Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My family loves these cookies so much, even a double batch can disappear in a few days. They are hearty and satisfying from the cookie jar or still warm from the oven. These Oatmeal Raisin cookies are the perfect snack for a cold winter afternoon. This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter or margerine
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
6 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cups finely chopped pecans
2 1/4 cups raisins


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat eggs slightly and add to sugar-cream mixture. Add vanilla and blend until batter is uniformly smooth. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until combined and add gradually to batter, mixing well after each addition. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.

Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Cookie will spread as it bakes. Bake in center of oven, 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool 1-2 minutes before transferring from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookie #3: Cream Cheese Cookies

These cookies are so beautiful to look at, and so rich that one tiny mouthful is enough to satisfy. As they bake, the dough turns a gorgeous white that contrasts so beautifully with the cherry. They are my favorite cookies of the season.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup splenda
2 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks
5 cups flour
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 jar maraschino cherries

Cream butter, cheese, sugar, and splenda. Blend in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour gradually, followed by nuts. Roll dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Cut each cherry in fourths. Press 1/4 cherry into the top of each cookie. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookie #2: Fresh Ginger-Lemon Cookies

I love the taste of these gentle ginger cookies. They are a far cry from the heavily spiced taste of ginger snaps or gingerbread. I love to eat them with a nice, hot cup of Earl Grey. They are a crisp mouthful of buttery ginger-lemon goodness -- a great taste of the holidays.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tbs fresh ginger, finely ground in the food processor
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the sugar and butter, add vinegar and mix thoroughly. Add the remaining ingredients, one at a time, beating after each addition. The dough should be thick, but not stiff or dry. Roll dough in 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently press into 1/2 inch rounds with your fingers or the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake 14-16 minutes, until golden. Cool completely.

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookie #1: Surprise Sugar Cookies

My family is crazy over Christmas cookies. We bake them. We exchange them with friends. We use and re-use old recipes, adapt recipes, and try new recipes. Because Christmas cookies are such a fun and important part of our holiday celebration, I thought I'd spend December posting old stand-bys and new favorites.

The first is Surprise Sugar Cookies -- they are crisp and tasty and they disappear fast! And the surprise is just how easy they are to make! We made a batch today (my three-year-old and I) in about a half hour. With her helping. A lot. (Get the picture?)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
Red and green colored sugar sprinkles, mixed together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine butter and 3/4 cups sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add baking soda and mix until incorporated. Add vinegar. Gradually mix in flour and vanilla. (The dough should be quite thick.) Roll dough into 1 inch balls.

Roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, mixed with the colored sugar sprinkles -- this is a great job for the kids. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet (cookie will spread quite a bit, so leave plenty of room). To make it easier to bring the cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack, I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Jeff & Katie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Jeff and Katie stopped by our house earlier this week, and I made them these cookies. As our children played with them and their young daughter, the heaping plate I brought to the table was reduced to crumbs. Fortunately, I had set some aside for Jeff and Katie to bring home! (I wonder whether Katie decided to share.) Well, with this recipe, I guess she can just make more!

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa (I use Droste)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup Splenda for baking (or white sugar)
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
1 tbs milk
1 bag peanut butter chips (12 ounces)

Mix together the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter and shortening for about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and blend until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients, scraping the bowl as you go. Add milk and mix thoroughly. The batter should be very light-textured. Add chips and mix in gently.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop from a teaspoon about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute in place and then move to a cooling rack. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Crispy Sugar Surprise Cookies

Here's another of our family's favorites. You'll never guess these cookies are eggless or that their secret ingredient is vinegar. They come out crispy and delicious every time and truly melt in your mouth. Make them -- they're sure to disappear!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
Colored sugar sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine butter and 3/4 cups sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add baking soda and mix until incorporated. Add vinegar. Gradually mix in flour and vanilla. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, mixed with your favorite colored sugar sprinkles -- this is a great job for the kids. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet (cookie will spread quite a bit, so leave plenty of room). Flatten to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a glass, dipped in sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Butterscotch Haystacks

This is such a simple cookie to do with the kids. It requires no baking (so you don't have to heat up the oven in hot weather) and it's a great activity for rainy days on summer vacation! Hint: make lots! These will disappear!

Ingredients:

2 cups butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky as you prefer
1 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
4 cups crispy chow mein noodles

Combine the butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 3-5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Stir again until smooth. Place peanuts and chow mein noodles in a large mixing bowl. Pour warm butterscotch mixture over noodles as you stir, coating them thoroughly. Place by spoonfuls on wax paper and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!