Mint Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are a perfect addition to any dessert buffet or for a sweet treat after dinner.  It is a classic sugar-cookie dough for the base and then minty nonpariels are added into the dough before baking.  And the colors of the non-perils are just sooooooooo pretty and springy!

Mint Cookie Bars

Yields 24 Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1.5 Cups Granulated Sugar

3 Eggs

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

3 and 3/4 Cups Flour

3/4 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 HEAPING Teaspoon Baking Soda (or 1/4 and 1/8th teaspoon)

2 Cups Mint Nonpariel Candies (small size)

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375F.

2.  Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. 

3.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

4.  Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. 

5.  Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

6.  Stir in the minty candies.

7.  Press into a greased 9x13 cake pan and bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.

Swirly Sugar Cookies

These slice and bake cookies are so much fun!  I wanted to be sure I shared the recipe with you at Christmas-time because the color combinations are endless.  I made them in blue and gold for my daughter's hockey team - but you could do red and white, green and red, etc etc.  It is a basic sugar cookie-type dough and you can use any kind of extract to flavor them.  Our kids love almond flavor - so I used almond extract.  Plus, you can mix them up a day in advance . . .and then wrap them up and let rest in the fridge until the next day before slicing and baking.  Love that!!!!  They were a huge hit . . .I am glad I made a double batch!!

Swirly Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

4 adn 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (plus extra for rolling out)

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 and 1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

2/3 Cup White Sugar

2 Eggs, Beaten

2 Teaspoons Almond Extract (or extract of your choice!)

Food Coloring as needed

Note:  because these cookies have brown sugar in them, the natural dough color is a little darker than a regular sugar cookie.  This may cause you to need a little extra food dye depending what color you are trying to achieve!

Step 1:  In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Step 2:  In a mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar and white sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Add in the eggs and vanilla.  Beat again until all is well incorporated.

Step 3:  Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the sugar/butter mixture until evenly blended.

Step 4:  Gather the dough into a ball and divide into two equal parts.  Place one half in a second bowl.  Add desired food coloring to the first bowl with dough (I used blue) and blend until well incorporated.  I used my hands and wore gloves.  Do the same with the second bowl (I used yellow dye).  Or, you don't have to dye the second one at all!

Step 5:  On a floured surface, roll out one ball of dough to a 1/4 inch thickness into a rectangular form.  Do the same with the second ball of dough and try to keep the size consistent.  I like to roll them out on wax paper (easy clean up and helps with the next step).

Step 6:  Stack the two rolled out doughs one on top of the other.  I had blue on the bottom, yellow on top for my first batch.  Beginning on the long edge of stacked doughs, roll the doughs to make a log so the two colors sprial inside each other.  Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 6-8 hours.  Overnight works well.

Step 7:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease baking sheets.

Step 8:  Unwrap the dough log, place on a clean, lightly floured surface.  Slice the log into 1/8 inch slices and place on the prepared cookie sheets.  

Step 9:  Bake in preheated oven for 5-6 minutes, until set. 

Enjoy!!

Cracked-Top Jello Cookies

Summertime.  We have a love-hate relationship.  I hate heat and humidity and sometimes even sunshine.  But I really do love the longer days and not wearing a coat.  As a child, I usually hid in the basement where it was cool and dark until the evening hours (my parent's house did not have air conditioning).  Then, in the cooler hours, I would go for long bike rides, hang out with friends and enjoy life.  One of the summertime staples that helped me through those long, dreaded, high humidity days - were these cookies.  They are definitely a summertime cookie - fruity, sweet and slightly tangy.  You can use any flavor Jello you want - experiment with your favorites!  I made a batch of orange ones and a batch of cherry lemonade as well.

Cracked-Top Jello Cookies

Yield: 3 - 4 dozen, depending on the size

Ingredients:

1 Cup White Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Shortening

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Cups Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Small Package of Jello
Food Coloring (optional)

Step 1:  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare your cookie sheets by greasing them.

Step 2:  In the bowl of a mixer, cream the sugars and shortening.  Add the egg and mix well.

Step 3:  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated.  Please note, the food coloring is optional.

Step 4:  Roll dough into a 1-inch balls.  This cookie dough is a bit more dry than a usual cookie, so make sure you really roll them well. DO NOT FLATTEN THEM.  

Step 5:  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  Remove from oven, remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on cooling rack.  Let cool.  

Can't help being overwhelmed with emotion each time I see my mother's handwriting!

Healthier Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yep, me and my oatmeal . . back at it again!  I'm beginning to think that my face should be on the oatmeal canister . . .but nobody wants to see that ;)  Any how, I ran across this recipe on Pinterest  and it intrigued me.  So, I modified it a bit to what I had in the house (regular oats, not quick cooking ones) - and it resulted in soft, puffy-yet-chewy, super yummy cookies.  I also used honey as the sweetener (which is different than the original recipe as well).  Furthermore, I portioned my cookies out with a tablespoon-sized scooper - and the recipe then yielded 21 cookies for me.  If you are an oatmeal raisin fan and love a more healthy alternative to the traditional recipe - this one is for you!  And truth be told  . ..I've been eating them for breakfast.  Hey, they are oatmeal and fruit!

Healthier Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Approximately 20 Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cups Oats

3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour 

1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted

1 Large Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Raisins

Step 1:  In a large bowl, combine the the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir until well combined. 

Step 2:  In a separate bowl, add the melted butter, egg and vanilla stir until well combined.  Next, add in the honey and stir until combined.

Step 3:  Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Mix until just incorporated.  Fold in the raisins. Place in the fridge and let it chill for 30 minutes.  This will give the oats time to soften and have the batter turn thick and more dough-like.

Step 4:  Preheat the oven to 325°Fahrenheit.  Prepare a baking sheet as needed.  Scoop out the cookie dough - 1 Tablespoon at a time.  They will spread a little, so don't put them too close together (no need to flatten them).  Bake at 325°F for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges are beginning to slightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing them.  Once removed, let them finish cooling before putting away.

Black & Tan: PB and Chocolate Cookies

You've heard of the Black and White Cookie.  And then there is the drink called Black and Tan.  Well, meet the new Black and Tan:  Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie.  Such a simple recipe with a classic flavor profile.  These cookies are very tender and soft.  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Black and Tan:   PB and Chocolate Cookies

Yield:  Approx 3 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Shortening

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 and 1/4 Cup Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 12-oz Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Step 2:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, shortening, butter and peanut butter.

Step 3:  In a seperate bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, baking soda salt

Step 4:  Add the egg to the creamed mixture and stir until well blended.  

Step 5:  Incorporate the flour mixture into the creamed mixture to make your cookie dough.  Stir until well combined.

Step 6:  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours or overnight.  It must be well chilled before baking!

Once the dough is chilled . . .

Step 7:  Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and prepare your baking sheets by greasing them.

Step 8:  Portion out the cookie dough into 1 tablespoon lumps.  I use a small cookie scoop which yields uniformed sized cookies.   With a fork, lightly press down on the top of cookies.  Do this again except press them in the opposite direction so that you get a nice criss-cross pattern on the cookie.  Be sure not to flatten them too much.  This should be done with a light hand, just enough pressure to indent.

Step 9:  Bake 1 sheet of cookies at a time.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven, let sit for 2 or 3 minutes to slightly cool, then remove them with a spatula to a cooling rack.  Be sure to let them cool on the pan first - otherwise these will tear apart if you remove them right away.

Repeat Steps 8 and 9 until all cookies are baked.  Once cooled . . . .

Step 10:  In microwave bowl, place the chocolate chips.  Microwave on low for 30 second intervals, stirring in between interval, until smooth and melted.

Step 11:  Gently 'frost' half of each cookie with the chocolate.  Return to cooling rack to let the chocolate set up.  Once chocolate is set, store the cookies in an air-tight container with sheets of wax paper in-between each layer to prevent sticking.

Russian Teacakes

Everyone has a favorite  . ..and these are my hubby's favorite cookie.  I'm not much of a cookie baker, but I've trained taught my daughter how to make these.  She does a fantastic job and has been making them for the past 4 years as a birthday gift to my hubby, her "da-da".  They are kind like buttery, nutty and very sweet orbs of shortcake.  Around these here parts, many of us grew up with these being a Christmas staple and could often find them among the favorites of the Christmas cookie exchange.  Enjoy!

Russian Teacakes

Ingredients

1 Cup Butter, Room Temp

1/2 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar + 1 Cup for after they are baked

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 and 1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Nuts

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together.  Blend salt and flour together, then add to butter mixture.  Stir in nuts and chill for 1 hour.

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Roll into 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Do not flatten!  They will not lose their shape and will remain a round ball.  While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.  Cool.  Then roll again in powdered sugar.  Yield:  4 dozen, 1-inch sized cookies.

Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Made these recently as I was craving chocolate chip cookies.   Every time we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house, you could count on there being chocolate chip cookies to be eaten.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield:  6-7 dozen cookies

1 Cup Shortening

2/3 Cup Cup White Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 and 1/3 Cup Flour

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

1 Cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Step 1:  Cream together the sugars, shortening, eggs and vanilla thoroughly.

Step 2:  Spoon flour into dry measuring cup.  Level off and pour measured flour onto waxed paper.  

Step 3:  To the flour, add the baking soda and salt.  Stir thoroughly.

Step 4:  Add the dry ingredients mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Step 5:  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Step 6:  Drop by teaspoon fulls onto greased baking sheet.

Step 7:  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Please note, adjust the bake time as necessary for your oven.  15 minutes was a little long for me.  I ended up baking them for about 10 minutes per sheet.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Oh my, my . . .these bars are simply divine.  And cute.  And easy.  I found the recipe via Pinterest . . it was the first recipe I had ever tried from Pinterest. . . .and I've since made it multiple times.  They are that good.  The recipe was via a blog called A Little Bit Crunchy  A Little Bit Rock and Roll. When I had done a quick Pinterest search, a bazillion hits came up with these sugar cookie bars . . .and not all from the same source.  So, I looked at a quite a few - and they were all the same.  Usually, it was just the frosting recipe that varied.  Could all these people be wrong?  

Be sure to bust out your fat pants - because these are (in the words of the dearly departed Robert Palmer) SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE!  

Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. 

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. 

4. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

5. Press into a greased 13 x 18 inch pan (jelly roll pan) and bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.

6. Cool and frost (see directions below).

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

4 cups powdered sugar

5 tablespoons of milk

food coloring (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the shortening and butter until creamy. 

2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. 

3. Gradually add the 5 tablespoons of milk until you reach your desired constancy.

4. Frost the bars and decorate at own will.