Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

I first shared this recipe in December of 2010.  They are something different, pretty, and definitely very holiday-ish. These are shortbread so they have a different consistency than other cookies, and the almond extract just takes it to another level. My family can't get enough of them. I suggest using seedless jam and you aren't pigeonholed with one flavor. In fact, the cookies pictured in the photo above are not made with raspberry jam, but boysenberry because that is what I had on hand. But raspberry is my favorite.

The best trick for making the holes to fill with jam, is not to use the traditional thumbprint, but a ChapStick tube!  Of course you want to make sure it is clean before you use it - I soaked mine in white vinegar for a few minutes then wiped it off just to be sure.

RASPBERRY AND ALMOND SHORTBREAD THUMBPRINTS
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2+ cup raspberry jam

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. milk

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add almond extract. Beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Using lid-end of clean ChapStick tube, press holes into balls, swirling slightly to widen. Fill holes with jam.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

(I got 22 cookies out of this recipe.)

Honey Spice Cookies

 This recipe was originally posted about 2 years ago.  It's an old family favorite.  In fact, these cookies sealed the deal with my husband when we first started dating a thousand years ago.

These are my favorite holiday cookies. I got the recipe from my mom and I'm not sure where she got it from. They are spicy and chewy without being one of those molasses cookies. They look pretty so they are great for gift giving. I can eat at least 4 of these at once, which is saying a lot because I generally can't eat more than one or two of any other kind of cookie I make. And that's not because they don't taste good, I'm just not a sugar fanatic. I feel sick if I eat too much of it. But these...they are like potato chips - I can't eat just one.

HONEY SPICE COOKIES

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Beat in egg and honey. Add flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves until thoroughly mixed (dough will be stiff). Shape dough into 1-inch balls and dip one side in water, then in sugar. Place sugar side up, 2 inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then remove to wire rack.

Makes a little over 2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Orange Cookies

You know those chocolate oranges that people give around the holidays?  Well, I'm excited to share the cookie version!  These were super popular at a recent church function, so they are tried and tested.  And they look so pretty with the sugar and orange zest.  I think these would be great for a cookie exchange - something different from the usual.

You'll probably need to zest two oranges, depending on their size.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. orange zest
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

1 tsp. orange zest
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugars, eggs, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. orange zest until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended.  Mix in the chocolate chips and pecans, if using. 

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tsp. orange zest and 1/2 cup sugar; mix with your fingers.  Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls (I use a medium-sized cookie scoop for uniformity) and then roll in the orange sugar to coat.  Place on ungreased or parchment-lined cookies sheets, 2 inches apart, and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and press cookies gently with a  flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup (this creates the cracks and crinkles).  Let cookies cool on cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love a spicy cookie.  That's probably one of the reasons I love fall and winter food so much.  Not that it needs to be fall or winter to enjoy these cookies.  These are good any time. 

I've discovered a way to make them semi-healthy:  I make them with coconut oil.  Coconut oil is great for baking, though I don't use it in all of my recipes because the coconut flavor does linger.  However, in a recipe like this, with spices that mask the coconut flavor, it works great.  The cookies are nice and chewy and deliciously spicy.

SPICY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup coconut oil*
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat together coconut oil and sugars until creamy.  Add vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.  Add the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and slowly add in the flour until combined.  Mix in oatmeal, raisins, and almonds (if using).

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a medium cookie scoop) onto ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until light and golden.  Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire rack.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 3 dozen.

* The coconut oil can be replaced with 1 cup butter or shortening or a combination of the two.

Easy Chocolate Toffee Cookies

I first shared this recipe back in October of 2011.  I love how quick they are to make and the fact that there's only 4 ingredients. They stay soft a long time and the bits of toffee studded throughout add a great crunch.

EASY CHOCOLATE TOFFEE COOKIES
slightly adapted from Chocolate Toffee Cookies on Allrecipes.com

1 box devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 (8 oz) package Heath Bits o' Toffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. Fold in toffee bits. Drop by tablespoonfuls (I used a medium cookie scoop) two inches apart on cookies sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are firm. Let cool 5 minutes on sheet before removing to a wire rack.  Makes about 26 cookies.

Sugar Cookie Bars

How I love these cookies.  Let me count the ways:

1. They're easy.
2. They're tasty.
3. They're soft and chewy (and not dry).
4. One batch makes a lot.
5. They're just happy and cute!

I may never make rolled sugar cookies again.  When you consider how much work goes into making the dough, chilling the dough, rolling the dough, cutting out the dough, baking multiple batches, cooling multiple batches, then frosting multiple batches...

Have I convinced you to try these yet?

SUGAR COOKIE BARS
slightly adapted from Anissa's Kitchen

Bars:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 13x18-inch baking pan.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.  Add vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; add slowly to egg mixture until thoroughly combined.  Spread dough evenly in pan (I find this is easiest to do with damp hands - re-wetting as necessary).  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk, half-and-half, or cream
food coloring, optional

Beat butter and shortening until smooth and creamy; add vanilla and salt.  Alternate adding milk and powdered sugar until frosting is spreading consistency.  Add food coloring, if desired.  Before frosting bars, use a knife and cut around inside edge of pan to loosen sides.  Frost, then cut bars.  I usually cut 5x8 for a total of 40 bars.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

So I've been meaning to make these for a long time, ever since I saw them on The Girl Who Ate Everything.  I had a rough week and a dear friend of mine brought me dinner one night.  As a thank you, I decided it was time to make these cookies to share.  They get a thumbs up from her family and mine!  They are soft and chewy and have just the right amount of orange and vanilla flavor.  A perfect spring time treat for the first day of May!

ORANGE CREAMSICLE COOKIES
from The Girl Who Ate Everything

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. orange zest (2 large oranges worked for me)
12 oz. bag white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Gradually add flour mixture until thoroughly combined.  Stir in orange zest and white chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (I used a medium cookie scoop) onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around edges - do not over bake!  Let cookies cool on sheets for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  I got 34 cookies out of one batch.

Soft and Thick Sugar Cookies

Don't these look yummy?  When I made them my daughter shared a couple with her friends and they all wanted more.  Even the hubs likes them.  Apparently the trick to getting a soft sugar cookie is using cake flour.  I just happened to have a box of cake flour (why? I don't know!) that was expiring at the end of this month, so I decided it was time to test the theory.  These soft, thick cookies were the result.

When I read the directions to slightly flatten the cookies after baking, I thought, "How silly!  Why don't I just flatten them before?"  Well, I found out.  They don't turn out as thick if you flatten them first!  So be a sheep and follow the directions on this one.  ;)

If you don't have cake flour, I have another soft sugar cookie recipe here that doesn't call for it.

SOFT AND THICK SUGAR COOKIES
from Confections From the Cody Kitchen

2/3 cup butter (cold)
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
coarse sugar (like sprinkles or raw sugar) for rolling

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar; stir in eggs and extracts.  Combine flours, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture until thoroughly combined.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment or Silpat.  Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls (or use a med-sized cookie scoop) and dip or roll in coarse sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.  Return dough to fridge between batches.

Bake for 8-9 minutes or just until bottoms start to lightly brown.  Remove from oven and slightly flatten cookies with a spatula.  Let cool on cookie sheet 3 minutes before removing to wire rack.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

If you want to make larger cookies, you will need to adjust your bake time about 1-2 minutes.

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

I got the idea for these cookies here.  I saw the photo on Pinterest and thought they looked divine.  But the recipe is for a shortbread-type cookie and that is not what I wanted.  So I decided to tweak my Almond Chocolate Kiss Cookies recipe, which makes soft and chewy cookies.  And it worked!  Well, not at first.

I got the dough right, but I followed my original recipe's directions to bake the cookies for 8 minutes, push in the Hershey Kisses, and then bake for 3 minutes more.  Mistake.  Why?  Because I used Hershey's Cherry Cordial Kisses and they do not hold up to heat like the regular milk chocolate ones do.  They burn!  But this is an easy fix.  Instead of adding the Kiss midway through baking, I just added it at the very end.  Problem solved.

I also made the balls of dough a little too big.  They should be about an inch in diameter - I was being hasty and made them more like an inch and half.  You'll get more cookies (and a greater ratio of chocolate to cookie) if you stick to 1 inch.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE KISSES
inspired by The Curvy Carrot

2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 (10 oz) jar maraschino cherries
1 bag Hershey's Cherry Cordial Kisses (or regular Kisses)
1/3 cup sugar (for rolling)

First drain the cherries, reserving 4 teaspoons of syrup.  Pat cherries dry with paper towels and chop.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat, if desired.

In a large bowl, cream shortening, sugar, and almond extract.  Add egg and reserved cherry syrup; beat until light and fluffy.  Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together and blend into creamed mixture.  Fold in chopped cherries.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Press a Kiss into the center of each cookie and let cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  One bag of Kisses will be enough for 2 batches of cookies.

Chocolate Bird Nests

This is what happens when you read the cereal box.  I saw the recipe for these on the side of a box of Original Fiber One and they just sounded good.  I've been craving chocolate lately and these are actually pretty healthy for you.  Lots of fiber!  Only 3 ingredients and no baking make these an easy treat.  The box calls these "haystacks" but I think "bird nests" is better.  These would be super cute around Easter time with some Cadbury Mini Eggs (you know, those chocolate candies that look like little robin's eggs?) pressed in the center.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of peanut butter, but I found that it softens the chocolate a little too much - these melt in your hands pretty easily.  So I decided to reduce the amount of peanut butter to 1/4 cup.  Even less fat that way and they still taste yummy.  And I feel no guilt when I eat more than one. Check the link below for nutritional stats.

CHOCOLATE BIRD NESTS
slightly adapted from Fiber One recipe

1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter (reduced fat is fine)
1 pouch (3 3/4 cups) Original Fiber One cereal

Line two cookie sheets with waxed or parchment paper.  In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and peanut butter on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.  Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute more, stirring after every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth.

In a large bowl, stir together cereal with chocolate mixture until evenly coated.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto lined cookies sheets.  Refrigerate until firm.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  I got 18 "cookies" out of this, but I made them a little big.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

I saw these cookies on Pinterest and thought they looked really yummy.  Then I followed the pin to a food blog from Singapore and the entire recipe was in metric and I did not feel like converting it.  Lucky for me (and for you) I found a similar recipe from Southern Living (which pretty much ensured they'd be good).

Oh my, I love these little cookies!  Even my husband loves them, which is AMAZING because he is not a fan of Craisins (he even goes to the trouble of picking them out of my homemade granola bars).  The dough requires at least 4 hours to chill, which could be a hassle, but it's totally worth it because all that time in the fridge lets the flavor of the orange zest diffuse throughout the dough.  I just made my dough the night before and baked it the next day.

I made these without the almond extract because I was out (whoops) and they still turned out yummy.  So if you don't have almond extract either, no worries.

I gave some of these goodies to some friends recently and took a cue from rolling and wrapping the dough and rolled and wrapped the cookies in wax paper:

Cute for gift giving, eh?  If you don't eat them all first, that is.

CRANBERRY ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
from MyRecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. orange zest (from 1-2 oranges, depending on size)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
wax paper

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.  Stir in chopped cranberries, orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract until well blended.

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Shape dough into 2 (7-inch) logs and wrap each in wax paper.  Chill dough for at least 4 hours or freeze logs in a Ziploc bag for up to one month.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  If frozen, let logs stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Slice each log into 24 pieces (about 1/4-inch thick slices).  Place slices about 1 inch apart on lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of slices are golden.  Remove cookies to wire racks and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Frostbite Cookies

Don't these look good?

This recipe comes from Southern Living magazine and calls for peppermint extract in the white chocolate.  Personally, I have a hard time imagining these cookies tasting good with peppermint, but I may be wrong.  I do like them without it, and I also like them chewier than the original recipe's baking time permits.  I think the cornflakes add a nice crispy texture that fulfills the crunch factor for me.  But if you want a truly crunchy cookie, follow the original bake time.

If you are not a fan of vanilla almond bark, these cookies probably aren't for you since that ingredient is what really makes these cookies stand out.

FROSTBITE COOKIES
slightly adapted from MyRecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups cornflakes
12 oz. vanilla (white) almond bark
2 Tbsp. shortening
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well blended.

In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening with sugars; add eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.  Mix in oats and cornflakes.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls (or use a medium-sized cookie scoop), 2" apart, onto lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets; flatten slightly.  

For chewy cookies, bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown.  Let cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For crunchy cookies, bake for 12-14 minutes or until an even golden brown.  Cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl, heat almond bark and 2 Tbsp. shortening on HIGH for one minute.  Stir until smooth.  Add extract if using.  Dip the bottom of each cookie in the melted bark, letting excess drip back into the bowl.  Place cookies dipped side up on wax paper and let stand for 1 hour or until bark is set.  You can speed this along by putting the cookies in the fridge or freezer.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  

   

Pumpkin Ginger Cookies

These cookies are FABULOUS.  They are chewy, moist, and spicy - the top three things I love about a cookie.  They are essentially a chewy gingersnap with a pumpkin twist.  My husband and daughter can't stop eating them and neither can I, frankly.

This recipe comes from Two Peas & Their Pod; a blog full of fantastic cookie recipes (you should definitely check it out).  Maria calls them Soft Pumpkin Gingersnaps, but I'm a weirdo and have a hard time naming a soft cookie a "snap."  So I'm going with Pumpkin Ginger Cookies.  I've only made one alteration and that is to reduce the amount of ground cloves.  Cloves are a delicious but strong spice and I felt that a full teaspoon kind of covered up the pumpkin flavor too much, so I've reduced the amount to half a teaspoon.

The molasses makes the cookies chewy, the pumpkin makes them soft.  And they STAY soft - up to a week (though they usually don't last past the first day or two).

And stay tuned:  these cookies only use 1/2 cup canned pumpkin.  I'll be posting more recipes soon to use up the rest of the can.  :)

PUMPKIN GINGER COOKIES
slightly adapted from Soft Pumpkin Gingersnaps on Two Peas & Their Pod

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until completely combined (dough will be very sticky).  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough at least one hour.

When ready to make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or Silpat.  Add about 1/2 cup of sugar to a small bowl.  Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough (I used a medium-sized cookie scoop) in sugar until well coated and place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and cookies look cracked.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.  Makes about 3 dozen, depending on size.

Toasted Coconut and Toffee Cookies

At first I was hesitant to post another cookie recipe (I just did the chewy chocolate chip cookies!) but these were too good not to share.  I first found inspiration from this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod.  I made them and they were definitely tasty, but they turned out a little dry for my taste.  I wanted something chewier and crispier.  So I went Googling and found something that was a little closer and decided I would just sorta combine and adapt the two recipes and hope for the best.  And it worked! 

These are crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle and have the subtle toasted coconut flavor mixed with the gooey melted toffee....  Soooo good.  Next time I will use the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips so that the chocolate is spread out more evenly in the dough, but other than that I think these cookies are perfect.

For the toffee, I chopped up some Heath candy bars, but you can also find bags of toffee bits in the baking aisle.  I know Walmart has carried it (my local Fry's store didn't have them).

You definitely want to line your baking sheets with parchment paper (or grease them) because the melted toffee will stick to the sheet otherwise.  This is also part of the reason why the cookies should cool on the sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack (it also keeps them chewy).

TOASTED COCONUT AND TOFFEE COOKIES
combined and adapted from here and here

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup shortening)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. coconut extract, optional
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups coconut, toasted*
1 cup min semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toffee bits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs and extracts.  Add flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until combined.  Fold in toasted coconut, chocolate chips, and toffee. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls on parchment-lined cookie sheets, about 2 1/2 inches apart (cookies will spread).  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden.  Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

*To toast coconut:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread sweetened, flaked coconut evenly on parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 4-8 minutes, checking often and stirring occasionally.  (Once the coconut starts to brown, it can burn quickly.)  Remove it from the oven when it's a light golden brown and let cool.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm one of those people who primarily make chocolate chip cookies in order to snack on the dough.  Believe it or not, I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate chip cookies.  I prefer spicy cookies like Oatmeal Raisin or Honey Spice or something chewy and smooth like Peanut Butter Cookies or Soft Drop Sugar Cookies.  I guess I'm weird.  But to my mind, if I'm going to the trouble of making the dough, it might as well make a decent cookie since I really can't eat that much dough without hospitalization.  And I've tried lots of recipes over the years, never really caring for the Nestle Toll House recipe on the back of the chip bag.  Lately my go-to recipe has been the Secret Ingredient one since it makes soft, pretty cookies, but I was really hoping I could find the ultimate big, thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie.  And I think this is it.

I found this recipe on the blog Brown Eyed Baker.  She got it from America's Test Kitchen's book Baking Illustrated.  Michelle goes on to explain that the key to chewy cookies is melted butter and an extra egg yolk.  There's more scientific stuff to it, but I just care about the flavor and texture.  And these delivered.  They even look good just dropped from a large cookie scoop!  If you want yours to look more bakery-like, don't roll them into smooth balls before baking.

THICK AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
from Baking Illustrated via Brown Eyed Baker

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark - both work well)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined.  Stir in the chips.

Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls (or use a large cookie scoop) 2 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are set and golden brown yet centers are still soft and puffy.  Do not over bake!  Cool the cookies on the sheets before removing with a metal spatula.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I've tried several different recipes for peanut butter cookies but always come back to our family recipe.  I like my cookies soft and chewy and this recipe delivers time after time.  I have noticed in the last few years that the cookies bake up flatter than they used to and I suspect it's because there's been some change in the quality of the peanut butter available.  Who knows?  All I know is this recipe works great with crunchy and smooth alike.  Sometimes I roll the dough balls in sugar before flattening, but that's a tedious step that isn't necessary, just pretty.

This recipe makes a little over 4 dozen cookies, but is easily halved if you want to make less.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, peanut butter, salt, baking soda, and vanilla until smooth.  Slowly mix in the flour until combined.  Roll dough into balls (about the size of a walnut) and place on ungreased or lined cookie sheet.  Press with a fork to make a criss-cross shape.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Apple Raisin Spice Cookies

Fall is my favorite time of year. Best food. Best weather. Well, if you don't live in AZ like I do. It's still high summer here. At least I can still have the food. :)

These can be made with fresh diced apples but be prepared to eat them quick. The extra moisture in the apples will turn your cookies to mush after 24-48 hours. This is why I suggest using dried apples instead.

APPLE RAISIN SPICE COOKIES
adapted from Tablespoon.com

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 (4.5 oz) package dried apples, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup hot apple cider, juice, or water
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Glaze:
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp.+ milk or half-and-half
1 cup powdered sugar

Place raisins in a bowl and cover with hot cider; set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter, shortening, and sugars until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in oats, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and flour until thoroughly mixed. Drain raisins and fold in with apples and nuts, if using. Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown and centers are set (may take longer if using fresh apples). Cool on sheet 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

In a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients (adding more milk if necessary to reach a drizzling consistency). Drizzle over cooled cookies with a spoon.

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret ingredient in these cookies helps them stay soft. And I have to say, it seems to make them bake up attractively. Can you guess what it is?

Instant pudding.

I've heard of this 'secret ingredient' off and on and have seen a couple of recipes here and there. I finally made them and now understand what all the fuss is about. It does not affect the taste and make the cookies super sweet as you might expect.

Ovens vary and I found that in my oven the cookies baked faster than the time suggested in the recipe I used. So I'm leaving a big window (8-12 minutes) for you. Check your first batch at 8 minutes and plan your baking time from there.

As a side note, after I made these the first time I took some with me to my jury deliberation. Everyone loved them. So now, in my mind, these will always be "Jury Duty Cookies."

SECRET INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
adapted from Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies on Allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the instant pudding mix (dry) until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I use a medium-sized cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Almond Chocolate Kiss Cookies

These are a pleasant change from the peanut butter blossoms that are so popular. The recipe came from a friend I used to work for and I've loved these cookies ever since I first tried them in her home. This time around Caralie and I made them for Valentine's Day (thought the whole "kiss" thing was appropriate) so we added a little pink food coloring. I really like the look!

I tried and tried and tried to find the cherry cordial Hershey Kisses because I think they would be really perfect for this cookie, but even with the Valentine's holiday, they were nowhere to be found. So we stuck with the original milk chocolate Kisses. I like these cookies best when the Kisses are still melty from being in the oven. Delicious!

ALMOND CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES

2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 bag Hershey Kisses*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening, 3/4 cup sugar, and extract. Add egg and milk; beat till light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together and blend into creamed mixture. Roll into 1 1/2" balls; roll balls in 1/4 cup sugar until coated. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove cookies from oven, place a kiss in center of each cookie and then return to oven for 3 minutes more. Cool on wire rack.

*If you want to make enough cookies to use up the entire bag of Kisses, you will need to double or triple the recipe, depending on how big you make them. I made 1 1/2" balls and got 22 out of one batch.

Oatmeal Dulche de Leche Cookies

I saw this recipe on Pleasant Home. It was created by Robin at All Things Heart & Home and shared for the recent Christmas Cookie Exchange on Pleasant Home. I bookmarked it right away and new that this recipe would haunt me until I made it. The cookies are very rich, so you can't eat too many (unless you want to go into sugar shock). And I just realized I forgot to count how many cookie-sandwiches this made...it was at least 3 dozen maybe 4.

You will need one jar of marshmallow creme and a can of dulche de leche:
The dulche de leche can be found in the Hispanic section of your grocery store. To make the marshmallow creme easier to spread, put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir.

The cookies spread out a lot. I used my smallest cookie scoop, but you can use a rounded teaspoonful if you don't have one. Slightly flatten the dough so it spreads evenly while baking:

When the cookies are cool, you will spread a little caramel on one cookie and a little marshmallow creme on another and then press them together:
Don't use too much marshmallow creme or it will ooze out and make a big mess.

For the chocolate drizzle, you melt chocolate chips in the microwave. I found the least messy way to do the drizzle is to put the Ziploc bag inside a cup, folding the excess over the sides and then pour the chocolate in:

Then you can twist it, snip off the corner, and squeeze with very little mess:

I suggest leaving the cookies on the wire rack, but put a piece of wax paper or some paper towels underneath to catch any drips. If you need the chocolate to harden quickly, just pop 'em in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes.

OATMEAL DULCHE DE LECHE COOKIES
from All Things Heart & Home

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats

1 jar marshmallow creme
1 can dulche de leche
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Blend in flour and baking soda. Add oats. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart, slightly flatten with fingers, and bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on cookie sheet 2-3 minutes before removing to wire rack.

When cookies are cool, make sandwiches by spreading a teaspoon of caramel on one cookie and a teaspoon of marshmallow creme on another. Press cookies together.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips for 20 seconds. Stir. Heat for 10 seconds more, then stir again until completely smooth. Pour chocolate into a freezer-weight Ziploc bag, snip corner, and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow chocolate to firm up. Can be put in fridge to firm. Store in an airtight container.