Shaker Gourmet: Cookies!

This past Sunday afternoon was spent baking batches of cookies for the holidays this year. Last night we decorated our cut out cookies (stars and trees!). It's always messy but always fun to have on the holiday music and lots of yummy cookies being beautified--often with an enormous amount of glittery sugar thanks to our 4 year old.

All of these recipes have been a part of our holiday cookie tradition, though I only made three kinds this year. This first one is from my mom and is the only recipe for peanut butter cookies I'll make:

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
* 2.5 cups flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 1 cup peanut butter (Jif or the like, not the natural/sugar-free sort)
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla

--Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.

--Cream butter and sugars together. Then beat in eggs and vanilla.

--Slowly beat in flour mix.

--Chill dough one hour.

--Heat oven to 350.

--Shape dough into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet.

--Bake for 12 minutes. Let stand about 30 seconds before moving to cooling rack.

One variation: after rolling into balls, press down gently with fork tines to make a criss-cross pattern then sprinkle red/green (or whatever you like) decorating sugar on top for a pretty result.

Use this recipe to make the ever-popular (esp. at my house) cookie with the hershey kiss in the center: halve the ball size and bake for 10 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, let sit on sheet for a minute, then press (unwrapped) kiss gently into the center. Carefully remove to cooling rack.

For oddjob! Easiest Snickerdoodles ev.er.:

Snickerdoodles
* 3 T sugar
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 pkg yellow cake mix
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup canola (or veg) oil

—Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet (or spray with cooking spray).

—Combine cinnamon & sugar in bowl

—Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil in large bowl. Stir until well-blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in cinn.-sugar mix. Place balls on cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Flatten balls with bottom of glass.

—Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool one minute on baking sheet before removing to wire rack.

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 tsps vanilla
* 1 10 oz jar Maraschino cherries, undrained
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
* 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

—Preheat oven to 350 degrees

—In bowl, combine flour and cocoa powder, set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter on med speed with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

—Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press down in center of ball with thumb.

—Drain cherries, reserve juice. Halve any large cherries. Place a cherry or cherry half in center of each cookie.

—For frosting, in small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sw. condensed milk; heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 teaspoons of reserve cherry juice.

—Spoon 1/2 – 1 tsp frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. If frosting is too thick, thin with additional cherry juice.

—Bake in oven for about 10 minutes, until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

Crispy Thumbprint Cookies
* 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup water
* 3 cups Rice Crispies, crushed
* raspberry or strawberry preserves OR Andes mints, cut in half

—Preheat oven to 375

—Combine cake mix, oil, egg, and water. Beat at med speed until well-blended. Add cereal; mix w/spoon until well-blended.

—Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Use thumb to make indentation in each cookie. Spoon 1/4 – 1/2 tsp preserves (or 1/2 Andes mint) into center of cookie.

—Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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