By semi-popular demand...
For those who asked for them and those who didn't...
Recipes from the holiday cookie orgy - many thanks to all those who ate them. Comments also greatly appreciated. When making these yourselves, please bear in mind that recipes, especially the way I follow them, are kind of like the pirate's code - more like guidelines than rules.
Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (I use light brown only)
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
1 cup flour (I use wheat but white makes for a lighter cookie)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups oatmeal
1.5 cups raisins
Optional: 1/2 cup of any of the following: chopped pecans, cranberries, chocolate chips, almonds, or whatever strikes your fancy
1) Oven at 300
2) Soften butter, beat sugar with butter until blended
3) Add and beat egg until blended
4) Add almond extract (vanilla), beating about 30 sec until blended
5) Sift (or mix) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and then add to butter mix beating about 15 sec
6) Add raisins, oats (and anything else)
7) Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray
8) Drop cookies onto cookie sheets about 2-3" apart depending on size (doesn't matter so long as you're consistent)
9) Check after 12 min - 20 min depending on chewy vs crunchy texture
Butterscotch Cookies w/ Brown Butter Frosting
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup evaporated milk (more or less)
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2.5 cups sifted flour (white or wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
1) Put vinegar in a 1 cup measure and add evaporated milk (it will turn yellow), set it aside
2) Beat butter until light; add brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla to blend thoroughly
3) Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
4) Stir evaporated milk and add alternately with dry ingredients to creamed misture, stir in chopped nutes. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2.5" apart onto lightly greased baking sheet.
5) Bake in moderate oven (350) 10-12 minutes of until barely firm to touch. Remove cookies and cool on racks. When cool frost and press nut halves in each cookie (even if you don't do this last step, people still eat them).
Brown Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar (light brown)
a little water
some sort of flavoring (vanilla, cinnamon, etc.)
1) Cook butter on stove until its brown. Stir in sugar, water and flavoring to taste.
Snickerdoodles
1.5 cups sugar (I use light brown)
1/2 cup margarine/butter softened
1/2 cup shortening (vegetable, of course)
2 eggs
2.75 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1) Heat over to 400
2) Mix 1.5 cups sugar, margarine/butter, shortening and eggs in a large bowl
3) Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
4) Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls
5) Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in open bowl and then roll balls in mixture
6) place about 2' apart on ungreased cookie sheet
7) Bake until set 8-10 minutes
8) Immediately remove from cookie sheet
Gingerbread
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar (I use light brown)
4 Eggs
2 cups molasses (I use black strap for a smoky, tart flavor. Other grades will give you something smoother and sweeter.)
2 cups water
4.67 cups all purpose flour (wheat is fine)
2 teapspoons each of: baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
as much finely chopped fresh ginger as you can take
1) In a mixing bowl cream shortening and sugar until fluffy
2) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition
3) Combine molasses and water in separate receptacle
4) Combine remaining dry ingredients in yet another receptacle
5) Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beating well after each addition
6) Pour into 2 greased 13"x9"x2" baking pans
7) Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes
Applesauce Spice Bars
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup applesauce (I think I actually used 2 cups but I didn't really measure)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1.5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; set aside
3) In a large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy
4) Add egg; beat well
5) Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce, mix well
6) Stir in walnuts and raisins
7) Spread batter into a greased 13"x9" baking pan
8) Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
9) Cook 5 minutes
10) In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla (and whatever other seasoning you desire - cinnamon, allspice, etc.), blend well, and spread over warm surface
11) Cool completely, cut into bars
Recipes from the holiday cookie orgy - many thanks to all those who ate them. Comments also greatly appreciated. When making these yourselves, please bear in mind that recipes, especially the way I follow them, are kind of like the pirate's code - more like guidelines than rules.
Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (I use light brown only)
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
1 cup flour (I use wheat but white makes for a lighter cookie)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups oatmeal
1.5 cups raisins
Optional: 1/2 cup of any of the following: chopped pecans, cranberries, chocolate chips, almonds, or whatever strikes your fancy
1) Oven at 300
2) Soften butter, beat sugar with butter until blended
3) Add and beat egg until blended
4) Add almond extract (vanilla), beating about 30 sec until blended
5) Sift (or mix) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and then add to butter mix beating about 15 sec
6) Add raisins, oats (and anything else)
7) Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray
8) Drop cookies onto cookie sheets about 2-3" apart depending on size (doesn't matter so long as you're consistent)
9) Check after 12 min - 20 min depending on chewy vs crunchy texture
Butterscotch Cookies w/ Brown Butter Frosting
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup evaporated milk (more or less)
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2.5 cups sifted flour (white or wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
1) Put vinegar in a 1 cup measure and add evaporated milk (it will turn yellow), set it aside
2) Beat butter until light; add brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla to blend thoroughly
3) Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
4) Stir evaporated milk and add alternately with dry ingredients to creamed misture, stir in chopped nutes. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2.5" apart onto lightly greased baking sheet.
5) Bake in moderate oven (350) 10-12 minutes of until barely firm to touch. Remove cookies and cool on racks. When cool frost and press nut halves in each cookie (even if you don't do this last step, people still eat them).
Brown Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar (light brown)
a little water
some sort of flavoring (vanilla, cinnamon, etc.)
1) Cook butter on stove until its brown. Stir in sugar, water and flavoring to taste.
Snickerdoodles
1.5 cups sugar (I use light brown)
1/2 cup margarine/butter softened
1/2 cup shortening (vegetable, of course)
2 eggs
2.75 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1) Heat over to 400
2) Mix 1.5 cups sugar, margarine/butter, shortening and eggs in a large bowl
3) Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
4) Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls
5) Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in open bowl and then roll balls in mixture
6) place about 2' apart on ungreased cookie sheet
7) Bake until set 8-10 minutes
8) Immediately remove from cookie sheet
Gingerbread
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar (I use light brown)
4 Eggs
2 cups molasses (I use black strap for a smoky, tart flavor. Other grades will give you something smoother and sweeter.)
2 cups water
4.67 cups all purpose flour (wheat is fine)
2 teapspoons each of: baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
as much finely chopped fresh ginger as you can take
1) In a mixing bowl cream shortening and sugar until fluffy
2) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition
3) Combine molasses and water in separate receptacle
4) Combine remaining dry ingredients in yet another receptacle
5) Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beating well after each addition
6) Pour into 2 greased 13"x9"x2" baking pans
7) Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes
Applesauce Spice Bars
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup applesauce (I think I actually used 2 cups but I didn't really measure)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1.5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1) Preheat oven to 350
2) In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; set aside
3) In a large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy
4) Add egg; beat well
5) Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce, mix well
6) Stir in walnuts and raisins
7) Spread batter into a greased 13"x9" baking pan
8) Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
9) Cook 5 minutes
10) In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla (and whatever other seasoning you desire - cinnamon, allspice, etc.), blend well, and spread over warm surface
11) Cool completely, cut into bars