Monday, January 31, 2011

Hazelnut Cookie Recipes - Easy & Quick To Prepare!

If you are searching for hazelnut cookie recipes which are quick, easy and delicious, I have one which you'll love for sure.

This hazelnut cookie recipe is one of my favorite:

>> Hazelnut Double Chunk Cookies

1 c light brown sugar, packed

1 c unsalted butter; softened

1 c semisweet chocolate ; coarsely chopped

1 c white chocolate; coarsely chopped

1 ts vanilla extract

1 ts baking soda

1/2 c sugar

1/2 ts salt

2 3/4 c all-purpose flour

2 c hazelnuts; whole

2 eggs

2 tb fringelike

To toast and skin the hazelnuts, place them in a single layer in a
roasting pan or cookie sheet. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 15 to 20
minutes, or until the nuts smell toasted, are golden in the center, and
their skins crack. Rub the nuts between clean tea towels to loosen and
remove as much of their skins as possible. It is okay if some of the skins stay on.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees; butter 2 or 3 cookie sheets. Sift the
flour, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of wax paper; set aside. Place 1 cup of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor; cover and process until the nuts form a paste, stopping the motor once or twice to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Coarsely chop the remaining nuts. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter, hazelnut past and sugars until very light.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the liqueur and vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to slow. Beat in the flour mixture, then the chopped chocolates and remaining hazelnuts. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden on the bottom and firm on the top. Let the cookies stand on the cookie sheets on wire racks for 1 minute, then transfer them to the racks with a metal spatula. Cool completely; store in a tightly closed container.

That's it for today! If you want more hazelnut cookie recipes, be sure to visit us today at:




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Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.

Under baking or over baking. This has to be nemesis number one. Breads are often under-baked and cookies are often over-baked. Under baked bread is soggy. Crusty breads will never be crusty if the temperature doesn't get high enough to drive the moisture from the dough. Over baked cookies are dry and hard. Try baking cookies until they just start to brown and see if you don't like them better.

Cookie Bake

Most soft breads should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees and most crusty breads should reach a temperature of 200 to 210 degrees. A thermometer is the bread baker's best friend.

To reach internal temperatures such as these, crusts will often be a darker brown than what you often picture in the perfect bread. If you would like a golden crust on your bread instead of a rich brown crust, try draping the loaf with aluminum foil for the last six or eight minutes of baking. The aluminum foil deflects the heat and will protect the crust from becoming too dark.

Not letting it rise enough. And while we're talking of breads . . . if you like your bread light and fluffy, let it rise. The tendency is to stick it in the oven too soon. With a little practice, you'll soon learn to recognize bread that has risen to the maximum. It's soft to the touch-it even looks puffy. Ideally, you'll catch it a little before it starts to blister. (Remember, you will get a little oven spring, even in a hot oven.) If you wait too long and the bread starts to blister, all is not lost. Punch it down, reform the loaf, and let it rise again. (Sometimes, if a single blister shows up and you're in a hurry, you can puncture the blister with a sharp knife and stick the loaf in the oven.)

Improper mixing. We don't mix breads long enough; we mix biscuits, muffins, and pancakes too long. Mixing develops the gluten. It's the gluten that creates the elasticity and chewiness in bread. We want products leavened with baking powder or baking soda to be tender and flaky. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them well and then combine the dry mixture with the wet ingredients until they are evenly mixed but no more. Leavened products that are over-mixed are tough and leathery.

Improper measurement. We suspect that more often than not, ingredients are not measured properly. In many good recipes, there is some margin for error but even in the good recipes, the product will be better if the ratio of ingredients is correct. Measure liquids in clear containers designed for liquids and at eye level. Use measuring cups that you trust to be correct. (We recently compared four brand name measuring cups. One was off by a full tablespoon in one cup.)

We always weigh flour when we bake. A packed cup of flour can easily weigh 20% more than one that is lightly filled. (Most recipes are based on lightly filled cups.) If you are just starting to convert your recipes from volumes to weights, start out with 4.5 ounces of flour for every cup. Stay with the same flour as much as possible for the same type of product. Different flours have different densities and different flours can act very differently in a recipe. If you weigh your flour and record your results, you can perfect that favorite recipe.

Now you know. These are the nemeses that cause the most problems in the kitchen. Knowing what they are--the common pitfalls of the kitchen--will arm you to be a better baker. As you perfect your craft in these four areas, you will turn out wonderful baked goods.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

Dennis Weaver is the author of "How to Bake", a free 250-page e-book. Which is free at The Prepared Pantry.

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Christmas Cookie Recipes - Frosted Gingerbread Nut Cookies

A dressed up gingerbread cookie with frosting and the addition of nuts.

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cookie Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat in the egg and molasses. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves; add to the creamed mixture alternating with buttermilk. Stir in the chopped nuts.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies spring back after being lightly touched in the center. Let cool.

Cookie Frosting

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons half and half cream

Walnut halves, optional

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and cream (enough to get desired consistency). Frost cooled cookies. Top with walnut half, if desired.

Makes 60 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookie Recipes: Butter Cookie Snowmen Cookies

These snowmen will delight any cookie lover over the holidays.

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Red and yellow paste food coloring

Miniature chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the milk and the vanilla; mix well. Gradually add in the flour.

Remove 1/3 cup of the dough and place in a small bowl. Tint this dough with red food coloring. Remove another 1/3 cup of dough from the original bowl and place in a small bowl. Tint this dough with the yellow food coloring. Set aside.

Shape white dough into 24 balls. They should be around 1 1/4-inch each. Make another 24 balls from this dough about 1/2-inch each. Last, shape the remaining dough into 24 1/8-inch balls.

To make the snowmen bodies, place the large balls on two ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball to about 3/8-inch thickness. Place the 1/2-inch balls above the bodies to create the heads; flatten.

To make snowmen hats, shape red dough into 24 balls of about 1/8-inch thickness; set aside. Shape 24 pieces of red dough into triangles. Place these triangles on top of the snowmen heads. Place the 1/8-inch white balls onto the end of hats to make little pompoms.

Take the 1/8-inch red dough balls and place onto the snowmen heads for noses.

Divide yellow dough into 24 pieces and shape into scarves. Press scarves into place at bottom of snowmen heads.

Create eyes with the miniature chocolate chips and also use the chips for buttons on their bodies.

Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, or until set. Let cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookie Recipes: Pfeffernuesse Cookies

A wonderful traditional cookie that is always welcome.

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup molasses

1/3 cup water

6 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup crushed aniseed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time; beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, combine the corn syrup, molasses and water; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, aniseed, baking soda and spices. Add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the molasses mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Roll warm cookies into confectioners' sugar. Let cool before serving.

Makes 96 cookies.




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Chewy Vs Crunchy - Cookie Baking Tips

Cookies are a fun treat that can be made for any occasion of even just for fun. There are literally millions of recipes for cookies and different designs too.

When giving away cookies as gifts, you should consider the following three factors:
One: The theme of the party or the occasion
Two: The flavor of the cookies
Three: The texture of the cookies: chewy or crunchy or in between.

Cookie Bake

Professional bakers are skilled at creating cookies in various textures, including chewy, semi-chewy and crunchy. However, most folks that try to bake their own cookies at home don't know how to do this. What should be done to make a cookie crunchy, chewy or in between? Well, difficult as it may sound, the secret is in the sugar. Here are some simple cookie baking tips:

Cookies are laden with butter, shortenings and sweetener. The first thing to do is to look at the recipe and see the measurements of the sugar and then note what kind of sweetener is used. There should be two kinds: brown sugar and white sugar. It is in the type of sugar used that will totally transform the texture of the cookies.

Crunchy cookies will need white sweetener and hardly any brown sweetener. So if the cookie recipe is say, chocolate chip cookies, and the sugars used are both brown and white, to achieve the crunchy effect simply put in more of the white sugar than the brown, or simply eliminate the brown and use all white. Example: if the recipe calls for 2 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, to get the full crunchy effect use 2 cups white sugar plus 3/4 white sugars.

Semi crunchy cookies or semi-chewy cookies will again need a variation of the two sugar measurements. Again, if the original recipe calls for 2 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar make it 1 1/2 cups white and 2 cups brown. This will make the cookies not too crunchy and not too chewy - it will be just right!

For chewy cookies, another variation of the measurements between the two sugars will have to be done. If the original is again 2 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar make it 4 1/2 cups brown sugar. This will give the cookies the chewy effect that is so great with chocolate chip cookies.

Now, for a bonus: there are people who like their cookies gooey chewy. This is not impossible to achieve. Again for the 2 cups white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar original recipe, convert the measurements to 4 cups brown sugar and 1/2 molasses or honey. This will give the cookies a super gooey chewy effect.

Now for those who are curious why the sugars are considered the key, well it may take a lot of explanations but to simplify the process, it is the brown sugar that makes the cookies chewy. Also, the same thing can be done with cakes. More brown sugar will make the cake moister.

Chewy Vs Crunchy - Cookie Baking Tips

Criss White writes about family and baby shower topics. To see more articles or to check out some baby shower cookies or some unique baby shower favors, visit My Baby Shower Favors.

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Bisquick Recipes Cookies - Easy & Quick To Prepare!

These bisquick recipes cookies are quick, easy and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So here we go for some bisquick recipes cookies:

>> Bisquick Cookies

1 egg

1 instant pudding/small package

1/4 c oil

3/4 c bisquick

Combine all ingredients. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet.
Flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

>> Bisquick Sausage

1 lb cheddar cheese

1 lb breakfast sausage

3 c bisquick mix

Combine sausage, bisquick and grated cheese and mix very well. Form into 1 to 2 inch size balls. Place on un greased baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. May be made ahead and frozen.

>> Bisquick Butterscotch Brownies

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 box brown sugar

1 can coconut

1 stick butter- room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups bisquick® baking mix

4 large eggs

Mix all ingredients and bake in 9x13 baking pan. Bake on preheated 350f oven for 45 minutes. Cool on rack, cut while warm.

>> Strawberry Shortcake (Bisquick)

2 Pt strawberries -- sliced

2/3 c sugar

2 1/3 c bisquick

3 tb sugar

3 tb margarine or butter -- melted

1/2 c milk

3/4 c whipping (heavy) cream

Sprinkle strawberries with 2/3 c. Sugar; let stand 1
hr.

Preheat oven to 425 f.

Mix bisquick, 3 tb. Sugar, margarine and milk until
soft dough forms. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into
6 mounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with
sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff.
Split shortcakes; spoon strawberries between halves
and over tops. Top with whipped cream.

High altitude: heat oven to 450 f. Decrease the 3 tb.
Sugar in shortcakes to 1 tb.

That's it for today! If you want more bisquick recipes cookies, be sure to visit us today at:




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Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe With Convection Oven

Aching to do some baking? Fire up your convection powered oven and gather your supplies. It is finally time to make some awesome triple chocolate chip cookies that will be totally out of this world.

You Will Need The Following:

Cookie Bake

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Baking Convection Oven

Directions:

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Let butter cool and pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add sugars and beat for several minutes, until mixture is creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla. Beat for one minute, or until eggs dissolve into butter mixture. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add butter mixture, stirring well. Add chocolate chips and walnuts if desired. Refrigerate cookie dough for two hours or until firm.

Preheat convection oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Drop by two tablespoonfuls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and puffed up.

Cool on cookie sheet until they are firm enough to put on a wire rack.

And then serve. Remember eating with friends is better than eating alone. Food will probably taste much better if you have to fight for it(though no fighting is required to enjoy this scrumptious cookies).

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe With Convection Oven

That concludes this brief how to. If you want more cookie recipes(I know you do) or convection baking stuff in general. You should seriously consider going to Baking Convection Oven.

See you there! :)

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Friday, January 28, 2011

Enjoying 'Different' Cookies Through Gourmet Cookie Recipes

Chocolate chip cookies, raisin cookies, or wheat-based cookies are perhaps among the most loved of all time. But for anyone who wants to try something different, gourmet cookie recipes might be the one for them.

As the term suggests, gourmet cookie recipes entail doing something different with the usual recipes people make. The term gourmet is mostly used to high quality cuisine or foods that are prepared with exquisite care or with a unique presentation.

For anyone who wants to bake gourmet cookies, one should be more resourceful and creative so as to distinguish them from the more commonly baked treats such as chocolate chip cookies.

Baking can be quite a delightful surprise if one decides to be a little creative and different with what they want to create.

Cookies are always a wonderful treat especially for kids, but for parents who want to bake something else than chocolate chip cookies, there are recipes they can use to give their kids a different kind of treat.

There are times when some would prefer to have a little 'adventure' with their treats.

One example of a cookie that most people are not aware of is the banana bread cookies. They are easy to bake and a lot different from the cookies that people are used to eating. Banana bread cookies are simple to bake. By just adding bananas that are peeled and mashed in replacement of chocolate chips or chunks, anyone can already enjoy cookies that actually taste like banana bread.

There are also gourmet cookie recipes that include coconuts as the added ingredient. Coconut macaroon cookies are becoming a favourite treat and they are simple to make.

From coconut to bananas, baking gourmet cookies can help anyone use their imagination to create a wonderful delicious treat.

The best thing about these recipes is that they are available online. Thus, learning how to make gourmet cookies is not a lot easier!




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Baking Up Profits

Has anyone ever told you to sell that delicious pound cake? Have friends and family insisted you could be making a mint selling your delicious sugar cookies? If this sounds like you, then you could be baking up profits from your kitchen. All over the country there are countless home-based bakeries delivering heavenly baked goods throughout the community.

There are many responsibilities that go with starting a home-based bakery. You will first need to have a Food Regulatory Specialist/Food Compliance Officer come to your home and inspect it. In most cases the Department of Agriculture is the governing agency that will oversee your compliance inspection. Your kitchen will need to be inspected to assure that it is clean and in proper condition to produce baked goods that are suitable for human consumption. Although a license is not required for a home-based bakery, and a separate kitchen is not needed, you will have to comply with special conditions set down by the Department of Agriculture or your local regulatory agency.

Cookie Bake

There are currently 11 states that allow home-based bakers to sell their baked goods/candies to the public. The states are: Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia ; all others should check with their local (county) health departments or food safety agencies.

Operating a home-based bakery means finding your niche. Do you cake decorate; make custom cookies or a fabulous dry jerk rub? Years ago when the country was predominately rural there were many home-based bakers and home cooks and bakers sold their jams, preserves and jellies, along with homemade breads, pastries, cakes, pies and cookies.

Three years ago the Raleigh Farmer's Market asked home-bakers to sell their goods at the Crafters Shed away from the main market area. Today there is a specific area for home-based bakers and the public is flocking to their tables. The baked goods are fresh, delicious and offer a variety not available in grocery stores.

Let there be no mistake, operating a home-based bakery is hard work. It means long hours and a commitment to quality, but for those who take on the challenge it is by far the best job in the whole. You set your own hours, you provide the public with delicious goods that can only be duplicated by you and for those with families they are their when the children get home from school.

The down side of the profession use to be the isolation, but a home-based bakery forum has been created to help bakers stay in touch with one another and support one another building camaraderie among home-based bakers that never existed before.

Baking for a living is an honorable profession, plus Internet access offers many bakers the opportunity to sell their products online. For example, Diane, the owner of Maine's Cakes and Cookies, has been baking from home for more than five years. She loves what she does and proves the public with incredible baked goods. This is also a wonderful way for those who cook for a living, e.g. personal chef's to offer their clients a little touch of something fresh from the oven.

The next time someone says, you really should think about selling that pie or cake or cookie. Look into operating a home-based bakery. You never know where the journey will take you and good home-baked goods are like jobs, hard to find.

Baking Up Profits

Detra "Denay" Davis of Cooking with Denay is a home-based bakery, and the instructor of the ever popular class How to Operate a Home-Based Bakery available online on Denay's website. Learn more about Denay by visiting her website http://cookingwithdenay.com/ and joining Ask the Experts Forum. Email Denay at contact@cookingwithdenay.com

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Italian Christmas Cookies - Anise Cookies

Whether a part of the assortment of Italian Christmas cookies or at a baby shower or wedding, these anise cookies are constantly making an appearances at my family celebrations (With a simple drop of food coloring they're perfect for any occasion!) If the licorice taste of anise doesn't suit you, try using almond, vanilla or even lemon extract...they are all delicious!

Makes about 8 dozen

Cookie Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons anise extract (almond, vanilla or lemon can also be used!)
2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2-3 tablespoons milk
Icing Ingredients

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon anise extract (optional)
food coloring (optional)
sprinkles of your choice(optional)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cookie sheets or pans by covering them with parchment paper.

To prepare these Italian Christmas cookies, get a large bowl and combine the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Crack in each egg, making sure to mix well after each one. Add your choice of extract.

Now combine the flour and baking powder, sifting it together so that there are no chunks of baking powder together. Take about a third of these dry ingredients and add them to the wet ones, using a hand or stand mixer to combine them. Then add about a tablespoon of milk. Repeat this process by adding another third of the flour mixture to your batter, and then another spoon of milk. The last batch of flour should be added very slowly, mixing in between so that you can determine how much flour is enough. You want the batter to be very easy to mold, but not sticking to your hands. The dough should not be stiff! If you add too much flour, try adding a few more drops of milk until the batter is easy to manage.

Using a tablespoon, drop balls of the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving space for them to bake and puff up in the oven.

Stick your pan in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until they puff up and the bottoms begin to turn a light golden brown.

While the cookies are baking, mix together the confectioners sugar, milk and extract of your choice (if you are using it). At this point you can also add food coloring if you want your icing to be a special color. White is also just as nice though!

After the cookies have mostly cooled, hold each one upside down and dip into your frosting glaze. flip it over and let it rest on a flat surface covered with wax paper. If you intend to use sprinkles, only dip a few at time and then sprinkle them, or else the frosting will harden and sprinkles will no longer stick. (If your frosting begins to harden before you are done dipping just microwave it for about 10 seconds to let melt again!)

Let the frosting harden to the touch, arrange on a plate and get ready to serve these Italian Christmas cookies to your family and friends!




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Chocolate Cookies - Baking That Perfect Chocolate Cookie

There is no better cookie in the world than a well-made chocolate cookie. Read on to find out how to make the perfect chocolate cookie.

The Perfect Chocolate Cookie

Cookie Bake

The best chocolate cookie is the cocoa drop cookie. Not only are they delicious, but they are easy to make as well.

The ingredients required for this recipe are: ¼ cup butter, softened; ¼ cup shortening; 1 cup sugar; 1 egg; ¾ cup buttermilk; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 ¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour; ½ tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; ½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened; and 1 cup of chopped pecans.

First, cream the shortening and butter with sugar; beat in egg. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla next, and then sift the dry ingredients together and add to the first mixture. Stir in the pecans, and chill the cookie dough for about an hour. Use a teaspoon to drop the dough onto a greased baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until set. Then cool and frost with a simple chocolate or vanilla icing if desired.

Shortbread Cookie Recipe

Another great recipe is the chocolate covered shortbread cookie recipe. For this you will need: 8 ounces butter at room temperature; ½ cup powdered sugar; 2 cups all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking powder; 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted; and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

Combine all ingredients; knead with your hands to made sure they are well mixed, press into lightly buttered pans, and bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes. Cut into wedges while they are still warm or break them apart.

There are many fabulous recipes out there. Remember these recipes around the holidays and you can present your friends and family with delightful treats that will be remembered the rest of the year.

Chocolate Cookies - Baking That Perfect Chocolate Cookie

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Cookie Making Made Easy

Baking is as important as making, if perfect small cakes are desired. Ovens differ. Use the various temperatures given in the recipes as a guide. But perfect your own baking temperatures, according to the best results obtained from your oven. In using an electric oven, after the oven registers the correct heat, turn the top element off. Bake with the top element turned off. Use block tin baking sheets for the best results. The pans should not touch the walls of the oven. Most cookies burn easily. Especially is this true of cookies made of molasses and cookies made with no milk. Cookies must be watched constantly. Turn the pans frequently, while baking, to insure even browning. If you are not experienced do not start baking until all the cookies are on the baking sheets. Grease the pans with butter. This gives the good buttery taste that is necessary for choice cookies. Place the cookies on the pans, allowing space for them to spread. After each pan of cookies is baked wipe off the baking sheet with a piece of heavy brown paper, slightly greased. Washing the pans between bakings has a tendency to cause cakes to stick. This is particularly true of rolled cookies. Never put a cookie on a hot pan. Never pile the cookies on top of each other to cool. Cool on sheets of brown paper.

The American method of baking is quick baking. The cookies are not allowed to dry out. For quick baking put the cookies into a 450° F. oven and reduce the temperature as needed. If hard cookies are desired, after the cookies are baked the temperature is reduced to 250° F. and the cakes are allowed to stay in the oven to dry out. The Northern European method of baking is slow baking. This makes a crisper harder cookie. The temperatures should be 350° F. to 275° F. Measure accurately. Use standard cup and spoon measures. Always measure flour before sifting unless the recipe says: measure after sifting. The amount varies several tablespoonfuls before and after sifting. Measuring the fat is important for the best results. Cutters are on the market to cut pound cakes of butter or lard into cupfuls or portions of cupfuls. These are convenient as a labor saver, as well as a means of accurate measurement. Pastry blenders are also on the market. These are particularly useful in blending butter into flour and sugar, in cookie making. The use of the blender prevents the fat from becoming oily, as it frequently does when the blending is done with the hands. A large rubber plate scraper, with flexible points, is an indispensable kitchen implement in cookie making. Use the scraper for removing mixed ingredients from bowls. It prevents waste and insures accuracy. An approximate estimate of the number of cookies a recipe makes is arrived at by the amount of flour used. For example, Virginia Cookies, calling for one and one-half cups of flour makes about thirty cakes the size of a twenty-five cent piece.

Here are two cookie recipes for you to try.

GINGERBREAD CAKE

Sift together
10 cups flour
2 tbsp. Ginger
1 nutmeg grated
1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup cream

Blend the butter into the flour. Heat the molasses, sugar and cream together. Add the hot liquid to the flour. Knead to a smooth stiff dough. Roll thin and cut into large round cakes. Bake at 400° F. for about eight minutes.

SHREWSBURY CAKE

This cookie recipe came to America with our first grandmothers, back in the days when English gentlemen were sent to colonial Virginia to sit in the House of Burgesses. One day, if luck smiles upon you, you will drop into a mountain cabin in North Carolina and a venerable grandmother will serve you a cup of tea poured from an ancient silver pot. Then she will bring out little tea biscuits, which she still calls Shrewsbury cakes, and which she still makes by her famous old recipe.

Sift together
8 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tbs coriander seed powder

1/2 cup of milk
11/2cups butter melted
6 eggs unbeaten

Add the butter, milk and eggs to the flour. Mix well and knead to a smooth dough. Roll very thin, cut into small shapes and bake at 400° F. until light brown.




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Endless Cookie Recipe Variations

Finding great cookie recipe variations always puts a smile on my face. If there's one sweet treat I can't say no too it's a perfectly baked cookie.

In the quest to try new flavors I've found the best thing to do is change a few ingredients instead of trying to re-invent the wheel with a whole new recipe. Simple changes can make your old cookie recipe seem like sometime brand new.

Cookie Bake

The basic structure shouldn't change but you can play around with different flavors. If your recipe called for equal parts white and brown sugar using only brown sugar will make the cookie much richer. Also using only white sugar will give a softer flavor.

Along with your classic vanilla extract you can add a few teaspoons of your favorite flavored extract or liquor. Almond extract is great for an everyday cookie, lemon gives a nice springtime flavor, brandy extract brings memories of Christmas and peppermint is always refreshing.

Some of my favorite cookie recipe variations begin with the endless varieties of chips available. Subsisting peanut butter, butterscotch or cinnamon chips can make for a whole new cookie experience. Even if you prefer chocolate there are milk, white, dark, semi sweet or mint chocolate chips to choose from.

M&M's or other candy pieces also make a great twist. Think of crushed pieces of peppermint, toffee or your favorite candy and give it a try.

Sliced or chopped nuts add extra crunch along with their distinct flavors. Chopped or crushed almonds, pecans or macadamias nuts are classics for cookies.

Dipping your cookies in tempered chocolate or drizzling them can add another layer of flavor. If you're not into working with chocolate you can make a frosting for your cookies instead.

Frost the bottom of your cookie and slap a second one on and you have a sandwich cookie. Fill two cookies with a scoop of softened ice cream and put them in a freezer for a bit and you have an ice cream sandwich.

Endless Cookie Recipe Variations

Find quick easy cookie recipes at http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/quick-easy-cookie-recipes.html then share your favorite recipes and variations.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

No Bake, Easy to Decorate Cookies

It's July and temperatures are soaring, but your mom nevertheless volunteered you to provide homemade cookies for her Salsa dancing group. What to do when you need cookies, but it's too dang hot out to turn on your oven? Why, make a batch of no-bake cookies, of course. These cookies are also ideal when you have more cookies to make than you have time to bake.

Some no-bake cookies require stovetop cooking while others require only mixing ingredients and forming into shapes (great for that summertime Salsa event.)

While eggs aren't used in no-bake cookies, a binder of some sort is needed to keep the cookies from becoming cookie crumbs. Peanut butter, oatmeal, marshmallows, corn syrup and chocolate are some often used ingredients for this purpose.

No bake cookies are smooth, crunchy or a little of both. Add crunch with chow mein noodles, nuts, crackers, cereal and actual cookie crumbs.

This recipe is perfect for your bird-watching group or other spring-time event.

Easter Bird Nest Cookies

Ingredients:

4 cups chow mein noodles

3 cups miniature marshmallows

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Miniature jelly beans or other egg shaped candies.

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pour crunchy noodles into large bowl. Over medium heat, melt butter or margarine and marshmallows, stirring until smooth. Pour marshmallow mixture over noodles, and mix until noodles are well coated.

To form the cookies, first rub some butter or margarine on your hands because things can get sticky. Form noodle mixture into six round balls. Place balls on waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Pressing with back of a teaspoon on each ball, make a hollow indentation, so the cookie forms a nest shape.

Set cookies aside until they're firm. Then fill centers with the candies. There you have it, birds nests complete with eggs!

Chocolate Orange Layer Cookies

Are you creating cookies for your son's circus-themed birthday party or your daughter's graduation from dog-groomers school? You can use cookie cutters to create shaped no-bake cookies. This recipe yields 100 miniature cookies.

Ingredients

Chocolate Layers

12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

Orange Filling

7.5 ounces marshmallow cream

5 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup grated orange rind

2 teaspoons orange extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

White baking chocolate for garnish, optional

Directions

Bottom Chocolate Layer:

Prepare two 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly-roll pans: Line one pan with aluminum foil, and line the second pan with waxed paper, taping the waxed paper to the bottom of the inside of the pan.

Melt 1 cup chocolate and 2 tablespoons shortening in double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir while heating until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture into foil lined pan, spreading evenly with metal spatula. Refrigerate this until firm (about 20 minutes). Once firm, invert the chocolate onto the waxed paper, and peel off the foil. Refrigerate.

Orange Filling:

Combine marshmallow cream, 4 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, orange rind and extract, and salt in medium-size bowl. Stir with wooden spoon until a thick mass forms. Then knead mixture with hands until ingredients are fully incorporated.

Lightly dust work surface with confectioners' sugar. Turn marshmallow mixture out onto prepared surface. Knead for about 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Lightly dust waxed paper and rolling pin with remaining confectioners' sugar. Roll filling out to 1/8-to1/4-inch thickness so that it fills the jelly-roll pan.

Remove sheet of chocolate from refrigerator. Let stand about 5 minutes or long enough to soften. Carefully invert filling on top of chocolate; peel off waxed paper. Return to refrigerator and chill about 15 minutes.

Top chocolate layer:

Melt together remaining chocolate and shortening in boiler over hot, not boiling water, until smooth. Remove filling from refrigerator. Pour chocolate over top, smoothing over entire surface with long thin metal spatula. Return to refrigerator and chill 15 to 20 minutes or until firm enough to cut.

Using mini cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Or cut into 1-inch squares.

To decorate cookies, melt white chocolate and drizzle over tops.

If you're interested in learning more intricate forms of decorating cookies with fondant, glazes and more, you can find classes, books and videos on the subject, such as the "Cookie Decorating Made Easy" Video Books. Here's what one reader had to say:

"Hi Michael! I bought your cookie video books on Friday and made cookies with my kids on Saturday. It was the funnest time and the cookies turned out beautifully. .........This is the coolest thing I've bought on the internet since your Cake Decorating video books!"

Chris B.

Las Vegas, NV

One more advantage to no-bake cookies: Remember years ago when you were allowed to lick the bowl when your mom made cookie dough? Since this recipe has no raw eggs, it's ok for your own kids (or you!) to lick the bowl.




Samantha Mitchell, Co-Author Cookie Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 & 2 The World's First Cookie Decorating Video Books. For more cookie decorating tips, along with instructional videos, delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.CookiesMadeEasy.com

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Chocolate Marshmallow Cookie Recipe

The chocolate marshmallow cookie recipe is loaded with chocolate, in both the cookie as well as the frosting. Although with this cookie it's what's hidden inside that makes this treat unforgettable; a soft fluffy marshmallow!

Ingredients

Cookie Bake

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

18 large marshmallows, halved

Frosting:

3 tablespoons salted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 pinch salt

4-6 tablespoons milk

Hardware

Whisk

Large bowl

2 x medium bowls

Cookie sheets

Mixer

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed cream together the shortening and sugar.

Step 4: Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla extract.

Step 5: Gradually beat flour mixture into the creamed mixture.

Step 6: Drop by teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Step 7: Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and place a halved marshmallow, cut side down, onto each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 2 more minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a cooling surface.

Frosting:

Step 1: In a medium bowl, cream butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt with an electric mixer.

Step 2: Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.

Step 3: Frost cooled cookies.

Makes 36 cookies.

For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookie Recipe

For more great drop cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/drop-cookie-recipes.html

For some great tasting chocolate chip cookie recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipes.html

For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit http://kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/

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Monday, January 24, 2011

Vegan Holiday Baking - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft, spicy, and generously sized, these decadent vegan Christmas cookies are the perfect holiday treat or an ideal finale to your vegan holiday feast.

Vegan egg-replacement options

If you're new to vegan baking, you may be wondering how to work around the eggs that most baking recipes call for. The answer is finding the right egg substitute for the dish you're creating. In non-vegan recipes eggs are generally used to either provide leavening or act as a binder, or both. Vegan egg substitutes do the same, but different substitutes provide differing degrees of binding and leavening. Any of the vegan egg replacements listed below will work well in these cookies.

Ener-G Powdered Egg Replacer, available on-line and in many health food stores. Highly recommended.
Banana, mashed. Half a banana equals one egg.
Applesauce and baking powder. 1/4 cup applesauce mixed with 1/2 tsp baking powder equals one egg.
Cornstarch and baking powder. One heaping Tbs. cornstarch and a small pinch of baking powder mixed with two Tbs. water equals one egg.

One of the best things about these cookies is that they store very well - in fact, they actually get better if they're made in advance. For optimal flavor, make these cookies a day or so in advance and store in an air-tight container until you're ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1 cup Nucoa or Butter-Flavored Crisco

2 cups white sugar

2 "eggs" (see vegan egg-replacement options above)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 15 ounce can pumpkin pie filling (for a less sweet cookie, use a can of pumpkin puree)

4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch ground nutmeg

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (the cheapest available are usually dairy-free)

Have two greased cookie sheets ready. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, cream until smooth. Beat in "eggs." Stir in vanilla and pumpkin until well blended.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in another mixing bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture. Add chocolate chips.

Drop eight round tablespoons of dough onto each cookie sheet. Cookies will spread as they bake. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Let cookies stand for a few minutes before removing from baking sheets to cool completely.

Re-grease sheets and repeat baking process. Store in air-tight containers until ready to serve.




Going vegan doesn't mean going without delicious food! For more great vegan Christmas Cookies, plus animal-free side and main dishes for a holiday feast, visit Vegan Christmas Recipes.

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Better Baking Technique - Is it Done Yet?

Are my breads, cookies, or cakes baked and ready to come out of the oven yet?

The ability to tell when products are baked seems to cause more consternation than almost any other phase of baking. And of course, it is important. Over baked cookies are dry and hard; under baked bread is soggy. But you can get it right. In this article, we will give you the techniques and pointers for baking your goods to perfection.

Cookie Bake

Yeast breads

The tendency is to under bake yeast breads. The internal temperature of yeast breads should be 210 degrees and must be at least 185 degrees. The only way to reliably tell what is going on inside that loaf is with a probe type thermometer. Remove the bread from the pan and insert the thermometer through the bottom crust into the center of the loaf.

(If you are going to bake bread and you don't have a thermometer, we strongly recommend that you purchase one. You will need it to test the temperature of the water, the dough, and the finished bread. You can buy one on our site.)

When the bread is done, the crust color will range from a golden brown to a deep brown for artisan breads baked in a hot oven. Breads with a higher sugar content or in a hot oven will tend to brown more rapidly as the sugar caramelizes. If the bread is browning too rapidly, make a tent of aluminum foil and cover the top of the loaf.

In light colored pans, the bottom crust is the last to brown. With a done loaf, the bottom will color even in a light-colored pan.

My mother was a bread baker. She tested doneness by tapping the loaf with her finger--a done loaf will sound hollow when tapped. I don't remember her ever making a mistake. Though she taught me to do the same, I'm not as good as she was. Out of habit, I still tap the loaf but I nearly always follow with a thermometer probe and sometimes the thermometer proves me wrong.

Cookies

If the tendency is to under bake breads, the tendency is to over bake cookies. Take them out just before you think they are done; you won't be wrong often.

My father is a consummate cookie baker. If you ask him what his secret is, he'll tell you: "I don't over bake cookies." The difference between a just right cookie and an over baked one is dramatic.

Make cookies uniform in size. Not only are they more attractive but different sizes of cookies take different times to bake.

Most recipe writers tell you to leave the cookies on the sheet for a minute or two. Cookies continue to bake on a hot baking sheet. Sometimes that's necessary for an easy release but for most recipes, we remove them as quickly as we can.

If the cookies look a little soggy in the middle, then leave them on the sheet for a few minutes and they will firm up.

Most cookies should be gold in color, not brown. Both the amount of sugar and soda in the recipe will affect how fast a cookie browns.

Chocolate cookies represent another challenge: you can't tell if they are browning. If you are baking with a new recipe, bake a few cookies and check them for doneness before baking the entire batch. Chocolate cookies will tend to lose their "wet" look when done.

Many bar cookies will have a dry, shiny crust when done.

Cakes

For most baked goods--but especially cakes--it is best to set the timer for a few minutes less than directed in the recipe-different ovens or even different positions in the oven bake differently. A dark pan bakes more quickly than a light pan. When you find your cake not quite done and continue baking, set the timer for three or four minutes and check again.

A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake will come out clean when done. "Clean" means a few crumbs. If there is wet looking batter clinging to the toothpick, it's not done.

If you don't want to poke a whole in the center of the cake, check for doneness with your finger. There should be some resiliency to the touch and the cake should spring back. When done, the cake will usually have a golden brown color to the top though different recipes will brown more or less quickly. When done, the cake will tend to pull away form the edges.

Quick Breads

Quick breads are basically cakes in a loaf pan. The same tests that you use on cakes can be used with quick breads. Stick the toothpick or skewer right in the open crack in the center of the bread. The area under that crack seems to be the last area in the loaf to set up.

Incidentally, quick breads release from the pan easier if left to cool for few minutes before removing. Because of the larger mass, a loaf does not continue cooking as quickly as cookies do.

Custard Pies

Custard pies-including pumpkin pies-are a special problem. It takes quite a while for the protein in the eggs to set and make the pie firm. Often, the crust is becoming too brown before the eggs set. If so, cover the crust with strips of aluminum foil to retard further browning.

When a custard pie is done, a knife inserted in the center of the pie will come out clean. If you don't want a cut mark in the center of your pie, use the jiggle test. Pick the pie up with two hot pads or mitts and gently shake the pie back and forth. If done, all but the center should be firm-there will be a little jiggle in the center. The center will continue to cook and firm up after you remove the pie from the oven.

We hope these guidelines help. With practice and observation, you'll soon become very proficient at judging when your bread or cookies are baked to perfection. Your baked goods will then be irresistible.

Better Baking Technique - Is it Done Yet?

Dennis Weaver is the author of "How to Bake", a free 250-page e-book. Which is free at The Prepared Pantry The Prepared Pantry sells bread mixes and other baking mixes and offers a free Bread Center with recipes and techniques.

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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Baking Christmas Cookies - Secrets Of Cookie Making Revealed

For most of us Christmas is a time of year for sharing time with our loved ones. It is an especially important time for our children who thrive on the magic of the season and those traditions that create lasting childhood memories. For them, the excitement of Christmas starts long before Christmas Day and they love nothing better than being involved in the festive preparations. Baking cookies is one tradition that has stood the test of time and has been passed down from mother to child for generations.

Being involved in Christmas preparations always evokes warm abiding memories warmth and closeness. Baking Christmas treats such as cookie and candy is a wonderful ritual that can be shared with your kids and brings so much pleasure and is a wonderful tradition to share if you plan it properly in advance.

Make sure you start the day in the best frame of mind, which means everyone should have had a good nights' sleep. It's also not a good idea to let the kids pick at the raw ingredients you are using to bake the cookies or candy, however tempting. So, start the day with a sustaining breakfast or lunch before you begin your Christmas cookie bake. An upset tummy can spoil the memory of the day for everyone and it is never too soon the teach your children a rule basic cooking rules.

Everyone will be eager to be involved in the preparation and cooking process. Allow the kids the freedom to try out the kitchen appliances for the first time and have fun by experimenting with the ingredients and creating their own individual cookies. They will love seeing the end results and will take great pleasure in showing the rest of the family their little works of art.

Don't plan your cookie baking for the day before you are expecting guests or need your kitchen to be in pristine condition. Expect chaos and take a relaxed attitude towards if for one day. You will enjoy the experience all the more if you are not stressing over spills. The kitchen can be put back to its original state, having fun on this occasion is far more important. Your kids will really appreciate being less restricted and you they will love you for it. The whole experience can be rewarding for all of you.

Baking cookies with your kids should be a happy and stress free time. Create the ideal conditions for your Christmas cookie cooking day so that you and your kids will enjoy every minute of it.

Don't plan your baking event the day before you are expecting guests or need your kitchen to be in pristine condition! Take a relaxed attitude towards the fact that the kitchen will be in some degree of chaos. You will enjoy the experience all the more if you are not stressing over spills!

Finally, be completely organised and have everything you are likely to need on hand. Kids can have a short attention span and won't enjoy a trip to buy missing ingredients when they are eager to start cooking! Being prepared for this Christmas cookie cooking day can make all the difference to your enjoyment and theirs. Follow all the guidelines and your day is sure to be a great success and one you and your children will want to recreate every year.




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Baking Cookies for College Kids Is an Enjoyable Act of Love

I love to bake. This love comes from my mother, who also loved to bake and was famous for her orange sponge cakes. She also baked fragrant banana bread, flaky biscuits, and gooey chocolate cake. There were no cake or cookie mixes when I was a child and everything was made from scratch.

Baking takes concentration and you should not attempt it if you are hurried. Your measurements have to be precise. The oven temperature has to be accurate and, hopefully, without hot spots. Using the right pans also makes a difference. Every home cook needs to follow these baking rules.

Cookie Bake

Craig Claibourne, food editor and restaurant critic at the "New York Times" for 29 years, thought cooking was similar to play. "Cooking is at once child's play and an adult joy," he commented. "And cooking done with care is an act of love." Baking treats for my grandchildren is an act of love for me. What kind of cookies should I bake?

Chinese Almond cookies are one of my best recipes and everyone loves them. These cookies would crumble in the mail. Fortunately, my granddaughter was stopping by for dinner on her way to Minneapolis. I could give her a bag of goodies for her brother. Determined to take my time, I started baking at 7:30 a.m. and felt like Julia Child.

I had watched her programs years ago and knew Julia loved every aspect of cooking, including baking. "The French Chef Cookbook" was based on a television series and it included recipes and comments. "The mastery of pastry dough is simply a matter of practice," she comments, "as there is a definite feel in your hands you must acquire for mixing and rolling."

I think there is also a definite feel for cookie baking, especially the Chinese Almond ones. This is a labor-intensive has several steps: rolling small balls of dough, sprinkling them with sugar, flattening them with a small glass, and pressing almonds on top. These cookies burn easily so I could not walk away from the oven. The instant they started to brown I took them out.

The smell of almonds reminded me of the times I had baked these cookies for my daughters. Though my elder daughter is deceased, it was a pleasant memory. One hour passed and then two. In that time six dozen warm cookies emerged from the oven. After they cooled I put them in plastic cartons and taped the lids closed. I put one carton in each goodie bag and added apples, crackers, and a jar of Cheddar cheese spread.

But the most important item in the bags is love. The twins know I love them and enjoy baking for them. These food gifts sent another message as well: Grandma is thinking of you and rooting for you. This is an important message -- the foundation of our family -- and I hope the twins receive it loud and clear.

Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson

Baking Cookies for College Kids Is an Enjoyable Act of Love

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from Amazon.

Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life" and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. The company is also publishing her latest book, "The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul," which will be available soon.

Hodgson has another new book out, "101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey: Words of Comfort, Words of Hope," available from Amazon. Please visit her website and learn more about this busy author and grandma.

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Never-Fail Shortbread Cookies

This recipe gives you crumbling, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies. It requires that you make a dough and refrigerate it at least one hour before baking, so allow for enough time to bake these cookies.

First, prepare the dough. Ingredients you will need:

1 cup unsalted butter (not margarine), softened to room temperature

½ cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk flour, cornstarch and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. In a bowl, cream butter about one minute with an electric or hand mixer. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, about 1.5 to 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract, then gently stir in flour mixture until incorporated. Do not over mix. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic. Chill dough for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray lightly with cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut into rounds or into shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place on the prepared baking sheets and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

(If you find that your cookies lose their shape during baking, try placing the entire baking sheet with cut dough in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes before baking. This will ensure the cookies keep their shape while baking.)

Cool on a wire rack and store in airtight containers. Cookies can also be frozen.

There are many choices for topping shortbread cookies. Some popular choices include powdered sugar, sugar sprinkles, or even dipping the ends in melted chocolate.

The great thing about shortbread dough is that it is delicious plain or with added flavors. Try adding chocolate chips, espresso powder, cinnamon or finely chopped orange or lemon zest. Each of these can add a good accompaniment to the flavor of plain shortbread.

The secret to this cookie recipe is the cornstarch. In any cookie recipe, you can replace a portion of flour with cornstarch to make the cookie have a crumbly texture. If you're looking for more of a crunchy texture, replace ¼ cup of flour with rice flour. Also, be sure to purchase pure vanilla extract, instead of imitation vanilla (which is made from synthetic vanilla and tastes more bitter). Believe me, you can taste the difference!

Particularly with cookies, using higher quality ingredients will give you a better tasting product in the end. Look for high quality butter (Grade AA is the highest grade of butter, and therefore, the highest quality).




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Christmas Cookies - Bake a Tasty Holiday Treat

Bake a tasty holiday treat today
The sweet aroma of baking Christmas cookies is a telltale sign that the holidays have arrived. And while the weather outside might be frightful, a cookie right out of the oven can warm your heart.
Holiday baking is an activity that is often rich in family history, just like decorating the Christmas tree. Christmas cookie recipes are regularly passed down from generation to generation, and many people can name several holiday cookies they baked each year growing up with their parents, friends or grandparents.

Finding Your Christmas Cookie Recipe
If you're an inexperienced baker, start this year with easy Christmas cookie recipes. Here are some possible resources where you can find Christmas cookie recipes:
- Christmas magazines
- Lifestyle magazines
- Cookbooks
- Cooking websites
- Blogs
- YouTube videos
- Online cooking groups
- Cooking classes

Cookie Bake

How can you tell if it's an easy or an advanced recipe? First, look at the list of ingredients. Chances are, the more ingredients, the more steps involved. Read the directions to see if they're easy to follow. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself, but if you're planning to bake for a major event, it's probably a good idea to have a couple simple recipes on hand in case something goes wrong with one of your batches.

Organizing Your Cookie Recipes
Come up with a method to organize the recipes that don't come in an assembled book. Some people like to use small recipe cards, others prefer large binders. It's a good idea to cover your recipes in a protective layer, like lamination or a clear slip cover. You should also devise a way to make the recipes easy to find. You could organize them in alphabetical order, by the time of year or season, or by the friends you traditionally bake them with.

There are many other factors to consider when deciding which cookies to bake, such as who you'll be baking with. For example, if children are taking part, try a recipe where they can use Christmas cookie cutters in shapes like stars, trees, snowmen or angels. You can find cookie cutters at craft stores, department stores and dollar stores. Get some icing and other accents to jazz up the cookies. If a child isn't old enough to use baking utensils, decorating is a great way to get them involved.

Christmas Cookie Favorites
The following list will provide you with an idea of some traditional Christmas cookies you might want to bake this season:

- Shortbread
- Pfeffernusse
- Fruitcake balls
- Peppermint cookies
- Sugar cookies
- Gingerbread
- Rum balls
- Eggnog truffles
- Candy cane cookies

With a pinch of cheer and a dash of laughter, you'll be sure to have success baking your Christmas cookies this year.

Christmas Cookies - Bake a Tasty Holiday Treat

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Friday, January 21, 2011

Yummy Old Fashion Cookie Recipes - Maple Nut Triangles and Date Pecan Ball Cookies

Forget those bagged cookies in the grocery store and make your family some delicious old fashion cookies using my Maple Nut Triangles recipe. This maple flavored cookie with walnuts and chocolate frosting is well worth your time. If you aren't fond of maple, try the Date Pecan Ball Cookies. These delicious little gems, rolled in powdered sugar, are very tasty.

MAPLE NUT TRIANGLES

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Cream together.....1 cup butter, 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tsp maple flavoring, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cream well.

Add gradually......2 cups sifted Pillsbury (of course) all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts. Mix thoroughly and chill dough for a few minutes for easy rolling.

Divide dough into three equal parts

Roll out..........1 part at a time on a floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle 12 x 9-inches in size. Cut rectangle into twelve 3x3-inch squares. Cut each square in half, diagonally, to make two triangle. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake..............in moderate 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute. Cool thoroughly on wire rack. Frost with chocolate frosting (recipe follows). Garnish with 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

Melt a 1-ounce square of chocolate in top of a double boiler over boiling water. Add 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk. Continue to cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick. Add 1 teaspoon cold water, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring. Continue cooking and stirring until of spreading consistency.

DATE PECAN BALL COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups ground pecans
1 cup whole date, cut up
powdered sugar for rolling cookies

Cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla to sugar mixture and stir to mix in. Add the flour and mix well. Fold the pecans and dates into the mixture. Using a teaspoon, take dough into your hands and roll into balls. Refrigerate balls for 1 to 2 hours. Bake balls in a preheated 350 degree oven on a greased cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes. Remove cookies from pan and roll into powdered sugar. After cookies have cooled, sprinkle more powdered sugar over them.

Enjoy!




You can find more of Linda's vintage recipe collection at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

For her diabetic recipes and information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

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Unusual Christmas Cookies

Try some of these unusual combinations to liven up your cookie exchange and bring a smile to the family table this holiday season. They are quick and easy and you probably won't see them on any other tables, but they are oh, so good.

COLA GINGERBREAD also known as

Cookie Bake

GINGER SODA BREAD

When I was a teen my grandmother made these and brought them with her when she came to visit for the holidays. I can still remember the taste today. And now, as an adult, I know why mom and dad would only let us have one. It was the topping!

To one package of gingerbread mix add 3/4 cup of cola.

Mix well.

Stir in one tablespoon of instant coffee and 1 tablespoon of grated orange peel.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees.

Gingerbread is done when it springs back when touched lightly in the center.

Cool for ten minutes.

Serve topped with whipped topping, or if you want the traditional topping for this treat serve with hard sauce. The recipe follows.

Hard-sauce: To 1 cup confectioners sugar add two tablespoons of brandy or whiskey. Stir until blended and the sauce is stiff. You may have to add additional sugar on a humid day, or a little less. Spread onto cooled cookies. You can also garnish with candied ginger for a little something extra.

VINEGAR AND COCOA Cookie

Sounds strange but these are delicious. Add a few colored sugar sprinkles to the frosting to give them a festive flair.

Sift together three cups of flour, two cups of sugar, a 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and ten level tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl mix together 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 3/4 cup salad oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add to dry mix. Stir in up to 1/2 cup of water a little at a time. Mixture should be a soft batter but not runny.

Drop onto a greased baking sheet and Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Frost with your favorite frosting.

MAYONNAISE CAKE COOKIES

This may sound surprising but mayonnaise is a blend of eggs and oil, so it makes sense that during the depression my grandmother would think of using it to bake some family treats. To make them more festive for the holidays and special events, grandma would add some nuts and candied cherries to the batter.

Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup sugar.

Cream 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon each, vanilla and almond extract.

Add dry mixture and stir until well blended.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls and bake on a greased baking sheet 10 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Frost with your favorite fudge frosting.

CORN MEAL COOKIES

Another family favorite, these will leave you wanting more. And more. And more!

you will need:

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

1/4 cup dried apricots

1/4 cup dried cherries

3 cups cake flour

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cream shortening. Add the sugar, eggs, and extract and cream until light. Toss the raisins in 1/2 cup of flour and add. Sift the remaining dry ingredients and add, mixing well.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Flatten out with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool. Makes about 60 - 2 inch cookies. Store in airtight container for up to a month.

FLAK-O-ROONS

Funny sounding but delicious none the less. Whip these up and you will be an instant hit.

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt stirred into 1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups rice flakes

2 1/4 cups coconut- flaked

1 cup chocolate chips

Beat egg whites until stiff adding sugar gradually until soft peaks form.

fold in cereal and coconut.

Drop from a spoon onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cool.

while cooling, melt the chocolate chips. Using a spoon drizzle the cookies with the melted chocolate in a pleasing pattern. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Optional: You can use white baking chips or a thin frosting tinted with food coloring if you like.

I hope your family enjoys these as much as mine do.

Unusual Christmas Cookies

For over 20 years I have been working and playing online. I am a certified teacher, entrepreneur, website designer, and genealogist, and as such I find that people are constantly asking how to do ____.

If you are looking for FREE help, information, free cookbooks and other resources to make your life, or your business a little easier, please check out http://www.cagleonline.com. This is my portal so you can find links to all my websites by clicking on the Master Index link in the upper right hand corner.

I hope you will stop by and bookmark the site while you are there. I am revising many of my sites and will be updating links almost daily. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the cookies.

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Mouthwatering Cookie Recipes

You never know when the craving for a really good cookie will strike someone in your family. There's no need to spend a small fortune on store-bought gourmet cookies when you can just as easily fill the cookie jar with fantastic homemade cookies. If your idea of homemade cookies involves breaking apart some Tollhouse cookie dough squares or slicing through a cookie dough log, then you have a lot to learn about the homemade cookie universe that your taste buds are missing out on! I've put a few great cookie recipes in this article that even the most inexperienced cookie maker can whip up. Enjoy!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup of softened butter
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, vanilla, and sugars until it turns a creamy texture. Mix in one egg at a time, then add the flour mixture and chocolate chips. Grease two large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Drop by the tablespoonful for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Allow them to cool on the sheets for a few minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup rice krispies cereal
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add in the butter, egg, and vanilla and mix well. Mix in the butterscotch chips, coconut, and rice krispies cereal. When this mixture is completely blended, drop by the tablespoonful (about the size of a walnut) onto greased cookie sheets. Slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins

Directions:
Cream together the shortening, butter, white and brown sugars, vanilla extract, and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture, and stir well. Add the oats and raising and stir again. Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheets (ungreased). Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 - 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cook on the baking sheets for a minute or two before transferring to wire racks. Keep stored in an air-tight container with a slice of bread to ensure they remain soft.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Directions:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it turns smooth, then add in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter, and mix well. Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheets (ungreased) and bake at 375 degrees F for about 8 - 10 minutes. Let them stand on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to wire racks.




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How to Flash Freeze Make Ahead Cookies

Home baked cookies are a perfect dessert for holiday gatherings, birthday parties and your children's school functions, but having to make them on the same day you need to do one million other things, like working a full time job, or cleaning your house, can be a major challenge for a busy mom! Fortunately, many cookie recipes can be considered "make ahead", meaning, make the dough ahead and freeze all of it, or a portion, for later use. With cookie dough that you've made ahead and frozen, you spend less time in the kitchen, which stays clean, and you have some delicious homemade cookies to offer your guests (or to send off to school) in a snap. Here are some guidelines for freezing make ahead cookies.

Flash Freezing

Cookie Bake

Yes, there is a method to freezing cookie dough! Simply putting your cookie dough in a plastic container and throwing it in the freezer will work, but I don't recommend it. What happens when you are ready to cook, but your cookie dough is a solid chunk of ice? You will be waiting hours for that huge mass to thaw! There is a better way, and it's called flash freezing. For flash freezing, you will need a cookie tray, saran wrap, parchment paper, a tablespoon cookie scoop and a gallon sized, labeled freezer bag.

Once you've assembled and mixed your cookie dough, use a tablespoon cookie scoop, to scoop out the dough into balls and then place them onto your cookie sheet very close together. A cookie scoop will save time and produce perfect balls of dough for perfectly shaped cookies. Your fingers will stay clean, and you won't have to deal with sticky tablespoons! Once you've filled your tray, cover it in saran wrap and place it in the freezer for two to three hours, until partially frozen.

Label Your Freezer Bags

While your cookie dough is freezing, label your freezer bag. Most freezer bags have a white area for labeling. If you prefer, you may use freezer tape, available at most grocery stores. Using a permanent marker, label your freezer bag with the name of the cookies, the date they were frozen, the cooking time, and any other specific cooking directions, so that you don't have to search for the recipe, when you are ready to cook.

Once your dough is partially frozen and no longer sticky to the touch, place your dough into the freezer bag and put it back in the freezer. By flash freezing, your pre-formed cookie dough won't stick together, and will be ready for the oven when you are.

On the day you are ready to cook, take the dough out and place the balls of dough on your parchment lined cookie tray. Preheat the oven. The dough should thaw for at least 30 to 45 minutes and then you are ready to bake according to the instructions on your freezer bag.

Make Ahead Cookies

The frozen cookie dough will keep up to three months in the freezer. I have used the flash freezing method for many cookie recipes and have had fantastic results. These cookie recipes include: big ginger cookies; brownie cookies; macadamia nut cookies; oatmeal cookies; peanut butter chocolate chip crackles; peanut butter kiss cookies; snickerdoodles; and everyone's favorite, chocolate chip cookies. You can find these great make ahead cookie recipes, as well as specific flash freezing instructions, in my Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Cookbook, to be published in the summer of 2009.

For homemade cookies in a flash, I highly recommend flash freezing. Enjoy!

How to Flash Freeze Make Ahead Cookies

Jane Doiron is a busy working mom of two boys. She is an Elementary School teacher with a passion for cooking and experimenting with recipes. With her busy schedule, Jane has found that make ahead meals (meals prepared in advance) are time-savers, money-savers and are the best alternatives to eating "take-out", which is not usually a healthy meal choice. Jane's cookbook is the result of her years of seeking out new recipes, experimenting with family-favorite recipes, and turning them into make ahead meals. Make ahead meals can be frozen ahead, assembled ahead, or cooked ahead and reheated. The recipes in her cookbook are a combination of all three and were specially formulated without compromising the food's taste and texture. Along with make ahead meals, in her book, Jane also shares her favorite dessert, appetizer and side-dish recipes, as well as helpful tips, like, make ahead tips for the holidays, freezing, must-have items for freezing, and many more useful cooking tips for making recipes ahead.

Stay tuned! Jane's book, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms will be published in the summer of 2009. You will be able to purchase your own copy of Jane's book by visiting Amazon and http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com Sign up now for a sneak peak of four make ahead recipes appearing in Jane Doiron's cookbook, by visiting http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I have always loved the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I used to love the commercials of the kids running into each other, one child with the Hershey chocolate bar, and the other child with a jar of peanut butter.

The first time I tried these cookies, I was hooked. The recipe is a very simple peanut butter dough, with a Hershey's kiss in the middle:

1 cup butter

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 2/3 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Additional sugar in a bowl for rolling

Chocolate Kisses

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars; blend until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend. Mix flour, salt and soda, add to cream mixture; stir well. Roll dough into quarter size balls. Roll ball in bowl of sugar. Bake dough at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Immediately place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

You can add food coloring to the dough to create any color you'd like. We have made these cookies in red, green and blue. You can also divide the batter and make multiple colors for one batch of cookies.

Experiment with the many flavors of Hershey's kisses. They make a kiss that has peanut butter right in the middle. These are a wonderful addition to the peanut butter cookie. Hershey's also makes kisses with nuts in the middle. This is a fun kiss to put in the middle of the cookies. If you make a red dough, try the chocolate kisses that are part white and part brown.

We have also added peanut M&M's in the middle, instead of Hershey's Kisses. Follow the same recipe adding the M&M's at the very end and baking 2 additional minutes.

If you find the cookies a little sweet for your taste, cut out some of the brown sugar. Try cutting the brown sugar down to 3/4 of a cup.

Bon Appetite!!




Audrey’s mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com

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10 Sugar Cookie Recipes

After School Sugar Cookies
7 tbsp butter
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Blend well. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough into two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill a minimum of one hour. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 F. for 6 to 8 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with icing after cookies halved cooled.. Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

Fruity Sugar Cookies

Cookie Bake

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. Jello (any flavor)
2 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Roll dough into teaspoon size ball. Place on a cookie sheet and smash with a glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes.

Easy Roll Sugar Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. milk

Cream butter. Add sugar gradually, mix in egg yolks and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients with milk. Chill 1 hour. Roll 1/8 inch thick on well floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost and decorate when cool. Makes about 5 dozen.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

1 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream margarine, sugar and eggs. Mix dry ingredients; add to cream mixture. Add flour until dough is firm. Chill dough. Roll on floured board 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

1/2 c. marg., softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. cream
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. cocoa

Cream margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg yolks, vanilla and cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to cream mixture. Drop by teaspoons full on greased cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Bake Store Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Sugar
1/3 c Shortening
1 tb Milk
1 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Vanilla
1/4 ts Salt
1 Egg

Measure ingrediants into a bowl & mix well. Shape into a ball & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Roll out 1/2 of the dough (leave the rest tin the fridge for now) to 1/8" thick & cut out shapes. Place 1" apart. Bake 6-8 minutes or until golen brown. Remove & cool completely. Store in tightly covered containers

Deluxe Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened, Do Not Substitute

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Granulated sugar

Mix thoroughly butter, confectioners sugar, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 2 hours. Heat oven to 375 F. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half to about 3/16 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges.

Rolled Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Cream together the butter or margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla
til light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
If dough seems dry, add a little milk. Chill dough overnight.
Roll out dough on lightly floured board and cut into desired
shapes. Decorate as desired. Bake at 400*F for 6-8 minutes.
I roll out the dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

Original recipe yield: 6 dozen

INGREDIENTS
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup egg white (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl
at medium speed until well mixed.
Shape dough into a ball and wrap with
waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours
until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly
grease cookie sheets.
Roll out half of the dough at a time on
a lightly floured surface. Keep the
remaining dough refrigerated. For crisp
cookies, roll paper thin. For softer
cookies, roll 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
With floured cookie cutters, cut dough
into various shapes. Re-roll dough
trimmings and continue to cut shapes.
Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on greased
cookie sheets. To glaze, brush tops of
cookies with heavy or whipping cream or
with an egg white slightly beaten with 1
tablespoon of water.
Sprinkle cookies with your choice of
toppings; bake 8 minutes or until very
light brown. Remove cookies and cool
completely.

Dutch Sugar Cookies

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces good-quality white chocolate melted

Using electric mixer beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour baking powder and salt. Mix just to combine. Divide dough in half. Gather each piece into ball; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325F. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using assorted cookie cutters cut out cookies. Transfer cookies to ungreased baking sheets spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps; re-roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out more cookies. Bake cookies until pale golden about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool. Repeat with remaining dough disk. Spoon melted chocolate into pastry bag fitted with 1/16-inch plain tip. Pipe chocolate onto cookies. Let cookies stand until chocolate sets. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.) Makes about 5 dozen.

10 Sugar Cookie Recipes

Buster has a large collection of recipes that can be found at http://www.BustersRecipes.com

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