Michelle’s Pumpkin Cookies

These are really good – light, not overly pumpkin.
Mix together:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
Add in and mix
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t soda
1 t EACH cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (or 3 t pumpkin pie spice instead)
Add in and mix
2 1/2 cups flour
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
They’re fabulous just like that, but you [...]

Root Beer Cookies

I keep thinking about having a “Cookie of the Week” feature, but I’m not really sure about making cookies every single week – a dangerous thing to have around here!  Sure, we cut most recipes in half or third, but sometimes we wind up with the whole batch.  Like today, when I was halving this [...]

German Chocolate Brownies

from Melanee
1 box of german chocolate cake mix
1 tub of coconut pecan frosting
2/3 c butter
1 c chocolate chips
1/4 c milk
Combine cake mix and butter.  Press half the mixture into a 9X13 pan and bake at3 50 for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and spread the frosting, then sprinkle the chocolate chips.  Add the milk to [...]

The Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

another winner – this recipe is adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.  The cookbook version had corn syrup.  The vinegar is suppsed to calm the sweet a bit, as well as work with the baking soda to raise the cookies a bit.
2/23 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 T cider [...]

Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix everything together, and press firmly in a very well greased 9X13 [...]

The Essential Soft Oatmeal Cookie

This. Is. IT.  I’m on a cookie thing and I think I’ve found THE cookie cookboox – The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.  And this is their Essential Soft Oatmeal Cookie.  It is pretty close to perfect.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 T vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 large egg
6 T sour cream or [...]

Real Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 t peppermint extract
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t salt
1 cup candy canes, crushed
3 T decorating (green or white) sugar, granulated if you must
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar [...]

Candy Cane Cookies

Warning – shaping just one batch of these will take a good 30 minutes!
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 t vanilla
1 t peppermint extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 t red food color
Add everything except flour and red food coloring – mix well.  Stir in flour.  Separate dough into [...]

Christmas Turtles

Jacob came home from preschool with this cute treat from a friend.  We made them a couple years ago and I’d forgotten about them!  Stick a rolos candy on top of a small round pretzel and pop them in a 250 oven for 4 minutes.  Immediately press an M&M (or half a pecan) on top.  [...]

Chocolate Crinkles

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cups white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Combine everything but confectioners sugar.  Refrigerate until firm.  Roll into small (golf ball or smaller) balls, roll in sugar.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.