Flourless peanut butter cookies

1 cup peanut butter 

1/2cup gran sugar

1 egg

Mix all together with beaters till thick, spoon onto lightly greased cookie sheet bake at 325 F for 18minutes.  You will be surprised..... Quite good and no flour?  How simple😉

 

"Bark" Saltine Cracker Cookies

Just recently we met a sweet lady in a class we were taking to learn about memory loss.  This lady was the caregiver to her husband and every week at class she brought the snack; it was her stress reliever to bake!  Billy thought this was just an amazing concoction.... and I had to agree; Calea and Kevin loved them too.   I think it has become our new favorite cookie!
In a 9 x 9 square pan line with saltine crackers.  If the edges don't work out I break them in half and lay them the best I can.
In a saucepan melt 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Bring to boil and continue while stirring for 3 minutes, lower heat during this time so you do not burn the carmel.
Pour over the crackers while hot, smooth with a spatula.
Bake at 400degrees in the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle half a bag of milk chocolate chips over top.   Let stand about 2 minutes - they will melt - just smooth with the spatula over the top.    Then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.   Put in the fridge to cool and set.   In a couple of hours remove and just break into pieces like brittle.   Store in plastic container with lid in the fridge.

One Cup Cookies

Gave these to friends as a thank-you and got a great note telling me that everyone ate them heartily and asked "do we have any of those Rosey Bourne cookies left, not just any of those Rosey cookies"!  glad to post this recipe its funny how so many ingredients can taste so good together.
Preheat oven to 350F.  
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer cream together :
1 cup brown sugar packed, 1 cup gran sugar, 1 cup butter softened
Step 2
Add 2 eggs one at a time, 1 cup smooth peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla.
Step 3
Sprinkle in 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats, 2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp baking powder, continue to mix.
Step 4 
Add 1 cup coconut, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup fine chopped walnuts, 1 cup milk chocolate chips - mix on low.
Step 5
Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased air-bake cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  Pull out and let sit for 5 minutes before removing each one to a brown piece of paper.   Once completely cool you can put them into a cookie jar.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are good and chewy with lots of raisins.  I guess you could substitute raisins with dried cranberries or chopped dates if you are not a raisin aficionado.   (I think of this since I have a very dear friend who does not like raisins !!)  

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups Quaker Oats - Quick
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt - regular
1 cup butter
3/4 cup gran. white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease with cooking spray or use shortening on air bake cookie sheet.
In large bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Stir well to blend.
In separate bowl cream butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together with mixer till light and fluffy, couple of minutes on med speed.
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and continue to beat on low till mixed.  
By hand stir in raisins.
Using spoon drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased air bake cookie sheet.  
Bake at 375F for 10 minutes till light golden brown.  Remove sheet from oven, let sit for 5 minutes on top so cookies can set.   Then using a thin flipper remove cookies to a paper sheet on counter and allow to cool completely before moving into cookie jar.
Grease sheet again and add cookies to bake as before, repeat till finished.

Oatmeal Raisin Bar Cookies

I think we eat a lot of cookies!   I remember eating these with fresh apple sauce, they were great to swirl and dunk right in the apple sauce.  Its kind of an old fashioned recipe that my Mom made when we were kids. 

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium size saucepan melt 1/3 cup of Crisco shortening and remove from heat and cool slightly.  Add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of molasses and stir together.  In small bowl mix with a fork 1 large egg.  Pour egg mixture into the saucepan with 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 3/4 cup of Quaker Quick Cooking Oatmeal, and 1 cup of raisins.   Stir together, dough is quite gooey.

In a 8" x 12" pan grease sides and bottom, line with parchment paper and grease again.  Now pour the cookie mixture into the pan and smooth.   Bake in a 350F oven for 27 to 30 minutes.   The dough will puff up.  Remove from oven and let cool, you will visibly see the dough drop in size.   Let it rest about a half hour before you lift the parchment paper from the pan with the bar dough intact. 
  Once it cools another half hour you can flip over and pull off the parchment paper and then cut into 2" squares.   These are slightly chewy and soft but I serve them just like a cookie from the jar!

Cranberry Cashew Biscotti

Doesn't it always amaze you how expensive these cookies are at Starbucks, individually wrapped for about $1.50?  Wow my cookie jar is a pot of gold.   My hubby thinks they are great if you want to have a visit to the dentist, he never dunks them in his coffee or tea since he is usually having one when he walks into the kitchen.....   If you want to keep them a bit softer just put a slice of bread inside the container.

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup gran sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs mixed with fork in a bowl

1 tsp finely grated lemon or lime zest

2/3 cup whole cashews - with or without salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a large air bake cookie sheet. Have about a foot piece of parchment paper ready  with a small handful of flour on top.

Combine flour sugar and baking powder in large bowl.  Add 3 eggs with mixer.  Dough needs to come together.  If you find it does not compact, you can mix another egg and add slowly and just enough to make the dough thick.  With spatula fold in the zest, cashews and dried cranberries.

Turn out the dough onto the parchment paper and make a big ball and slice in half.  With your hands flatten each piece on the paper into 2 ovals.  Make the dough about 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick.  Using a flipper move each dough piece onto the cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes till slightly golden on top.   Remove cookie sheet from oven and let rest about 20 minutes.  Move each piece to a cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch cookies.  Put each cookie back onto the cookie sheet laying flat, a large pan will be full.  Bake again for 20 minutes at 350F.  Remove and let cool before storing in cookie jar. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

I think this is the alter ego of the chocolate chip cookie, two old favorites!  So glad our friends dropped in this weekend and the cookie jar was full of these.  I have this recipe from an old Robin Hood Cookie Cookbook that I photocopied from someone when I first started working (32 years ago).....   no idea who.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter - smooth or chunky 
1 cup white gran sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375F.
In mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt.
In another mixing bowl using an electric beater cream soft butter with peanut butter and both sugars thoroughly.   Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture with electric beater on slow speed.  With knife remove the cookie dough from the beaters.
Using spoon drop 1" balls onto the air bake cookie sheet - ungreased.
Press each cookie slightly with the bottom of a fork dipped into gran sugar or flour, just to flatten a bit.
Bake at 375F for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and let pan cool so cookies firm up before removing to a paper on the counter.  Let cookies sit on paper till completely cool before putting into cookie jar.

Chocolate Haystack Cookies

The cookie jar is empty again........    These cookies are almost like a candy and you can have them ready in about 10 minutes.   This is my mom's recipe but I think everyone has one very close!  Kids always love to make and eat these.


1 1/2 cup gran. sugar
5 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3 cups quick cooking Quaker Oatmeal
1 cup large coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Get your cookie sheets ready - cover with wax paper or parchment paper to put the hot cookies on. You need 1 large and 1 small one.
In a medium size saucepan combine the cocoa and sugar and add the milk slowly while stirring.  Heat over low until the sugar dissolves.   Bring to a quick boil and add shortening and oats, stir briskly.  Do not burn, turn down to medium heat.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes for the oats, stirring constantly.   Remove from heat and add the coconut, vanilla and salt - mix well.
Drop by large spoonful onto the covered cookie sheets and then put into refrigerator for about 1 hour to cool completely and harden.   Cookies lift off easily for storage in cookie jar.   If they have 3 cups of oatmeal they can't be all bad for you can they???

Chocolate Chip Cookies

What is your favorite cookie?  It surprises me that almost everyone will answer chocolate chip, funny they are not my ultimate.  You need a top notch key ingredient;  the semi sweet chocolate chip which the brand Chipits are awesome and have a super recipe on the back of the bag (it is the one I use).   The result is a very soft chewy cookie with just the right amount of chocolate chips.  We have a friend who likes to check out what's in the jar when he drops in and I know these ones won't last long!  (don't worry I have a small stash hidden in the freezer for you).
Preheat oven to 375F and use an air bake cookie pan, no greasing necessary.
Step 1: Cream together with electric beater 1 cup Crisco shortening with 1 1/2 cups golden brown sugar.  Beat in 2 eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla.
Step 2: In separate bowl combine 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt.  Mix together.
Step 3: Slowly add the dry to creamed mixture, still using the electric beater.  
Step 4: By hand with a wooden spoon stir in 1 1/2 cups of Chipits Semi Sweet (this equals their small 350 gram bag).
Step 5: Drop spoonfuls of dough onto sheet, no need to flatten.  Bake first sheet for 10 minutes and remove from oven.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, cookies will fall and stiffen up a bit.   Then remove each cookie to a brown piece of paper on the counter to cool completely.
Step 6: Every sheet thereafter only needs to be baked for 7 minutes.  Then cool on top and transfer to paper again.  Repeat step 6 till dough is gone.  

Enjoy - they won't last long!

Potato Chip Crunchie Cookies

We all have someone who loves potato chips.  Yes you know who it is in our family, the hard part is trying to get some left to make these.  The bottom of the bag is the ultimate since you are going to crush them up.   I also have a close friend who has a real weakness for chips too, and I have made them for her too.  She was so surprised when I told her there were chips in them, and then she realized that is why she likes them so much.  They kind of remind me of shortbread with chips and nuts in them.  I also have a healthier version at the bottom. 

1 cup butter softened 
1/2 cup white gran. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup crushed potato chips - Lays
1/2 cup chopped finely pecans


Preheat oven to 350F.  No grease on your cookie sheet.
In medium sized bowl using a mixer cream butter, sugar and vanilla till light and fluffy.
Add flour with mixer.  Then by hand spatula mix in the chips and nuts.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in flour.
Bake at 350F for 9 minutes.
Remove pan and let sit for 5 minutes before removing cookies to a brown paper cooling spot on your counter.   
Once pan is cool you can add the next batch, no cleaning in between needed.   Makes a cookie jar full.

Healthy option:
use whole wheat flour
use crisco veg shortening butter flavour instead of butter 1 cup + 2 tbsp of water
low salt chips

Date Pinwheel Cookies - Legacy to Nanny

Nanny made this one when i was a little kid and it was always one of Pops favorites.  And then oddly enough it also happens to be Billy's favorite too.  I guess his 'Grama' made one very similar for him when he was little.   So we have to pass this recipe on.   Until i retired i never made this cookie - i would read the recipe and think "oh this is too daunting, too difficult" and i would put it back in my recipe box and think someday i will do it.  So once i was retired i thought i am going to master this - and what i found out was that it is not really that hard.  It turned out great the first time!!!  I hope you don't wait so long to make it, maybe we need to do it together sometime and it will take your fear away :) 

Ingredients:
1lb or 453 grams of dates
optional - 2/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts (90% of the time i don't add)
1/2 cup white gran sugar
1 cup butter (salted or unsalted both work)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white gran sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
waxed paper or parchment paper - 4 pcs - lay these out on the counter about a foot long each
rolling pin (small or large - i just have a cheap wooden one)
cookie sheet (i prefer the Air Bake Insulated 16 x 20 about $20 anywhere)
small amount of Crisco shortening or butter
 
Step 1 -make the date filling on the stove 

• chop 1 lb  (453 grams) of dates - you can get these loose in the bulk store or compressed in the baking section of any grocery store (looks like a brick of dates)  and they will be in grams 

• in a saucepan, put in chopped dates, 1/2 cup white gran. sugar and 1/3 cup of water  and heat on medium till simmering and it becomes soft and thick - if it feels too thick you can add a small amount of water, cool

Step 2 - make the cookie dough, you can do this in a large bowl 

• soften 1 cup of butter (margarine or crisco butter flavoured shortening is just not the same)  if butter is hard out of the fridge i put it in the microwave for 15 seconds - do not let it melt, just needs to be soft 
• cream butter with 1 cup of brown sugar, once mixed to fluffy add 1 cup of white gran sugar and mix till fluffy
• add 1 large egg, mix with beater till its gone then add 1 more large egg and mix till gone
• add 2 tsps vanilla beat in, dough will be quite soft at this point
• now step aside to a clean bowl and add all the dry ingredients together  flour, baking soda and salt - just mix it thoroughly with spatula/spoon 
• go back to the mixing bowl and slowly add the flour about 1/2 cup at a time - i do this with my mixer on low speed, it will become quite thick and almost pull together into a big ball - that's it, you can stop and scrap dough off the mixer and pat it into a ball by hand, don't handle too much though 
• at this point take a knife and cut the ball of dough into 4 pieces
• put one piece of the dough on each piece of waxed or parchment paper 
• flatten with palm of your hand and push into a rectangular shape, just hold your hand on each side and flatten with palm, i just turn the waxed paper as i go till all 4 sides are fairly put into the form
• now you will use your rolling pin to roll out to about a 12 x 10 inch, this does not have to be perfect, you are trying to get the dough evenly thin to about 1/4 inch or less - if your roller gets sticky apply a bit of flour to the roller before you continue to the next sheet - do all 4 rectangles

Step 3 - fill, roll and freeze

• divide the date filling into 4 amounts - it might look like about 1 and 1/2 cups roughly on each sheet of dough - just dump it on each dough sheet , then using a spatula or the flat side of a large spoon smooth it over the cookie dough sheet, you can stay away from the edges by an inch and half (1.5")
• now using the wax/parchment paper you will roll each sheet over onto itself slowly, inching along, the dough will pull away from the paper quite easily and rolls up into a log - then using the wax paper, wrap up each roll and twist the ends and put in freezer - see picture of what each log will look like 
•  let these freeze up a bit for about an hour, take out one at a time as you want to make the batch, if you want to keep them for a week or two just wrap them in another bag to keep the air out

Step 4 - bake

• preheat oven at 375 F 
• if you have a leftover paper bag, tear it apart and spread out on counter for hot cookies to sit on (i even use the inside of my LCBO bags)
• grease cookie sheet  with butter or shortening (i put my hand in a plastic baggy and use about 1 tsp to smear on pan
• take one roll out and unwrap from paper on a cutting board, slice with sharp knife about 1/4 inch thick, each cookie is a spiral
• place cookie dough on sheet about 1/2 inch from each other, they do not spread that much and bake on middle rack of oven for 9 minutes
• remove from oven, let sit about 5 minutes on the pan, then using a thin aluminum spatula remove from cookie sheet one at a time to the paper bag sheet on counter to cool completely before putting in cookie jar
• by now the cookie sheet is cooler and you can regrease it without washing, put another batch on and bake 
• two logs of dough fill my cookie jar