Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe comes from my friend Sarah. Recently, I substituted half of the peanut butter for nutella. Yum.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Cream:
1 c white sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
1 c butter
1 c peanut butter
1 t vanilla
2 eggs

Add:
2 c flour
1 c rolled oats
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Spicy Gingerbread Dough

These don't look super fantastic and cutesy because I made this primarily for the kids to decorate. They did turn out perfect for making the houses. My boys were thrilled. Be warned, this does take a fair amount of time. Don't plan on making it all in one day.
Spicy Gingerbread Dough

From: Sugar and Spice

2 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream (you can add a few extra Tbs. if you have a hard time getting the dough to come together.)
1 1/4 cups molasses
9 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs. baking soda
1 Tbs. ground ginger

In a very large bowl, with a wire whisk or electric mixer, beat brown sugar, cream, and molasses until sugar lumps dissolve and mixture is smooth. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and ginger. With spoon, stir flour mixture into cream mixture in 3 additions until the dough is too stiff to stir, then knead with hands until flour is incorporated and dough is smooth.

Divide the dough into 4 equat portions; flatten each into a disk to speed chilling. Wrap each disk well with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

Grease and flour large cookie sheets.

Roll out dough, one disk at a time on each cookie sheet(I found this impossible and just did it on my counter top) to about 3/16th" thickness. (It was suggested that you used 3/16th" dowel rods or a ruler to help make sure that you get it to an even thickness. I just eyeballed it.)

Trim excess dough from cookie sheet; wrap and reserve in fridge. Chill rolled dough on cookie sheet in refrigerator or freezer at least 10 minutes or until firm enough to cut easily. (Because I rolled mine on my counter, I just cut it out and moved it to the cookie sheets)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Use chilled rolled dough, floured poster board patterns and a sharp paring knife to cut all house pieces on cookie sheet making sure to leave at least a 1 1/4" between pieces as dough will expand slightly during cooking. (I just used computer paper for my pattern and a cake spatula to cut the dough) Wrap and reserve trimmings in the fridge. Combine and use trimmings for decorative pieces or whatever you want.

Chill for 10 minutes before baking if the dough seems really soft after the cut it. This will discourage too much spreading while baking.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until pieces are firm to the touch. Do not over bake or pieces will be too crisp to trim if necessary.

Remove cookie sheet from oven. While pieces are still warm, place poster-board patterns on top and use them as guides to trim shapes to match if necessary. Cool pieces completely before attempting to assemble the house. Use royal icing to assemble.

Royal Icing

1 large egg white
3 cups powdered sugar (I only needed about 2 cups)
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. almond extract

Beat all ingredients together until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe frosting onto pieces and assemble. Cover the portion of frosting not currently in use with a damp towel to prevent it from setting up.

Peanut Butter Cookie Broomsticks

We had a lot of fun making these cookies before Halloween. Sorry, I'm so late posting them. They would have been super cute to have put in a little celo bag to give away to friends. We made these using my go to Peanut Butter cookie recipe.Peanut Butter Cookie Broomsticks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. sugar
pretzel rods
chocolate chips (or as my husband put it, if I loved him more I would have used cinnamon chips as he is of the non chocolate eating variety)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, vanilla and egg; blend well.

Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Shape into 1" balls. Place into 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets..

Dip a fork into the remaining sugar. Press fork into the cookie making it look like bottom of a broom. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-9 minutes or until set and golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Melt your chocolate chips in the microwave or a double-boiler on the stove top. Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Place the cookies on the paper. Set the tip of the pretzel rod up against the cookie or just overlapping it. Spoon some of your melted chocolate over the end of the pretzel and edge of the cookie. Place cookie sheet in the fridge or freezer to harden up the chocolate.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Cookies

Jason just loves these cookies. They are usually made with a yellow cake mix, but all I had was strawberry and the hubby was craving... so... I actually like them better with the strawberry cake mix. Also, I think that these cookies are really best eaten HOT.Cream Cheese Cookies

From: Mom Crellin

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 yellow cake mix

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add cake mix 1/3 at a time. Chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly before removing.

Homemade Oreos

Homemade Oreos

From: Nosheteria

For Chocolate Cookie:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lg. egg

For the Cream Filling:

1/4 unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Put oven rack in the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients for the cookies. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet about 2" apart. (The first batch I used bigger amounts of dough and it was really to much. I really do recommend using a tsp. measure as it really helped to get uniform sized cookies.) With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes (I did about 7-8 minutes and think that next time I'll do more like 6-7. I really liked the ones that came out still a tad chewy yet still had crunch and baking them for 9 minutes they were all crunch.), rotating once for even baking. Set cookie sheets on a rack to cool.


To make the cream filling, place the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl and beat at a low speed, gradually beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.

Assemble the cookies by placing a teaspoon sized dollup of the cream in the center of one cookie and the pressing the second cookie on top.

Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

I guess you theoretically could make these with any type of jelly, but strawberry is my favorite.Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

From: Mom aka Ruth Solter

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam/jelly
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine sugar, butter and 1/2 tsp. almond extract. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add flour. Beat until well mixed. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 2" apart on a cookie sheet. With thumb, make indentation in center of each cookie. The edges may crack slightly. Fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp. of jam. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract and enough water to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over cookies. Cool completely.

Palmiers

Jason ate these all of the time when he was in Spain, so when I saw this recipe, I knew that I had to try them. The verdict is that these were the easiest cookies/pastries in the entire world to make.Palmiers

From: Epicurious

2 puff pastry sheets
sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle sugar on a counter or other work surface. Lay a thawed puff pastry square over top of the sugar. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with more sugar. Roll dough into a 10" square. Fold in the sides of the dough to meet in the center. Again fold the sides of the dough to meet in the center. Fold one half over the other at the center. Cut the pastry crosswise into 1/2" thick slices. Lightly roll each slice in sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet. Bake in batches in a middle oven rack until golden on bottom, about 12 minutes. Turn over and bake until golden on bottom, about 5-7 minutes more. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Melt Aways

These are a Christmas favorite at our house. I made these while visiting my inlaws this Christmas. I think others call these cookies Russian Teacakes.
Meltaways

From: Mom aka Ruth Solter

1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I use almonds)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together. Add remaining ingredients. Roll into 1" balls. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. The cookies should be set but not brown. While the cookies are still warm (not hot) roll in additional powdered sugar.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were divine. I loved the variety of flavors all combined into one cookie. Even my non chocolate eating hubby loved them. Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Ocean Spray

2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (6 oz.) pkg. sweetened craisins
2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugar together in mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, mixing well. In a small bowl combine oats flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in several batches, mixing well after each addition. Stir in craisins and white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (um, yeah, I made mine much bigger than that.) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Almond Butter Cookies

Sweet almond love. If you like almond flavored things you will love this.
Almond Butter Cookies

From: Sarah Guymon

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup almond paste (6 oz.)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, almond paste and sugar. Beat in the egg. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Roll into 1" balls. Place 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

From: Dozen Flours

Cookies:
4 cups flour
2 Tbs. cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup shortening, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs. mild flavored molasses
2 Tbs. real maple syrup
1/2 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature, slightly beaten
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups solid packed pumpkin

Filling:
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup + 1/4 cup water, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract (can use clear if you want the filling to be super white)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 8 0z. pkg. cream cheese, softened and cut into several pieces
1/2 cup light corn syrup

In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl, with paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. On medium speed, beat until well blended and lightened, about 2 minutes, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least one time. Reduce the mixer speed slightly and add the sour cream, egg and vanilla, beating until very light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer.

Beat in about half of the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times so release the little pockets of dry ingredients. Beat in the pumpkin just until it's smoothly incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Take your time to beat or stir in the remaining flour mixture, looking for flour pockets. Mix until smoothly incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Refrigerate dough for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease large baking sheets with Pam. Scoop about 1/4 cup of dough onto your cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 4" apart. Spray a 3" round cookie cutter with pam and place it over the cookie dough. (I thought that this made way too big of cookies. They were just a little bit smaller than my entire hand! So, I started using about a 1 1/2" cookie cutter and less dough and it was perfect.) With one hand firmly hold the cookie cutter in place while you use your other hand to gently spread the dough out to meet the sides of the cookie cutter. Gently twist and lift the cookie cutter up and away. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until tinged with brown al over and just firm when lightly pressing the center. Transfer the sheets to wire racks and let them cook for at least 2 minutes to firm up slightly. Using a spatula, transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

In a small measureing cup, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

Fit mixer with whisk attachment.

In a heavy 2 qt. saucepan, over medium high heat, stir the white sugar, corn syrup and hot water until well blended. Continue stirring and raise the heat to hight; bring to a full boil. Boil for 30 seconds. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until it dsolves completely.

VERY cafefully transfer the mixture to your mixer bowl and add the vanill. On medium speed beat for 20 seconds. (I draped a dish towel over my mixer to prevent hot splashes). Gradually raise the speed to higha nd beat until the mixture is stiffened, very white, voluminous and cooled to barely warm. This should take 5-15 minutes. Reduce the spped to low and slowly beat in the powdered sugar.

On medium speed gradualy add the cream cheese, beating just until the mixture is completely smooth. If the filling seems to runny to spread, cover and stick in the fridge until it firms up.

Lay one cookie upside down and spread some of the filling on top. Top with a second cookie, pressing down lightly so that the filling almost squeezes out the sides. This makes a ton, so after giving a bunch away, I wrapped several in wax paper and then stuck them in plastic bags and through them in the freezer. Jason just loves them still frozen, although they can be thawed before being eaten.

Key Lime Meltaways

Dear Martha Stewart. I love you.



Now, I know that my key limes look like they're on their way out, but I learned was that a ripe key lime is a yellow key lime. Apparently, the same goes for regular Persian limes as well.

These cookies are perfection. The only downside is that they are so small that you can easily put away 10 without batting an eye. Also, they must be eaten with a glass of milk. Mmm... milk. I'll be making these again soon as my husband has requested them for the fundraising bake sale his work is holding.

Key Lime Meltaways
Adapted from Martha Stewart

You can make these with regular limes as well, but if you run into some key limes, they’re worth it.

You can also keep the logs frozen for up to two months.
Yield: 5 dozen

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (a.k.a. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined.

3. Between two 8-by-12-inch pieces of parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour. (I'm impatient so I froze it for 20 minutes.)

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

5. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Molasses Spice Cookies

I'm a HUGE fan of Gingersnaps, but if you've ever tried to find some at the store, they have approximately ONE brand. And they're not all that great. I happened upon this recipe this week which just blew me away (and earned me compliments from my husband's boss!) from Cook's Illustrated.

If you like gingersnaps, you will NOT be disappointed.



Molasses Spice Cookies

2.25 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
12 T (1.5 sticks) butter
1/2 c dark brown sugar (I used light brown)
1/2 c Sugar plus 1/3 c for rolling
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c molasses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves & allspice. Set aside. With mixer, cream butter for 2 min. Add brown sugar, and 1/2 c sugar. Beat 3 min. Add egg, vanilla, & molasses. Beat til combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on low until combined. (Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until dough is easily rolled.) Roll into balls & roll in the 1/3 c sugar. Bake 11-13 minutes. If you overbake, they won't be soft. I take them out at exactly 11 minutes. I like 'em soft.

My hints/suggestions/alterations from the original recipe are in italics (as they will be from now on.)

Lime is your friend. Or at least, it's mine.

That's one thing you'll see rather quickly. I love limes. In all their various incarnations. Including the color.

So tonight, I was finally able to make these cookies that I'd been drooling over for a couple of weeks.

Lime, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies
2/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp lime zest (1 large lime)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped, toasted macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by lime zest.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, making approximately 1-inch balls and leaving some room for the cookies to spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies begin to brown slightly around the edges.
Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and remove to a wire rack to cool completely before storing.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Notes: I only wish the recipe was larger so I could use ALL of my bags of white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Instead, I have to put back half bags of stuff and HOPE I remember to make these again before my nuts go rancid. I guess I could have made a double batch, but let's be honest about who is going to eat all of these cookies...

Also, I wish the lime was a tad bit stronger. I contemplated adding some straight up lime juice in a very small amount, and if/when I do get around to making them again, I think I will.