Vanilla Maple Cookies

1 C shortening
½ C butter, softened
2 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp maple flavoring
3 C flour (or more)
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 C white chocolate chips

Frosting (Optional):

¼ C butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
¾ - 1 tsp maple flavoring
4-6 T milk

Cream shortening, butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Beat in vanilla and maple flavoring.  Combine the flour, salt, and soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.  Stir in white chocolate chips.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Frosting: Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in maple flavoring and enough milk to get a good consistency.  Frost cooled cookies. 

Greek Wedding Cookies

 

 

1 C. butter, softened               

1/4 C. powdered sugar

2 C. flour, sifted

2 C. pecans, very finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. ice water

 

With electric mixer, blend butter and powdered sugar.  Fold in flour and pecans. 

Blend well.  Add vanilla and ice water.  Mix well.  Roll a small about of dough

into a balls.  Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 350 for 15-20

minutes until lightly browned.  While cookies are hot, (wait a few minutes, or 

cookies will fall apart)  roll gently in more powdered sugar.  Makes 32 cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange Chocolate Frosting

1 box Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup apple juice
1 small can pumpkin (10 oz.)
3 eggs
1 cup Enjoy Life dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips (sold @ Wal-Mart)

Beat all ingredients for 2-3 mins to cake batter consistency.  Spoon on to parchment paper and bake at 360 Degrees for 10-12 mins.


Frosting

3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 Tb Earth Balance dairy & soy free buttery spread (sold @ Wal-Mart)
1-2 drops orange essential oil
3-6 Tb rice milk to desired consistency

Almost Great Harvest Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour

¾ cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter, softened

1/4  cup shortening
2 cups rolled oats
2 eggs

1-2 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon milk

1 to 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat together brown sugar and butter until well combined. Add oats, eggs, molasses, and milk; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop, scoop and drop about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, until just starting to brown around the outside. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove and cool on racks.

Makes about 45 cookies (with a small cookie scoop) or 24 large cookies (large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup—adjust baking time).

Adapted from source: Great Harvest Bread Company--This is NOT the official Great Harvest recipe... they only use whole wheat flour and butter, but I could not get them to turn out the way I wanted them to without adjusting with some shortening and white flour.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies (Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens)

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup peanut better
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add 1/2 cup of the flour, the sugars, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.  Beat till thoroughly combined.  Beat in remaining flour.

You can flatten by crisscrossing with a fork if desired.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  Makes about 36 small cookies.

Chocolate Dipped Cherry Cookies

1 box of cherry chip cake mix

1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water

one container cherry chip frosting

1 bag of chocolate chips (or any chocolate to melt)

Directions: Make the cake cookies first, by combining cake mix, egg, oil, and water in bowl.  Mix, and make small cookie balls to put in the oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 7-8 min. or until done.  Once done, sandwich the cookies together with cherry chip frosting in the middle, and dip them half-way in melted chocolate.  Let cool (can refrigerate or put in freezer). Serve.

Pistachio Thumbprints

Cookies:
1 cup soft butter or margarine
1/3cup powdered sugar
1 egg                                   
1 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp almond extract          
2 cups flour
1 (3.4) pkg. instant pistachio pudding mix
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups finely chopped pecans/or almonds

Cream butter and sugar, then add egg and extracts. Add flour and dry pudding mix. Stir in chips and shape into 1inch balls to roll in nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each cookie. Bake 350 for 10-12 min. cool

Filling:
2Tbsp soft butter or marg.  
1tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar                     
2-3 Tbsp milk

Mix and spoon into center of cooled cookies.

Cookie Exchange 2010

Marilynn hosted another great Cookie Exchange this year! Recipes for the cookies and delicious appetizers to come...

Sugar Cookies by Jennifer H.

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

Preheat oven to 400.  In large bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add baking powder and flour, one cup at a time.

Dough will be stiff - blend last flour by hand.  Do not chill dough.

Divide dough into 2 balls.  Roll out on floured surface until 1/8 inch thick.  Cut out shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie cheets for 7 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool

Royal Icing

2 lb. powdered sugar

3 heaping Tb. dehydrated egg whites (I use "Just Whites".  You can buy it at Maceys)

1 tsp clear vanilla

cold water

Place 1 lb. powdered sugar in mixing bowl.  Add egg whites and mix into sugar well.  Add about 1/3 c. cold water and blend.  Add rest of sugar and more water in small amounts until frosting reaches a consistency that will hold its shape when squeezed through a decorating bag.  Separate frosting in multiple bowls and add color as desired.  To decorate cookies, place frosting in bag with desired tip and pipe around the edges of cookies.  In another bowl, combine frosting with water until the consistency is like syrup but not too runny.  Carefully place frosting in cookie and "flood" cookie until you have filled in the center of the areas you piped.  (I use a plastic spoon to gently coax frosting to every spot on the cookie).

Be careful not to add too much and overflow the cookie.  When the icing has set, you can once more take the frosting in bags and decorate over the top of the icing.  Let dry before stacking.  Note:

royal icing is known for the pretty things you can do with it, not for being the yummiest frosting.  If you wish, you can add a teaspoon of mint, orange, almond or any other extract to help compliment the taste of your cookies.

Easy Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies by Cynthia S.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2/3 cup margarine/butter (softened)*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg  (I use the egg substitute so my kids can eat a lot of dough :)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Then add:
about 2 cups flour (start a little less then add more if needed)
semi-sweet chocolate chips (almost a half a bag)

I put the first seven ingredients in a bowl and mix it really well.  You can do this by hand (but you have to do it fast and very well) or use a mixer. Then mix in the flour. The dough will be right if it no longer sticks to the bowl and it forms a soft mass of dough in the middle.  Then add the chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. Don't overcook!  Enjoy! 
¥ields: about 2 dozen

* I like using the Canola Harvest spread because it's healthier and you don't have to soften it, but you probably have to add a bit more flour.

M&M Cookies by Sara W.

2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla

Blend well

4 cups flour
3 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
1 3/4 cup oatmeal

Mix Well and then add:
1 package chocolate chips (or one bag plain M&M's or half and half)

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until slightly brown.

Old Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies by Lisa W.

Cream together in large bowl:

2c. sugar

3c. eggs

1c. Margarine

Mix dry ingredients:

6 c.    flour

5 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

Mix:

1 tsp vanilla

1c     milk

Rotate adding dry ingredients and milk mixture to creamed mixture in a large bowl.  Add flour if needed until dough mixture is Right consistency to roll out.

Roll onto floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.  Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cookies will be light in color and will

stay very soft for several days.  This recipe makes about 100 small cookies!!

Chocolate Snickerdoodle Drops by Lisa H.

Ingredients

• 1  cup butter, softened
• 2  cups sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2  egg
• 2/3  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4  tablespoons sugar
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups sugar, soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

2. Drop by slightly rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Stir together remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle dough with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 30 cookies if you use a large cookie scoop.

Make-ahead tip: Store cookies in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in freezer up to 1 month.