Italian Chocolate Ball Cookies

A yummy cookie that's easy to make -- courtesy of Teri Peterson. Love them!

Italian Chocolate Ball Cookies

1 1/2 cups Sugar
1/2 cups Butter, softened
3 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
3 cups Flour
2/3 cups Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 Baking Soda
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1 cup Raisins

Glaze:

4 cups confectionary Sugar
1/2 cup Milk

Cream together the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a medium bowl gently combine cloves, allspice, cinnamon, salt, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the sugar/egg mixture alternating with milk. Mix well and then fold in the walnuts, chocolate chips and raisins.

Roll cookie mixture into 1/2 - 1 inch balls. If cookie mixture is too sticky, add more flour. If too dry, add more milk as needed. 

Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Cool. 

Mix together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over top of cookies. If chocolate glaze is desired, add 1/4 cup cocoa to glaze mixture.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Another holiday favorite. These are always the first to go and so pretty on a cookie platter. This recipe came to me from Teri Peterson. I always tripled this when making for cookie trays but I'm posting the recipe for a single batch ... 

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

1/2 cup Butter
1/3 cup Peanut Butter (creamy)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
Sugar for rolling

Cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Roll into medium size balls and roll in sugar to coat. Bake at 325 degrees for 7 - 8 minutes and then press kisses into center of cookie and bake for 3 - 5 more minutes.

Note: These freeze well.

Jill's Christmas Cut-Out Cookies

I didn't realize that there were other cut-out recipes until I had Jill's. I'd always just had my mom's. So when I tasted Jill's that were thicker and softer, I was amazed ... and I love them! 

Jill's Christmas Cut-Outs

1/2 cup Margarine
3/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 3/4 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 - 3 Tbsp Milk

Mix first four ingredients and then gradually add dry ingredients. Add milk. Chill until firm.

Roll to 1/4" thickness on a floured surface. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Cool and then frost with a buttercream frosting.

Congo Bars

This is one of Dave's all time favorite treats. His mom (Glennys) shared it many years ago and I passed it around to my friends as well. That was good thinking because somehow along the way I lost it. Recently Jill Wirth got in touch to see if I still had a copy because she couldn't find hers. I had to resort to the internet to find what I hoped was the same recipe, but luckily, Jill found her copy and sent it to me. All is right with the world now and I'm posting this so it doesn't go missing again! 

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Margarine
2 cups packed Light Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 6 oz package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine. Add in brown sugar, stirring until well-blended. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs,  one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add dry ingredients and mix until fully blended. Add in nuts and chips.

Pour into greased 13" x 9" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

Gingerbread Men

These are the best gingerbread cookies EVER ... thanks to Jill Wirth for sharing!

Gingerbread Men

1 cup Shortening
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 cup Molasses (dark)
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
5 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 - 3 tsp ground Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp ground Cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar and then beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar. Blend in dry ingredients. Chill 3 hours. Roll dough out to about 1/4" thick on lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes and placed on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 5 - 6 minutes. Cool slightly and remove to rack. Decorate as desired!

Old Sturbridge Lumberjack Cookies

This recipe was shared with me by Cheri Schwind -- but I've since learned it came from a cookbook published years ago by Old Sturbridge Village (one of my very favorite places on earth! How cool is that?) It makes my Top Ten Cookie List and is quick and easy to make. Great addition to those holiday cookie trays!

Old Sturbridge Lumberjack Cookies

Lumberjack Cookies (photo by ChangeableTable.com)

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

Additional sugar for dipping ( raw or natural sugar adds a little extra texture and makes the baked cookies almost “glisten”)

Cream together sugar and shortening, then blend in eggs and molasses. Sift dry ingredients and stir in.  Chill dough if desired.

Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts.  (A small food scoop works great.) Roll in the additional sugar to coat. Place on baking sheets about 3” apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Note: A stand mixer or bread mixer (such as a Kitchenaid) comes in handy for this stiffer dough...

This recipe and picture were found online at http://changeabletable.com. I have adapted the instructions.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Meghan made these one time when we were visiting and they are just wonderful. I love the little kick that the espresso powder adds! This is supposedly the recipe Neiman Marcus uses for the *signature* cookies they sell in their stores.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
1 cup light Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp granulated Sugar
1 large Egg
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp instant Espresso Coffee Powder
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds.)

Beat in the egg and the vanilla for another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crisper cookie.

Yield:  About 2 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are just the best and you can add all sorts of things to make them even better -- raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts ... 

Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup Shortening
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves (to taste)
3 cups Quick-cooking Oats
1 cup Raisins, Chocolate Chips, Craisins (optional)
Chopped Walnuts, amount desired (optional)

Mix thoroughly the shortening, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop by rounded teaspoonsfuls about 1 inch apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (or one covered with parchment paper.) Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until almost no imprint remains when touched. Immediately remove from cookie sheet onto cooling rack.

Must store in a tightly covered container. Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Note:  Try mixing raisins and chocolate chips together to equal about 1 cup.

Scotch Shortbread

Another Christmas time favorite cookie recipe. Mo made these for years and I know that they were her favorite. Best part is they are quick and easy and one batch makes a LOT of cookies. They are a great cookie-tray filler. 

Scotch Shortbread

1 pound (4 sticks) sweet cream Butter (not margarine)
4 cups Flour
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Sugar

Soften butter and cream together with sugar. Add vanilla. Slowly add flour using a wooden spoon. Knead dough lightly with your hands until all flour is mixed in.

Put dough onto a large cookie sheet (jelly roll pan.) Press dough down and roll with a rolling pin so that dough is spread out evenly over the cookie sheet. The dough should not be higher than the edge of the cookie sheet (about 3/4" thick.) Refrigerate for one hour.

Bake 30 - 40 minutes at 300 degrees. Bake until white, not brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Sprinkle top of cookies with decorative sugars (such as red and green for Christmas.) Cut into 1" squares.

Can be frozen.

MoMo's Cut-Out Cookies

I just recently found out that other people refer to cut-out cookies as sugar cookies. Who knew? Actually, about the only time we had this kind of cookie when I was growing up was at Christmas time so I've always referred to them as Christmas Cookies. 

Whatever you call them, they are the cookies where you roll out the dough, cut it into shapes with cookie cutters, bake and then frost (see the Buttercream Frosting recipe for this!) and decorate. 

MoMo's recipe is the standard by which I judge all other cut-out cookies. The secret to their special taste is in using a combination of Vanilla, Almond, and Orange extracts. It's the perfect combination.

MoMo's Cut-Out Cookies

In a large mixing bowl, combine and beat thoroughly:

These were made by Bree for Easter 2009

1 cup Shortening
2/3 cup Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Almond extract
3/4 tsp Vanilla extract
3/4 tsp Orange extract

Add:

2 Eggs, unbeaten and one at a time
2 1/2 cups Flour

Roll small portions of dough to about 1/4" thickness onto lightly floured surface with rolling pin. It helps to place a piece of saran wrap or waxed paper over the dough before rolling to reduce sticking. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.

Remove when edges begin to turn brown. Cool on a rack and frost as desired.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

These have always been one of my favorite cookies. Mom usually made them around Christmas time to add a little filler to her cookie trays. She loved that they were fast and easy and something she could make while the oven was being used. She was all about efficiency! And it didn't hurt that they had chocolate AND peanut butter in them. YUM!

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

2 cups Sugar
½ cup Milk
Dash of Salt
½ cup Cocoa
¼ pound (1 stick) Margarine
½ cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 cups Quick Quaker Oats

Blend sugar, milk, salt, cocoa, and margarine in a saucepan over medium heat and then bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and immediately add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Mix well (use a large spoon – not a mixer.) Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets covered with foil or waxed paper. Refrigerate to help cookies become firm.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. They freeze well.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is also known as the famous Sue Cali Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I worked with Sue at Churchville Chili and she used to make these and leave them in the staff lounge. There was always a mad rush to get there and grab one before they were gone. I got the recipe from Sue and our family quickly decided these were the best ever. So ... until something even better comes along, this is the recipe we use. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies (the Sue Cali recipe)

1 cup Crisco Shortening

½ cup granulated Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 ¼ cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

Chocolate Chips

Walnuts (optional)

Cream together the shortening, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips (amount to your liking) and any other ingredients desired such as walnuts, raisins, etc. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet in size desired.

If dough is really sticky (it sticks to your hands when touched) add more flour a little at a time so it is not as sticky but not too stiff. This will make the cookies not bake as runny.

Bake at 350° for approximately 10 – 12 minutes (varies depending on the size of the cookies) DO NOT OVERBAKE! Remove from oven when “golden” brown and place on cooling racks. The cookies may seem too soft but they will not be as “hard” if you don’t overbake them and if you put them on cooling racks. When still slightly warm, place in covered dish. This will also help to keep them moist so they don’t dry out on the racks.

Note:  A single batch will fill a heart-shaped cookie cake pan with enough extra dough for 5 – 7 big cookies. Grease and flour pan and bake cookie about 20 minutes at 350°. Cool about 15 minutes and then remove from pan.

This recipe can easily be doubled! And probably should be ...

Buttercream Frosting (for cookies or cakes)

This is the recipe that Mo always used and I can't see messing with success. 

Buttercream Frosting

½ stick Margarine or Butter

2 cups Confectionary Sugar

4 Tbsp. Milk

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract (use clear vanilla if you want the frosting really white)

Cream butter and slowly add sugar. Beat well until small little balls form. Gradually add milk, beating well after each tablespoon is added. Add vanilla and beat until well blended and creamy.

Note:  When making this to use on cut-out cookies, I usually add a little almond and orange extract to compliment the cookie flavor. 

Snickerdoodles

Probably one of our family's favorite cookies ... I think this cookie ranks as Dad and Daniel's number one. Not sure where I got the recipe from originally but I'm guessing my old Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Snickerdoodles

Cookie Dough:

1 cup Margarine (softened)

1 cup Shortening

3 cups Sugar

4 Eggs

5 ½ cups Flour

4 tsp. Cream of Tartar

2 tsp. Baking Soda

Sugar Mixture:

4 Tbsp. Sugar

4 tsp. Cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine, shortening, sugar and eggs together. Gradually add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together 4 Tbsp. Sugar and 4 tsp. Cinnamon to create cinnamon sugar blend to roll cookie dough in.

Roll dough into small balls. Roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated. Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes in a 400° oven. Immediately remove from baking sheet onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.