Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Honestly, this is the easiest cookie recipe I've ever made, besides buying the pre-made dough. I think there are several websites that have the recipe. Cooks.com gets the credit here. These are so easy, my now five-year-old can help me make them. They're ready in less than fifteen minutes from start to finish...unless you have a five-year-old helping. Then, it might be more like twenty minutes! We like to add chocolate chips to our dough, but anything can be added for extra deliciousness. This is our go-to Santa cookie recipe, too.

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar (may decrease by 1 or 2 T if too sweet), plus extra for dipping
1 large egg
Optional: chocolate chips, raisins, M&M's, pretzels, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar and egg together. Add the peanut butter and any other optional ingredients. Combine until smooth. Form into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Dip a fork into sugar. Then, press the fork into the balls, forming a criss-cross pattern.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the pan for about 10 minutes to allow the cookies to set before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes about 1 dozen.

Ginger Cookies w/Tangy Lemon Icing

I got this recipe from Cuisine Cookies for the Holidays (from Cuisine at Home). Once I saw it, I knew I had to try them out! They are delicious, especially with the lemon icing.

Cookie Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup minced candied ginger*
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Turbinado (raw), coarse, or granulated sugar

Icing Ingredients:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsp powdered egg whites or meringue powder**
1 tbsp milk
Minced zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Stir flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt, and pepper together for cookies in a bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar together in a bowl with a mixer until smooth. Add egg, beat until incorporated, then beat in the molasses, candied ginger, and fresh ginger. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just to combine. Chill dough until slightly firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into balls, about 1/8 cup worth. Smooth into balls, coat in turbinado sugar, and arrange on prepared baking sheets. Flatten balls with the bottom of a measuring cup (I sprayed the bottom with non-stick cooking spray first), then bake 10-12 minutes, or until set. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Whisk all ingredients for the icing together until smooth, then spread some icing on each cookie with a spatula. Allow the icing to harden before packaging.

Makes ~2-1/2 dozen cookies.

*Candied ginger (which I found in the bulk section) is sticky. It's easier to chop if you pile the ginger on a cutting board, sprinkle it with powdered sugar, then rock the knife through it. Shake the minced pieces in your hand to sift away the excess sugar.
**I found meringue powder at Hobby Lobby, a craft supply store (it is made by Wilton).

English Toffee

I found a toffee recipe via Pinterest and changed it just a bit to make it my own. Wow! It turned out fantastic. It's dangerous knowing that toffee this good is so easy to make! (Note: I did not add the chocolate layer, but I included that part of the recipe for anyone who wants to try it.)

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for bottom layer)
2 cups butter (salted)
2 cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
6 T water
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or pecans (for top layer)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil, brush with vegetable oil, and sprinkle 1/2 cup of toasted nuts on the foil. In heavy saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling.

Cook and stir over medium heat to 290 degrees using a candy thermometer (soft-crack stage). Watch carefully and stir, it can burn easily after 280 degrees. Remove from heat and pour mixture over the nuts in the pan immediately. Sprinkle with 1/2 c. chopped nuts OR see below.

Let stand 5 minutes or until firm but still hot. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let the stand for 1 to 2 minutes. When softened, spread chocolate over mixture. Sprinkle the chocolate with nuts. Chill till firm. Break into pieces. Store tightly covered. Makes 3 pounds.

Cocoa Cherry Drops

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture. Stir in cherries and chopped walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Kris Kringle Cookies

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkg (6 squares each) Baker's premium white baking chocolate, chopped
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups dried cranberries (I used 1 cup cranberries & 1 cup cherries)


Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate, pecans, and cranberries.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 1-1/2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 3 min; remove to wire racks. Cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

(You can substitute walnuts or almonds for the pecans and chopped dried apricots or mixed dried fruit bits for the cranberries.)

Candy Cane Blossoms

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
48 Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane Candies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp milk

red and/or green sugar crystals*

Heat the oven to 350. Remove wrappers from candies.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla in large bowl until well-blended. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; add alternatively with milk to butter mixture, beating until well-blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red/green sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2-3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

*You can also roll them in granulated sugar or powdered sugar. I like the festive colors. :)

Mexican Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Makes about 50 cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. table salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt in a bowl.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Whisk together eggs and vanilla; add to butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined. Cover dough and chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350, line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shape dough into 1 in balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar two times, then arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 in . apart. Bake cookies until tops are cracked yet still soft, 10-11 minutes; do not overbake. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Nutella Cookies

Makes 2 dozen 3-in cookies

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t. each baking soda and salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. Nutella
1 t. vanilla extract
Finely chopped hazelnuts (I used pecans)

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to fully incorporate before adding the next.

Add Nutella and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Chill dough 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop dough with a #30 scoop (scant 3 T.); roll in hazelnuts. Bake cookies, six at a time, until edges are set, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.

Pumpkin-Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I wanted to make some cookies for the season and these sounds super yummy. I altered the recipe a bit to make it a little healthier. It made 6 dozen small cookies.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (15-oz) can pure pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and both sugars in large mixing bowl. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract; mix well. Add in flour mixture. Stir in raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoons (for smaller cookies) or tablespoons (for bigger cookies) onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for ~12 min for smaller, 14-16 min for bigger cookies - until set in center. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The grocery bakery often has this kind of cookie, and I always buy them when I see them. I found this recipe and tweaked it a bit so I could make my own! This makes 6 dozen cookies - but they won't last long. ;)

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree
4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, and canned pumpkin puree. Once smooth, add baking soda, cinnamon, pie spice, and salt. Slowly add flour until dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack before serving. (These were MUCH better after cooled - otherwise the chocolate was too gooey.)

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe Jen used for the cookie decorating meet-up. See the recipe for the icing below. Enjoy!


Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
* 2 cups white sugar
* 4 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 5 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Icing

For those of you who came to Jen's cookie decorating meet-up, here is the recipe we used for the icing. It has a nice flavor and leaves a pretty shine when it dries!


Ingredients

* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 teaspoons milk
* 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.