Perfect M & M Cookies

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 or 1-1/2 cups Mini M and M’s

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Recipe via: Picky Palate

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

•  1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp  all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam

GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional) 

Directions:

Make the cookies: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed.  Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (silicone mats preferred to reduce spreading). Shape the cookie dough into balls. Mine were about 1 Tablespoon of dough per ball. Make sure they're nice and smooth. Make an indentation with your thumb into each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine to have a few cracks. Fill each with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (Or however much it can hold.)

Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 14-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake.  In fact, I only baked mine for 13-14 minutes. I prefer them a little soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before glazing.

Make the glaze: stir together glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more liquid to thin out or add more powdered sugar to thicken to your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Glaze will set within a couple hours.

Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough may be frozen up to 2 months.

NOTES

• 2 Tbsp of flour has been added to the recipe on 12/21/13. I make mine cookies with only 2 cups of flour, however I suggest readers add 2 extra Tbsp to prevent extra spreading.
• Make sure the cookie dough is cold and firm at all times. If it's not firm and cold, put back into the refrigerator to chill. When working in batches, keep the unused dough chilled in the refrigerator. You may roll, print, and fill batch #2 and stick in the fridge while batch #1 bakes.
• This shortbread cookie dough may be used to cut into your favorite shortbread cookie shapes. 
• Any flavor jam is OK. 

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz. (2 cups) chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth with an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. 

3. Drop into rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies), until they just start to turn golden on the edges. (They might still look doughy in the center, buy they will set up once cooled.)

4. Immediately remove from the cookie sheet to cool on a wire rack. They keep well for several days at room temperature (in an airtight container) or for several weeks in the freezer.

Makes 2 dozen large or 4 dozen small cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

1 (18.25 oz.) white or yellow cake mix 

1/3 C. oil or softened butter

2 eggs

1-2 C. chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, oil/butter, and eggs until combined and no clumps remain. Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

{Makes a little more than 2 dozen when using my 1 1/2 Tbsp. cookie dough scoop. You can also use Devil's Food/chocolate cake mix with mini chocolate chips}

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

3 cups quick oats

1/2- 1 tsp. cinnamon

chocolate chips

Cream shortening, butter & sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift baking soda, flour & salt; add oatmeal. Mix well into creamed mixture. Drop spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

From Cheryl Nilsson

Nantucket Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 1 and 1/2 cups flour 1 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir in salt and soda. Add flour and then oats. Mix in white chocolate, cranberries, and pistachios. Roll into generous 1 inch balls and bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 26 cookies.

***Make a double batch...they are so good!!

Snowball Cookies

1 c. butter

1/2 c. confectioners sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. sifted flour

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Additional confectioners sugar (for rolling)

Beat butter and sugar until creamy.

Add remaining ingredients, mix.

Use a teaspoonful of dough and roll into small ball.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool slightly and roll in confectioners sugar. (I roll them twice.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup canned pumpkin (1/2 of a small can. Double the recipe for an entire small can)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 35o degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Do not overbake.

A heaping teaspoon of dough makes for a good size.

Christmas Holly Clusters

1 cube butter
30 large marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ tsp. green food coloring
3 ½ cups corn flakes
Red cinnamon candies

Melt butter with marshmallows and blend. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, coloring and corn flakes. Toss gently, but thoroughly and drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. (They will resemble Holly wreaths). Press red cinnamon candies into clusters. Let set until hardened.

Chocolate Crinkles

½ cup vegetable oil
4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix oil, chocolate and sugar. Blend one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by sifting. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt into oil mixture.
Chill several hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 350o . Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into powdered sugar and shape into balls. Place about 2” apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE
Makes 6 dozen