Ingredients:

7 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.  Blend butter, peanut butter and both sugars.  Add well beaten egg and vanilla.  Sift remaining dry ingredients together and add gradually to butter mixture.  Blend well.  Make round balls of dough approximately 1 inch and place on baking sheet.  Press out with fork tines in an ‘X‘ pattern.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (see my comments above about chewy cookies).

If you really want a sinful cookie, melt some chocolate in a double boiler and dip each cookie in the chocolate.  Place on wax paper and pop into the fridge for a few minutes before stuffing them into mouth, 4 or 5 at a time.  Enjoy!

xo–me

My favorite of all of her cookies is the ranger.  I can put away about a dozen in one sitting and lately I have the waistline to prove it!

Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. shortening
2 eggs
2 c. oatmeal
2 c. rice krispie cereal
1 c. dried coconut
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix ingredients in order listed.  Drop by teaspoonful onto cooking sheet.  Press each cookie flat.  Bake for 10 minutes.

These cookies are great with hot tea, hot chocolate or a giant glass of milk.  Thank you Nany for giving me the best of everything in our lives together.

xo–me

Cookie Baking Tips:

1. Read every word of the cookie recipe first!  Don’t start until you are completely familiar with it.
2. Never guess–measure the ingredients for your cookies.  Use standard measuring cups and measuring spoons, and level off every ingredient.
   
3. Never alter the amounts of such key ingredients as flour, sugar, liquid and shortening (butter).
4. Use no more, no less than the recipe calls for.
   
5. Use exact type and amount of baking powder called for.
   
6. Never substitute ingredients.  If a recipe calls for sifted cake flour, make very sure you’re using cake flour, not another kind.  It makes a difference!
7. For soft shortening use shortening that is soft enough to cream easily.  If necessary, let it stand at room temperature until softened.
   
8. If you’re baking one sheet of cookies at a time, place oven rack in center of oven.  If you’re baking two sheets at a time, place racks so they divide oven into thirds.
   
9. Use a broad spatula to lift cookies onto the cookie sheet for baking and later onto a wire rack to cool.
   
10. Make sure your oven is heated to the proper temperature for your cookies.  Set dial of heat control and turn on heat 10 to 20 minutes before oven is to be used.
    
11. When you’re in a hurry, make bars and squares instead of rolled-out cookies.
    
12. If you’re mixing your cookies with a spoon, use a wooden one with a comfortable long handle so you can mix, stir, and beat effectively.
    
13. Rolling out cookies is easier if you use a lightly floured surface.  Don’t use too much flour!
    
14. At holiday time keep a box of cookies near both your back and front doors, so you can offer them to delivery boys, mailmen and any casual visitors.
    
15. Keep a favorite refrigerator cookie dough on hand in your refrigerator.
    
16. You can treat teatime or coffeetime guests to warm, fresh cookies even on the spur-of-the-moment. Glue cookie girures to cover of the box of gift cookies you’re packing.
    
17. Shape cookie into numerals to represent your children’s ages; they’ll love them!
    
18. Send a box of cookies to your child’s class via Junior–the kids will undoubtedly name you Mother of the Year.

Now some may seem a bit outdated to your modern life but the foundation of the lesson can still be applied.  One I would add is to refrigerate your Toll House batter for at least 4 hours prior to baking (and up to 24) for the best possible cookie.  It’s the perfect fall afternoon for baking friends.  Get in your kitchen!

xo–me

For the sake of ordering and delivery time, today I am featuring my favorite sites from which you can order a treat (and most have all levels of financial commitment).  In no particular order…

Fat Witch Babies–Fat Witch is a great bakery in Chelsea.  I have been ordering her babies (a small petite bite-size brownie) for several years prior to making NY my home.   Each are $1.50 and you can put together a lovely assortment and ship for right around $20.

Good Karmal–Enjoy the most delicious candy caramel with a Valentine’s sample for only $10.  Each piece of caramel is wrapped in a “fortune” inscribed with a quote of wise words from sages ranging from Gandhi to Maya Angelou.

Zoe’s Chocolates–Zoe’s offers their heavenly traditional chocolates in several special packages for the lover in you.  Lot’s of choices for less than $20.

Cookie Sandwich Company–These sandwich cookies are truly the size of sliders.  They are sandwiches!  I have been able to soften the hardest individuals with these cookies.  They have a special cookie for Valentine’s with a strawberry filling.  You cannot go wrong here.

I would be overjoyed to be the recipient of any of these specialty items.  You will feel the same sending them.  Get off the site now and go place your orders in order to get the most reasonable shipping charges.

xo–me

This is a public recipe that has floated around the Internet for a few years.  I thought I should add it to my cookie collection here on Hey Amy! because it is rich and delicious and well, I like it!

Ingredients:

2 c. butter
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. sugar
5 c. blended oatmeal
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
18 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. chopped nuts (optional and your choice)

Preheat oven to 375.  Place oatmeal in blender and blend to a fine powder.  Cream the butter and both sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.  Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts.  Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.

I will add some of Nany’s best cookie recipes and bake my heart out today.  Hope you choose to join me in your kitchen.

xo–me

The last of my recipes this week around snow is the Snowball Crunch.  It’s another simple recipe that you can do with the kids when they have a snow day from school.  Big thanks to Aunt Barb for the great recipes!

Ingredients:

1 c. softened butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
1/4. powdered sugar
1 c. chopped pecans (or not, I don’t care for nuts in sweets)
2 c. sifted flour

Preheat oven to 300.  Mix butter, vanilla, and sugar until creamy.  Add nuts and flour.  Pinch off dough and roll into ping pong ball-sized snowballs.  Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.  While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.  Begin ‘throwing’ them in your mouth!

xo–me

This recipe comes from Nany as well as my Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook.  Moravian Sand Tarts have been made in hundreds of families for many, many generations in PA.  Why don’t you add it to your collection of recipes in your family?

Ingredients:

2 c. butter (what recipe isn’t good that starts with this much butter???)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 eggs
4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
chopped pecans
red & green decorative sugar
egg white

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Beat very well after each addition.  Sift together flour, and baking soda in separate bowl then stir into butter mixture.  Refrigerate until dough is stiff.  About an hour.  Roll out dough until it is very thin on a floured surface.  Yes get out your rolling pin!  You can do this.  Cut into shapes (this is the fun part) with your assortment of Christmas cookie cutters.  Sprinkle with pecans on some and the decorative sugar on others.  Brush each cookie with some egg white.  Bake for 10 minutes.

These cookies remain fresh for over a week if sealed in a container.  Plus the recipe makes a lot so your elves should be happily satisfied.

xo–me

I also love putting these cookies on my cooking plate.  Just like the candy cane cookies stand out because of their color,  these tend to add a different texture because of their shape.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 lb. plus 3/4 c. 10x sugar, divided
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. mini chocolate chips
2 c. quick cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine butter, peanut butter, 1 lb. sugar, coconut, chocolate chips, oats and vanilla extract.  Shape mixture into walnut sized balls.  Roll in 3/4 c. powdered sugar.  Store in refrigerator.

Some times I roll them in a combination of powdered sugar and Hershey’s cocoa powder.  Yum!

xo–me

When I was a little girl, these cookies wowed me every time Nany or my Great Aunt Helen would make them.  I never was able to grasp that they weren’t a hard candy like candy canes.  I always bit into them thinking they would crunch when they would really be soft and delicious.  Imagine my eight-year-old mind being delighted to see these treats on the cookie plate.  One summer I begged Nany to make them so I could help and learn (as well as be able to eat them!).  The humidity and heat of the summer did not allow the dough to shape properly and they were a mess.  There is a reason these are only made at Christmas.

Finally I will say that these cookies are perfect for an old-fashioned cookie exchange.  If you are not planning to attend one this year, get on the phone tonight with your girlfriends and arrange one.  It is a quick way to get a lovely assortment of cookies for your guests this month.

Ingredients:

1 c. shortening
1 c. sifted 10x sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour, sifted
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red food coloring (sometimes more depending on the richness of the red)
1/2 c. crushed peppermint candy
1/2 c. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix shortening, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla thoroughly.  Mix flour and salt; stir into shortening mixture.  Divide dough in half.  Blend food coloring into one half.  Mix well so no streaks are visible.

Roll a 4 inch strip from each color.  For smooth even strips, roll them back an forth on lightly floured board.  Place strips side by side, pressing lightly together and twist like a rope.  For best results, complete cookies one at a time–if all dough of one color is shaped first, strips become too dry to twist.   I even cover the bowl when twisting.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Curve top down to form hook of cane.   Bake for 9 minutes until lightly browned.  While still warm, remove from baking sheet and sprinkle with mixture of crushed peppermint and sugar.

The punch of red makes these look gorgeous on a cookie plate and the sprinkling of peppermint and sugar make them sparkle!

xo–me

This recipe has been floating around from backyard BBQ to BBQ for many years.  It is one of my favorites because I serve it in a children’s plastic pail and scoop it with the attached shovel.  We always feel like we are really eating dirt.  Just like when we were 5.  I present it today for your convenience in case you misplaced it or the recipe card got wet.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
2 small boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 12-oz. container Cool Whip
3 c. milk

Mix butter, powdered sugar and cream cheese well.  Add crushed Oreo cookies.  Set aside.  Combine pudding, Cool Whip, and milk.  Grab your pail (yes, a plastic bucket you got at Target) and put in a layer of cookie mixture.  Next add a layer of pudding mixture.  Alternate between the two until you reach the top.  End with cookie mixture because it is dark like dirt.  Remember, we are eating dirt!  Chill until ready to serve.  Put shovel in mixture before serving.  Feeds 10 if they overate at the BBQ.