Butterfinger Cookies

There's a new treat in town (my little home-town, that is.)

I like a good warm cookie, but I would say that cookies, in general, don't temp me. I can pass up a cookie.  However, this one might just be the ONE...the one that does me in. I love it's peanut-y goodness and the delicious chunks of Butterfinger. When you open the container the nutty goodness greets you and the chewy cookie calls your name...at least mine.  Enjoy!

Butterfinger Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
2/3 C packed brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 1/4 C chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 C flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz each), chopped

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add egg whites; beat well. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in candy bars. Shape into 1 1/2 in. balls and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.

Yields: 4 dozen
Recipe by: Taste of Home

So Yummy!

Coated Cookie Drops

I've got one more cookie we make at Christmastime, but it could be made at any other time of the year.

Coated Cookie Drops

Ingredients: 

 1 pkg (20 oz) oreos (1 pkg, plus another 1/3)
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 bags of candy coating, coarsely chopped for dipping
1 bag of candy coating, coarsely chopped for drizzle

 Place the cookies in a food processor; cover and process until finely crushed. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and crushed cookies until blended. Roll into 3/4-in. balls. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt candy coating for dipping, stirring until smooth; dip the balls to completely coat. Place on waxed paper until hardened. Melt and drizzle remainder candy coating over balls. Store in the refrigerator.

Servings: about 7-1/2 dozen.

Recipe Given By: Taste of Home

These are the first to be eaten!

Snowmen Cookies

Here's a highlight of Christmas baking day 2012.

The gang is working on Snowmen cookies, probably their favorite creative "dish" of the season.

Why do you ask?

Because over the years our snowmen have morphed into aliens, cartoon characters and even Ipods.  There's rarely a snowman among the creations. I think the snowman 2nd from right bottom row was Grandma's.  The clown (center) was a new idea this year. Thank you, Rhett.

This recipe is basically candy-coated Nutter Butters. How can you go wrong with that! It's snowman season for the next couple of months; these would make a fun treat.

Snowmen Cookies 

Ingredients:

(16 ounces) Nutter Butter cookies
1-1/4 pounds white candy coating, melted
Miniature chocolate chips M & M's
minis Pretzel sticks, halved
Orange and red decorating gel

Using tongs, dip cookies in candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. Place two chocolate chips on one end of cookies for eyes. Place M & M's down middle for buttons. For arms, dip ends of two pretzel stick halves into coating; attach one to each side. Let stand until set. Pipe nose and scarf with gel or frosting.

Servings: 32 cookies
Recipe by: Taste of Home

Tricky summer treat

Here's a tricky treat that can be used, not only on April 1st, but any day of the year!

Sweet Hamburger Bites

Ingredients: (per serving)

2 vanilla wafers

Yellow frosting
Red frosting
Mini peppermint patty (York used here)

Layer in order:

1 vanilla wafer, flat side up
yellow frosting
peppermint patty
red frosting
Top with vanilla wafer, flat side down

You could mix coconut with green food coloring to add a "lettuce" layer, if you like.

Enjoy!

M - Molasses-Spice Cookies

The boys plow right through these cookies at my house. I've included a picture of mine at the bottom, but click on the Southern Living link to see them in all their glory.

Molasses-Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 C shortening
1 C granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 C molasses
2 C all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground allspice (which I leave out or just add a small pinch of pepper)
1 C sparkling sugar

Beat the shortening at med speed with mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 1 C granulated sugar, beating well. Add egg and molasses; beat well.

Combine flour and next 8 ingredients, stirring well. Add 1/4 of the flour mixture at a time to shortening mixture, beating at low speed after each addition until blended. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Shape dough into 1-in balls, and roll in sparkling sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes. (Tops will crack.) Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Serving: 3 dozen
Recipe Given By: Southern Living

Look for sparkling sugar in the Wilton aisle of your local craft store!

K - Reeses Krispies

I shared these with friends at our homeschool CoOp and they quickly asked for the recipe. Addicting!

Reeses Krispies

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Corn Syrup
1 1/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
4 1/4 Cup Rice Krispies
1 Pinch of Salt
4 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
(4 individual cups were just a token flavor, will try 4 pkgs next time.)
1 Handful Chocolate Chips

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter until smooth and evenly combined. (get it hot and melty, not just combined!)Remove from heat.

Quickly add the salt and cereal and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and stir again. Wait about 1 min and add the candy, quickly folding the mixture together so as to not smash up the candy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded tablespoons onto the sheet. Let cool and devour!

Recipe Given By: http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Got a recipe you just won't trade in? No matter how good someone claims theirs to be. Yep, Nestle has me too. I love their chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I've tried a couple of other recipes, but then given up. This is the best of the best, my friends. You may "psh" me or agree; it doesn't really matter. I'm a believer.

So how can a perfect recipe turn out so differently when 3 women from the same family bake them?

My grandmother used real butter in this recipe. He cookies turned stale within a day or two (could it have been the container?) and tasted like sugar. My mom blamed it on the butter.

My mother uses Crisco shortening instead of butter or margarine. He cookies are fluffy and HARD. She does freeze them and have them on hand, but they are a crunchy cookie most of the time.

I use Imperial margarine only. I LOVE my cookies. My family LOVES my cookies. I wouldn't use anything else. They never last long enough to get stale.

Did I mention there was a stubborn streak that runs in my family? :)

No matter HOW you bake 'em, may all your cookies be to your liking and may you be able to eat them guilt-free!

Oh, yum!

No-Bake Cookies

There are lots of no-bake cookie recipes out there, but this one is a tried-and-true keeper! I made them as part of the goodies given to my college daughter and her friends. When I made them I ran out of quick-cook oats and threw in 1 1/2 Cups of whole oats. It worked out great! I don't suggest doing a complete swap-out, but a little worked just fine.

I haven't made these for years because, as I said to my husband this weekend, "I don't like them." My memory is failing me because I ate my fair share and they were delicious.

No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

4 C sugar
4 T. cocoa
1 C milk
1 ¾ cube butter
½ t. salt

Mix these ingredients and boil one minute.

Stir in:
2 C mini-marshmallows
1 C peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
6 C quick oatmeal

Drop by teaspoonfuls on wax paper.

Recipe Given By: Mom Martens

Butter-mint Shortbread

I'll have to admit that this recipe is NOT one of my favorites. I don't think my family is a shortbread kind of family. However, I thought that some of you might find this recipe to your liking so I wanted to still share it. It tasted good, but in small doses. It would be a great recipe to take to a tea where everyone could have a small portion. It had a refreshing element because of the mint, but the heaviness of the shortbread begged for some tea. If interested, give it a try and let me know your thoughts.

Butter-mint Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 t. mint extract
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/4 C flour
powdered sugar

1. Beat butter and 3/4 C powdered sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add extracts, beating until blended. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed until blended. Press dough into an ungreased 15 x 10 inch jelly-roll pan.

2. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into squares; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Serving: 3 dozen
Recipe Given By: Southern Living

Obviously, my cutting skills are a little challenged. :)

Snickerdoodles!

In January I wrote here about trying to perfect my husband's favorite cookie when we were newly married. I had several bloggers ask about the recipe, so here it is! It's a good one!!

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

½ C shortening
½ C butter/margarine
1 ½ C sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ C flour
scant 1 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼- ½ t. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar & eggs thoroughly. Sift remaining ingredients and stir in. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in mixture of 6 T. sugar/ 6 t. cinnamon. Place 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. (* You can slightly press them down with the bottom of a glass, but you don't have to. I do. ) Bake 8-10 min or until lightly brown. (They puff at first, then flatten out)

Serving: 5 dozen
Recipe Given By: Angie’s original!

That is one stylin' paper plate! Ha!

Palmiers

Ina Garten has a can't-stop-at-one yummy little coffee cookie: the Palmier.

You can get the recipe here.

Cover your work surface with the stated amount of sugar...

Lay your puff pastry on the sugar and add more...

(I know, I know!)

Roll the dough out to the designated size... (workin in that sugar!)

Fold once...

Twice...

Three times a lady...

Slice, lay on parchment

Flip during cooking ...

Viola!


Sorry I put them in a red container...that didn't work too well.
Hopefully, you can imagine the goodness.
Their little heart shapes would make a fun Valentine's morning treat.

Try to eat just a few; they're addicting!

Christmas Cookies

Here are the highlights of Christmas baking with the kids - such a fun tradition!

Rolling out sugar cookies with Grandma!

Nutter Butter "Snowmen" (most look like aliens - on purpose!)

Mom made me Date Nut Balls - delicious!

The kids made cream cheese mints. How these came to be a Christmas tradition, I'll never know.

Drizzling the Coated Cookie Drops! What a fun mess!

These are always the first to go!

Sugar Cookies (cut-out)

Ingredients:

2/3 C shortening
¾ C sugar
½ t. grated orange peel
½ t. vanilla
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 egg
4 t. milk
2 C flour
¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, orange peel & vanilla. Add egg; beat until fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together dry ingredients; blend in creamed ingredients. Divide dough in half, flatten somewhat into circle, cover in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8” Cut in desired shapes with cookie cutters. Baked on greased cookie sheet about 6-8 min. Cool slightly. Remove from pan. Cool and then decorate.

These are good without frosting!

Serving: 2 dozen
Recipe Given By: Mom Underhill

Date Nut Balls

Mix and bring to a boil, then cool:

1 stick butter

¾ C sugar

1 lb. dates, cut

Mix together:

1 beaten egg

1 t. vanilla

1 T. milk

½ t. salt

Then add to the above mixture, boil 2 min.

Add:

½ C nuts

2 C rice krispies

Form balls and roll in flaked coconut.

Recipe Given By: Mom Underhill/Amy Richardson