Cherry Jubilee Bars

A couple of weeks ago I bought a couple packages of “Cherry Jubilee Thins” at Target. They’re chocolate candies made by the Andes Mint people -- two or three other flavors were on the store shelf, but I’m not sure if they’re available year-round or only during the holidays.

In another aisle I found Betty Crocker cookie mixes for a good price, so I thought I’d combine the chocolate-cherry candies and the cookie mix. The candies have a rather mild cherry taste so the cookies do too; the cookies didn’t ‘wow’ me but they certainly weren’t bad. For a quick and easy cookie I’d make them again.

Other flavors of Andes candies could be substituted.


Cherry Jubilee Bars

1 package sugar cookie mix + ingredients to make them (I think egg and butter?)
1 package Andes Cherry Jubilee Thins, unwrapped and chopped

Make sugar cookie dough according to package directions; stir in chopped candies. Press mixture into 9x13 baking pan. Using the temperature called for on the package, bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool in pan before cutting into bars.

Mock Starbucks Vanilla Cream

I’m not a coffee drinker but I do like some of Starbucks non-coffee drinks. For something cold I like their iced teas and Vanilla Bean Frappucino (no whip on cold drinks for me); for something warm, I like their cocoa with a shot of cinnamon syrup and the caramel apple cider. A couple of weeks ago I ‘discovered’ their Vanilla Cream, a warm vanilla-flavored milk drink. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I went online to find out how to make something similar at home -- now I make it a couple of evenings a week.

We drink skim milk and I use fat-free creamer and whipped cream, so this is fat-free (though not low calorie). The portions below make two servings.


Mock Starbucks Vanilla Cream

4 cups milk
½ cup liquid vanilla creamer (found in the refrigerator case at the grocery, such as CoffeeMate or International Delights)
1 packet artificial sweetener
½ to 1 tsp. vanilla extract
aerosol whipped cream (such as Reddi Whip)

Combine milk, creamer, sweetener, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat; heat until warmed through but do not boil. Pour into mugs; top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Mint Fantasy Bars

These are based on “Chocolate Fantasy Bars”, a recipe from the Eagle Brand website. That recipe included nuts (which I left out) and only vanilla extract. At first I thought these seemed a bit dry but later on they were fine. The ‘crust’ would go together quickly in a stand mixer but I did it by hand with a pastry blender and it only took a few minutes.

With the mint extract they have a taste very similar to Girl Scout ‘Thin Mint’ cookies. You could add another ¼ or ½ teaspoon extract for a stronger flavor but I was happy with 1-1/2 teaspoons.


Chocolate-Mint Fantasy Bars

1 box chocolate cake mix (I've used Devils Food and dark chocolate fudge)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk -- fat-free works great
dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 tsps mint (not peppermint) extract

Beat the cake mix, oil, and egg until crumbly; reserve 1 cup of this mixture. Firmly press remaining mixture into bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Melt chocolate chips with Eagle Brand; stir in salt, vanilla, and mint extract. Pour over crust in pan; top with reserved crumb mixture and lightly press crumbs into the chocolate / condensed milk layer. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 degrees or unti the edges are firm. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Yield of course depends on how small or large the cut bars are … I cut them small so can get 50 or more.

Double-Cherry Streusel Bars

I first tried this recipe earlier this month and took it to a Longaberger party that my sister and a friend had. The recipe below is what was printed in “Better Homes and Gardens Cookie Classics: Timeless Family Favorites”. Although this is the original recipe, when I made the cookies I left out the almonds, lemon peel, and the melted chocolate that’s drizzled over the baked cookies (I didn’t have those ingredients on hand and didn’t want to bother with the drizzle).

You could make the cookies without the dried cherries, but dried fruit is so flavorful that it really makes a difference to include it.

The cookies in the photo look sticky or gooey but for the most part that's because it's a close-up photo.


Double-Cherry Streusel Bars

2 cups water
1 cup dried tart cherries or dried cranberries, snipped (I like Target's Archer Farm brand)
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter
½ cup coarsely chopped slivered almonds
2 12-oz. jars cherry preserves
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tsp. shortening, melted

In a small saucepan bring water to boiling. Remove from heat. Add dried cherries or cranberries and let stand 10 minutes or until softened. Drain and set aside.

For crust, in a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture ((I reserved closer to 1-1/2 or 2 cups)). Stir almonds into the reserved crumb mixture; set aside.

Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake crust in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling stir together the drained cherries, cherry preserves, and lemon peel. Spread the filling evenly over the baked crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake bars for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small saucepan combine the chocolate pieces and shortening; heat over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Drizzle melted chocolate mixture over baked bars. Cut into bars. Makes 48 bars ((I cut them in 1” squares and got about 90 bars)).

Oatmeal Pudding Cookies

(I didn't take a photo of these cookies, but everyone knows what oatmeal-raisin cookies look like).

I don’t have a favorite recipe for oatmeal-raisin cookies, but I have two or three that I like. I like them chewy and pretty spicy with lots of raisins. This is one of the recipes that I like -- one of the best things about it is that it’s good for cookie jars or containers that aren’t air-tight (most cookies will dry out or get hard after a couple of days, but these were still chewy after sitting for four days on the kitchen counter).

Oatmeal-Raisin Pudding Cookies (slightly altered from a recipe I found at allrecipes.com)

1 cup shortening (plain or butter-flavor)
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
3.5-oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
3-1/2 cups quick oats
1-1/2 cups raisins

Cream shortening & sugars until smooth; blend in pudding mix. Beat in eggs and vanilla, mixing until batter is light & fluffy.

Combine flour, baking soda, and spices; mix into batter. Stir in oats and raisins (batter will be stiff; these may need to be stirred in by hand).

Drop dough by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets; bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until cookies are firm. Cool on wire racks.

Makes about 80 cookies.

Chocolate-Marshmallow Chews

“Salted Peanut Chews” are a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe from I think one of the contests in the 1970’s; that recipe uses a yellow cake mix crust and a topping of peanut butter chips and salted peanuts … I was going to make them to take to a friend’s Longaberger party but at the last minute realized that I didn’t have any peanut butter chips. I did have chocolate chips and a box of chocolate cake mix, so I decided to try to chocolate version … they were a hit.


Chocolate-Marshmallow Chews


Crust:
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
3 cups mini marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 cup corn syrup
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
1 12-z. pkg. (2 cups) chocolae chips
4 cups Rice Krispies-type cereal

For crust, combine cake mix, butter, and egg until crumbly; press into bottom of ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until firm at edges (crust will b puffed and slightly soft in center). Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with mini marshmallows; return to oven and bake an additional 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff. Cool.

For topping, in a large saucement combine corn syrup, butter or margarine, vanilla, and chocolate chips; heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal. Immediately spoon mixture over marshmallow-topped crust, spreading to cover. Refrigerate until firm before cutting into bars.

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

I didn’t take a picture of these because they looked no different from everyday Toll House chocolate chip cookies and everyone knows what they look like.

Malted milk balls are one of the few candies that I DO NOT like. I don’t think that it’s the malt flavor that I don’t like, but the chalky dry interior of the candy. Well, because I don’t like them I was surprised when I felt compelled to buy a couple of jars of malted milk powder. I don’t know what it was, but I HAD to buy them -- a jar of ‘plain’ and a jar of chocolate flavor.

To use some of it, I stirred ¾ cup of the plain powder into the standard Toll House recipe; although it could probably be mixed into the flour and stirred in with the dry ingredients, I stirred it into the butter/egg mixture. After the cookies were baked and cooled I was pleasantly surprised that the cookies didn’t have an overly strong malt flavor. It made the cookies taste ‘richer’ or ‘deeper’ and it’s something that I’d do again if I have the malted milk powder on hand (the two jars I have will likely be on hand for a loooong time). To make these cookies look more obviously like something with malted milk flavor, I'm sure you could stir in some chopped Whoppers or something -- but since I don't like malted milk balls, I won't be doing that.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies (Mrs. Fields)

This recipe came from a cookbook that I was given for my birthday, Mrs. Fields Cookie Book: 100 Recipes from the Kitchen of Mrs. Fields, printed in 1992.

I didn’t quite follow the recipe in the book -- because I didn’t have a fresh lemon, I didn't use the lemon zest, so I used bit more lemon extract; also, I left out the coriander (it's a 'use it once' ingredient for me, so I've never bought any) and probably added more poppyseed than the recipe calls for. The cookies had a nice but not strong lemon flavor and were a little bit crispy; I made them into normal-sized cookies (about 2”) and got probably 4 or 5 dozen. Here’s the recipe as printed in the book:

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsps. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
¼ cup salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
1-1/2 tsps. pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, lemon zest, coriander, and poppy seeds. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with electric mixer at medium speed until mixture forms a grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add yolks, egg, and lemon extract. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along edges. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool surface.

Yield: 2 dozen.

Chocolate-Macadamia Magic Layer Cookies

“Magic Layer Cookies” are a popular classic recipe from Eagle Brand, using a crust of graham cracker crumbs topped with layers of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. They're easy and quick to make. My mom and grandmother made them at Christmas almost every year.

Many years ago in a “Favorite Brand Name” cookbook I came across the original recipe that also listed many flavor variations; a few years ago I tried this chocolate-macadamia variation and really liked it. Because the macadamias and chocolate wafers are pricier than the everyday original ingredients it’s more expensive to make these, but they’re a nice treat for a party.

Below is the original recipe, with the variations following (‘mix and match’ the layers to create whatever you might like).

Magic Cookie Bars

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
a 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle brand -- NOT evaporated milk)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for a glass baking pan). Place the butter in a 9x13 baking pan and place it in the oven to melt the butter. Remove pan from oven; sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter, then pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumbs. Sprinkle with a layer of chocolate chips, then coconut, then nuts; press down firmly (this will press the toppings down a bit, into the sticky milk layer). Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. After cooling, cut into bars and store at room temperature.

Variations:
For the crumb layer, substitute any of the following for the graham cracker crumbs: vanilla wafer crumbs, chocolate wafer crumbs (such as the thin, round Nabisco 'Famous Chocolate' cookies that are usually on the top shelf at the grocery), gingersnap crumbs, quick-cooking oats, wheat germ

For the toppings, substitute any of the following for the chocolate chips: peanut butter-flavored chips, plain M&Ms (regular or mini-sized), raisins, chopped dried apricots, almond brickle or toffee chips, dried banana chips, chopped candied cherries, small gumdrops, miniature marshmallows

For the nuts, substitute any of the following for the pecans: walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts

For flavor variations, stir flavoring into the sweetened condensed milk: for mint flavor, stir in 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (and 4 drops green food coloring, if desired); for mocha flavor, stir in 1 Tbsp. instant coffee and 1 Tbsp. chocolate-flavored syrup; for peanut butter flavor, stir in 1/3 cup peanut butter; for maple flavor, stir in 1/2 to 1 tsp. maple flavoring.

To make Seven-Layer Magic Cookie Bars, add 1 cup butterscotch-flavor chips to the original recipe, layering the chips after the chocolate chips.

Raisin Rounds, an old Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe

This recipe is from a 1950's Pillsbury cookbook, from the 8th annual Bake-Off contest (which was called the "Grand National" for the first several years). These cookies were soft and chewy and had a mild flavor; I liked having the raisins ground up, so that there are bits of raisin throughout the cookies and in every bite.

Although this is the 'original' recipe ingredient-wise, I changed the instructions slightly. Note: I didn't have a fresh orange on hand, so I substituted 1 tsp. of orange extract.

Raisin Rounds

4 cups sifted Pillsbury flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup Crisco

1 egg

2/3 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. grated orange rind ((or 1 tsp. orange extract))

3 cups (a 15-oz. pkg.) ground seedless raisins (pulse them in a food processor)

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together; set aside.

Cream sugars and Crisco together; blend in egg, sour cream, orange rind, and ground raisins. Gradually blend in flour mixture. If desired, chill dough 30 minutes for easier handling.

Shape dough into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each. Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness with a fork (dip fork in flour or sugar to prevent stickiness).

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 6 dozen.

Cream Wafers

These cookies can be hard to make -- they’re fragile, so can break or crumble easily -- but they melt in your mouth. I made them a few weeks ago to take to a party. They’ve been around for years; I found the recipe in a 1963 “Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book” that I was given for Christmas last year.


Cream Wafers

1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups flour
granulated sugar, about ½ cup
buttercream frosting (use any favorite recipe)

Mix butter, cream, and flour thoroughly. Between sheets of waxed paper, roll dough 1/8” thick; slide dough (with waxed paper) onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate one hour or until firm. Note: divide the dough into two portions before rolling it out, if it’s easier to handle that way.

Place sugar in a small bowl or plate. Remove top sheet of waxed paper from chilled dough; cut dough into 1-1/2” rounds. Place cookies in sugar, turning to coat both sides. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet; prick four times with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until slightly puffy (cookies will be pale); cool on wire rack. Sandwich two cookies together with buttercream frosting. Due to buttercream frosting, store cookies in refrigerator.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Caramel Macchiato Bars

I first saw a similar recipe at the cookiemadness.net website and thought I would give it a try. I’ve always liked the ‘standard’ Toll House recipe for chocolate chip cookies, so that’s the base recipe that I used ... that recipe can easily be found on the Toll House package or at the Nestle website, so I won't bother repeating it here.

I added 3 Tbsp. instant coffee crystals to the dough, stirring it into the egg/butter/sugar mixture and then letting the mixture sit for a few minutes to let the coffee dissolve. After that I continued with the usual recipe until it came to adding the 2 cups of chocolate chips and the optional 1 cup of chopped nuts … instead of stirring those in, I used 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips and 1-1/2 cups of Kraft Premium Caramel Bits.

When it came to baking the cookies, I didn’t like the way the drop cookies turned out; some of the caramel bits melted completely and ‘ran’ onto the cookie sheet, leaving holes in the cookie and burnt caramel on the edges of the cookie and on the baking sheet. These bake up REALLY nicely into pan cookies, though.

The caramel bits are something that Kraft came out with last year; they're small 'beads' of caramel about the size of a large pea. Because they're unwrapped, they're easier and quicker to use in recipes, and because of the small size they melt more quickly than the chunky square caramels. It's hard to find the bits in this area but Super Walmart has carried them (unfortunately for me, the nearest Super Walmart is a 45-minute drive away).

Cherry Cordial Cookies

If there’s a cookie that I hate or dread to make, it’s these. They’re a lot of work and are a pain in the rear to make but they’re unusual, not overly sweet, and sooo pretty. It’s the soft dough that challenges patience.

I’ve had the recipe for years but it didn’t have the name written on it, so I’d called them Cherry Cordial Cookies. I later found out that they’re actually called “Cherry Delectables”. The original recipe is below (with my suggestions on rolling and cutting the dough, and keep returning it to the refrigerator if it softens too much). Because I don’t soak the cherries in brandy -- I just drain them really well and continue on -- maybe I’m justified in re-naming the cookies.


Cherry Cordial Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour
2 - 16-oz. jars maraschino cherries without stems
1 - 8-oz. jar maraschino cherries without stems
¼ cup brandy
sifted powdered sugar

Combine cherries, cherry liquid, and brandy; chill 8 hours or overnight.

Cream butter and cream cheese; gradually add flour, blending until a stiff dough is formed. Divide dough in half; between sheets of waxed paper, roll each half of dough to 1/8” thickness. Slide dough (still between waxed paper) onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate two hours or until firm.

Drain cherries well, discarding liquid; place cherries on cherries on paper towels to absorb excess liquid.

Working with one portion of dough while keeping the other chilled, remove top sheet of waxed paper and sift powdered sugar over dough; replace waxed paper and turn the dough over, removing the other sheet of waxed paper and sifting the other side of the dough with powdered sugar. Replace waxed paper; using light pressure, use a rolling pin to press the powdered sugar into the dough. Remove top sheet of waxed paper and cut dough into 3” by 1” strips; if dough becomes soft, return it to the refrigerator while sugaring & cutting the remaining portion of dough.

Place a drained cherry on each strip of dough and roll up, pinching end of strip to seal (cherry will be exposed on each side of dough strip). Place cookies seam-side down on parchment-lined baking sheets -- if dough becomes soft, place cookies in refrigerator to firm up before baking.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool; while cookies are still slightly warm, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes about 100 cookies.

Brown Sugar Spice Cookies

I tried this cookie recipe earlier this month and took them to a shower for a friend. The original recipe from Gooseberry Patch called for nutmeg, which I don’t care for -- so I substituted allspice. I really liked it, and so did some of the ladies at the shower. The recipe below has my changes, which are using allspice instead of nutmeg and rolling out the cookies before the dough is chilled rather than after.

I had taken a photo of the cookies but must have deleted it from the camera before transferring it to my computer. Some ot the cookies had a smooth, somewhat shiny surface and some had a dull surface; they were all from the same batch and rolled out in the same way, so I don’t know how it happened. Whatever it was, it didn’t change the fairly spice taste or crisp texture of the cookies.


Brown Sugar Spice Cookies (adapted from Gooseberry Patch)

1-1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
½ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. baking soda

Cream butter and brown sugar; add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Stir flour with spices and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Divide dough into two portions; roll each portion to 18” thickness between sheets of waxed paper, then chill in refrigerator until firm. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters ((or use a knife or pizza cutter with a ruler to cut dough into squares)). Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

I’ve tried the packaged Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix but didn’t care for it, so didn’t try any of the other flavors. A coworker brought in these peanut butter cookies -- they were nice and moist (peanut butter cookies can be dry) so when I asked her about them, I was surprised to hear that she’d used packaged cookie mix. So, Betty’s sugar cookie mix didn’t go over well for me but the peanut butter flavor is a winner.


Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Bars

1 pkg. Betty Crocker (or other brand) peanut butter cookie mix
oil and egg, as called for on the package instructions
1 cup chocolate chips
1 Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate bar, chopped (optional)

Make the peanut butter cookie dough following the directions on the package. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press dough into a 9x13-inch pan; sprinkle with the chopped chocolate, then lightly press it into place.

Bake the cookies (at the temperature called for in the package instructions) for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies appear done. Cool in pan before cutting into squares or bars.

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Toffee

I saw a recipe for these cookies on Martha Stewart’s website; I love dried cherries so ‘had’ to try them. Her original recipe also calls for mini chocolate chips -- they were good cookies but I thought that the chocolate competed with the cherry and toffee flavors so I made the recipe again, leaving the chocolate out and adding more cherries. I think I have a new favorite cookie, at least for now!

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Toffee (adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 sticks butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 cups quick oats
2 cups dried cherries, chopped
1 cup toffee bits (such as Heath bits from the baking aisle at the grocery)

Cream butter and sugars until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in flour and baking soda, then mix in oats, dried cherries, and toffee bits (these may need to be kneaded in by hand). Divide dough into three portions; shape into disks or logs and refrigerate until firm.

Shape dough into grape-sized balls; bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Cool on baking sheet about 2 minutes to allow hot toffee to set; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 200 small (1-1/2”) cookies.

Polka Dotties

I like old cookbooks from the 50’s and 60’s; this cookie recipe is from one of the small Pillsbury cookbooks from the 50’s that was a collection of the recipes from the 8th Bake-Off contest. When I was browsing through the recipes in the book I saw this one that calls for a bottle of chocolate ‘jimmies’; I’d had an unopened bottle in the cupboard since ‘who knows when’ so I decided to make the cookies. The ‘standard’ bottle of Cake Mate brand jimmies -- the one that’s about 4” tall -- from the grocery is what this recipe calls for.

The cookies have a nice but not strong flavor and are crisp; they’re good with a glass of milk or a dish of plain ice cream.

Polka Dotties

Sift together 2 cups of sifted Pillsbury flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.

Cream 1/3 cup butter or margarine and 1/3 cup Crisco in a mixing bowl. Gradually add ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar and ¼ cup sugar, creaming well.

Blend in 1 unbeaten egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Remove two-thirds of the dough to a pastry cloth or board which has been sprinkled lightly with sugar.

Blend 1/3 cup (one bottle) chocolate cake decorations into the remaining one-third of dough.

Roll out half of plain dough into an 8x4-inch rectangle. Shape half of chocolate-speckled dough into a roll 8 inches long; place on rectangle of plain dough. Mold sides of plain dough around speckled dough. Repeat with remaining dough.

Roll in mixture of 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans and 1 teaspoon sugar, pressing nuts firmly into dough. Wrap rolls of dough in waxed paper or aluminum foil.

Chill at least two hours. Cut into ¼-inch slices; place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degrees) 6 to 9 minutes until light golden brown. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Cut-out Sugar Cookies and Icing

Cut-out Sugar Cookies

I like a sugar cookie that is firm but not crisp and flavored with vanilla or a little bit of almond. For most rolled and cut cookies, it’s important that dough keep it’s shape (not spread much) and not puff up.

I have two favorite recipes for rolled sugar cookies; one is “Rich Roll Cookies”, which are the ones Mom has made for many years, from a 1960’s Joy of Cooking cookbook. A year or two ago I found another recipe that I like -- it makes a cookie just like the Rich Roll Cookies but in a much larger quantity. As a matter of fact, it almost completely fills the bowl of my KitchenAid mixer; I switch from the paddle to the dough hook to mix in the last of the flour.

I usually sugar cookies with buttercream frosting or pour a glaze over them.


Never-Fail Sugar Cookies (slightly adapted from a recipe found at kitchengifts.com)

6 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract, or 1 tsp. each of vanilla extract and almond extract
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing until flour is completely incorporated and dough comes together. Divide the dough into thirds and roll each portion to ¼” thickness between sheets of waxed paper; slide the sheets of rolled dough onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to one hour.

Remove waxed paper from chilled dough; cut dough into desired shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Cool completely before frosting.

Makes about 5 dozen 2” cookies.


Glacé Icing for sugar cookies

Note: this icing takes a while to set up; I usually put the iced cookies onto baking sheets and put them in a cold oven (lots of storage space in there!) overnight.

1 lb. confectioners sugar, sifted
6 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 -1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
food coloring, if desired

Mix sugar & milk; add corn syrup, mixing just until combined. Add flavoring and food coloring (if you want to make multiple colors or flavors, divide the plain icing into small bowls, then add flavoring and/or coloring to the smaller portions). Spoon or pipe icing over cooled sugar cookies; allow to set before storing.

Chocolate-Orange Blossoms

I use the Hershey mini kisses to make these cookies about the size of a quarter, but here is the recipe (from Pillsbury) using the regular kisses. To make the mini cookies, make the balls of dough about the size of a grape and bake them for about 8 minutes.


Chocolate-Orange Blossoms

½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup shortening
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1-2 Tbsp. grated orange rind (you could substitute 1 or 1-1/2 tsp. orange extract)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
additional sugar
48 Hershey kisses, unwrapped

Combine sugars, cocoa, shortening, and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add orange rind, vanilla, and eggs, blending well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour for easier handling.

Shape dough into 1” balls; roll in sugar. Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets; bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Immediately top each cookie with a chocolate kiss, pressing down firmly (cookies may crack around edges). Remove from baking sheets to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies (if you use the mini Hershey kisses and make the balls of dough about the size of a grape, you’ll get about 175 cookies).

Cornmeal Cookies with Cranberries

Cornmeal cookies are usually like a not-too-sweet sugar cookie. The cornmeal doesn’t flavor the cookies at all but it does give some texture; you can feel the slight grittiness of the cornmeal, but it doesn't make the cookies dry or crumbly. These have become one of my favorite cookies.

The dough for these cookies came from allrecipes.com; the dried cranberries were from a recipe in a cookbook, and the glaze recipe came from another cookie recipe. The glaze sets up quickly; you’ll be able to store or stack the cookies about 30 minutes after they’re glazed. Tip for glazing the cookies: to keep your hand clean, wear a vinyl glove (non-latex, like a medical glove from the doctor, dentist, or pharmacy) on one hand; pick the cookies up and brush them with glaze, then set them on a rack or waxed paper until the glaze is firm.


Cornmeal Cookies with Cranberries

¾ cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal (NOT corn muffin mix)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ to ¾ cup chopped dried cranberries

Beat butter and sugar until light; beat in egg and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients; gradually blend into butter mixture; stir in dried cranberries. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill one hour or until firm.

Shape dough into small, grape-sized balls; place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on wire rack; brush cooled cookies with glaze.

Makes about 100 small (1-1/2”) cookies; can be made larger if desired.


Orange Glaze

Combine 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 Tbsp. water, 1 Tbsp. orange liqueur (or 1 tsp. orange extract); stir until smooth. Add more water if mixture is too thick to brush onto cookies.

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

A few years ago I discovered that Hershey’s makes mini kisses, sold in bags in the baking aisle at the grocery … ever since then I’ve been making tiny little kiss cookies, miniature versions of the larger, more familiar kiss or ‘blossom’ cookies.

Unfortunately for me the mini kisses are hard to find in this area, so whenever I’d visit family in Ohio I’d pick up a few bags of them to bring home. Super Walmart does carry them but the nearest one is about 40 miles away.

Here is the recipe from Pillsbury, using the regular Hershey kiss candy. To make the mini cookies, finely chop the cherries and roll the dough into balls about the size of a dime; the recipe will make about 8 dozen mini cookies.


Cherry Chocolate Kisses (from Pillsbury)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp. maraschino cherry liquid
½ tsp. almond extract
3-4 drops red food coloring
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt (I use much less)
½ cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
granulated sugar, about ½ cup
about 48 chocolate Hershey kisses, unwrapped

In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract, and food coloring; blend well. Add flour and salt; mi well. Stir in cherries, Shape dough into 1” balls; roll in additional sugar and place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly (edges of cookies may crack). Remove from cookie sheets to cool completely. Tip: chocolate will stay soft for a long time; place the cookies in the refrigerator for an hour to set the chocolate.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Mary's Lemon-Blueberry Tea Cookies

I 'invented' this cookie recipe a couple of years ago when I was trying to decide what to do with some dried blueberries that I'd bought. I used a favorite orange cookie recipe as a base. I like to use the dried blueberries from Target ("Archer Farms" is their store's brand name); they're a nice small size. The dried blueberries from Costco are larger but I've used them after chopping them up a bit.

Mary's Lemon-Blueberry Tea Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice (optional)

1-2 tsp. lemon extract (use the larger amount if you don't use the lemon juice)

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 to 1-1/2 cups dried blueberries (chopped, if they're large berries)

coarse sugar

Cream butter and sugar; add lemon ingredients and eggs, beating well.

Mix flour and baking powder into creamed mixture; stir in dried blueberries. Divide dough in half; on waxed paper shape each portion into a log, then wrap & refrigerate logs of dough until well-chilled.

Using one portion of dough at a time (keep remaining dough chilled), cut dough into 1/2" slices, then cut each slice into quarters. Roll each quarter-slice into a ball, then roll each ball in coarse sugar. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly; bake about 10 minutes at 350 degrees (cookies will be pale in color). Cool on wire rack. Makes about 175 small cookies ... you can of course make larger cookies.

Chocolate-Covered Cherries and Oreo Truffles

While trying to organize some digital pictures I came across this one of candies that I'd made during the holidays: chocolate-covered cherries, oreo "truffles" and some tangerine-flavored hard candy. The hard candy was made using Lor-Ann brand flavoring oil; the recipe can be found on their packaging and on their website.

Chocolate-Covered Cherries (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Note: make these at least a week in advance, to give the centers time to liquify

60 maraschino cherries
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 pound chocolate candy coating (such as Wilton Candy Melts)

Drain cherries; blot with paper towels to dry.

Combine butter & corn syrup until smooth; stir in powdered sugar and knead to form a dough. If necessary, chill dough until firm.

Wrap each cherry in about 1 tsp. of dough, covering cherry completely. Chill or freeze dough-covered cherries.

Melt candy coating in microwave or on stovetop; dip each cherry, covering completely with chocolate. Place coated cherries on waxed paper and chill until set; cherries can be dipped again to seal any leaks. Store airtight in a cool place for one to two weeks.


Oreo Truffles, or Oreo Balls

1 package regular Oreos (not Double-Stuffed)
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
chocolate candy coating (such as Wilton Candy Melts)

Finely crush Oreos (I put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin); mix into cream cheese. If necessary, refrigerate mixture until firm. Roll Oreo mixture into small balls, or if firm enough, cut into bite-sized squares.

Melt candy coating in microwave or on stovetop; dip balls, completely covering them; place on waxed paper and chill until set. Can be dipped again if desired.

Tips: using holiday oreos with colored filling won't give you colorful candies -- the filling will turn black due to the crumbs from the chocolate cookies.

Chocolate Cookie Bark

Continuing on with the cookies I'd made during the holidays ... this chocolate cookie bark is addictive and makes an enormous amount. I'd clipped the recipe out of the Washington Post a couple of years ago but hadn't made it until last fall. It's flat, crisp, VERY chocolatey and really good with a glass of cold milk.

Chocolate Cookie Bark (my adaptation of a recipe from the Washington Post)

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cups (one bag) mini chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Mix melted butter, sugars, water, and vanilla until smooth; add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place one third of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet; spread the dough as thin as the chocolate chips will allow (don't worry if the dough has 'holes' in it). Be sure to leave a 3" margin on all sides of the cookie sheet -- the dough will spread a lot as it bakes! Repeat with remaining dough on additional cookie sheets.

Bake one sheet at a time, at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until the top looks dull (not shiny) and is evenly firm at the edges and center. Remove from oven & slide cookie (still on parchment) onto a wire rack to cool; cookie will be soft but will crisp as it cools. When crisp, remove from parchment and place on paper towels to absorb any butter residue. Break into pieces.

Tip: I find it easiest to 'spread' the dough by topping it with a piece of waxed paper and using a rolling pin to press it out flat.

Currant Gingersnaps

I think these gingersnaps have just the right mix of spices: not too little, but not too much either. They're slightly crispy but not hard. Currants taste just like raisins but are smaller; if you don't have any and don't want to buy a box of them, you can substitute raisins (chop them up a bit in a food processor if you want smaller pieces).

I've had this recipe at least 20 years and don't remember where it came from.

Currant Gingersnaps
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2-1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (I use much less than this amount)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1-1/2 cups currants
additional sugar, if desired

Cream shortening and sugar; beat in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients; stir to combine. Stir in currants. Chill dough 30 minutes.

Shape dough into small balls; if desired, roll in additional sugar. Bake on lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheets, 8-1o minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about 80 small cookies.

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies

I haven't yet found a recipe for thumbprint cookies that really wows me, but I do like this one well enough. The photo is from a platter of cookies that I'd taken to a holiday party. Any flavor of jelly, jam, or preserves can be used; raspberry and apricot are two of my favorites, but for these cookies I made them 'tropical' or 'Hawaiian' by using pineapple preserves and sprinkling them with toasted coconut before putting them into the oven. To keep my fingertips clean I use a thimble to make the thumbprint indentation, and to save time I put the jam into a pastry bag and pipe it onto the cookie (if you do this and use preserves of any kind, be sure to use a tip large enough for the pieces of fruit to pass through and maybe even pulse the preserves in a food processor to chop the fruit up a bit).

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup jam or jelly, any flavor

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla together; gradually add flour. If dough is too soft to handle, place in refrigerator 30 minutes or longer. Roll dough into nickel-sized balls; place on cookie sheets and using your fingertip, press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Fill indentations with jam. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on bottom; cool on wire racks. Makes about 100 small cookies.

Options: Can roll balls of dough in sugar or finely-chopped nuts before placing on cookie sheets, or dust cookies with powdered sugar after baking.

Hello again -- I haven't been lost

Well, if I want to be a blogger I've got to at least two or three things: (1) remember my userid and password to be able to post anything; (2) get over the privacy issues; and (3) actually post something once in a while. The reservation I have about privacy is simply needing to be comfortable with putting things out on the Internet for others to see. Maybe I'll get more comfortable with it over time.

The friends who'd suggested a blog were mostly interested I think in recipes, as well as being able to 'stop in' to check on others from time to time. I'll post a couple of cookie recipes soon, along with pictures if I can figure out how to add them here.

Hello & Happy New Year!

Hello -- a few people have suggested that I start a blog, so I thought I'd start off the new year with one. I'm not particularly technology-savvy, so it will be a bit of a challenge but I think it will be a good thing. I have no interest in doing a daily blog, but think I might try to post once a week or so usually with a cookie recipe or with things going on.

I'll post again maybe in a few days ...