CHOCOLATE FUDGE COOKIES
Makes about 60 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Pinch salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum
Confectioners' sugar
Several cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans lined with parchment or foil
I. Mix together flour and baking powder and set aside.
2. Bring a pan of water to a boil and remove from heat. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over pan of water, stirring occasionally until melted.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with salt, then whisk in both sugars. Whisk in chocolate mixture, then rum.
4. Stir in flour to form a soft dough. Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Chill 2 hours.
5. Set racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Flour your hands and roll the chilled dough into 2-teaspoon balls. They don't have to be too neat. Roll each ball in confectioners' sugar. Arrange well apart on prepared pans and bake about 12 minutes. Cool pans on a rack before removing cookies from pan.
ST O R A G E : Keep the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin or other container with a tight-fitting cover.
Cracker cookies1 1/2 sleeves of Saltines or Ritz crackers (Saltines are better...)
2 sticks of butter (not margarine)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 bag of chocolate chips
Crush crackers and spread into thin layer onto cookie sheet that has been covered with foil. Melt butter and sugar, bring to a boil. Pour over Saltines. Bake at 350 until bubbly and light golden brown. Remove from oven and spread chocolate chips on top. Allow to melt, then spread with spatula. Chill in fridge. Break by hand.
You can use milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet or combine the two.
Holiday Fruit Drops1 cup shortening
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs
1/2 cup soured milk, buttermilk, or water
3 1 /2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups broken pecans
2 cups candied cherries, halved 2 cups chopped dates
Mix shortening, sugar and eggs well. Stir in soured milk. Blend dry ingredients, stir in to wet mixture. Stir in the pecans, cherries and dates. Chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 400 F. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough about 2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Place a pecan half on each cookie if desired. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly.
Note: If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda and salt.
Pizzelle3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (8 Tbs)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Beat eggs and sugar until light yellow and thick ribbons fall from the whisk, 2-3 minutes. Add melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat until blended.
Sift together the flour, and baking powder. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, fold until just blended, add remaining flour and fold again until just incorporated.
Heat pizzelle iron. Brush lightly with butter and place about 1 tablespoon of batter on iron. The excess batter that may ooze out should be cut off immediately. Bake until golden brown (about 45 seconds). Remove and cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining batter to make about 25 pizzelles. Sprinkle with powered sugar. YUMMY!
Almond Cookies
Preheat oven to 300°
2 cups flour
1 cup soy margarine
2/3 cup natural cane sugar
1 tsp. pure almond extract
`/ cup slivered almonds (approximate)
1. Blend margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in the almond extract.
2. Slowly add the flour and mix thoroughly after each addition.
3. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 1'/z inches apart. Press down lightly with a spoon to flatten. Press slivered almonds on top of each cookie.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cookies are light brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on pan a bit and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Cookies are even better the day after you bake them. Store in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze up to two months.
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies§ 1 cup soy non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
§ 1 cup packed brown
vegan sugar (or equiv. non-sugar sweetener + 1/4 cup molasses)
§ 1/2 cup
vegan sugar (or equivalent non-sugar sweetener)
§ 2 Ener-G
vegan egg replacer "eggs"
§ 1 teaspoon vanilla
§ 1.5 cups flour
§ 1 teaspoon baking soda
§ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
§ 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or ½ teaspoon ground cloves, for a spicier cookie)
§ 1/2 teaspoon salt
§ 3 cups rolled oats
§ 1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix up the "eggs". Cream wet ingredients together with a whisk or sturdy fork. Add dry ingredients and mix well, mixing in oats and raisins last. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets (the cookie sheets don't need to be greased). Bake 9-10 minutes, until a little golden. Be careful not to over bake.
Serves: about 24 cookies
Preparation time: 30 min prep, 10 min baking
Grandma Rosie's Almond CookiesCookies:
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Topping:
1 egg white
2 tbs. granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely ground almonds
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Cream shortening, add sugar, beaten egg yolk, beaten egg white, add vanilla. Slowly work flour and salt into mixture. Roll dough out very thin and cut into desired shapes.
Once cut into shapes, add topping by brushing with beaten egg white and sprinkling cinnamon, sugar and nuts. Bake on heavy ungreased sheet for 8-10 minutes.
Cool and serve.
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies(from All New Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 ounces melted chocolate
(or 6 tablespoons cocoa and 2 tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
candied cherries (optional, also nuts, etc.)
Cream shortening and sugar.
Add egg, chocolate, vanilla, and almond extract and stir well. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir. Add oatmeal and stir.
Drop by teaspoon fulls onto baking sheet.
Cut candied cherries into thirds or quarters. Place piece on top of unbaked cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.
Christmas Stars
INGREDIENTS
* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons strawberry jam
* 1/4 cup green decorator sugar (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Refrigerate dough for three hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease several cookie sheets.
3. On a floured surface, roll out 1/2 of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into star shapes using a 3 to 4 inch star cookie cutter. Using a 1 to 2 inch star cookie cutter, cut a star into the center of half of the big stars. Sprinkle colored sugar on the cookies with the center cut out if desired. Put onto prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart, and bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
4. After cookies cool completely, spread 1 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each cookie that does not have a star cut out in the middle. Place a cookie with a cut-out on top of the layer of preserves. Pack cookies in a covered tin to preserve freshness.
Yields two dozen
