Good & Chewy Cookies

This recipe was my Nana's and my Mom says she often came home from school to these freshly baked cookies. My family loves them and I hope yours will too!

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs. Mix together flour, baking soda and power and salt, then incorporate into sugar mixture. Beat in vanilla, milk, coconut and oatmeal, then stir in Rice Krispies with a wooden spoon. Drop with a cookie scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until just barely beginning to brown. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Swig {Knockoff} Sugar Cookies

I was preparing to make sugar cookies for Valentine's Day, when I came across a friend's post on Instagram. She had just visited St. George, Utah for the weekend and had posted about Swig's famous sugar cookies that I've heard so much about. I have never tried them, but I found a recipe online and made them as a dessert for my kids' lunches this week.... Then I made them again today... for Valentine's Day... which is this weekend! They are SO good! Now, I'm going to hide the rest of them in my freezer so I don't eat any more!

I like them for 2 reasons: They aren't overly sweet and I don't have to roll out the dough and cut them into shapes. Kind of lazy of me, but these do the trick. I even added some Valentine's sprinkles and VOILA... Very festive (easy) sugar cookies!

So, until I actually get to try a sugar cookie from Swig, these are my favorite little sweet treat.

Recipe slightly adapted from Tastebook (added vanilla & decreased salt in frosting). 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

COOKIES:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. water
2 eggs
Dash of almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream together butter, vegetable oil, sugars, water, eggs, almond and vanilla extracts. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix until everything is combined. Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.

Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Now it's time to give these babies their signature rough edge. Put 1/4 c. of sugar in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar listed above). Stick the bottom of a glass in it. This is going to be your cookie press.

Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball. You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass. If there is a lip, it's even better.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 minutes. I like to take mine out just before they begin to brown and let them cool for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Once they are cool, put them in the fridge.

FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sour cream
About 1 (2 pound) package of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 Tbs. milk
red food coloring (optional)

Start by creaming together butter, sour cream and salt. Slowly add powdered sugar. When it gets too thick, add a splash of milk.

Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute. Frost cookies when cool and store cookies in the fridge until ready to serve.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

I didn't grow up eating Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, but I do remember eating them last summer in Lake Powell and I can see the appeal. The soft, slightly spicy cookies are sandwiched around a layer of marshmallow cream! These knockoff cookies tasted even better than the boxed variety and my family loved them. I had NEVER purchased a bottle of marshmallow creme before making this recipe, and if you'd rather substitute a buttercream frosting, THIS version would be great too. Recipe from Recipe Shoebox. 

Soft Chewy Oatmeal Cookies:
   1/2 cup butter, softened
   1/2 cup shortening
   1 1/4 cups sugar
   3 Tbs. molasses
   2 large eggs
   1 tsp. vanilla extract
   3/4 tsp. coconut extract (can use less if you don't care for coconut flavor)
   1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbs. all purpose flour
   1 cup oats, ground slightly in blender (don't skip the blending--it really makes the texture)
   2 tsp. cocoa powder
   1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
   1 tsp. baking powder
   1/2 tsp. baking soda
   3/4 tsp. salt
   1 tsp. cinnamon
   1/4 tsp. nutmeg
   1/4 tsp. ginger

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting:
   1/2 cup butter, softened
   1/2 cup shortening
   1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
   1 jar (7-ounces) marshmallow creme

COOKIES:
In a medium bowl, whip together butter, shortening, sugar, and molasses on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and coconut extract. Beat together. Add flour, blended oats, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Beat together until just mixed.

Form about 2-tablespoons of dough into balls (I didn't make them quite this big) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until they look slightly underdone. Take care not to over-bake, as they will lose their fabulous chewy texture. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

When cookies are completely cooled, place a large spoonful of marshmallow frosting on the flat side of a cookie and sandwich together with another cookie.

FROSTING:
Whip together butter, shortening, and powdered sugar. When smooth and fluffy, add the jar of marshmallow creme and whip together until well combined.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to try new recipes and to mix it up, but my husband would choose basic chocolate chip cookies every time! To satisfy my need to branch out, I tried {and loved} these soft cookies. The addition of sour cream lends a cake-like texture to an otherwise "typical" cookie. I doubled and adapted the original recipe, because making just 2 dozen cookies (and half bags of chocolate chips) is a waste of time, in my opinion. They also freeze very well. Makes 4 dozen cookies. Recipe from marthastewart.com

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, or 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream 
2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. 

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with sour cream, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Cover, and freeze for 10 minutes.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until centers are set and cookies are pale golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Cookie Tutorial

I've always liked to cook, but I really love to bake! My Mom often made freshly baked cookies for us when we were growing up and now I equate the smell of warm cookies to comfort, home and smiling kids. The cookies that remind me of my Mom are her Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Good & Chewy Cookies or Oatmeal Chipper Cookies. She always jokes that she should have blue fur and googly eyes!

I love putting a homemade cookie in my kids' lunches for school and we almost always have cookies on hand for unexpected company, late-night homework sessions or an after-school snack. Making cookies as often as I do has helped me figure out what works best, so I thought I'd share some helpful tips to take your cookies to the next level of AMAZING:)

1. Use a cookie scoop. This simple tool will make your cookies look uniform in size. I have medium and a small scoops that I love from Pampered Chef, but I've also seen good scoops at Wal-Mart, Target and some grocery stores. My medium cookie scoop is also my secret weapon when making muffins, as it measures the perfect amount of batter for the muffin tin.
   
2. Use parchment paper, if using a metal cookie sheet. It keeps your cookie sheet clean, keeps cookies from sticking and eliminates the need for cooking spray. Costco sells a large roll that will last for years, but you can also find it at the grocery store. Parchment paper is magic as a pan liner when making brownies or bar cookies as well. Simply lift the paper with the baked brownies onto a cutting board and you can easily cut them into neat squares. I also use parchment paper when making a favorite recipe, Oven Omelet Roll.
   
3. My first choice of cookie sheet is actually a baking stone like this one from Pampered Chef (I have nothing to do with the company, but I love several of their products). When I bake multiple batches of cookies, the cookies baked on the stone turn out more uniform, don't burn cookies on the bottom (as metal cookie sheets tend to) and stay softer even longer than cookies baked on a metal sheet. 
   
4. Chill the cookie dough, if possible. Even if you stick the cookie dough in the fridge (or freezer!) while you heat up the oven, it will help. Chilled cookie dough holds its shape better and the cookies tend to bake up fluffier and won't go flat. 
5. Bake cookies in the top half of your oven. In my ovens, I use the second spot from the top for the oven rack. This helps prevent the cookies from burning on the bottom, and speaking of that...
6. Always set your oven timer for less time than the recipe says and don't over-bake the cookies. I like to take them out of the oven just before the cookies begin to brown and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing them with a metal spatula to cool on a cooling rack. 
7. Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. I use a piece of parchment paper in between the layers of cookies so they don't stick together. 

Well, I hope that inspires you to make a hot batch of cookies:) We have 

so many good recipes here to try! Happy baking!!!

Fresh Apple Cookies

I am shocked it's been so long since anyone has posted a recipe here! I use this blog for meal planning every week and I'm grateful for a collection of amazing recipes. THANK YOU readers for not losing hope! We still have about 150-300 readers each day. Now that school has started for my kids, I will be posting all the fun recipes I made over the summer. I'm starting with this one because it seems like a great cookie for FALL! They taste a lot like a Snickerdoodle cookie, but with fresh apples! Recipe from my friend Marlynn Avery.

1/2 cup shortening (I sub butter)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 apple, peeled and grated 

Roll cookies in: 

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream shortening and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add vanilla, flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Grate apple and mix in. Roll into 1 inch balls. Dough will be moist. Roll balls in cinnamon mixture and bake on greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 25-30 cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've probably made a dozen different variations of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, because I love them, but these are, without any hesitation, my very favorite! They are not overly "pumpkin-y" but they are soft and flavorful. I made them with half semi-sweet and half white chocolate chips (because I was out of milk chocolate chips....GASP!) and really liked the variation, but milk chocolate chips are always delicious. The cookie dough tastes a lot like pumpkin pie, though I wouldn't just be eating it by the spoonful... (wink, wink!) Recipe from George Duran on The Food Network. Makes 5 dozen cookies. 

• 
  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  1 cup white sugar
  1 cup light brown sugar
  2 large eggs
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  3 cups all-purpose flour
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips (I used 1/2 white and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons (or cookie scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

SERVES: 60 (PER COOKIE); Calories: 106; Total Fat 5 grams; Saturated Fat: 3 grams; Protein: 1 grams; Total carbohydrates: 14 grams; Sugar: 9 grams Fiber: 1 gram; Cholesterol: 16 milligrams; Sodium: 70 milligrams

"Twix"Cookie Bars

Ok, this recipe is a decided SPLURGE, but my sister-in-law Kari made these for our Christmas Eve family dinner and all 18 of us were raving about them (and having seconds!) It makes a huge batch, so it's easy to keep some in the fridge or freezer and just take them out when you need a chocolate fix. Recipe from www.ourcookingcafe.com

SHORTBREAD LAYER:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325. Beat together butter and sugar til smooth, add vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Press into a sheet cake pan, about 12x16 (or close to those measurements.) Poke with a fork several times. (See photo below) Bake for about 22-25 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Remove and cool completely.

CARAMEL LAYER:
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Place butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except for vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir over a low rolling boil for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour caramel over shortbread layer. Place in the fridge or freezer to set.

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
3-4 cups milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons shortening

In a sauce pan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Stir in shortening until smooth then spread over caramel layer. Return to refrigerator to set, then cut into bars. Makes about 50 bars.

TIPS:

* When you cut into bars, set a clean, slightly wet cloth nearby and clean your knife each time you cut. This prevents the shortbread layer from sticking to the chocolate and your bars will look pretty!
* Stack in an airtight container, separating the rows with layers of waxed paper. (See photo below)
* These are best kept in the fridge and set out a few minutes before you eat them.

Christmas & holiday recipe roundup!

Christmas season is in full swing and we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite holiday recipes. Christmas for me is about Christ, family and friends, giving and generosity and... food! Food always seems to play a part in creating memories, traditions and comfort. So, enjoy baking and giving away yummy treats, making memories over delicious meals, celebrating with friends at a party or giving your children something to get nostalgic about when they think back about Christmases of their childhood.

Happy holidays from all of us at Boy Cheese Sandwich!!!

• For Christmas morning:

Sausage Breakfast Casserole
German Pancakes
Apple Puff Pancakes
Amish Breakfast Casserole
Chile Casserole
Kathy's Coffee Cake
French Toast Casserole

• Christmas cookies and home-baked gifts:

Nana's Caramels
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Hot Fudge Sauce
Mom's Sugar Cookies
Waffle Brownies
Earthquake Cookies
Mint Brownies
Meltaways
Sand Art Brownies
Peanut Butter Bars
Easy Pretzel Turtles
Thin Mint Crackers

• Non-food gift:

Christmas Potpourri

• Christmas appetizers:

Cranberry Salsa
Wassail
Artichoke Dip

• Christmas salads:

Christmas Salad
Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
Pear Salad

• Christmas desserts:

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies
Mom's French Pear Pie
Eggnog Cupcakes
Cranberry Bundt Cake with Warm Butter Sauce
Apple Torte with Lemon Sauce

• Meals for Christmas day, after presents -or- for Christmas Eve:)  Most are make-ahead, so you can just warm it up or bake it when family is around and hungry!

Three-Bean Christmas Chili
Classic Cheese Fondue
Chocolate Fondue (pictured below)
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ski Country Pasta
Mom's Minestrone Soup
Cranberry Chicken
Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder with Ham
Mom's Lasagna

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

These are my husband's absolutely favorite cookie and he calls them "Peanut Butter Things." His Mom made them for him when he was little and making them for him now wins me major brownie points! The recipe makes a lot and I just place them in the refrigerator and pull them out for kids' lunches or a snack. Recipe from my cute Mother-in-law:)

3 cups white sugar

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper and set aside. Combine sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan and bring to a rapid boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and peanut butter. Mix in the oats, stirring until the mixture begins to cool. (Transfer to a large bowl first if it doesn't fit into the saucepan.) Drop batter with a cookie scoop onto prepared cookie sheets. Let cool or refrigerate until set. Store in refrigerator until serving. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Petite White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

I made these tonight for a church youth activity and couldn't wait to share them with all of you! We had a "tea" party and what's better to serve at a tea party than scones? The original recipe calls for cranberries, but when I got home from the grocery store, I realized that we had eaten the cranberries at Disneyland the week before, so I used Trader Joe's dried blueberries instead (I think they were an upgrade!) I may always make them with blueberries now. These scones are like a shortbread, but are not dry like some scones. Recipe adapted from landolakes.com

Begin by mixing the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until fine. 

Add the cream and mix just until dough holds together. Stir in fruit and white chips with a spoon.

Divide the dough into 4 sections and shape into a rectangle on a floured surface. Begin by cutting into half, then into fourths. Dip your knife into flour each time to keep it from sticking to the dough.

Cut each fourth into 2 rectangles. You will end up with 8 scones for each section of dough, for a total of 32 scones.

These spread quite a bit during baking, so space them out at least an inch (Mine ended up touching after baking!)

After the scones are baked and cooled, finish with a drizzle of white chocolate and you're good to go! 

So pretty!

Petite White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (I used blueberries)
1 1/4 cups white baking chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in whipping cream; mix until dough holds together. Stir in cranberries and 3/4 cup white baking chips with spoon. *I added another 2 Tbs. of flour because my dough was too sticky.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 10 times or until dough is smooth. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; shape each piece into 8-inch log. Cut each log into 4 (2-inch) pieces; cut each piece in half diagonally to form small triangles. Dipping your knife in flour between cuts will help stop it from sticking to the dough.

Place scones, at least 1 inch apart, onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup baking chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) 30 seconds; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring every 30 seconds until chips are melted and smooth. Drizzle scones with melted chocolate.

Each scone has: Calories: 130, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 95mg, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 1g

Root Beer Float Cookies

We LOVE Root Beer around my house and when my oldest daughter found this recipe, I was excited to try it. Root Beer concentrate can be hard to find and is sometimes seasonal (Summer), but I can always find it at Wal-Mart, of all places! Recipe from 101 Gourmet Cookies for Everyone.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. Root Beer concentrate (aka extract)

4 cups flour

pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp.)

1 tsp. baking soda

*GLAZE: 

2-3 Tbsp. whipping cream

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together sugars and butter until fluffy. Add milk, eggs and Root Beer concentrate. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour until firm then tool into 1-inch balls. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Frost with glaze.

*NOTE: I didn't have whipping cream, so I made frosting with 3 Tbs. softened butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tbs. evaporated milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.  

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

I've made this recipe 3 times now. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly, but the middle fell and the edges were too crispy. I made it twice more and tweaked the recipe quite a bit and... voila! These are soft and bake up perfectly. It barely resembles the original recipe, but you know I wouldn't put just any mediocre recipe on here. No offense, Martha! :) If you love gingersnaps like I do, these soft cookie bars will make you smile! Recipe inspired by Martha Stewart's Cookies. 

Makes about 18-24 bars (depending on how you cut them)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (12 oz.) package (1 3/4 cups) white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9" baking dish with aluminum foil and then spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Beat butter, sugar, molasses, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. Add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips.
4. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake until toothpick poked in the center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in pan, then lift tin foil out and continue to cool; cut into squares.

Pumpkin Cookies

These are my very favorite pumpkin cookies! I make them with chopped pecans or chocolate chips, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Either way, they are delicious!

Recipe from my friend Linda Thorne...

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped nuts -or- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Beat together brown sugar, pumpkin, oil egg and vanilla. Stir together the baking soda and powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt, then add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Witch's Fingers Cookies

My oldest daughter and her friend made these this week to get them in the spirit of Halloween. They are delicious and would be perfect for a costume party! Recipe from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole almonds
1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating gel (optional)

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets or use parchment paper.

Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a board that's lightly floured and roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Use a dull knife to make "knuckles" on each cookie near the tip and again near the center. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookies

I LOVE anything with lemon and poppy seeds, so this recipe was an immediate "keeper" when I made these this week. My kids loved getting these in their lunches and they stayed soft for days. I doubled the recipe and it made 4 dozen cookies.* Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk**
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
zest of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and poppy seeds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix well.

Drop the dough by small tablespoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set. The cookies should be puffy and fairly light in color when they are finished baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. *Makes about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

**Okay, if you're like me, you don't usually have 1/4 cup of buttermilk in your fridge. Try substituting 1/4 cup milk with 1/2 tsp. lemon juice added. It thickens up just like buttermilk and adds a little extra lemon flavor:)

Waffle Brownies

This creative take on brownies is one of the Fredrick family staples.  Deborah is un-officially assigned to make these fast-disappearing favorites for every family function!  Recipe from Barbara Fredrick.

Melt 1/2 cup (1 cube) margarine.

Add 7 tablespoons cocoa.

Add 4 beaten eggs.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Combine:  1 1/2 cups sugar

                  2 cups flour

                  1/2 tsp salt

                  

Add to chocolate mixture.  Drop by spoonfuls on hot waffle iron, cooking four at a time, for approximately 1 minute.

Let cool, then frost with buttercream frosting.  

**Optional:  Add 1 tsp of peppermint flavoring to the frosting for a minty-fresh treat!

Melt-Aways

Truly, they melt in your mouth!  (May have something to do with the full POUND of butter in the recipe!)  I was reminded just how sinfully-good these little lovelies are when I made them for a neighborhood Walk-n-Talk last night.  Recipe from my dear friend Ali Fillmore Black, originally her mother Pam Fillmore's creation!

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 pound butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups corn starch

2 cups flour

Mix together with a wooden spoon.  Roll into small balls (they are rich!) and place on un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Makes 6-7 dozen cookies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese (can use light)

2 2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 tsp vanilla

Cream together and swirl onto cooled cookies.  Indulge and enjoy!

Wookiee Cookies

My son had a fever yesterday, so my husband stayed home from church with him. When we walked in the door after church, I was greeted by the smell of hot cookies! My husband and son made these delicious cookies with a very funny name... "Wookiee" cookies. Apparently, they found the recipe online from the "The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes." I'm serious... I can't make this stuff up! Anyway, they are delicious. Cinnamon and both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips help make this cookie unique...

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat the oven to 375º
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Put the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in another mixing bowl. Blend until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop cookie dough 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Cream together:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Roll balls into sugar and press with fork.
Bake at 375 for 10 min.