Recipe Book

Five Secrets to Making Better Cookies• Make sure your cookie sheets aren’t too thin. The heavier your cookie sheet,

the less likely your cookies are to burn. If you can’t afford heavy-duty cookie sheets, you can cover your thin ones with layers of aluminum foil.

• Experiment with the temperature of your oven. Some ovens register hotter than what you set them for.

• Always place your cookie dough on cold cookie sheets. If you don’t let the cookie sheets cool, your cookie dough will spread too much from the heat of the cookie sheets.

• Don’t bake the cookies for too long. They should be light brown around the edges. Keep in mind that the cookies will continue to cook from the heat of the cookie sheet after you remove them from the oven. Your cookies should look a little underdone when they come out of the oven.

• Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet until you can lift them with a spatula without breaking them. Cool them completely on wire racks if you have them, otherwise you can cool them on paper towels or waxed paper.

Freezing Cookies and Cookie DoughIf you’re looking ahead to the holiday season and wondering how you’re going to get all your baking done, consider freezing your cookie dough or fresh baked cookies ahead of time. When the holidays get closer you can get that last bit of shopping done or last present made instead of spending all your time in the kitchen.

Freezing Cookie Dough

• Cookie dough will freeze well for 4 to 6 weeks. Rolls of dough should be sealed tightly in plastic wrap (chill in refrigerator first before freezing). Other kinds of dough should be stored in airtight containers. Drop cookies (unbaked) may be frozen on cookie sheets and transferred to freezer bags. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

• Don’t try to freeze soft meringue-type cookie dough. Chocolate chip, brownies, peanut butter, and sugar cookie dough (or anything similar) freezes well. Let the dough defrost in the refrigerator (about 2-3 hours). Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookie dough.

Freezing Baked Cookies

• Almost any baked cookie freezes well. Let cookies completely cool before freezing. Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap then store them in a ziploc freezer bag or storage tin (coffee cans or holiday tins work great). You can also just layer the cookies between layers of waxed paper in the container, but the individually wrapped ones will store longer.

• Freeze frosted cookies uncovered first until they are firm. Then pack them in airtight container lined with plastic wrap or foil. Make sure to label the container with the date and type of cookies. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen up to 6-12 months (frosted, about 3 months).

• Frozen cookies thaw in about 10 minutes at room temperature (if you can wait that long). If cookies should be crisp when thawed, remove them from the container before thawing.

Michele’s Peanut Butter Temptations

About 40 (13-oz pkg) REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened1/2 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar1/3 cup REESE’S Creamy Peanut Butter1 egg1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1-1/2 cups all purpose flour3/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from candies. Line small muffin cups (1-3/4 diameter) with baking cups.

In large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place one in each prepared muffin cup. Do not flatten.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven. Immediately press peanut butter cup into each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan.

Yields about 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

Amanda’s Mini Kisses Chocolate Blossoms

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened1-1/2 cups sugar2 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 cups all purpose flour1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa1/2 teaspoon saltAdditional sugar1-3/4 cups (10-oz pkg) HERSHEY’S MINI KISSES Semi-Sweet Baking Pieces

Beat butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into roughly 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. Place 3 MINI KISSES on each cookie, pressing down lightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Nichole’s “I Don’t Bake” Sugar Cookies

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix1/2 cup vegetable shortening1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 eggDecorative sugar in fun colors

Heat oven to 375°F (350° for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). In large bowl, beat cake mix, shortening, butter, vanilla, and egg with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on high speed for 1 minute. All dry ingredients should be well incorporated. Dough will be sticky.

At this point, you can choose to roll out your dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a well floured surface and cut with cookie cutters or you can load up your cookie press and use whatever shape disk you like. Put cookies on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Decorate with sugar as desired.

Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on pan 1 minute. Remove from pan with spatula and cool completely on wire racks.

Yields about 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.

Shari’s Chocolate Crinkles

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder2 cups sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil4 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 cups all purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

In medium bowl, mix together cocoa, sugar and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. (I use my large pampered chef cookie scoop). Coat each ball in the confectioners’ sugar before placing on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheets for one minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Yields about 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on how big a scoop you use.

Debra’s Lemon Pistachio Biscotti

1/3 cup butter, softened2/3 cup sugar2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla2 cups all purpose flour4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel1-1/4 cups pistachio nuts1 recipe Lemon Icing (to follow)

Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in a much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour and lemon peel. Stir in the pistachio nuts.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into an 8 inch log roll. Place at least 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten slightly until about 2-1/2 inches wide.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops are cracked (loaves will spread slightly). Cool on cookie sheet for 30 minutes.

Use a serrated knife to cut each roll diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 325°F oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Dip ends into or drizzle with Lemon Icing.

Lemon Icing: In a small bowl stir together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel. Stir in enough milk or lemon juice (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make icing of drizzling consistency.

Laura’s Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter2 cup sugar1 cup buttermilk3 eggs1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons vanilla4 cups flour. Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. In separate bowl combine buttermilk with baking soda and sit aside. In another bowl combine flour and baking powder. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to butter mixture adding gradually while beating. Add vanilla. Drop onto ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle colored sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Kim’s “I Was on a Cruise” Chocolate Candy Cookies

Cash or a credit card1 vehicle to drive1 supermarket

Drive to your local supermarket. Invade the bakery section and pile as many cookie containers into your cart as you need. These typically come packaged 6 to 12 cookies in a container, so make sure you keep count of how many you’re getting.

Go to the nearest empty check-out line (no one wants to wait for cookies!) Pile your cookies on the belt, glare at the cashier as they give you a dirty look. Pay for your cookies.

On the drive home, open all of the containers and dole out cookies into separate plastic ziplock baggies. Bagging should be done in the car.

Yields however many cookies you needed. No clean up required!