Cookie Recipes

I have been told that I am one of the few people my friends know that still make cookies for Christmas. It is fun to make cookies with my children and it is a learning experience for them. So here are some of the recipes I used to make cookies this year:

Cowboy Cookies (I got this one at a cookie exchange for the Girl Scout leaders)

Beat 1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Crisco
Add 2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups oatmeal
small pack of chocolate chips

Spoonfuls onto cookie sheet
Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes (maybe less)

Chocolate Chip Cookies (I have had this recipe for so long I don't even know where it came from any longer)

1 cup butter, melted 1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar 6 oz chocolate chips
2 eggs 1 cup nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Beat melted butter until homogenized. Add brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla and blend well. Add salt, baking soda, flour and mix well until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop dough by teaspoon full onto cookie sheet lined with brown paper. Bake in 350 degrees oven for approximately 9 minutes.


Sugar Cookies (I got this one from my mom)

3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

Sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening. Mix with a fork. Add unbeaten eggs and vanilla. Roll out very thin on floured board and cut with cookie cutters. Decorate tops if desired with colored sugar or nonpareils. Bake in a moderate oven of 375 degrees F for 8 minutes. May ice with colored icing, if desired.

No Bake Cookies (I got this from my friend Nancy Morgan)
1/4 stick butter (2 Tbsp)
2 cup sugar (1 cup white and 1 cup brown)
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk (I use Soy milk)
Bring the above ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly, turn off and let cool one minute, then remove from heat. Add 1 cup Peanut Butter and 2 1/2 cups oatmeal. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool. Add oatmeal to the heated ingredients first and then the peanut butter.

Neiman Marcus Cookies (I got this from an email. My mother made them for my wedding reception and I made changes that I liked. The changes will be in italics.)

2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
5 cups blended oatmeal - I don't blend it
3 cups chopped nuts (optional)
24 oz chocolate chips
1 8 oz Hershey bar - grated
(I use a mixture of Dark Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch chips, Milk Chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips in place of the grated Hershey bar and the straight chocolate chips)

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender until it is a fine powder. Cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Add this to the wet mixture slowly. Add chocolate chips and Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on 375 degrees F. This recipe can be halved.

Peanut Butter Cookies (This is another recipe I got from my mom)
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt

Mix together 3 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda and salt and set aside. Thoroughly mix first four ingredients. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Stir in peanut butter. Add remaining ingredients a little at a time. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes.

I also make Buckeyes (those are the peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) and brownies for Christmas. Then I give these to people as an additional part of their present. These cookies do not take a lot of time, but they mean a lot to the people who get them.

Enjoy.