Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I had these cookies at a event I recently went too and they were amazing, I can't wait to make them this fall!! 

Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

*Recipe from: Nayibe Hanson

Snickerdoodles

My friend Ruth is the Princess of the kitchen and makes hands down THE BEST cookies ever ... every cookie I've seen her make, looks like it was store bought and taste amazing!!! I was lucky enough to get her snickerdoodle recipe ... I ate at least 5 ... of them just tonight. I will be making these soon!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter - softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
3. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks. *Ruth's secret to getting flat not puffy cookies is you take the cookie sheet out of the oven and drop it on the counter 1 to 2 times and it immediately makes the cookies flat.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I got this recipe off the back of a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Baking Chips and made them the other day, they were AMAZING!! I made some without the peanut butter chips and did white chocolate chips, they were not good, the peanut butter ones were WAY BETTER! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips


Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.


2) Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.


3) Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.


PAN RECIPE: Spread batter in greased 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. About 4 dozen bars.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Recipe & Image From: The Pioneer Woman

 

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• One 10 to 12-ounce jar strawberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular pan.

Mix together the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread with the strawberry preserves. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

This is my favorite winter treat from Starbucks! My sister Bridgette tried this recipe on Christmas and she said everyone loved them! Enjoy :D

Recipe From: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Blondie Layer:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the blondie layer: In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave or until melted; stir in brown sugar. Pour the butter and sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).

3. Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with chopped cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Let the frosting set (speed this up by throwing them into the fridge) then cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Award Winning Chocolate Ritz Cookies

Recipe From: Amanda

Ingredients:
100 Ritz crackers
1 1/2 Cup peanut butter
1 Jar marshmallow cream
1 package of almond bark - melted

Directions:
Microwave peanut butter and marshmallow cream for 30-45 seconds and stir well. Put into a Ziploc baggie and cut off the corner. Squeeze about a TBS of mix onto Ritz cracker then top with another cracker and dip in melted chocolate

Makes 50 cookies

{Sneaky} Sugar Christmas Cookies

Ones of the best childhood Christmas memories I have is making what seems to be hundreds of my Mom's delicious sugar cookies. She would let us help decorate them and it was so fun doing that with her. I wanted to make some goodies for Eric's boss and secretary but with a busy 8 month old and no babysitter I didn't have time to make the real deal like my Mom would - I had to cheat and go the easy route once again! But I have to say they taste exactly the same and it saved me time and money so I will definitely be doing them this way again!

Makes approx. 20 cookies

You Need:

1 package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
Almond Extract {this is what makes them SPECIAL!!}
1 Egg
1 Stick of butter or margarine - softened
1 Tablespoon of flour
Plus some extra flour (see below)
Christmas Cookie Cutters
Cute Christmas Sprinkles
Red and Green Food Coloring
Rolling pin
Cookie Sheet
Frosting ... you can use THIS recipe (it's more of a glaze) or I just wanted to be super lazy today so I bought the kind in a tub - 1 tub was enough to frost all my cookies and more!

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375°F.

2) In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, soft butter, 2 cap fulls of Almond extract, flour and egg until soft dough forms.


3) On floured surface (this is that extra flour you needed above - you just need enough to cover the surface), roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. If your dough is sticky just work some more flour into it and roll it back out. If it's still sticky do it again. You can't hurt it. Do it until it's not sticky. Make sure you dust your rolling pin with flour before you roll the dough out or it may stick to your dough. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, about 1/2 inch apart.

4) Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

5) Spread frosting on cooled cookies. Decorate as desired with icing, sprinkles and sugars.

Note: I added food coloring and 1 1/2 cap fulls of Almond Extract to my tub of frosting!! Then placed it in a ziploc baggie, cut a small hole in one of the corners and used it as a pastry bag (get an idea of what it should look like here) because that is how my Mom does it :D I also put crushed candy canes on some cookies and not sprinkles.

Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

So here is a simple recipe for some oatmeal shortbread cookies with 
warm strawberry jam. 

Recipe From: Jolene

Makes: about eight wedges

Ingredients:
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter

( if you want to add oatmeal like I did reduce flour to 1 cup and add 
in 1/3 cup quick cooking oats after cutting in butter)Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine flour and sugar.  Cut in 
butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Knead until smooth and 
form into a ball.

2. To make wedges, on an ungreased cookie sheet pat dough into about 
an 8 inch circle.  Cut circle into even wedges.  Leave wedges in 
circle and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottom starts to brown 
and center is set.  Recut circle into wedges while warm if needed.

3. Heat desired jam in microwave for about 15 seconds, drizzle over 
wedges or use as a dipping sauce.  I used strawberry but you could use 
whatever you want... I think apricot/peach would be delish!

Lemon Crinkle Cookie

These are amazing. And I was shocked I could make something so yummy and perfect! The recipe is so easy and probably the best cookies I've ever had. They aren't super sweet either which I really like....simple and yummy! Usually cookies last too long in our house I have to throw them out but these made it only a few days....oops. :)

Recipe From: Laura

Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Mini Fruit Pizza

Makes about 16 pizzas ( it could make more or less ~ just depends on how big you make your cookies)

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough 

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:
1 jar (7oz.) of Marshmallow Creme

1 8oz. Package of Strawberry Cream Cheese, softened

1 6oz. Container of Strawberry yogurt

Mix ingredients in a  medium bowl with wire whisk until smooth.
**You will have a lot of extra "sauce" it makes a great fruit dip too! I had guest just eating it out of the bowl with extra cookies I had - it's sooo yummy!

Pizza Toppings:
Fresh sliced 2 kiwis, 1 pkg. strawberries, and 1pkg. blackberries ... or any fruit you want. I just wouldn't use bananas or apples because they turn brown and it wouldn't be very pretty.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place dough on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam and cook 4-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.


Once the cookies are cooled off spread the "sauce" over the cookie dough. Then start placing the fruit - a kiwi slice in the middle, then top with a strawberry slice, then top with a blackberry. And you're done!! Eat immediately :D

BaNilla Sandwich Cookies

Time to embrace simplicity in this no-bake cookie sandwich recipe from Bakers Royale that clocks a mere 10 minutes to whip up 2 dozen popable cookies. This is a simple idea that utilizes a banana slice, sandwiched between two mini Nilla wafer cookies with a little peanut butter spread for added flavor and then dipped in sprinkles for added happiness. Fast. Simple. Easy.

And look at how freak’n adorable they are...

Notes:

• You can’t make these too far in advance as the cookie starts to soften and the sprinkles start to bleed from the moisture of the banana. Luckily these take no time to turn out 2-plus dozen.
• Remember these are mini Nilla wafes, not the regular size ones.


Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 to 6 tablespoons milk

 Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.

You can make peanut butter cookiess & then spread on half of the cookies and top each with another cookie or it's really good on top of a spice cake!

Monster Mania Cookies

My friend Melissa bought some monster cookie dough from her daughter's school fund raiser and I think they were the best cookies I've ever ate & I've been craving them, so I tried to come up with something similar - Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick of margarine, softened
1 18-oz. jar of creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini m&m's

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 - I always get my cookie sheet ready first & line it with aluminium foil

In a very large bowl, combine the eggs and sugars - mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, margarine, peanut butter, and baking soda - mix well. Add the oats - mix well. Then stir in the white chocolate chips, then stir in the mini m&m's.

Drop the cookie dough by tablespoon-fulls onto cookie sheet & bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool for about 5 minutes. They should be gooey inside & light brown on the outside!

**Note: you could also add coconut, raisins, regular chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the mixture. I think the dough makes about 3 dozen cookies which is too much for Eric & I to eat at once, so I just made a dozen cookies and froze the rest of the dough for another time.

Festive Fruitcake Cookies

Recipe From: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 24

Ingredients:FOR THE COOKIES:
3 teaspoons Milk
3 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 stick (1/2 Cup) Regular (salted) Butter, Softened
1-⅓ cup Packed Brown Sugar
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Brandy
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups Flour
¾ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
8 ounces, weight Candied Pineapple, Roughly Chopped
4 ounces, weight Candied Red Cherries, Roughly Chopped
4 ounces, weight Candied Green Cherries, Roughly Chopped
½ cups (additional) Flour
_____
FOR THE GLAZE:
½ cups Brandy
½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine milk and baking soda and stir. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and mix lightly. Add milk/soda mixture and mix. Add 2 cups flour and mix until just combined. With mixer on low, pour in brandy and vanilla and mix until combined. Add nuts and combine.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup additional flour over the chopped fruit. Toss to coat. Add fruit and any excess flour to mixing bowl Mix until just combined. *Batter will be very wet*

Spray baking sheet with baking spray (or use baking mat.) Drop heaping tablespoons of batter, then bake for 20 minutes or until just golden brown. Do not overbrown!

Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl, then spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of glaze over each warm cookie. Allow to cool. These cookies get better with age! (Well…within reason.)

FRUIT PIZZA

Serves: 8-10 people

Pizza Dough Ingredients:
1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough (add just a little bit of almond extract to it to give it that yummy flavor!)

** you could make your own scratch cookie dough if you like this is just a lot easier!

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:
1 jar (7oz.) of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

1 8oz. Package of Strawberry Cream Cheese, softened

1 6oz. Container of Strawberry yogurt

Mix cream cheese and marshmallow creme in medium bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in yogurt.

Pizza Toppings:
Any sliced fruit such as strawberries, kiwi, star fruit, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, & mandarin oranges ... any fruit you want. I just wouldn't use bananas or apples because they turn brown and it wouldn't be very pretty.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place dough on round baking stone and cook 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. (You could also make your pizza square & bake the dough on a square cookie sheet, or you could make individual size pizzas)


While cookie is baking make the "sauce" and set aside and slice any fruit that needs it.


Once cookie is cooled off spread the "sauce" over the cookie dough. Then start placing the fruit. And you're done!! Eat immediately :D

OATMEAL CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (6-ounce) package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Party Cake Cookies

I got this recipe off a back of a cake mix box and used to make these all the time when I was a little kid, I love them still today! I put frosting on them after they have cooled down. They get really hard fast, so you'll either need to eat them right away or store them in a air tight sealed cookie jar.


Yield: 3 Dozen

Ingredients:
1 Package Cake Mix (any kind)
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons of Water
Candy Sprinkles

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix all ingredients until consistency of cookie dough. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake for 6-8 Minutes