Rolled Gingerbread Cookies

Cream together: 1 cup shortening
                           1 cup granulated sugar

Blend in:             1 cup molasses
                            1 egg
                            2 TBLs vinegar

Stir together:       5 cups flour
                            1 1/2 tsp. salt
                            2-3 tsp ground ginger
                            1 tsp ground cinnamon
                            1 tsp ground cloves

Blend four mixture with other ingredients.
Chill for 3 hours
Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface
Cut out shapes
Place one inch apart on greased cookie sheet
Bake at 375 for 4-5 minutes
Cool slightly and remove to rack
Makes 8 dozen 2 inch cookies.

Lemon Drop Cookies

From Mary Cannon - had these at a neighborhood street party.  Amazing!  Esp. if you are like me and love lemon.

2 cups sugar
1 1/2c. butter-flavored shortening
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
finely chopped zest of one lemon
1 (6 oz) package lemon drops, crushed (not too fine, a little chunky)
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of one lemon

Step one: preheat oven to 350 degrees
Step two: mix sugar, shortening, eggs and flavorings
Step three: stir in dry ingredients, lemon zest and crushed lemon drops
Step four: roll into small balls, flatten slightly 
Step five: bake on parchment-lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes (must use parchment paper or the cookies with stick)
Step six: let cool slightly on pan 1 to 2 minutes
Step seven: make a glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice; then brush lightly over the cookie tops.  Let cookies cool completely.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen
Original recipe adapted from Ann Whiting Orton

Chesenhauch

Chesenhauch

My first memory of eating these "almond brownies" was at the next door neighbors.  They were a regular treat we ate with them.  I hadn't tasted these in years, until last week at a birthday party.  I mentioned that I had eaten these years ago at Keddingtons.  It turns out that my friend had gotten their recipe from the Keddingtons!  So, this is the original recipe from my childhood.

2 sticks butter, melted

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp almond extract...I used much more...2 Tbsp!

2 cups flour

Mix all together.

Pour into greased 13x9 pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!



Brownie Cookies

Okay folks!  I found a new love!  I love brownies but I never make them because I am either out of brownie mix or I need something not in a pan.  I also think that brownies usually taste like cake when they are made from scratch instead of "brownies".  But not these ones! They are inspired by the neighborhood funeral for an elderly gentleman and from all recipes by Jonie Adams.  I just tweaked and added toffee bits.  I bet you could add lots of different things, her recipe had nuts - but I do think that is the number one way to ruin a brownie.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shortening - I used the butter flavored
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 package of milk chocolate
• 1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Directions

1. Do the whole recipe in a bowl with a wooden spoon to prevent overmixing. Start by creaming shortening, sugar, water and vanilla. Add in eggs. Stir in flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee - or other extras -  if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets (or my favorite trick for only having 3 cookie sheets and a batter that makes more than that = I cover them in tin foil & then just lift the foil off). Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes; do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.  They have to sit on the racks for some time to get the undersides to dry out a bit.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Seriously the best lemon cookies I have ever had. I ate half the batch all by myself the first time I made them.









Glazed Lemon Cookies
From Two Peas and Their Pod

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 35o degrees F. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers, until fragrant.
4. Beat butter and sugar/lemon mixture together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
5. Slowly beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended. Drop dough by tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently flatten dough with the palm of your hand. 6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are just set and slightly golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to cooking racks. Cool completely.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Dip each cookie top into the lemon glaze. Let cookies sit until icing has set.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

My Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Totally lifted from all recipes from Nancy Fridirici.  It probably helped that I actually had softened butter this time instead of a half and half microwave version.  I added a wee bit more brown sugar than white, used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. Huge warning = get them off the pan while hot.  Even with Pam, these became one with the cookie sheet!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Nicole's Neighbor's (Barbie Harris's) Sugar Cookies

These are the only kind of sugar cookies I like - I really can't stand any other kind! Makes tons of cookies. The tubes freeze super well.

STEP ONE: Cream together
1 LB Butter (whip it up in the kitchen aid by itself)
3 eggs
2 c sugar
2 t vanilla

STEP TWO: sift together & add to creamed mixture
6 c flour
1 t soda

STEP THREE: (LOVE THIS PART) - roll into tubes in wax paper. I rolled mine into heart shape rolls. About 3 inches high and wide. Can refrigerate (I did mine the day before)

STEP FOUR: slice through the wax paper into 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch slices

Bake at 325 - until they are done??? Nicole and I don't really know and I didn't watch the clock. We'll edit later.

Serve with Nicole's Neighbor's (Barbie Harris's) Frosting
1, 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 to 3/4 cube butter softened
add powdered sugar
vanilla
almond flavoring
and canned milk, if needed

Fair Trade Agreement Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a fair trade to answer Kim's Ginger Snap Cookies. I got this recipe from my neighbor Laurie Meredith. But then Michael adapted it. This is one that is soooo worth the sugar. Awesome to eat just as dough as well! If I only had one cookie recipe this would be it.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 + t vanilla
2 cups flour
2 & 1/2 cups oats (ground up in a blender until powdery)
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soca
grated chocolate (her recipe calls for a small Hershey's bar grated up, I've been using left over christmas truffles, or toblerone pieces)
12 oz milk chocolate chips (I've done every kind of chip on the planet - usually what I have)

STEP ONE: cream better and sugars
STEP TWO: add eggs and vanilla
STEP THREE: in another bowl combine powdery oats and rest of dry ingredients - stir around to mix (here is where I grate the chocolate into the dry mix)
STEP FOUR: add to moist ingredients in mixer
STEP FIVE: add chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Gingersnaps

OK, I am admittedley a little hesitant to post this one...as it is one of my specialties. But, as you specifically requested it, I will oblige. :)

Gingersnaps

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced
cinnamon and sugar

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg. Add dry ingredients. Shape into balls and roll in cinnamon and sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes (depending on your oven).

The tricks are to adjust the amount of ginger to your taste. More ginger means stronger flavor. Also, don't overbake or they will become quite hard!