Leslie Kelly

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat oven 350 F middle rack.

2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon or ginger
2 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. maple syrup

1) Melt butter and place in bowl. Stir in sugar and oatmeal.

2) Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to butter mixture. Stir in cinnamon or ginger, milk and syrup.

3) With teaspoons, drop small dollops of batter, about 3" apart, onto lightly greased baking sheet or baking sheet covered with Reynolds parchment paper.

4) Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until cookies are thin and crispy and lightly browned around the edges.

5) Remove cookies immediately. If you like cookies slightly rounded,place each one around a wooden spoon handle or rolling pin. For a flat cookie let cool on a wire rack.

These are the best oatmeal cookies you will ever find ! They are crisp and nicely spiced.

Good served with, ice cream, fruit salad, other deserts or serve with coffee and tea.

( You will need 4 times this amount for 72 cookies or more)

TIPS - If desired ,you may serve two cookies with a scoop of ice cream between them. Or dip cookies in melted chocolate.

Chris Buffano


Cream Wafers

Makes about 60

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup margarine or butter

1/3 cup heavy cream

sugar

Creamy filling: below

Mix the ingredients to a dough and chill for an hour. Roll out half at a time to 1/8" thick and cut in 1 1/2" rounds. Carefully dip both sides of cookie in sugar and place on ungreased baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Poke with a fork 4 times and bake 7-9 min. at 375 F. When cool fill with filling and sandwich together.

Creamy filling:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring such as almond or peppermint)

1/4 cup margarine or butter

food color if desired

Mix all filling ingredients until smooth, add a few drops of water if needed.

Nancy Wert

Peppermint Palmiers

* 1/2 cup butter, softened

* 1/2 cup granulated sugar

* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 egg

* 2 tablespoons white creme de menthe

* 1 tablespoon milk

* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

* 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

* 1/2 cup powdered sugar

* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 tablespoon white creme de menthe

* Few drops liquid red food coloring

* 1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candies (about 20)

Directions

1. For dough, in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, the 2 tablespoons creme de menthe, the milk, and vanilla. Beat in as much of the 2-3/4 cups flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any of the remaining 2-3/4 cup flour. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill about 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, and the 1 tablespoon creme de menthe. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Stir in a few drops red food coloring until filling is pale pink. Gently fold in crushed candies. Cover and chill up to 2 hours. (Do not chill longer than 2 hours or the candies will bleed into the filling and the filling will become too soft and sticky.)

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll a portion of the dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Spread half of the filling over the dough rectangle to within 1/2 inch of each long edge. Roll both long edges, scroll fashion, to meet in center. Brush seam where dough spirals meet with water; lightly press together. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap. Place rolls on a tray or cookie sheet. Freeze for 4 hours to 24 hours or until rolls are firm.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 80 .

5. To store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Pam Knepper

WHITE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CRANBERRY PECAN COOKIES

1 cup butter,
softened 2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 large egg
3- 4 oz white chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tbsp shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour

Beat butter until creamy, gradually add sugars, beat well. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Combine flour, soda ,powder and salt, gradually add to butter mixture until well blended.Stir in cranberries, pecans and oats. Drop by teaspoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Microwave white chocolate and shortening until melted. Drizzle or dip cookies.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Anne Goldman

Rose's Italian Butter Cookies

5 1/2 cups flour
6 tsp. baking powder
6 eggs
1/2 lb. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar

Beat eggs well. Melt butter & cool. Add sugar to butter & eggs. Add vanilla. Add sifted flour & baking powder. Roll dough into small balls (about an inch).

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 350 degrees, 12 minutes. Let cool and frost - confectioners sugar & water (I used milk), thin - sprinkle w/candies

Joyce Buttry

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

36 Reynoldsâ FunShapes™
Stars or Hearts Baking Cups

2 1/4  cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pkg. (11.5 oz.) white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Place Reynolds FunShapes Baking Cups on cookie sheets with sides; set aside.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, and salt on a sheet of wax paper; set aside.

BEAT butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a large bowl, with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition; beat until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and nuts until well blended.

SPOON heaping tablespoons of dough into each baking cup. Press dough down lightly 2 to 3 times so dough will spread to fill bottom of baking cups as cookies bake.

BAKE 12 to 14 minutes or until light brown. Cool.

From : Reynolds Kitchens

Tracy Thomas

Hidden Kisses

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2/3 Cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups finely chopped pecans
1 (9-ounce) package chocolate candy kisses
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Stir in the flour and blend well. Add the pecans and blend well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Unwrap the candy kisses. Press a scant tablespoon of dough around each kiss, covering completely; shape into balls.

Place the cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Cool slighty, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Roll the cookies in confectioners sugar.

Georgianne Mitchell


Toasted Pine Nut Balls

¼ cup macadamia nut oil, divided
¾ cup raw pine nuts
1 cup organic raw sugar
½ teas. Hazelnut extract
1 teas vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teas baking power

Add ½ teas macadamia nut oil to a frying pan and toast pine nuts on medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to let cool.

Preheat oven to 345F

Mix remaining oil, sugar, extracts and eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy.

In another bowl, combine sifted flour into the oil/egg mixture.

Form the dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch cookie balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 18-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on the baking sheet. Makes 26-30 cookies.

Patrice Datovech

Lemon Kiss Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP lemon extract

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups finely chopped almonds

1 - 14 oz. package Hershey Kisses - Milk chocolate flavored

Powdered Sugar

1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 TBSP shortening

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon extract until fluffy. Add flour and almonds; beat at lower speed until blend. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or put in freezer for 20 - 30 minutes. TIP: Separate cookie dough into smaller portions to cool faster.

Shape tablespoonful dough around each candy kiss, covering completely. Roll in hands to form a ball. Bake @ 375 degrees on ungreased cookie sheets for 8 to 12 minutes. (Mine only took 9 minutes per batch) Cook completely on wire rack. Sprinkle cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. Melt chocolate chips and shortening together over low heat or in microwave. Drizzle over cookies. Makes about 6 dozen cookies. I doubled this recipe and made 136 cookies - a little over 11 dozen.

Louise Guard

Cherry Chocolate Chippers

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup butter shortening

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 egg

1 3/4 flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup cherries

Donna Dlubac

Apricot Almond Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

2 cup flour

Ground Almonds

Apricot jam or jam of choice

Cream butter, sugar & extract together. Add the flour. Shape into teaspoon size balls. Roll in ground almonds. Indent centers and fill with jam. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 350F. Yield - 4 dozen.

Robin Olson

Reynolds Minttens

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Makes: 2 dozen

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Red and green paste food colors

2/3 cup mint flavored baking chips

1 egg white

Ribbon

LINE 2 cookie sheets with Reynolds Parchment Paper; set aside. On another sheet of parchment paper, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

BEAT butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed of an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended.

ADD flour mixture gradually to creamed mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Divide dough in half. Tint each half to desired color; shape into 2 flat disks. Wrap dough in Reynolds® Plastic Wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick between 2 lightly floured parchment paper sheets. Cut out 24 cookies with a 2 to 3-inch mitten-shaped cookie cutter. Place 12 cookies 1-inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets; reserve remaining 12 cookies. With leftover dough, use miniature cookie cutters to cut out cookie decorations.

MELT mint baking chips in a microwave-safe bowl following package directions. Spread 1 to 1 ½ heaping teaspoons melted mint chips over each cut-out cookie on the cookie sheets. Top melted mint chips with one of the remaining cut-out cookies; top with cut-out decoration. (To hold decorations to cookies, beat egg white with a little water; brush underside of decoration; place on cookies.)

BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies start to brown. Remove from oven; immediately make a small hole in each mitten with a straw. Slide parchment with cookies onto a wire rack to cool. For gift giving, tie two cookies together with ribbon.

REYNOLDS KITCHENS TIP: To make decorative stripes on cookies, cut 1/2-inch wide strips of Reynolds Parchment Paper; place on cut-out cookie dough. Brush open areas with egg white wash; fill area with sprinkles. Remove parchment strips and bake as directed.

Debby Griffith

Peppermint Bonbon Cookies

Ingredients

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candies

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Additional coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies, divided

1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)

2 1/2 teaspoons milk (optional)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, melted (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; cook over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup crushed peppermint and 6 Tbsp. sugar. Let cool 30 minutes.Add eggs to melted chocolate, 1 at a time, stirring well. Stir in extracts.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, stirring until combined. Stir in chocolate morsels. Cover and chill dough 2 hours or until firm enough to shape.

Shape dough into 1 1/2" balls; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 12 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and cracked on top. Sprinkle coarsely crushed peppermints onto cookies; press candy lightly into cookies. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk together powdered sugar and milk; drizzle over cooled cookies, if desired. Drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired. Sprinkle cookies again with chopped peppermint, if desired. Let cookies stand until glaze and chocolate are firm.