Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter or margarine
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups cooking oats
• 2 c. chocolate chips (or chunks)
and or 1 1/2 c. *raisins (or dried cranberries/cherries)

* Soak raisins in boiling water while preparing remaining ingredients.

Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

• Beat butter and sugar.

• Add eggs and beat 'till creamy.

• Stir in remaining dry ingredients.

• Form dough into 1" - 1 1/2" balls and flatten slightly while shaping circle.

• Bake 8 - 10 minutes

*Try also adding macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips, slivered almonds. . .

Chocolate Mint Meringues

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• dash of salt
• 8 - 10 oz. pkg. mint chocolate chips*
• 2/3 c. sugar
• green food coloring

Instructions
• Preheat oven to 400 °.

• Beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.

• Gradually add the sugar and the food coloring while beating on high speed and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

• Fold in the mint chocolate chips.

• Drop onto two cookie sheets with a teaspoon. (About 24 - 30 meringues.)

• Put the meringues in the oven and turn the oven OFF. Do not open the door for six hours. You can leave them overnight too.

* I use about 3/4 of a pkg. of Andes® Creme de Menthe Baking Chips.

Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

Ingredients

• 2 c. flour
• 3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts, toasted*
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 3/4 - 1 c. fresh cranberries, halved
• Canola oil spray
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• sugar (optional)

Instructions
• Heat oven to 350°

• Combine the flour, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

• Beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until lemon-colored. Add butter, and vanilla. Continue beating until well-mixed.

• Reduce speed on blender and gradually add the flour mixture. Blend, scraping bowl frequently, until well mixed.

• Add cranberries* and mix by hand with a wooden spoon.

• Spray hands well with cooking spray and use hands to shape the dough into 2 logs. Place each log on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten to 12" x 3", shaping each into a parallelogram with slanted edges on short ends.

• Combine the egg white and water and brush on top of each biscotti. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to touch. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 300°.

• Cut the biscotti logs diagonally into 1/2" slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices cut-side down on baking sheet.

• Bake for an additional 16 - 20 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown. Cool completely. Store airtight.

* To toast walnuts: Chop nuts until very fine, but not quite a coarse powder. Spread nuts evenly on a baking sheet and place in a 350º oven for 2 minutes. Stir the nuts and arrange them again in even layer. Bake for 1 more minute. Do not let them burn!

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We don't usually frost these because they store better without icing. But a simple cream cheese frosting diluted with a bit of milk and drizzled on top is very very good!

Chocolate Teddy Bear Cookies

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 c. cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 eggs
• 5 c. flour
• 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
• In a very large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

• Add eggs and blend thoroughly.

• Combine remaining dry ingredients and gradually add to the creamed mixture, blending thoroughly.

• Chill the dough -- until it is firm and easy to handle without sticking to hands.

• Preheat oven to 350•.

• Shape bears. For each cookie form:
1 large ball (1-1/2") --body,
1 medium ball (3/4") --head,
4 four small balls (1/2") --arms & legs,
2 very small balls --ears,
5 tiny balls --nose and four paws

• On an ungreased cookie sheet form the individual bears by flattening the large ball slightly and attaching the medium ball for the head. Overlap slightly. Place the balls for the arms, legs and ears and a tiny one for the nose. Arrange the remaining tiny balls on top of the legs and arms for paws.

• Use a toothpick to draw eyes and a mouth.

• Make a hole with a straw if you want the cookies to be used as ornaments.

•Bake 6-8 minutes, or just until set. Do not overbake.

• Makes about 2 dozen bears. Store airtight. If using as ornaments, allow to cool 6-8 hours before pulling ribbon or yarn through the hole.

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This recipe makes a lot of dough and the whole process of shaping the bears is very time-consuming. Sometimes we cut the recipe in half.

Striped IceBox Cookies

Ingredients
• 1 cup unsalted butter (No Substitutions)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp finely crushed peppermint candies
• 1-2 drop red food coloring
• 1 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted (1 square)
• 1 Tbsp multicolored sugar nonpareils (multicolored)
• 1-2 drop green food coloring

Instructions
• Line a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with wax paper or parchment paper and try to get most wrinkles out; set aside. (I used canola oil spray to help the paper stick to the pan.)

• Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat in egg.

• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually beat this into creamed mixture.

• Divide the dough into thirds; each in it's own small bowl.

• Add crushed mints and red food color to 1 third; mix well (may need to use hands to blend color well).

• Add melted chocolate to another third; mix well (may need to use hands).

• Add nonpareils and green food color to last third; mix well (may need to use hands).

• Spread red dough on bottom of lined loaf pan. Spread chocolate dough on top of that. Lastly, spread the green dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or place in freezer for 1 hour).

• When chilled and firm, remove dough from pan.

• Preheat oven to 375°F.

• Lay the loaf of dough flat on a cutting board (just the way it was in the loaf pan) and use a large knife to cut dough down the middle lengthwise. Now cut each strip into 1/4" - 1/2" slices across (so each is "striped).

• Place slices 1" apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375°F for 6-10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. (For a softer cookie, I like to take mine out just before they begin to brown.)

Fruitcake Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp rum flavoring
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 lb candied cherries
• 1 lb chopped candied pineapple
• 1 lb chopped dates
• 3 cups whole walnuts
• 3 cups whole pecans

Instructions
• Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a very large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs and rum flavoring -- blend with hand mixer until creamy and thoroughly blended.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
• Add the fruit and nuts and mix well. Using your hands works best at this point.
• Drop by teaspoonful (not a measuring tsp - but a piece of flatware) onto cookie sheets sprayed with canola oil spray. You can fit 15 cookies onto a 17.25" x 11.5" baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
• Store in airtight containers (Makes about 120 cookies.).

I was surprised to see this recipe highlighted in our local newspaper at Christmastime.
It was a fourth place winner in a Cookie Contest!
I've had the (almost) exact same recipe in my collection for years.
(Mine includes the rum flavoring and buttermilk.)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Ingredients

8 TBSP (1 stick) REAL Butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup MINI chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer 'till fluffy. Add vanilla. Add flour and salt and beat until comletely combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough in half. Press each into an ungreased 8-inch round cake pan. Bake until edges are golden brown. About 10 - 12 minutes depending on your oven. Score the shortbread with a sharp knife taking care not to cut completely through the shortbread. (Makes 8 wedges per cake pan.) Let pans cool for about 10 minutes. Invert shortbread onto wire racks and cool completely. Break into wedges.

Amish Snickerdoodles

Ingredients
1 cup REAL Butter (This is key. Do not substitute margarine!)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar (Again: Key is pure white granulated sugar.)
2 3/4 cup white flour (Do not make this healthy by using whole wheat. Sorry!)
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
--------
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
Mix first four ingredients together. Blend well. Presift the next four ingredients -- blend well. Combine the two and blend together. Actually -- the best method is your hands! Form walnut-size balls. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Most recipes tell you that the cookies will flatten with baking. Not always true. If the first batch does NOT flatten. Flatten them yourself slightly with pads of fingers before placing in oven.) Bake 7-9 minutes at 375 degrees. These store well in airtight container and can be frozen. Variations: Top with red-hots, chocolate/butterscoth/peanut butter chips, pecans or walnuts -- or substitue colored sugar for rolling mixture"

Our Favorite Biscotti Recipe

Ingredients

1 stick (Real) Butter

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

3/4 c. dark chocolate chunks

3/4 c. coursely chopped walnuts

Instructions

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat thouroughly (about 2 minutes). Sift together the dry ingredients and blend by hand with moist ingredients. Add chocolate and walnuts. Mix together well (using hands works best) and divide dough into two equal parts. Spray hands with cooking spray and form each half into a log (approx. 3" x 9"). Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool (anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour). Slice log on the diagonal into 1/2" slices and place back onto cookie sheet (Cut side down). Put back into the 350 degree oven and bake for another 5 - 7 minutes. Turn biscotti over and bake another 5 - 7 minutes. Allow to fully cool and harden just slightly. Store air tight. These freeze well too!




I like to try different combinations of ingredients in place of the chocolate chunks and walnuts. Some I've tried and liked: Dried cherries and chocolate chips -- cranberries and almonds -- white chocolate chunks and pecans.

A few times I've added baking cocoa (about 1/4 c. and using only 1 3/4 c. flour) and made a nice chocolate biscotti. Use dark chocolate chunks and white chocolate chips for a "Triple Chocolate Biscotti." YUM!

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

2 Sticks REAL Butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 - 14 oz. bag of chocolate chunks or chips OR M&M's

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and blend well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl; then add gradually to other mixture and blend well. Add chunks (chips or M&M's) and chopped walnuts. Shape about 2 Tbsp of dough into a ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet. (x12 -- or x8 -- or however many fit on your cookie sheet.)Flatten each ball slightly with fingers to about 1/2" thickness. Reshape dough into circle if needed (sometimes with the chips/chunks/nuts, the cookies tend to loose the circle shape. Bake for 6-7 minutes.

Now. . . check the cookies - if they still have the appearance of gooey'ness or liquid centers, bake them for another 60 seconds and check again. You do not want to take them out while they are still gooey, but you do want to remover them from the oven while they look "underbaked." Allow the cookies to continue "baking" on top of the warm oven on the cookie sheet for several minutes. These cookies stay chewy for many days in an airtight container.