Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's not to love about chocolate chip cookies?  They're delicious any time of the year.  Perfect for making ice cream sandwiches in the summer and amazing in the winter when they warm you and the house.

Yields: 60-70 cookies

2 cups butter-flavored Crisco

2 cups brown sugar

1½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

 4 large eggs

1½ teaspoons salt

1½   teaspoons baking soda

6 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

12 ounce bag chocolate chunks

Cream together Crisco and sugars.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Drop by tablespoon (1½” mounds). Bake on wax paper or oil sprayed sheets at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Soft Lemonade Cookies

The weather is getting warmer and it's certainly starting to feel a lot like summer.  It always feels like it begins with Memorial Day, so enjoy these delicious cookies as you celebrate.

1 cup butter/margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 6 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed, divided

Additional sugar

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with 1/3 cup of lemonade concentrate.  Mix well.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 400 for 8 minutes.  Remove to wire racks.  Brush with remaining lemonade concentrate; sprinkle with sugar.

Christmas Treats Day 24: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

This is another of my favorite cookie recipes.  What's not to love about the combination of peanut butter and chocolate?

1¾ cups flour

1 tsp soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 unbeaten egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup peanut butter

Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all ingredients, except Kisses to assemble the dough.  Shape into balls and roll in extra sugar.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and press a Hershey’s Kiss in center of each cookie until it cracks around the edges.

Christmas Treats Day 21: Special K Treats (Bars)

I think this is one of the unhealthiest way to eat a relatively healthy cereal. However, I definitely know it is the best way I have tried. These bar cookies are one of my favorite treats to have as a surprise.

1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo/corn syrup (light)
1 stick margarine
1 small jar chunky peanut butter
6 cups Special K cereal
6 oz package chocolate chips
6 oz package butterscotch chips

Bring sugar, corn syrup, and margarine to a boil. Add peanut butter and mix well until melted. Add in cereal and stir to evenly coat. Press into 9x13 pan. Melt together chocolate and butterscotch chips. Pour over cereal bars and spread to smooth out.

Christmas Treats Day 19: Russian Tea Cakes

I love the combination of nuttiness and sweetness while eating Russian Tea Cakes. The cookies just melt in your mouth.

1 cup butter/margarine, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup pecans (dust/sand-like)
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400. In large mixing bowl, combine butter, ½ cup sugar, and extracts. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. Stir in pecans. Shape into 1” balls. Place balls 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Immediately roll cookies in powdered sugar before storing.

Yields: 3 1/2 dozen

Christmas Treats Day 18: Easy Oreo Truffles

These super rich truffles will melt in your mouth. They quickly become addicting, which may or may not be a bad thing.

16 oz package Oreo cookies, divided
8 oz block cream cheese, softened
2 8 oz packages semi-sweet baking chocolate (or almond bark), melted
*may use chocolate or white chocolate

Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in the food processor and set aside for later. Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs and place in a medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 1-inch balls. Dip balls in melted chocolate and place on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. Refrigerate until firm for about 1 hour.

Christmas Treats Day 16: Coconut Cherry Drops

These cookies are another of my favorites. They taste great and are super easy to make.

1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1 cup flaked coconut
½ cup pecans
¼ cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except coconut, pecans, and cherries. Blend well with mixer. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Yields: 2-3 dozen

Christmas Treats Day 14: German Springerle Cookies

I have to start this post with a major confession.  I do not like these cookies at all.  You may be wondering I would possibly post a recipe I don't like.  The truth is, I just don't like anise (black licorice) flavored things.  My mom and brother love the taste and these cookies, so I've decided to share it.

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon anise oil or 1 teaspoon anise extract
4 cups flour

Prepare baking sheets with greased parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Avoid insulated sheets as they will cause the cookies to brown during baking.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed of your electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar, butter, and baking powder; beat at high speed for 15 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in anise oil or extract. Gradually beat in flour until well mixed.

On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few time (the dough will be sticky at first, so knead in just enough flour to make it manageable. Lightly flour your springerle rolling pin (like the one pictures below). 

 On a lightly-floured board, roll out dough, using a standard rolling pin, into a rectangle about 1/2 - inch thick. 

Using your springerle rolling pin, roll slowly and firmly over the dough to make a clear design. Using a sharp knife, cut cookies apart and trim off outside edges. Roll out scraps of dough and repeat. 

NOTE: Be sure to flour the rolling pin and board before each pressing. This will insure the dough will not stick. Place cookies on your prepared cookie sheets. Let cookies stand, uncovered, overnight to dry. Drying preserves the image during baking.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake about 10 minutes until slightly golden on bottoms, but white on top. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool (let cookies stand overnight to completely dry before storing). 

Storage: Keep cookies in a tight container for 2 or 3 weeks before using to achieve the best flavor. 

The number of cookies this recipe yields depends on the size and thickness of the springerle cookies.

Christmas Treats Day 10: Mint chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

I love the look of these cookies.  They offer a nice pop of color compared to the typically plain colors of cookie doughs.  I was watching an episode of Good Eats the other night and they had a similar recipe.  In their version, they had a chocolate sugar cookie dough (with vanilla extract) and a regular sugar cookie dough with peppermint extract and crushed candy canes.  The recipe below could easily be adapted to remind you even more of Christmas.

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup butter/margarine, softened

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup mint chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, and vanilla.  Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Beat at low speed until soft dough forms.  Divide dough in half.  In large bowl, combine half the dough and melted chips.  Beat at low speed until well blended.  On lightly floured wax paper, roll chocolate dough into 1/8” thick rectangle.  Do the same with white dough onto another piece.  Turn white rectangle carefully onto chocolate rectangle, matching edges.  Discard top sheet of wax paper.  Roll dough, jelly roll style, starting with long end.  (Pull off paper as you go.)  Pinch edge to seal.  Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper.  Chill 2-3 hours or until firm.  Heat oven to 350.  Cut roll into ¼” slices.  Place slices 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.  Cool completely before storing.

Christmas Treats Day 3: Fudge Nut Layer Bars

This bar cookie makes a yummy addition to any platter of Christmas or holiday sweets. 

Filling:

            1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

            ½ cup sweet and condensed milk

1 tablespoon butter

            ¼ teaspoon salt

            ¾ cup chopped walnuts

            1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust:

            ½ cup butter

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon soda

1 egg

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1½ cups quick cooking rolled oats

In medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, sweet and condensed milk, butter, and salt over low heat, stirring constantly until chips melt.  Stir in ½ cup walnuts and vanilla.  Set aside.  In large bowl, combine ingredients for crust.  Blend until mixture is coarse.  Press half of mixture into 9” square pan.  Spread chocolate filling over base.  Sprinkle remaining nuts and crust over filling.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

 (Note: Double recipe makes 36 bars in a 9X13 pan.)

Christmas Treats Day 1: Buttermilk Cookies (Sugar Cut-out Cookies)

I typically don't bake cookies for Christmas, because I make candy trays.  However, last year I decided I wanted to make sugar cut-out cookies with homeade icing.  After trying a few recipes that failed (had NO taste), my Aunt Mary gave me this recipe to try.  They turned out perfectly and had great flavor.

This recipe calls for store-bought buttermilk and they do not turn out if you make your own.  Please keep this in mind if you make some cut-out cookies.

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 sticks oleo

½ tsp salt

1½  tsp vanilla

¾ tsp nutmeg

1½  tsp baking powder

1½ cups store-bought buttermilk with 1½ tsp baking soda dissolved in

8-9 cups flour

Cream together sugar, eggs, oleo, and vanilla.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture along with buttermilk and flour.  Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.  Roll out and cut.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

No-Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies
Yields: Roughly 3 dozen, using a small scoop

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of butter or oleo

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal (quick oats or old fashioned)

You will also need: a large pot, a whisk, a scooper (or two spoons), and wax paper

Bring the first group of ingredients to a rolling boil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Once mixed thoroughly, drop onto wax paper to set.

*I typically cut the butter into smaller pieces so it will melt faster. Set the wax paper out before starting, because the mixture will set up quickly. Measure oats and peanut butter while the other ingredients are heating up, so they're easier to stir in later. Once they are set, store in an airtight container. If the cookies are flatter, they will set quicker.

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

Mix together until smooth:

12 eggs

4 cups white sugar

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

3 pounds peanut butter

2 pounds brown sugar

8 teaspoons baking soda

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 pound butter (not oleo)

Stir in until mixed well*:

18 cups oatmeal

1 pound chocolate chips

1 pound M & M’s

Use ice cream scoop to scoop cookies onto cookie sheet. Flatten before baking. Bake at 350 to desired consistency (chewy or crunchy). Approximately 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake.

Note: Make ½ batch – still makes enough cookies to fill two large Tupperware containers.

Can use ½ chocolate chips and ½ white chocolate chips or any combination of different flavored chips.

*The oatmeal chips, and candies will most likely need to be stirred in by hand.  Most mixers can't get through the heavy dough. I would suggest removing jewelery, spraying your hands with cooking spray, and mixing or using gloves for this.

Potato Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups ripple style potato chips, crushed
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream together the shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, salt, and soda. Stir until well mixed. Add chips and nuts. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 350.