Spritz Cookies

The chocolate cookies pictured are made using the Chocolate Moose recipe. It worked fine in the press. If it's a little stiff, just add 1T butter. Dough should be fairly soft.

• 
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup plus 2T butter
• 
  
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

1.Cream together sugar & butter.

2. Add egg yolks & vanilla. 

3.Stir in the flour and salt.

4.Beat well.

5. Load the dough log into cookie press and press into desired shapes.

6. Sprinkle with desired toppings.

Bake 12 minutes in a 350° oven until lightly browned. Makes about 4 sheets of small cookies.

Chocolate Moose Cookies

This is an Ann Clark cookie cutter. http://www.annclark.com/product/249/Whats-New

Cookies:

Cream together: 1 1/4 cups softened butter 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar Beat in: 1 egg Mix together then add: 3 cups sifted flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 Teaspoon salt Chocolate Glaze Ingredients: 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate 1 T vegetable oil Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Divide into quarters and chill for 2 hours. Roll out to 1/4" thickness between two sheets of waxed paper or on a floured board. Cut into shapes and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies can be frosted or eaten just plain. I have also used this recipe in a cookie press. Chocolate spritz cookies, mmmmm. Chocolate  glaze directions: Melt the chocolate with oil using double boiler or use a water-filled saucepan and pyrex measuring cup. Make sure to not fill the water too high. If water gets into the chocolate, it will ruin the chocolate. Boil the water and stir the chocolate and oil until all is melted. Spread the chocolate onto the moose feet and antlers. Sprinkle with jimmies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe Courtesy of Cathy Lowe food network

Great amount of frosting for 1/2 box cake or 8 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 11/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract

Drop NY Times Sugar Cookies to try

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing cookie sheets
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon milk

PREPARATION

1.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside. Grease 2 cookie sheets with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cream the remaining butter. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until blended. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon rind and milk. Add the flour mixture all at once and beat until smooth.

2.

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheets, spaced 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

YIELD

Two dozen cookies

• Originally published with FOOD; A Jolt of Cool
• By Molly O'Neill, June 28, 1992

Checker Board Cookies

• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 1 cuo unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl.
2. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface; it will be loose and crumbly. Knead dough by pushing small amounts away from you with the heel of your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Divide dough in half. Sprinkle cocoa powder over one of the halves. Knead until cocoa has been fully incorporated.
3. Place each half of the kneaded dough between two sheets of plastic. Using a rolling pin, shape dough into two 7-inch squares, about 3/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife and a ruler, slice each square into nine 3/4-inch-wide strips.
4. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Cover work surface with plastic wrap. Place three strips of dough on plastic, alternating white and chocolate strips. Brush tops and in between the strips with egg wash. Gently press strips together. Repeat, forming second and third layers, alternating colors to create a checkerboard effect. Wrap assembled log in plastic. Repeat process for second log, reversing color pattern. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or freeze 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on baking sheet. Bake until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cookies cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

 

These blueberries were picked at the Alyeska Ski Resort, Girdwood Alaska August 11, 2012 

Modified from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Total Time: 0 hours 37 minutes
Yield: 18 muffins

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 half-pints fresh blueberries or more if you want. I think I doubled it!

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place 18 paper liners in muffin pans
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the batter and beat until just mixed.

Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean.

Giant Sugar Cookies

• 
• 
  
• These taste alot like the Pillsbury slice and bake sugar cookies.
• 
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 
  
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 
  
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes.

 Add egg and vanilla; beat well to combine.

Add half the flour mixture, followed by sour cream, then remaining flour mixture; mix just until smooth. 

Drop mounds of dough, each equal to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 4 inches apart, onto two ungreased baking sheets; sprinkle with sugar. These will flatten out big time so they need a lot of room!

Bake until edges of cookies are just firm and tops are barely beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes, 

http://www.marthastewart.com/316593/giant-sugar-cookies

Black and White Cookies frosting

Enough frosting for 12 cookies

2T whipping cream plus extra to adjust consistancy
1T butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/ 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3T semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1T whipping cream

For the cookie: 

Follow the recipe for Frosted Sugar Cookies http://eastwoodseatery.blogspot.com/2012/06/frosted-sugar-cookies.html

I normally have these cookies already made up and frozen. I make decorate some with the pink frosting, and then use the same cookie to make Black and Whites.

• In small microwavable measuring cup (I use my glass 8 oz. measuring cup) , microwave 2T cream and 1T butter on High about 30 seconds; stir until butter is melted. Add butter mixture and vanilla to powdered sugar (I use my glass 16 oz. measuring cup) ; stir until mixture is smooth.
• In the now-empty measuring cup, microwave 3T chocolate chips and  1T cream on High 30 seconds; or until melted. Stir half of vanilla icing into melted chocolate mixture until smooth and well blended. If necessary, add additional cream to thin both vanilla and chocolate icing.
• Spread half with chocolate frosting, then the other half with white icing. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes 2 dozen cookies (3 inch)

Lemon Meltaways

Makes 12 small cookies

I will double this recipe for next time. They are just too good to make only a dozen. These are so lemony. 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• For rolling: 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar. Once well combined, add the lemon zest, juice and vanilla. Beat well. Next, sprinkle the flour, cornstarch and salt over the top. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture carefully on low speed. The dough will be slightly crumbly. Very crumbly, but thats okay  as long as everything is slightly damp, the next step takes care of it.
2. Next, dump the dough out onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Shape it into a uniform log about 6″ long. Then, put the dough closest to the long end of the paper, then begin rolling it up in the paper, shaping the dough as you go. Your dough log will be roughly 8″ long. Twist the ends of the paper closed and refrigerate the dough log for 1 hour.
3. After one hour has elapsed, preheat the oven to the 350.
4. Unroll the dough, slice it into 12 even slices then place the cookies on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies barely begin to turn golden. You won’t see much color change, so look closely.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, have ready a shallow bowl with the extra powdered sugar for rolling. Roll each cookie in powdered sugar while still warm, and let the cookies cool before serving.

Spiral Sugar Cookies

Servings: 24
Uses a food processor
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cubed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
 food coloring, any color
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup multi-colored nonpareil decors

Directions:
1. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugars in a food processor and process to mix.
Add butter and process until the mixture has a cornmeal consistency. Add the vanilla and
process until mixture just forms a ball.
2. Divide the dough in half and return one of the halves to the food processor. Add the almond
extract, food coloring and 2 tablespoons of flour to the processor and process until just
incorporated.
3. Roll out each portion of dough between sheets of waxed paper into an 8x11-inch rectangle,
with ¼-inch thickness. Stack the dough, leaving in the wax paper, onto a baking sheet and
refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Pour the decors into a shallow rectangular dish. Remove the dough from refrigerator and
peel off the top pieces of wax paper from each dough half. Lift one and flip it over onto the
other half so that the doughs are touching. Remove the top sheet of wax paper and trim the
long edges with a sharp knife so that the sides are straight.
5. When the dough becomes just pliable, roll the dough beginning with a long end into a log.
Gently curl the edge with fingertips and try to avoid creating pockets of air. Carefully lift log
into the dish with the decors and roll until outside is completely coated. Wrap the log in
plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice, at least 4 hours.
Make sure you roll with the white side on the outside so the sprinkles show.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Slice log into ¼-inch-thick discs and bake on silpat baking sheets for 15-17 minutes, or until the cookies are no longer shiny.


http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2011/12/26/spiral-sugar-cookies.html

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2002

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 30 min

Cook Time:

25 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

32 cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

Kelly halved this recipe and it made 16 cookies, all eaten within 24 hours. 

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Kelly found this recipe on pinterest and we all fell in love with it. The cookies are VERY soft, almost cake-like in texture. Terry loves the ones from HEB and he swears these are even better.

Cookies:

6 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda 
1 t. baking powder 
1 c. butter, at room temperature 
2 c. granulated sugar 
3 eggs 
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. sour cream

Frosting:

1 c. butter, room temperature 
1 t. vanilla extract 
4 c. powdered sugar 
6 T. heavy cream 
Several drops food coloring 
Multi-colored Sprinkles

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined. 

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least two hours until firm. 


(I'm going to try to roll into 2 logs, freeze, then cut them with a knife. This would sure speed up the baking process.)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with silpats. 

Use the plastic wrap that you chilled the dough in. Dust the top of the dough and then flip and flour the other side, keeping it on the plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Best to work in small batches while keeping the remainder of the dough chilled.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined. 

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Makes approximately: 5 to 6 dozen cookies (will vary on the thickness of the dough)

We baked half a recipe's worth of cookies and  made up half a batch of frosting. Half were frosted, the other half of the cookies were frozen plain and pulled out later and frosted with fresh frosting. The recipe for the frosting was a little skimpy. I would double the frosting recipe. Super good!

NOTE: These cookies are pretty darn close to the ones you buy in the store however, I am sure that original lofthouse recipe is under "lock and key" so we may never be able to completely duplicate it 100%. I used the recipe that I found (as noted in the body of the post) and basically increased the amount of vanilla and working the dough in small batches, while keeping the rest chilled, works best.  It is a very soft dough. I thought they were quite tasty, but I know that they may not appeal to everyone, since they do taste a bit different than the ones in the store but pretty close. 


http://authenticsuburbangourmet.blogspot.com/2011/09/lofthouse-style-frosted-sugar-cookies.html

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies (modified slightly from the New York Times)
                                                                                    Recipe Cut in Half in Red

I have made these with all all-purpose flour when I didn't have bread flour on hand. No problems. Just combine the amounts.

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces)  brown sugar (1/2 c and 2 T)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar (1/2 c and 1 T)


2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour (1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon)
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour (1/2 cup and 1/3 cup)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda (1/2 tsp and 1/8 tsp)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (3/4 tsp)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt  (3/4 tsp)

2 large eggs (1)
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract (1tsp)

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (4oz.)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, put into a baggie and pound until into shavings (2oz.)
8 ounces white chocolate chips  (4oz.)
sea salt to sprinkle on before baking  ( I used regular salt as that's all I had)

1. Cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir all chocolate into dough using a wooden spoon. Wrap with plastic wrap, forming a log  and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice into 1/2 inch wide slices and bake on silpat  for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.

This makes a ton of cookies. I freeze half of it.

Gingerbread Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Cream the butter until smooth.
Add sugar.
Add egg.
Add molasses and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

Frost with Royal Icing. The cookies are not very sweet by themselves so the frosting is almost a necessity.

ChocolateTruffles

Ingredients

• 3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• COATINGS
• Finely chopped toasted nuts, flaked coconut, chocolate sprinkles, colored sprinkles, unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar or colored sugars

1. MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in large saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
2. POUR into medium bowl. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.
3. SHAPE into 1-inch balls; roll in desired coating and/or decorate with frosting and candies. Chill 1 hour or until firm.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes. Add the sugars, beat for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture.

2 Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.


3 Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork. Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.
For chewier cookies, bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/mrs-siggs-snickerdoodles/Detail.aspx

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs at room temperature

2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well.
Add the cocoa and mix again.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Mix ONLY until just combined.
Fold in the  white chocolate chips.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with silpat.
Scoop using small scoop. Make sure some of the chips show thru on the top.
Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly.

Bake for 10 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone).
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan until they set up a little.


Recipe adapted from :
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-white-chocolate-chunk-cookies-recipe3/index.html

Spritz Cookies

Cream together:
3/4 c sugar
1 c butter

Add:
2 egg yolks
1 t vanilla or almond extract

 Mix together and stir in:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt

Beat well. The dough should be pliable, but not too soft. If it is, chill slightly. Put dough in cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Add decorative sugars before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

This recipe is from the Joy of Cooking.

No Bake Peanut Butter and Oatmeal cookies

2 c sugar

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 c butter

1/2 c milk

2 1/2 c regular oats, uncooked

3/4 c peanut butter

2 t vanilla

Mix first 4 ingredients  in saucepan over medium heat and cook until boil. Boil 1  minute.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop onto silpat  and let cool thoroughly.

Makes 4 dozen