candy corn cookies

I can't use her recipe without permission, and I'm too lazy for that.  So instead, here is the link to the Pinterest page. candy corn cookie

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped Candy Cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses
Granulated Sugar
About 30 unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They’ll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator, so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften… so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be  good for a couple of weeks.

Coconut Macaroons

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten

Ingredients
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

original recipe

Gingerdoodles (or Snickersnaps)

from Budding Baketress

Snickerdoodle Dough

 

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon cinnamon + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for rolling cookies in

 

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well, until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar and mix until combined. Dough will be a little of crumbly, but it'll come together when you roll it into balls.

Combine cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

 

Gingersnap Dough

 

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies in

 

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

 

Roll a small amount of gingersnap dough into a ball and toss in granulated sugar. Roll a small amount of snickerdoodle dough in a ball and toss in cinnamon-sugar.

 

Place both doughs together and gently roll or squeeze together (it worked best if I kneaded the snickerdoodle dough in my hand a few times before rolling both doughs together since it's a  thicker consistency).

 

Place on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Fudge-Filled Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cups Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening OR 1 cup Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
2 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
FILLING
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. HEAT oven to 375°F. Coat baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray.
2. For Cookies: BEAT peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs. Beat just until blended.
3. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add to creamed mixture on low speed, mixing just until blended. Drop by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
4. BAKE 6 to 7 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
5. For Filling: MICROWAVE sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in vanilla. Let cool 15 minutes. Spread generously on flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat side down, to form sandwich cookies.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Original recipe makes 3 dozen small bars
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x9 inch square pan.
2. Combine the 1 cup flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine, mixture will be very crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool slightly then sprinkle over the crust the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Mix the caramel ice cream topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour and drizzle over the chocolate chips. Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture. You will need to break it into small pieces to cover.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Let bars cool before cutting.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

from Pennies on a Platter
Yield: 3 1/2 dozen cookies
Serving Size: 2 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 packages (or 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons) Hot Chocolate Mix (store-bought or homemade)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then blend in the vanilla.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, hot chocolate mix, and baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. Working quickly, carefully add about 5 to 7 miniature marshmallows to the top of each cookie, and gently press. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the marshmallows start to puff. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
6 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups light sour cream

For the frosting:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Sprinkles

Directions:
For the cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough needs to obtain the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour). Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
Generously flour a work area and rolling pin. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.
Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit overnight before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

R-Bars

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup melted margarine
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter. Add melted margarine and mix well. Spread out in a PAM’ed 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips (cook 1 minute at a time and stir in microwave – they can burn) and spread over peanut butter mixture. Cut into bars so that you can re-cut them when the chocolate  hardens without breaking the chocolate.

Let harden and serve.

Pine Bark

By Paula Deen
Submitted by: Kristina

35 Saltine Crackers  ***(I use about 48 to cover the cookie sheet)
1 Cup (2 Sticks) butter
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
1 package of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with tin foil.  ***(I use a cookie sheet.)  Lightly spray foil with a nonstick cooking spray.

Place saltine crackers, salty side up, in prepared pan.  In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract.  Pour over crackers and bake for 6 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the crackers.  Spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers as it begins to melt.  Cool slightly and transfer onto wax paper.  Allow to cool completely.

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 Cup corn starch

1 cup powdered sugar

1 pound butter

1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

 

Beat together powdered sugar and butter until creamy and light. Mix in flavoring. Sift flour and cornstarch together. Slowly add flour mixture to creamed sugar and butter.  Drop onto a cookie sheet. These are also excellent for a cookie press.  Bake at 325 Degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to get pale brown at the edge. Let cookies rest for another two minutes after removing from the oven then place on racks to cool completely.

 

to fancy up these cookies you can put sprinkles or finely chopped nuts on them before they are baked. You can drizzle or dip in melted chocolate after they are baked. You can also add food coloring to batter if you want colored cookies.

 

note: because this dough is whipped and contains lots of butter, handle with utensils, not hands, or the dough gets thick and gluey.

Ginger Crinkles

Original recipe from Gourmet | December 2004, Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Yield: Makes about 6 dozen cookies Active Time: 35 min Total Time: 1 ½ hr

 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature

½ stick ( ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg ½ cup molasses (not robust or blackstrap)

About 1/3 cup sanding or granulated sugar for tops of cookies

 

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt in a bowl until combined.

Beat together shortening, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and molasses, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until combined.

 

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

 

Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into a 1-inch ball with wet hands, then dip 1 end of ball in sanding sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them, sugared side up, 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total, then cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

 

Notes:

· Added about 2/3 cup of chopped candied ginger. Mix in with the flour mixture so the ginger will not stick together & also get distributed evenly.

· Used a #50 scoop (~1.25 T) to make bigger cookies. Yield was 2-½ dozen.

· Rolled the whole dough ball in the sugar, not just the top.

· Baked them 10-12 minutes. Smaller ones would probably need less time.

· Cookies start out chewy & turn crisp with time. I love them both ways.

· Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks (if they last that long).

Homemade Oreos

2 boxes Devil's food cake mix

1 cup shortening

4 eggs

Mix (will be very, very thick) and roll into small balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup soft margarine

3 cups powdered sugar

Mix and spread on cookie then top with a second cookie