Molasses Cookies

Best Autumn smell - Molasses cookies baking.  Best Autumn taste - Warm Molasses cookies fresh out of the oven.   One of the reasons why I love these cookies so much is because they are so nostalgic for me.  This is a recipe my mom always made, and her mother always made, and I'm pretty sure my great grandmother always made also.  I always double this recipe!  

Cream together - 

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

Add - 

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

Add - 

2 tsp soda

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in white sugar.  

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

My brother married an amazing woman.  I have two brothers and four sisters, only one of my brothers is married.  He really could not have married anyone who would fit in better with his sisters and mom.  I am really grateful that he chose so well.  Several years ago Kristin (that's my SIL) mentioned in an email (our family group emails each other a lot, that's our main way of staying in touch) that she was busy making these banana oatmeal cookies that she had made up a recipe for.  SERIOUSLY???  I have never been gutsy enough to make up my own cookie recipe!  Baking is so scientific!  I am just not brave enough to "dump and pour" a baking recipe.  Maybe it's because she is a Labor and Delivery Nurse, super smart, and way more scientific than I am.

Of course, I had to get the recipe immediately!  It is one of our favorite cookies!  I often have bananas that are a little too ripe, and I will make these instead of chocolate chip cookies.  They are so soft, and chewy, and healthy right?  They have bananas and oatmeal!  A couple of these for breakfast, and you're good!

Cream together -
1 cup Shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Add in and mix -
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 mashed bananas

Stir in -
1 1/2 - 2 cups flour (I am in Oregon, she is in Denver.  I need more flour at my altitude than she does.) 
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal

Add in - 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips - I always use semi-sweet because the cookies themselves are so sweet with the bananas.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes

**They freeze really well!

Raspberry Jam Filled Cookies

I cannot describe to you how much I LOVE these cookies!  Everyone does!  If I make them with people around, it’s hopeless.  I can’t keep any on the cooling wracks.  I remember mom making these when I was little.  I adored them then too.  They are great at Christmas time, the look and taste are both great for Christmas.  Jackson (my brother) thinks it wouldn’t be a very good Christmas with out them.  They are also one of Brooke’s favorites.  But they are good in the summer too, around the Fourth of July, the red color is great! I've also used them as goodie plate treats for Valentines Day.  They are like a mini Raspberry pie.

Cream –

                2 cup shortening

                1 cup white sugar                 1 cup brown sugar

Mix in –

                4 egg yolks            6 T milk                  4 t vanilla

Sift in –

                5 1/3 cup flour                       4 t cream of tartar                

                2 t baking soda                     1 t salt

Form into a somewhat flattened ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill.  (this is a good one to make the night before, or if it’s summer time make dough during day and cook at night)

Roll out on a floured surface.  Cut into circles about 2-2 ½ inches. (you can use the mouth of a glass as a cookie cutter)  

 Put a small spoonful of Jam onto center of ½ of the circles.  Using a knife mark an X into the centers of the other half and lay the X halves on top.  Using a fork press around edges to seal and make pretty.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets or Silpats.

Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes.

 Jackson with his own plate of Cookies.

Orange - Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was really excited to try this recipe.  I made some adjustments to the original that I found on Allrecipes.com.  For the original check out this link. 

I didn't use as much vanilla extract, and I added in some shortening taking away some of the butter.  I really like shortening in my cookies.  The original said that these become crispy as they cool.  I like a little crisp to the outside with the inside chewy.  That is what shortening helps to accomplish.  Also, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, instead of white chips.  I just prefer them.  I think that dark chocolate would also be delicious with the orange flavor of these YUMMY cookies!

I can't wait to make these for Christmas.  The Orange-Chocolate combo always reminds me of Christmas.

I got 36 cookies out of this batch.  My family LOVED them.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a Silpat.
2. In a bowl of mixer, cream butter and shortening on medium speed, adding sugar gradually. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. When dough is mixed well, add in chocolate chips.
3. Drop dough by spoonful onto baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart, flattening slightly with back of spoon. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to brown. Allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

Grasshopper Brownies

I found this recipe in High School, and my family loved it.  My own children love it now.  For the brownie layer I either use a box mix or have used my own 'from scratch' recipe.

Bake a pan of brownies, let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Mint layer -

Beat - 1/2 cup margarine (softened)

           3 oz. cream cheese (softened)

Add - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

           2 tsp. peppermint extract

           a few drops of green food coloring

Spread cream cheese layer over cooled brownies.

Melt in a small saucepan, stirring constantly till smooth -

           1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

           1/3 cup margarine

Cool slightly then smooth over the cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yeah, I know!  There are 100's of Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe's out there!  I've tried MANY!  This is my favorite!  I got it off a friend while we were at BYU.  I'll give you the regular recipe, but just know that I double this and freeze about 2/3rds of them in Ziploc Bags.

Combine and blend well –

½ cup crisco                          ½ cup margarine

¾ cup brown sugar              ¾ cup white sugar

1 large egg                             1 ½ t vanilla

¾ t baking soda                   ¾ t salt

Add – 2 ¼ cups flour (if dough is stick add a bit more)

Use plenty of Chocolate chips (I love using big milk chocolate chips)

Bake @ 375 for 8 minutes.  Take out before they are brown to make softer cookies. 

Drink with COLD milk!!

Freeze in Ziploc bags.  They stay very fresh this way!

Scotch Cookies

                Oh Yummy!  These cookies have such wonderful texture and flavor!  They were one of Jason’s favorites as a child and I got this recipe from his mom’s book.  I’ve also experimented with them.  I’ve added cinnamon chips and toffee bits to them.  The cinnamon chips were a for sure winner.

Cream together –

½ cup margarine                  ½ cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar              

Add – 2 eggs         1 teas. vanilla

Then add in - 2 cups flour

1 cup Flour                           1 teas. Baking powder

1 teas. Baking soda             1 cup oatmeal

1 cup coconut                      2 cups cornflakes

(If adding in any kind of chips, even chocolate chips are good here, then only put in one cup of the cornflakes.)

Whoopie Pies

I used to LOVE it when my mom would make these!  They are way better than store bought baked snack treats.  These are always a FUN surprise in the lunch box for a birthday!  It is fun to change the color of the filling too.  For Halloween they have orange middles.

Cream –

                1 cup butter, soft

                2 cups sugar

                2 eggs

                2 t vanilla

In separate bowl mix these dry ingredients –

                4 cups flour

                1 t baking powder

                3 t baking soda

                1 t salt

                1 cup baking cocoa powder

Alternately pour the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with 2 cups milk.  Begin and end with the dry.

Drop small spoonful amounts onto greased cookie sheet, or on a Silpat.

Bake @ 350 for 7 minutes. 

Filling –

                1 cup shortening

                4 cups powdered sugar

                2 cups marshmallow cream (small jar)

                8 t milk (adjust)

Make sandwiches with 2 cookies and filling.  Wrap in plastic wrap individually.

PBD's aka Polar Bear Droppings

My mom found this recipe when she was about 14 years old.  She wrote it down and doesn’t remember what they were really called.  Mom and her brother Joe were being silly one day and they were calling them all sorts of things and eventually renamed them PBD’s, which stands for Polar Bear Droppings.  They have become a very memorable cookie.  My very first memory of these cookies happened when I was only 4.  It’s one of my earliest memories ever!  I was a flower girl at my Aunt Judy’s wedding.  She was married on Valentines Day, and I wore a little red dress with tiny white hearts printed on it.  I carried a basket around at the reception filled with heart shaped PBD’s.  It’s amazing how I can still close my eyes and see it all.  I remember eating so many PBD’s that night.  I was probably sick afterwards.  Now I make them at least once a year on Valentine’s day.  I also like to make them for a baby showers and frost them with either pink or blue depending on who is being born. 

Combine –

                1 cup soft butter

                2 cups flour

                2 T powdered

Cut in together till crumbly and completely mixed.  Roll out on floured surface.  Use a small 1 inch circle cookie cutter.  (I didn'’t used to own one myself, so I got creative and have used all sorts of things…cap to a water bottle, shampoo cap cleaned well, soy sauce bottle lid etc.) 

Place on cookie sheets and Bake @ 300 for 20 minutes. 

Frosting –

                ½ pound powdered sugar

                1/8 teas. Salt

                1/8 cup milk

                ½ teas. Vanilla

                1/3 cube butter, soft

                food coloring, usually pink

Make sandwiches with two cookies and frosting inbetween. 

Heart Shaped PBD's dusted with powdered Sugar