Iced Sugar Cookies

Hey friends!

One of my sweet friends just had a precious baby boy.  I am going to visit him this week for the first time, so I wanted to make them something special.  I decided that iced sugar cookies would be the best sweet treat for this sweet, new family!

This recipe is from the book, 1 Dough, 100 Cookies by Linda Doeser.  It's such a great recipe book!  Every cookie I've made has been delicious, and these are no exception.  They have lots of great buttery, sugary flavor...I love it!  I did alter the icing recipe a tad to fit my personal preferences, but it only made them better!  This was an easy, fun way to make some really neat cookies.  Enjoy!

Fresh out of the oven...yum!

Frosted and drying...

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 cup butter, softened
scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
salt

To decorate: (my variation)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
edible food colorings
sprinkles
food coloring pen (for writing)

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.  Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture and combine thoroughly.  Halve the dough, shape into balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment.

Unwrap the dough and roll out between 2 sheets of baking parchment to about 1/8 inch thick.  Stamp out cookies in desired shape and put them on the prepared cookie sheets spaced well apart.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until light golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To decorate, mix together confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla.  It should have the consistency of thick cream.  Divide the frosting among 3-4 bowls and add a few drops of your chosen food colorings to each.  Spread the different frostings over the cookies to the edges.  Decorate with sprinkles, shredded coconut, etc.  Let the frosting set before writing on it with a food coloring pen.

Special cookies for baby Landry! :)

Oatmeal Scotchies

Hey friends!

I am loving this cool fall weather!  It is making me want to bake, and bake, and bake! :)

I really wanted to make cookies for the week, and I stumbled across this recipe for oatmeal scotchies on another blog I read, Mommy's Kitchen.  It has all the things I look for in a cookie: oatmeal, delicious butterscotch, and ooey-gooey goodness!  After I made these, my husband and I had to put them away before we devoured them all!  Enjoy!

All the usual ingredients, plus oatmeal and butterscotch chips...YUM!

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in oats and butterscotch morsels.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies, or 9-10 minutes for crisp cookies.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups oatmeal
1 2/3 cups (11 oz. package) Nestle Butterscotch flavored chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl.  Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in large mixer bowl.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in oats and morsels.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies, or 9-10 minutes for crisp cookies.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cowboy Cookies

Hey friends!

Sorry for the long hiatus! I have been so busy with the start of school that I haven't had time to blog! I'm back now, and to make amends, I've got a gem of a cookie for you! I found this recipe in my Texas Blossoms cookbook from the Richardson Woman's Club.

This cookie is truly to die for! They are the perfect blend of a chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie. The are chewy, delicious, and I cannot stop eating them!

Enjoy and Yee-Haw! :)


Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups angel flake coconut
2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Stir in flour mixture until just mixed. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut, and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 17 to 20 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool.

Yields 3-4 dozen large cookies

**My oven cooks hot, so I only baked mine for 14 minutes and it was plenty!

Summer Lemonade Cookies

Hey friends!

This week, I was in the mood for something sour, but sweet. These cookies definitely hit the spot! They are soft and moist, and reminded me of a lemon cake! Enjoy!



Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine; softened
1 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling cookies
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed, divided

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs. Combine flour and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/3 cup of lemonade concentrate. Mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Brush with remaining lemonade concentrate; sprinkle with sugar. Cool. Makes 6 dozen.

**I used more lemonade concentrate in the batter than the recipe calls for (about 1 1/2 cups total). This is what made my cookies so moist! The cooking time did not change, but keep an eye on them if you do add more, just to be safe!

Cranzac Cookies

Funny name...awesome cookie! These cookies are moist, chewy, and actually pretty healthy! That's always my excuse to eat more!

These cookies have a really neat history. Anzac is the acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that fought in World War I. The original Anzac cookie was developed to provide an energy boost and nutrition for the soldiers. It's sort of the world's first protein bar! The "cran" in "cranzac" is for the delicious cranberries in them.

Like I said, these are a healthier alternative to your standard cookie, but they are just as delicious. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup dried shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbsp. water
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (I used a mild honey, since this stuff is hard to find!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, oats, brown sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and dried cranberries.
3. Stir in the water, melted butter and honey until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened.
4. Roll the cookie dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart, and flatten them into 2 inch disks.
5. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until light brown. Rotate the baking sheet midway through baking to make sure the cookies bake evenly. Once cool, store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for longer.

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

"My Man" Oatmeal Cookies

Hey everyone!

This is by far my all-time favorite cookie! This is my Grandma's recipe, which my Mom handed down to me earlier this year. My husband absolutely loves these cookies, too! They are so simple and easy to make, but beyond delicious.



Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. each: salt, baking soda, baking powder
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans (or nut of your choice)
**optional: chocolate chips (I prefer to use white chocolate chips.)

1. Cream butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
2. Mix together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients. Once incorporated, add oatmeal, coconut, and pecans. Mix in chocolate chips if desired.
3. Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

I like mine with pecans and white chocolate chips, but feel free to add and change ingredients as needed. Enjoy!!


I caught my husband trying to steal a fresh cookie right off the cookie sheet...that's how good they are!

Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey everyone!

This is my first official post on this blog, and I am so excited!

I decided to try a new cookie recipe for this weekend. All of my husband's relatives come in from the Houston area for the 4th of July. We always celebrate my father-in-law's birthday, we go to the lake, we watch the fireworks, and all of that other good wholesome all-American stuff! I'm helping supply the cookies for our lake trip, and I wanted to try something a little different. These cookies are soft, vanilla-y and delicious! Enjoy!


All the usual suspects...plus some delicious vanilla ice cream!











2 sticks softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
Heaping 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (frozen, right out of the carton!)
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress F. With a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Add in ice cream until combined.
2. Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix. Add to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Scoop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are cooked through. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Yields 3-4 dozen cookies

Recipe from: picky-palate.com


All packaged up and ready for a trip to the lake!