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.