Cookie Success

Here are the cookie recipes from our annual TT cookie exchange. YUM, YUM! I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture of everyone's cookies!

Butter Cookie Thumbprints
aka Mrs.. Gangel's Thumb Cookies


Baked by Kathy








Ingredients:

3/4 lb butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 cups flour
Preheat oven at 350.

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg and mix well.
Add flour and mix well.
Form small balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet and press down with thumb.
Fill indent with jam or jelly.
Bake 10 minutes or until bottom of cookie edge barely browns.

Note from Kathy "At my first wedding shower each guest was asked to bring a favorite recipe as part of the gift. This recipe came from our next door neighbor. I can still remember her having the cookies lined up on her kitchen table as she made them for every xmas season".

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Chocolate Chunk Cookies


Baked by Jill








Preparation 15 min / cooking 16 min /yields 12 (1 dozen) cookies.
Note: I made the cookies a little smaller. Recipe doubled made about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups (10 oz pkg) Nestle' Chocolatier 53 % Cacao Dark Chocolate Chunks, divided (I couldn't find so I used Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/'2 teaspoon salt
1/2 (1stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Parchment paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line Baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt 2/3 cups chunks in microwave-safe bowl on high power (100%) for 45 seconds; STIR. Chunks may retain some of their original shape. Microwave at additional 10 to 15 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well blended, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture, mixing just until blended, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining chunks. Drop dough by level 1/4 cup measure 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs and the tops have a cracked appearance. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

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Swirled Surprise Cookies


Baked by Theresa








Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup quick oats
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) Nestle Chocolate/Vanilla Swirled Morsels, divided
* 1/2 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, oats, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 3/4 cup SWIRLED™ Morsels. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

ROLL dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. If dough balls become warm, refrigerate until firm.

BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until sides are set. Press 1/2-inch deep and quarter-size wide pockets into centers of cookies with back of small spoon. Fill pockets with remaining SWIRLED™ Morsels while cookies are still warm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PLACE milk chocolate morsels in small, heavy-duty plastic bag. Microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds; knead to mix. Microwave at additional 10-second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut a small hole in corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cookies.

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Fudgy Bonbons


Baked by Patty









Ingredients:

1 - 12oz pkg (2-cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts if desired (I did not use)
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 milk chocolate candy kisses or white & chocolate-striped candy kisses, unwrapped
2 oz. white baking bar or vanilla flavored candy coating (I actually used white make & mold candy waffers)
1 teaspoon shortening or oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and butter; cook and stir over very low heat until chips are melted and smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk; mix well.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In a medium bowl, combine flour, nuts, chocolate mixture and vanilla; mix well. Shape 1 tablespoon of dough around each candy kiss, covering completely. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes. Cookies will look shiny but become firm as they cool. Do not overbake. Remove from cookie sheets and cool.

In a small saucepan, combine white baking bar and shortening; cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. (If you used the white make & mold waffers, you just have to melt these in the microware. I just put the melted waffers in a baggy and cut a small piece out of the corner and drizzled over the cookies that way.) Drizzle over cookies. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 5 dozen cookies. I had doubled the recipe for the cookie exchange.

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Grandma's Old Fashion Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Baked By Kelly

Ingredients:

* 1 cup shortening
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs well beaten
* 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cup flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
* 3 cups oats (we use Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned. Do NOT use instant.)
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (use 1/2 cup if using raisins)
* 1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and mix well. Add raisins and nuts. Add oats last.

Spoon out by rounded tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.


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Kolache Cookies


Baked by Debbie








Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

1 pound butter
1 pound cream cheese
1 pound flour (4 cups)

Nut Filling:

2 pounds walnuts, ground
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 egg whites, beaten

Directions:

Place butter, cream cheese and flour in a mixing bowl and mix by hand. Divide dough into 4 parts and chill. Mix together filling; adding milk gradually, using enough to make a stiff paste. Roll out one part of dough very thin, using powdered sugar instead of flour. Sift it on dough as you roll. Cut crosswise to form 2-inch squares. Place a heaping teaspoon of nut mixture into center of squares. Roll each corner to opposite corner and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 F. for 7 to 10 minutes. (Don't overbake!) Sift with powdered sugar. (These freeze well) (Yields: 200 cookies)

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M&M Cookies
Baked by Karen

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bag M&M candies

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix sugars, eggs, shortening and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add M&M candies.

2. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes.

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Peanut Blossoms
Baked by Lisa

Ingredients:

1 ¾ flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
½ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
sugar to roll dough balls in
48 - 60 chocolate kisses

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix at low speed until stiff dough forms.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar
4. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets
5. Bake at 375 for 10-to-12 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Immediately top each cookie with 1 candy kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge.
7. Remove from cookie sheets.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
Recipe from Everyday with Rachel Ray


Baked by Cathy












Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
Two 3.5-ounce bars dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes or candies

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt; add to the mixer about one-third at a time, beating at low speed until smooth.

2. Lay a 16-inch sheet of parchment paper on a work surface; turn out the dough onto the paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a 12-inch-long cylinder; wrap tightly in the parchment and roll into a smooth, even log. Twist the ends to seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes; reshape the cylinder and refrigerate for 30 minutes more.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°; line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough; using a sharp knife, slice into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets; bake until firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

4. In a bowl, combine two-thirds of the chopped chocolate with the oil; microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. (If needed, heat for additional 10-second intervals.) Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate until smooth.

5. Using an offset spatula, spread a scant teaspoon of melted chocolate on top of each cookie. Sprinkle the peppermints on top and let stand until set, 2 to 3 hours.

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Lemon Stars
Baked by Kathi-Anne

Waiting for recipe ...

Enjoy & Happy Holidays from all of us at
Taste Tempters!