I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the combination of chocolate and cherries, so naturally I had to try this recipe for Black Forest Oatmeal Drops: chewy oatmeal cookies studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and dried cherries! Yum! They make a perfect after-school snack or wintertime treat. Let me warn you now, though…it’s hard to stop at eating just one…!

Black Forest Oatmeal Drops
-recipe from Land O Lakes

Whether you make these as drop cookies or the bar variation, they are a perfect cookie to give as a holiday gift.
Makes 5 dozen cookies

1 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (5 ounces) dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda and salt. Beat until well mixed. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and cherries.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Stir together powdered sugar and Kirsch in small bowl. Gradually stir in enough water for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Variation:
Black Forest Oatmeal Bars: Spread dough evenly into ungreased 15×10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Prepare drizzle as directed above; drizzle over bars. Cut into bars. 48 bars.

Tags: chocolate and cherries, chocolate chip cookies, dried cherries, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, old-fashioned oats, rolled oats

One of my weaknesses is a good, chewy chocolate chip cookie. It’s like my kryptonite. I’m not proud of it, but I’m pretty much defenseless around them, which is why I don’t make chocolate chip cookies very often. Recently, though, I was thumbing through the Grand Central Baking Book (from the popular Grand Central Bakery located in Portland and Seattle ) and saw the recipe for their delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. “Oh yeah,” I thought, “I’m totally making these!” And, boy, do these chewy, chocolate-studded treats rock!

I’ve used a combo of semisweet and milk chocolate chips or all semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use what you have and/or like. My personal favorite is Guittard brand chocolate chips (creamy, smooth and absolutely delicious!).

My oven is goofy so I always have to play with the baking time a bit. Just watch for the cookies to have golden edges…the inside will still look a bit underdone. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes then pour a cold glass of milk and devour!

What’s your food kryptonite?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
-recipe from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups (9 ounces) rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
1 cup (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. (Put the dry ingredients through a fine-mesh sieve if the flour or baking soda is clumpy.)

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times during the process.

While the mixer is running, crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall in one at a time incorporating the first egg completely before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process.

Gradually add the dry ingredients (in 2 to 3 additions) with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once, to fully incorporate the butter and sugar. Combine the oats and chocolate in the same bowl used for the dry ingredients, then add them to the dough with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until everything is well distributed. Often it’s easier to finish mixing by hand using a stiff rubber spatula.

Scoop the dough into balls the size of ping-pong balls (about 1.5 ounces). Arrange the dough balls on the prepared pans, 6 per pan, then press into 1/2-inch-thick disks.

Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, while the centers will appear blond and slightly underdone. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

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Tags: Baking, chocolate chips, cookies, desserts, Grand Central Bakery, Grand Central Baking Book, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, rolled oats

When it comes to cookies, most people fall into one of two catagories: crunchy or chewy. I tend to favor chewy cookies. This recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies from The Grand Central Baking Book bakes up a cookie that is buttery, peanutty and somewhere in between crunchy and chewy. I surprised my kids the other day and had a batch waiting for them when they got home from school. I was the coolest mom ever…until it was time for them to do homework.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a peanut butter cookie so I’m not the best judge as far as this cookie’s peanutiness (is that a word?). While they may not be as peanutty as some I’ve had, I preferred the texture to most peanut butter cookies I’ve tried. I recently gave some to a friend who said she doesn’t normally like peanut butter cookies. After trying a bite, she said she went on to eat two cookies. I guess that’s a pretty good sign! 

Grand Central Bakery Peanut Butter Cookies
-recipe from The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

This cookie is exactly what you’d expect from a classic peanut butter cookie: nutty, sweet, and soft in the middle, complete with emblematic fork crisscross on top. Unlike some peanut butter cookie recipes, this one is equally successful and delicious whether you use natural peanut butter or an everyday brand name. Be sure to stir natural peanut butter thoroughly before measuring it to distribute the oil. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (2 teaspoons if you use unsalted peanut butter)
1 cup (8 ounces, or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 cup (9.5 ounces) peanut butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients: Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. (Put the dry ingredients through a fine-mesh sieve if the flour or baking soda is clumpy.)

Cream the butter, sugar and peanut butter: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until mixture is lighter in color and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and cream for another minute. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times during the process.

Incorporate the eggs and vanilla: While the mixer is running, crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, then slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall one at a time and incorporating the first egg completely before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process.

Add the dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients (in 2 to 3 additions) with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once, to fully incorporate the butter and sugar.

Shape the cookies: Scoop the dough into balls the size of pingpong balls (about 1.5 ounces). Arrange the dough balls on the prepared pans, 6 per pan. Lightly dust them with granulated sugar before pressing with a fork to make a crisscross pattern, and then press the cookies into ½-inch-thick disks.

Bake: Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The tops of the fork marks and the edges of the cookies should be brown and crisp and the middle should be soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Tags: Grand Central Bakery, peanut butter cookies, The Grand Central Baking Book

Here’s a fun project I made with my kids not too long ago. It’s easy, fun and kids love eating the Rudolph cookies once they’re made. I used Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies since I’m not aware of any other peanut-shaped cookie on the market.

The hardest part of making the cookies was inserting the “antlers” into the filling between the cookies. You first need to separate the two halves of the cookies then stick the pretzel pieces into the peanut butter filling, sandwiching the cookies back together once the antlers are in place. Sometimes the peanut butter cookie halves break during this step so be careful when sandwiching the antlers between the cookie halves. Next time I’ll try adding a little dot of melted chocolate to help keep the antlers in place.

For cementing the eyes and nose to the cookies, I used melted chocolate chips instead of buying the candy coating. I had to microwave the chocolate a few times to keep it melted but other than that it worked fine. Enjoy!

Rudolph Cookies
-recipe from Southern Living Magazine

 4 (1-ounce) chocolate candy coating squares
96 pretzel sticks
1 (16-ounce) package peanut butter sandwich cookies
64 candy-covered green, blue, or brown chocolate pieces
32 red candy-coated chocolate pieces or red cinnamon candies

Microwave chocolate candy coating in a small shallow glass dish at HIGH 3 minutes, stirring once.

Place 2 pretzel sticks in peanut butter filling of each sandwich cookie, forming large antlers. Break remaining pretzel sticks in half, and place 1 half pretzel stick next to each longer pretzel stick, forming smaller antlers.

Dip 1 side of green chocolate pieces in melted candy coating, and place on cookies for the eyes. Dip 1 side of red chocolate pieces in candy coating, and place on cookies for the noses. Yield:  32 cookies

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Nabisco brand Nutter Butter peanut butter sandwich cookies.

Southern Living, DECEMBER 1999

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Tags: Christmas, holiday, kids, Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies, peanut butter sandwich cookies, reindeer cookies, Rudolph

These jewel-like cookies are easy-to-make, beautiful and lightly flavored with lemon. They’re one of my favorite Christmas cookies and they get raves every time I make them. Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
-Recipe from foodnetwork.com, Emeril Lagasse

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
1 tablespoon Chambord or kirsch
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.

In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough together into a ball.

Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

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Tags: Christmas cookies, Christmas desserts, holiday cookies, holiday desserts, lemon, raspberry, thumbprint cookies, thumbprints

To me, fresh apple cake is the epitome of autumn! A friend gave me a bag of apples from her backyard tree recently so, of course, I had to find something new and delicious to make with them. What I settled on was this recipe for Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting. It’s moist, delicious, super easy to make and loaded with appley goodness. 

I made a few slight changes to the recipe but nothing drastic. For the cake, I decreased the sugar from 2 cups to 1-1/2 cups, which was perfect because the brown sugar frosting adds sweetness, too. Also, I substituted 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice for the 1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice, and added a splash of vanilla to the cake batter. I chose not to use nuts, although chopped pecans would be a good addition. I thought the cake was actually better the day after it was made so I encourage you to make it a day before you plan to serve it. Enjoy!

 Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting 
-recipe from King Arthur Flour

This cake is an old, old favorite of ours. It’s a cake where the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts. The moist, semi-chunky cake, spread with the frosting equivalent of brown sugar fudge, is perfect served with a cup of coffee or, better still, a glass of ice-cold milk.

Cake
2 1/3 cups (9 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar (I used 1-1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (I used 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. allspice)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) vegetable shortening (trans-fat free)
4 cups (12 ounces) peeled, chopped apples (about 1 pound before peeling)
1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts, chopped

Brown Sugar Frosting
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Mix all of the ingredients except the apples and walnuts in a large bowl. Beat until well combined; the mixture will be crumbly. Add the apples and walnuts, and mix until the apples release some of their juice and the crumbly mixture becomes a thick batter, somewhere between cookie dough and brownie batter in consistency.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it with your wet fingers. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Remove from the oven and place on a rack, to cool completely; don’t remove the cake from pan. When the cake is completely cool, frost with Brown Sugar Frosting.

Frosting: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts. Add the milk, bring to a boil, and pour into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat well; if the mixture appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. Spread on the cake while frosting is still warm.

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Tags: allspice, autumn, Baking, brown sugar frosting, cake, cinnamon, Dessert, fall, fresh apple cake, nutmeg, potluck

Try these buttery sugar cookies if you’re looking for a fun treat to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. The cookies are easy to make and have a light peanutty taste.

The recipe calls for rolling each dough ball in chopped peanuts. I used 50% Less Salt Roasted & Salted Peanuts that I found at Trader Joe’s. Do not buy dry roasted peanuts because they’ve got spices on them like paprika and garlic salt that would probably taste funky in a cookie. Just stick with regular ol’ peanuts for this recipe.

After finding this recipe for Blarney Stone Cookies, I then had to research what in the heck a Blarney Stone was. Here’s what I learned: the Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle in the Irish village of Blarney. Legend has it that kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of blarney (or persuasive, flattering talk). It sounds a whole lot easier just to eat a few of these cookies!

BLARNEY STONE COOKIES 
-recipe from landolake.com

This rich butter cookie, rolled in chopped peanuts before baking, resembles the Blarney Stone in Ireland.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen cookies 

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups finely chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine powdered sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.

Beat egg yolks and water with fork until well mixed in small bowl. Dip balls of dough into beaten egg yolks, then into peanuts. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center.

Tags: Blarney Stone Cookies, butter, Irish, peanuts, St. Patrick's Day, sugar

Chewy and delicious, these gussied-up chocolate chip cookies have a few bonus ingredients thrown in for kicks (oats, coconut, raisins and/or pecans). You can have fun changing up the add-ins each time you make them. Add more chocolate chips if you don’t like raisins or pecans. Anyway, you get the picture…just make ‘em how you like ‘em!

I followed the recipe except I used coconut instead of pecans. I also threw in extra chocolate chips. The combination of chocolate chips, raisins and coconut was great! A few of these cookies and a cold glass of milk might just make your day…it’s worth a try!

John’s Kitchen Sink Cookies
-recipe from marthastewart.com

Makes 24
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, pecans, and oats.

Drop 2-inch balls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough balls slightly. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.

Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

From Everyday Food, March 2008

Tags: chocolate chip, coconut, John's Kitchen Sink Cookies, oats, pecans, raisins

If you’ve never made Russian Tea Cakes (also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowball Cookies), you’ve probably eaten them at some point in your life. They’re extremely easy to make, very tasty and a great addition to any holiday cookie platter.  

Although the recipe calls for 1 cup of pecans, I decided to try 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios and 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries (soaked in a bit of Grand Marnier or orange juice before chopping to soften them up). I really like how the cookies turned out: a tender, buttery cookie with the added flavor and color of the green pistachios and ruby red cranberries (perfect for Christmas). A little freshly grated orange zest would also be a delicious addition to the pistachios and dried cranberries. The recipe calls for flattening the cookies but I left them in round balls.

After baking, the recipe says to roll the hot cookies in powdered sugar, which is messy and melts the sugar. I find that letting the cookies cool first then rolling them in the powdered sugar works best. I try to knock off the excess powdered sugar from each cookie so that the sugar isn’t inhaled when taking that first bite. Yumm!

Russian Tea Cakes
- adapted from a recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse on foodnetwork.com

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling cookies
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (I used 1/2 cup chopped pistachios & 1/2 cup dried chopped cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla then gradually add the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, measure, then sift again with the salt. Add gradually to the butter mixture. Add the pecans and mix well.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly using the bottom of a glass, then bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and roll in powdered sugar while still hot. Cool on wire racks and roll cookies again in powdered sugar before serving.

Once they are completely cooled, cookies may be stored in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

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Tags: Christmas cookies, cranberries, holiday, holidays, mexican wedding cookies, pecans, russian tea cakes, snowball cookies

Most people have some tradition that marks the holiday season for them. Mine is Pecan Tassies, a bite-sized version of pecan pie that is made with an easy cream cheese pastry crust and a not-too-sweet brown sugar-pecan filling. I grew up with these cookies. My mom was given the recipe almost 40 years ago and has been making these delicious treats for all our family gatherings from Thanksgiving throughout the Christmas season. And now that I’ve got my own family, I’m continuing the tradition.

One of the reasons I love Pecan Tassies is because they’re small (made in a mini muffin tin) — a single tassie can be eaten in a bite or two. Molding the dough into the muffin tins is easy but definitely the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe. To make up for it, I use a nut chopperto simplify the process of chopping the pecans. Make a few batches and give them as gifts or add them to your holiday treat platter. Pecan lovers will thank you!

Pecan Tassies
Make these delicious, bite-sized cookies a part of your holiday tradition.

Pastry:
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For pastry: Blend cream cheese and butter, add flour. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Divide dough into 24 balls and press in mini muffin pans. Sprinkle chopped pecans in each pastry shell (about 1 teaspoon of nuts per shell).

For filling: Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Fill pastry shells 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pans. Makes about 24 tassies.

Note: Store tassies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, at room temperature for 1 week.

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Tags: bit-sized, brown sugar, Christmas, Christmas cookies, cookies, cream cheese pastry crust, holiday cookies, holidays, pecan tassies, Thanksgiving