Carmelitas

This is Mom's recipe, and apparently she used to make them a lot when we were little, but I don't remember them very well. We made them this weekend, and they are delicious! I think they are going to have to be re-included in the holiday baking routine!

Basic Chocolate Cookie Dough

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 envelopes (1 oz each) premelted chocolate

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, egg, chocolate, milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients on low speed to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate until firm - approx. 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Unwrap 18 carmels and cut them in half. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough around each 1/2 piece of carmel to form a small ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheed. Bake about 7 minutes or until set. Cool.

Chocolate Sauce

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 envelope premelted chocolate

2 Tablespoon light corn syrup

2-3 Tablespoon hot water

In a small bowl blend sugar, chocolate, corn syrup and water. Dip top of baked cookies in chocolate glaze, then dip in ground nuts (walnuts or pecans).

Makes about 3 dozen.

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

Ty and I threw these cookies together the other day and not only were they easy, but they were delicious and nutricious as well! I got the recipe out of a Healthy Living magazine, and the nutritional information was included. I have included them here as well just to prove that these just might be the most healthy cookies you have ever eaten - and liked!

Per cookie: 227 calories, 6 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 77 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein

Ingredients:

1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened) or regular chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries or rasins (I think chocolate chips would also be good in this recipe!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

2. Using a 1/4 cup measuing cup, or a ice cream scoop, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2 3/4-inch round, about 1/2 inch thick.

3. Bake 14 to 16 minutes until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Okay, so we make these at least once a month around here at the boys request, but secretly I love them just as much! So so soft and super yummy! 3/4 C margarine
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream margarine and sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour sifted with baking powder and salt, mix well. Chill for a couple hours. Roll 1/2 inch thick on floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes.

* I've tried these with butter instead of margarine and they get to hard when chilling so they won't even roll out. Also I cook them for 9 minutes and when they come out they seem like they might need a few more minutes, but just leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling and they will be perfect!

Russian Teacakes

This is a recipe from Mom that I have always loved. Another Holiday cookie that I must make every year. (These three cookies are what I have given to my neighbors the last 2 years.) I have to be sure to give most of them away, or suddenly I will find that I have eaten half the batch. They are just the right size to just pop into your mouth!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. (I also found this year that is faster and works just as well to dump them all in a ziplock bag with some powdered sugar and give them a little shake, then just dump them on a plate and voila! pretty little cookies.)

Gingersnaps

I have not always been a fan of Gingersnaps, because I do not particularly like a cookie that "snaps". I prefer my cookies soft and chewy. I came across this recipe and now have to bake these every year because they are soft, chewy, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour
1 T ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. white sugar for decoration

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses until well blended. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in the remaining sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Egg Nog Cookies

A delicious cookie, especially if you love Egg Nog. Perfect for the Holiday Season!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. egg nog
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in smaller bowl and set aside.
Cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg nog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and mix until combined, be careful not to overmix.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Transfer to cool immediately. Sprinke with mixture of powdered sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

these are the most delicious cookies ever! and to make it ever better, it's the easiest recipe too! My friend at work got the recipe at a Weight Watchers meeting, and each cookie is only 1 w.w. point, so that's a little ego boost while you're eating 20 of them in a row! ENJOY!

1 box of Spice cake mix
1 small can of pumpkin
chocolate chips (i use a little less than half a bag)

bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, mmm!