Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe in the Grilling 2010 issue of Penzey's Spices catalog. I have always loved peanut butter cookies and this is a very easy version. It is flourless and butterless. These cookies are moist, slightly chewy, and full of peanut butter flavor. Plus they have the yummy addition of chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand. Spoon out in rounded tablespoon-sized balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Press down with a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Yield: about 18

Double Chocolate M&M Cookies

I have loved M & M's since I was a very little girl. One night, when I was 5 years old, my parents left my brother and me with a sweet older lady named Mrs. Otts as our babysitter. She was a kind and gentle lady, but a little clueless. After we ate supper, I wanted some M & M's and I asked her for some. She said that we didn't have any. So, unbeknownst to her, I went to the phone and called the pharmacy down the street (for some reason I had the number memorized). I asked for the pharmacist, Ira West, who was a personal friend of my parents. When he answered, I told him who I was and that I would like a pack of M & M's. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and it startled poor Mrs. Otts. I explained to her that it was just my M & M's. I opened the door, and there was a delivery man from the drug store with a white bag. Inside was a pack of M & M's. On the outside was a charge slip for 5¢. The pharmacist had a great sense of humor, and, fortunately for me, so did my mom and dad. They laughed so much about it when they got home that they couldn't get mad at me.

I also have always loved M & M cookies. I decided to make them even better with a double chocolate cookie dough base. They turned out to be amazingly good.

Double Chocolate M & M Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, melted
1 cup plain M & M's
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 375°.
Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and melted chocolate.
Beat sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Mix well and add dry ingredients.
Stir in M&M’S and pecans. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Press several additional M & M’S into each cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown

Beat sugars, butter, eggs, and vanilla together:

Combine flour soda, salt, and cocoa and add to the butter mixture:

Add melted chocolate and stir in M & M's and pecans:

Drop by rounded teasponfulls onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet:

Bake for 9-11 minutes at 375°.

The cigar box post is featured here.

Don't you wish that 5¢ would still buy you a pack of M & M's ?

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

This cookie is soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside and it has a rich chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

1 12 oz pkg semisweet chocolate morsels, divided (I used Nestles Mini Morsels)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp half and half (or milk)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Melt one cup of the morsels in the microwave. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy Gradually add 1 cup sugar. Add egg, half and half, vanilla, and melted chocolate.

Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in remaining chocolate morsels.

Shape into small balls and roll each ball in sugar. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400° for 8 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.


Start with melted chocolate and softened butter:

Cream butter with a mixer until fluffy:

Add sugar, egg, and half and half:

Than add melted chocolate.

Add dry ingredients and remaining morsels. Roll dough into balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks:

A pretty, yet simple way to display cookies or other desserts is to use a stencil. Start with a dark colored plate and a detailed doily:

Sift a moderate amount of confectioners sugar onto the doily and remove carefully.

Chocolate Snowballs

This is a Betty Crocker cookie recipe that I baked for the first time this year. It makes a chewy, delicious cookie, and was actually better than I expected. The Hershey kiss in the middle gives it a big boost of chocolate flavor. Next time I want to try Hershey Kisses with almonds.

Chocolate Snowballs

1 pouch (1lb 1.5oz) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
30- 40 Hershey Kisses
confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg, flour. cocoa, and extracts until soft dough forms.
Shape dough into 3/4” balls. (The original recipe says it makes 60, but I ended up with around 36). Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Roll in confectioners sugar when cool.


Combine all ingredients until soft dough forms. I used whole raw almonds and ground them in my food processor.

It will make a dough that looks like this:

Roll into 3/4" balls:

Wrap a kiss inside of each one:

Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool and roll in confectioners sugar.

Autumn Leaf Cookies

I have a sugar cookie recipe that I have used for many years. Sometimes I like to use this basic recipe to create these autumn leaf cookies. They are a little time-consuming, but are really fun to make and would be a great project to do with your kids.

Autumn Leaf Cookies
1 - 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 - 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
gel or liquid food coloring (gel gives a more intense color)
granulated sugar

1. Beat confectioners sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract with a mixer. Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Divide dough into 4 balls. Color one red, one orange, one yellow, and one green. Start with a small amount of food coloring and keep kneading with each color until you achieve the shade you want. (The kneading process takes time. It will be streaky at first. And your hands will look permanently stained, but it will come off with soap and warm water. Be careful not to get it on your clothes, though). Once the color is well-blended, they will be soft again, so refrigerate again for 30 minutes to one hour.

3. After they have chilled and become firm again, combine a small amount of each color and lightly press together. (See photo below).

4. Roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut into shapes. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Re-roll as needed, but be careful not to blend too much. The more you blend, the more it becomes all one color.

5. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

6. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes.



Divide the cookie dough into four balls:

Color each a different color, then chill.

Any size or shape of leaf cookie cutter will be fine. I used a variety of them.

Take a small amount from each ball of colored dough and combine like this. Lightly press together:

Roll out onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut into shapes, enclosing the colors you like within the cookie cutter. Use leftover dough to make more cookies. Keep chilling it as needed to keep it firm enough for the cookie cutters.

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes:


Place on a cooling rack:

As I mentioned before, the more you work the dough, the less defined the colors become. In the photo below, I chose a baked cookie from each stage of mixing the dough, the first one being from my first batch, then each one progressively after my dough scraps were mixed together again. Notice how the one on the far right is almost solid orange. I have had a fear of over mixing my dough ever since my Play Doh days. Remember how gross it looked after all the colors were all globbed together? At least this is prettier than that, and it tastes better, too. No I did not eat Play Doh. Well, not much.



These would be great given in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon for teacher gifts and would also be good for a fall party.

They have an old fashioned sugar cookie flavor. I hope you try them!!!

Clear the Cupboard Cookies

This is a Southern Living recipe. It is a deliciously soft and crunchy cookie. It called for optional pecans, but I used almonds instead. It contains an interesting array of ingredients, so many that you really do feel like you have cleared your cupboard. But what yummy results!

Clear the Cupboard Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup coconut
1 cup Rice Krispies
1 cup uncooked regular regular oats
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans or almonds, toasted

1. Beat shortening at medium speed until fluffy. Add sugars and eggs, beating until blended.
2. Combine flour and next four ingredients. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Stir in coconut, cereal, oatmeal, vanilla, and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased or parchment covered cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: about 4 dozen


Beat shortening until fluffy:

Combine remaining ingredients:

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet:

Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

So go and clear your cupboards and bake some exceptional cookies!

Banana Whoopie Pies

This is a recipe from the September issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It is a delicious banana cookie with a cake-like texture with a sweet cream cheese filling sandwiched in between.

Banana Whoopie Pies

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
1.Combine flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, combine banana and sour cream.
3. Beat butter with granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated.
4. Combine with banana and flour mixture in a large bowl.
5. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe batter into 1- 1/4-inch rounds on baking sheets, spacing about 1- 1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment, with cookies, onto wire racks. Let cool. (Unfilled cookies can be stored for up to one day).
7. Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar until creamy.
8. Pipe or spoon 1 tbsp cream cheese mixture onto the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and banana and sour cream in another:
Combine sugars, butter, and vanilla and beat until pale and creamy:


Transfer batter into a pastry bag. This gadget came from Williams Sonoma:
Pipe onto parchment covered baking sheets:

This is how they look before and after baking:

A cool Martha trick, which I will do again, is to transfer the parchment onto a cooling rack with the cookies on it:

Spoon or pipe the filling onto the flat side of the cookie and sandwich them together:

Dust with confectioners sugar either before or after the sandwiching process. It will work either way.

Mmmm.... They are yummy.

Buttermilk Pudding and Pecan Shortbread

Buttermilk is not ever a beverage that I personally want to drink straight from the glass, but I love the flavor it gives when it is blended with other ingredients. This pudding brings out the wonderful essence of buttermilk, while adding cream, sugar, and vanilla to create a rich and refreshingly different dessert. I found this recipe, along with the accompanying Pecan Shortbread recipe, in this month's edition of Better Homes and Gardens. I altered them a bit to suit my personal taste, which I do to almost all recipes. They both turned out wonderfully, each greatly complementing the other.


Buttermilk Pudding

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
chopped Heath candy bars

In a bowl, combine gelatin with milk and set aside. In a saucepan, combine whipping cream and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved and cream just comes to a simmer. Remove immediately from heat; stir in softened gelatin until completely dissolved. Set aside; let cool 5 minutes.

Transfer cream mixture to a bowl. Add sour cream; whisk until blended. Whisk in buttermilk, salt, and vanilla. Spoon into 8 serving dishes. Cover with plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours. Top with chopped Heath candy bars.

Pecan Shortbread

2 cups flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and flour until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Squeeze mixture with hands to form a smooth dough. Divide dough into 36 portions and press into greased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

Blend gelatin and milk and set aside:

Whisk all ingredients until well-blended. Pour into serving dishes and chill.

Combine shortbread ingredients :

Press into mini-muffin tins:

Bake until lightly browned. I baked some of them in my square pan, but I ended up liking the small round ones better.


Top the pudding with chopped Heath bar and serve with Pecan Shortbread:

Both of these recipes have simple ingredients and can be prepared quickly and easily.
This dessert can be used in a casual or a dressy setting, or anything in between, all depending on your serving dish.