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top. Immediately, sprinkle the chocolate with the toasted almonds.

Cool completely - cut into small bars.

Fruit & Nut Biscotti

These cookies are loaded with fruit and nuts and deliciousness!!

My husband is insulin dependent (diabetic) & I'm always looking at ways to cut down on carbs so he can enjoy something sweet with his coffee. You can substitute the regular white sugar with Splenda, the artificial sweetener-  - the results are the same.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup Splenda (or regular sugar)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix well - set aside.

In another small bowl, beat:

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tblsp. melted butter

Combine both wet & dry ingredients and knead until thoroughly mixed. On a parchment lined baking sheet, place the dough - which has been rolled into a 10" cylinder - flatten it into a long regtangle (approx. 12" x 3" x 1/3" high). Bake for 22 minutes or until it begins to become golden. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Slice the biscotti dough into 1/2" pcs. & lay onto the baking sheet - return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes.

Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (giugiuleni)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well"

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3-1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cut into mixture:

1/2 lb. softened butter

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

(Have a small bowl of milk - approx. one cup - on the counter for dipping. Also, have another bowl filled with sesame seeds - approx. 1-1/2 cups, more or less, depending on how loaded with sesame seeds you want these cookies.)

Pinch off scant Tblsp. of dough and shape into small 1-1/2" logs or 1" rounds. Dip quickly into milk and then dip into the sesame seeds, covering the entire cookie. Repeat until all dough is rolled out. Place cookies on parchment lined baking pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on how dark you like them) until golden.

Oatmeal Cookies

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix well:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

Beat for 5 minutes until fluffy.

Continue mixing in:

2 eggs

1 teasp. vanilla extract

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients:

1/2 c. BREAD flour (gluten content makes them chewier)

2 cups white flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 teasp. baking powder

1 teasp. baking soda

1 teasp. ground cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture, mixing well. Add 2 cups raisins. (You can also add dried cranberries, chopped nuts, chocolate chips.....) Blend everything together.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between cookies (around 12 per sheet). Flatten slightly and if you like, sprinkle the tops lightly with cinnamon sugar (I do that!).

Bake for 13-15 minutes until edges of cookies are golden. Cool completely.

Soft, frosted Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are soft and cake-like and VERY good!!  This recipe makes approx. 36-40.

Preheat the oven to 350º

NOTE:  I never use an electric mixer when I make cookies unless the recipe specifically calls for extreme beating or whipping of egg whites.  I use a heavy wooden spoon and elbow grease.

Line several baking sheets with parchment (or lightly grease them).  I use parchment for quick and easy clean up!

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together well:

1/2 C  soft butter

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C buttermilk

chocolate: (mix 6 TBLSP cocoa w/3 T veg. oil to make a paste)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-2/3 C flour

Drop rounded TBLSP onto parchment (or prepared sheets), leaving at least an inch between each.  (My standard sized sheets held 12 cookies.)

Bake for 11-12 minutes.  Remove from oven & cool completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:  Mix all ingredients together & apply to cookies generously.

4 TBLSP melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

5 TBLSP cocoa powder

2 C powdered sugar

SLOWLY add heavy cream by the tsp., mixing WELL until it's thick enough to spread on cookies (be careful not to add TOO much cream - you don't want this to be too thin!!).