Yummy Cookie Recipes!

I hosted a cookie exchange with my baking friends in December and we enjoyed a lot of yummy cookies. I'm sorry to just be getting around to posting the recipes.

Peppermint Fudge Cookie Sandwich

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 candy canes or 8-10 peppermint hard candies (about 1/4 cup crushed)

1/4 cup white or semi-sweet chocolate morsels

10-12 mini foil-wrapped peppermint patties, unwrapped

1)Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line large sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine chocolate morsels and butter in medium bowl. Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until smooth, stirring after 20 second intervals. Add sugar and egg to bowl, mix until well blended. Add flour; mix just until flour is incorporated. Using a small scoop, drop 20 level scoops of batter, 1 in. apart onto pan. Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are set (do not overbake). 2)Meanwhile, place candy canes in a plastic bag and crush using something hard. Place white chocolate morsels into a bowl and microwave uncovered 30-60 seconds or until melted and smooth, stiring once. Set aside. 3)Remove pan from oven to cool. Immediately turn over half of the cookies; top with peppermint patties and top with remaining cookies to form 10 sandwiches. Drizzle chocolate over cookies and immediately sprinkle with crushed candies. Transfer to platter. Line pan with additional parchment and scoop remaining batter, bake 9-11 minutes and assemble as directed above.

Potato Chip Cookies  -(one of my favorites!)

1 pound of butter (4 sticks)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips

powdered sugar (enough to sprinkle on finished cookies)

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar & beat well. Mix in vanilla then add flour gradually. Stir in crushed potato chips. Drop teaspoon size onto cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Coat with powdered sugar while cookies are still warm.

Mincemeat Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1- 9 oz. package of mincemeat crumbled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat shorening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients. Gradually add mincemeat, stirring as you go. Drop 2" apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Easy Six Layer Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup graham crackers (crushed)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in 9x13. Sprinkle each of the above in pan in order. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Slice.

Chocolate Walnut Wafers

1 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 squares of unsweetened chocolate

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups flour

Cream butter, add sugar, add eggs (well beaten), add melted chocolate. Add nuts, salt, vanilla and flour. Drop from tip of spoon onto a greased cookie sheet 1" apart. Bake in oven at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Remove from the pan quickly. Make 10 dozen. Note: Cookies spread a lot- do not put big drops on pan.

Holiday Cake Bon Bons

1 box red velvet cake mix + ingredients to make as instructed on box

1 container prepared frosting

3 oz. vanilla or chocolate candy coating or bark

Option: 1/4 c. of Bailey's Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (325 for dark or non stick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9 pan with Pam. Prepare cake and bake as directed on box. Cool 15 minutes. In large mixing bowl, crumble warm cake. Stir in frosting until well blended (if using Bailey's add to the mix now). Refrigerate 2 hours. Roll into balls and put on foil covered cookie sheet. Freeze 30 miutes. Microwave bark on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Dip the balls in candy coating, one at a time. Place on fail covered cookie sheet. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate to set. Serve at room temperature.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Dreams

1 Cup Butter, softened

½ Cup each sugar and packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 Cup all purpose flour

3 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 package (11 ounces) vanilla or white chips

1 cup chopped pecans

PENUCHE FROSTING:

½ Cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup milk

1 ½ - 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

STEPS

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and the pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the chips and pecans.

2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks and cool.

3. For frosting, combine brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Cool for 10 minutes. Add milk; beat until smooth. Beat in enough confectioners’ sugar to reach desired consistency. Spread over cooled cookies.

YIELD: About 4 ½ dozen

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

1 cup margarine

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

60 miniature (bite-size) Snickers candy bars

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream margarine, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to peanut butter mixture. Take 1 tablespoon of dough and flatten into round shape in palm of your hand. Place Snickers bar in center and fold dough around it. Roll in palms of your hand to form a smooth ball with the Snickers bar totally covered with the dough. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.

Lemon Shortbread Bars -(another one of my favorites!)

Crust:

nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teasppon salt

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) chillled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 large egg yolks

Lemon Filling:

6 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teasppon baking powder

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

Streusel toppping:

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pices

powdered sugar

FOR CRUST: Preheat ove to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 13x9x2 inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor to combine. Cut in butter, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and blend until moist clumps form. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake until just beginning to turn golden brown around edges, about 10 minuites. Remove crust from oven; reduce temperature to 325 degrees. WHILE CRUST IS BAKING, PREPARE LEMON FILLING: Whisk eggs and sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk flour and baking powder in medium bowl to blend. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, whisking to blend. Whisk in lemon juice and peel. Immediantly pour lemon filling over hot crust; bake at 325 degrees F until filling is set, about 30 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. FOR STREUSEL: Blend flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in processor to combine. Cut in butter, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle topping over hot lemon bars; continue to bake until just golden, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature). Makes 16-20 bars. Note: If puff- poke down with cake tester.

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teasppon salt

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

Sift flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt together. Set aside. Cream shortening. Gradually beat in sugar and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients. Chill dough. Form into balls the size of a small walnut. Roll inot a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (2 tablespoons sugar & 2 teasppons cinnamon). Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees, until lightly browned; about 8-10 minutes.