1st Annual Cookie Weekend - December 2011

Featured Recipes:

Magic Cookie Bars

Lace Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Sugar Cookies

Choco-Caramel Delights

Buckeyes

Swedish Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lemon Butter Spritz Cookies

We brought just a few ingredients.

Packaging our goodies

Decorating the Gingerbread House

This is what happens when Erin is left alone with the gingerbread house...

...Santa and Frosty need to watch their backs.

Magic Cookie Bars

Submitted by Michelle

prep time: 10 minutes

makes 2 to 3 dozen bars

1 ½ C  graham cracker crumbs

½ C  (1 stick) butter, melted

1  14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

2 C  (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ⅓ C  flaked coconut

1 C  chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F (325˚ for glass dish).

2. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan/glass dish.

3. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press firmly down with fork.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned, do not overbake! Let cool and chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature or in refrigerator.  

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Submitted by Meliss

Makes: about 2.5 dozen

Prep: 10 minutesBake: 10 minutes per batch

 

Ingredients

• 1  cup  peanut butter, chunky or creamy
• 1  cup  packed light- or dark-brown sugar
• 1  large  egg, slightly beaten
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1  cup  semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In medium-size bowl, beat together the peanut butter, brown sugar, egg and baking soda until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Stir in chips until evenly distributed.
3. Drop the dough by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing the mounds about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the 350°F oven until the cookies are puffed and slightly golden but still soft to the touch, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to the wire rack; let cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Submitted by Lori

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts







COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 5 dozen.

Snickerdoodles

Submitted by Erin

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Double Batch Swedish Cookies

Submitted by Lora

1 1/2 cups of shortening crisco margarine combined

1 tsp baking soda in hot water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
pinch salt
4 cups of flour

Beat eggs, shortening, and sugar. Mix together remaining ingredients.  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture. Make two rolls.  Wrap in wax paper and freeze.

Slice and sprinkle sugar crystals.

Bake  350 for 10 min or lightly browned. 

Lace Cookies

Submitted by Laura

• 1 1/2 c uncooked oatmeal
• 1 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 c melted butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Mix oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, salt.
• Stir in melted butter, add egg and vanilla.
• Mix well.
• Arrange by scant half-teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, on cookie sheets.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 5 min.
• Cool slightly on trays, remove when firm.

Be advised, these spread out like crazy.

Sugar Cookies

Submitted by Liz

Purchase Sugar Cookie kit at Trader Joe's.  Follow directions on box while you play with the baby. :)

Lemon Butter Spritz Cookies

Submitted by Meliss

• 
  
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Colored sugar

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
• Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Yield: about 12 dozen.

Choco-Caramel Delights

Submitted by Lori

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine,

1 cup finely chopped pecans 

1 egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 cup all-purpose flour

Caramel Filling, softened(recipe follows)

1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. shortening


In small mixer bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg yolk,milk, and vanilla until blended. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; blend into butter mixture. Chill dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Beat egg white slightly. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in pecans to coat. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each ball.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. While cookies bake, prepare Caramel Filling. Press center of each cookie again with thumb to make indentation. Immediately spoon about 1 2 teaspoon Caramel Filling in center of eich cookie. Carefully remove to wire racks to cool completely

In small microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until softened; stir. Allow to stand several minutes to finish melt ng; stir until smooth. Place waxed paper under wire racks with cookies. Drizzle chocolate mixture over top of cookies.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.


Caramel Filling:

In small saucepan, combine 14 unwrapped light caramels and 3 tablespoons whipping cream. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. 

Buckeyes

Submitted by Megs

1c    creamy peanut butter

1/4c   butter – room temp

1tsp   vanilla

1.5c    confectioner sugar

.5c    flour

1c     semisweet chocolate chips – melt

Line 2 cookie sheets w/ wax paper.  Beat PB, vanilla, butter, gradually add sugar and flour.  Make rounded tsp (1” balls).  Refrigerate approx 1 hour until firm.  Spear and dip 2/3 in melted chocolate.  Refrigerate for 15 min.  Store in fridge for 2 months