Cookie Recipe Blog

You may be asking “How did the contest go?” I will catch you up if you don’t know  what I am talking about.  Last year I submitted this recipe in a contest to win a trip to Hawaii and be on their morning television show. I didn’t win, but I came in 7th place on a list of more than 500. I was very happy about the outcome other than I didn’t make it to the morning show on Hawaiian television. It was fun entering and watching my recipe climb the list but it was more fun making these cookies for my friends to sample. Thanks to everyone for “Voting Me Up.”

Here is the story behind the making of these cookies:

My first trip to Hawaii was with my grandparents. It was a wonderful magical time for a 17 year old girl. My grandparents have since passed away but in honor of my precious time in Honolulu with grandma, I have modified one of her old cookie recipes to emulate the taste of the islands.

Pina Colada Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons rum extract
• 1 – 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained well
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 cups flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Cream shortening and sugar in your KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer. Add eggs one at a time and combine well. Add sour cream and rum extract. Mix in drained pineapple.

Mix dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Blend well in stand mixer. Add macadamia nuts.

Chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Roll dough into 1-1/2″ balls (I use a cookie scoop which works great and makes all the cookies similar in size and shape! Norpro 3 Piece Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop Set gives you a variety of sizes for different occasions). Bake for 12-15 minutes or light brown on the edges. Cool. Frost and decorate.

Rum Frosting

• 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• toasted coconut

Cream together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and rum extract with mixer until spreading consistency. Frost cookies and sprinkle cookies with toasted coconut.

Delicious cookies for your luau!

This is one of my all-time favorite cookies. I don’t make them often though because I will usually eat them until they are all gone. Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies are like Ginger Snaps without the snap. Usually just rolled in granulated sugar, sometimes I like to dress them up a little with some colored sugar mixed with the granulated sugar for a little extra sparkle.

Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup granulated or colored sugar reserved

Cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Add molasses and egg, mix well. Add dry ingredients and combine until dough is well combined. Roll dough into 1″ balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

 

A few years ago my wonderful aunts put together a cookbook of all of their mother’s (my grandmother’s) favorite recipes. The book was put together in 2004 at a time when my grandma was very ill. When she saw them putting the cookbooks together, she sat up and helped while reminiscing about all of the recipes in the book. She was excited about the books and when I received my copy, so was I. This cookbook is one of my favorites. I love to just look through the recipes and think about grandma. Each recipe is hand written by her.

One day as I was looking through the recipes I came across this recipe for “Farmhouse Cookies.” I had all of the ingredients so I thought I would try them. Wow! These have now become one of our favorite cookies. I love to make them for every holiday and frost them with the appropriate color of frosting for the holiday. I made them this month for Valentine’s Day. I would have used red food coloring in the frosting, but my son is allergic to red dye. So we went with white frosting and colored candies that he could just take off.

Enjoy these wonderful cookies from Grandma Dody. Grandma is missed very much but I will always remember what a great influence and inspiration she was to me.

Farmhouse Cookies

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 teaspoons baking powder

Cream sugar, shortening and eggs together. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Chill dough for at least one hour. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Cool on cooling racks. Frost or dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy your cookies and share with your family and friends, after all that’s what grandma would do.

(PS- Thank you to my daughter-in-law Amy for making the beautiful card in the picture)

The holidays are a great time to make cookies. Use the theme to make the cookies special for your loved ones. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to make some Valentine’s Cookies. I love making the sugar cutout cookies but wanted to do something different.

My family has always loved when I make Homemade Oreo Cookies so I decided to put a little twist on them with pink frosting and sprinkles. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like pink and sprinkles. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

• 1 box devil’s food cake mix ( I thought it would be fun to use a red velvet cake mix too)
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 2 eggs

Mix ingredients together in your mixer combining ingredients well. Dough will be very thick. Use a cookie scoop to make sure all cookies are the same size for when you put them together. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and mix well in your KitchenAid Stand Mixer . Add a little red food coloring to make a pink frosting.

After cookies are cooled, put enough frosting between 2 cookies to cover the cookies to the sides. Roll cookie sides in sprinkles.

Delicious cookies for everyone to enjoy. I know my neighbors enjoyed their early Valentine Oreo Cookies.

I love hosting the Super Bowl party every year. A lot of planning goes into serving the perfect menu. Finger foods, main courses, drinks and of course desserts… lots of Super Bowl desserts. Most of all I love baking cookies for my guests to snack on after a great meal.

I have always been a fan of peanut butter cookies. They are delicious,  nutritious and all-American. Peanut Butter Cookies are the perfect treat for the Super Bowl if only  they would represent the game. So I took a favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and shaped them into little football cookies. The chocolate laces make them adorable and delicious. I hope you enjoy these Super Bowl cookies at your Super Bowl party.

Superbowl Peanut Butter Cookies

• 3/4 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar

1. In KitchenAid Stand Mixer , cream together peanut butter, shortening, and sugars. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour baking soda and salt and add to the creamed mixture.
2. Shape into 1-inch balls with your cookie scoop. Flatten balls of dough and shape into a football shape. Roll in remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
3. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2-inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until lightly brown.
4. Remove from oven onto cooling racks.
5. After cool pipe the football laces with Chocolate topping (recipe below).

Topping:

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add powdered sugar and cocoa and whisk together. Gradually add water and vanilla until smooth.
2. Put chocolate mixture into a zip lock bag and cut hole in corner.
3. Pipe football laces on peanut butter cookie footballs. Chill until chocolate is set.

Share these with your football loving friends at  your Super Bowl party.