Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 T instant espresso powder
2 cups (10 oz) hazelnuts (skins removed), coarsely chopped
--preheat oven to 275 degrees, to remove skins, place raw, shelled hazelnut in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until skins crack, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam 5 minutes. Rub the nuts in the towel between your hands until most of the skins have come off.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in hazelnuts.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden about 12 minutes. Rotating sheets halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes 3 dozen
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Icebox Butter Cookies

• 3 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Egg wash, (optional): 1 large egg white, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• Decorating sugar and sprinkles, (optional)

1. Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half; form into two 2-inch square logs, each approximately 5 1/2 inches long. Wrap logs in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough crosswise, 3/16 inch thick; carefully transfer slices to baking sheets.
5. If decorating, brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack.
6. Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Chocolate Streusel Bars

here's another one of my GG's recipes:

In a large bowl combine:
1-3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup fine coconut
1/2 cup cocoa

Cut in 2 cubes butter until crumbly.
Measure 2 cups and set aside.
Press remaining mix in a greased 9x13.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a large mixiing bowl:
Beat 1 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened, until fluffy.
Gradually beat in:
1 can sweetened condensed milk until smooth
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla - Mix well and pour over crust.

Combine 1/2 cup chopped nuts with remaining mix and sprinkle on top.

Bake 25 minutes 350 degrees or until bubbly.
Cool.
Cut and store covered in refrigerated or freezer.

Quick Chocolate cookies

These are super easy and yummy. If you cook them less time they have a brownie like consistancy.. either way, really good. Makes about 32 normal sized cookies (not as many as the recipe stated)
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix cake mix, oil, vanilla and eggs with spoon until dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store tightly covered.
betty crocker

Touchdown Chocolate Bars

This is my Grandma Grace's recipe - I tried to relay it to you as uncomplicated as possible, but if you come across something you don't understand, leave a comment and I'll try to figure it out for you!

Combine in a medium bowl:
1-3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Cut in 1 stick butter or shortening. Mix until crumbly.

Add 1 beaten egg. Mix.

Set aside 1-1/2 cups of the mixture and add 1 cup chocolate chips.

Place the remainder in a greased 9x13 dish.

Bake 10 minutes.

In a sucepan combine 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup chocolate chips. Heat and stir until melted and smooth.

Spread over crust.

Sprinkle on chopped nuts (as desired).

Sprinkle on the remaining flour and sugar mixture.

Bake about 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until center is set.

Grace Folkertsma

(sidenote: one year, right after thanksgiving, my GG (grandma grace) invited my sisters and mom over for a cookie making day. we made trays and trays of different kinds of cookies. she hand wrote 5 of each of the recipes for each of us. there had to have been 7 different kinds, too. as i read this card i truly appreciate the work that went into each card. and now i have a little bit of her each time i make them! thanks, GG)

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Because of some refrigeration time, you'll need a few hours for this recipe, but it is worth it!

7 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1-1/2 cups, plus 1 T flour
1-1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 T cocoa powder
8 T unsalted butter
1 T fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar (for rolling the cookies in)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Set aside.
Beat together butter and ground ginger until whitened (about 4 minutes). Add dark brown sugar. Add molasses.
Dissolve baking soda in 1-1/2 tsp boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Mix in chopped chocolate.
Place on plastic wrap and roll out to 1 inch thickness. wrap completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll in granulated sugar, bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10-12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Soft Biscotti Cookies

5 cups flour
4 ts. baking powder
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 sticks soft butter
6 eggs
2 ts. vanilla or 1 ts. almond extract

Cream butter, sugar. Add eggs, beat. Add vanilla or almond. mix together. Add flour and baking powder a little at a time, mix.
drop by spoonfuls
350 degrees, until light brown (8-11 min?)
I like to frost these with a powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar and water, or milk). When glaze is still wet, sprinkle on top crushed almonds.
recipe from my grandmother

Wine Cookies

This is a recipe from my Italian Grandmothers cookbook. We had these often around the holidays and they are sooooooo good. They are a lot of work, but worth it.
I'm going to post in the odd order the recipe was written by her.
2 cups white wine
1 cup sugar
1 ts. cinnamon
pinch of ginger
Boil these ingredients together a couple of minutes until sugar is disolved. Cool
*must be cool!!
Add 4 eggs and enough flour to make a soft dough -about 7 cups.
Roll dough into long strips as big around as your thumb. Cut pieces 1 1/2 inch long
Fry in about 1 cup oil until golden brown. When cool dip in honey or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes a ton (?)

5 layer bars

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch morsels
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ingredients of mix over crumb mixture. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the layers. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars.

Food Network- Paula Deen

12 Days of Cookies

It's time for me to start making my holiday cookies. I am hosting my very first Christmas day lunch for my family and inlaws!! I better get it right.. so I have decided to break out all my fav cookie recipes and post them for you.