Meltaways (Ty's Grandma's Recipe)

I think I did mine for like 8 or 9 minutes, but my oven seems to be on the faster side for baking.

Dough:
1/2 pound soft butter (two sticks)
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour Cream butter until fluffy.

Add cornstarch and powdered sugar and blend well. Beat in flour until thoroughly mixed. Drop by small teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool and spread with frosting.

Frosting:
Blend together 3 oz. soft cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add food coloring as desired.
You probably already do this, but here are some tips: - To shape the cookies, I make small balls of dough and place them on the cookie sheet. Then, I spray the bottom of a glass with cooking spray and dip the glass in flour; I use this to gently flatten the cookies so that they are about a quarter inch thick. -I try not to overcook-if even one cookie looks a little bit golden brown on the edges, I take the whole tray out of the oven.

The Best Copy Cat Swig Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup Butter room temperature
• 3/4 cups Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 5 1/2 cups Flour

Sour Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 3/4 cup Sour Cream
• 2 cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions

1. Cream together Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sugars, Water, and Eggs.

2. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture.

3. Mix until everything is combined.  Your dough should be a little crumbly and not sticky at all.

4. Roll a golf ball sized ball of dough and place it on your cookie sheet.

5. Now its time to give these babies their signature rough edge.  Put 1/4 c of sugar and a pinch of salt in a dish (this is in addition to the sugar and salt listed above.)  Stick the bottom of a glass in it.  This is going to be your cookie press.

6. Firmly press it into the center of your dough ball.  You want your dough to spill out over the sides of the glass.  If there is a lip its even better.

7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes.  They should just barely be browning on the bottom.    Move cookies to a cooling rack.  Once they are cool put them in the fridge.

8. Start by creaming together butter and sour cream and salt.  Slowly add powdered sugar.  When it gets so thick its not frosting like add a splash of milk.  Alternate this process until your frosting is the desired consistency.  Add 1 drop of red food coloring and whip on high for 1 minute.

9. Keep cookies in a sealed container until they are ready to serve.  The magic of a Swig Sugar Cookie is that the cookies are cold and the frosting is room temperature.  Frost right before serving (if you make them in advance and need to refrigerate the frosting make sure you give it time to warm up before serving).

(Says to refrigerate the cookies and then frost with the frosting at room temperature. I tried that but didn't like the cookies cold. They weren't soft and crumbly. I just bake them and then frost when cooled and store them at room temperature. Obviously if there was extra frosting, I would store that in the fridge :) I also add a drop of vanilla to the frosting. I bake them for 8 minutes if I use a regular cookie sheet and 7 minutes if I use a dark cookie sheet. I like them on the softer side. Other than that, I follow the recipe exactly! It makes around 4 dozen. And yes, you will use almost an entire 2lb bag of powdered sugar for the frosting! The frosting makes a ton. You could really do 1 1/2 recipes and one batch of frosting.)

White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

How have I not posted these before??? I make them regularly because they are always a hit. I think it's the brown sugar that really does the trick. Anyhow, I'm making them again this eve for a friend who feels inclined to eat them while running 100 miles this weekend. Crazy, crazy kid! Thought I'd share the love (in word at least) with everyone. :)

3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (but sometimes I use salted and it's fine)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbls vanilla
1 cup craisins
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional, and I usually don't include them)
(I've also added shredded coconut before, which was delicious.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour misture to the cream mixture. Stir until almost incorporated. Add the Craisins, white chocolate chips, and pecans. Mix until everything is just together.

Roll into heaping spoonfuls and bake for about 8 to 12 minutes (really the time varies... just watch them and take them out when they suit your fancy... you're all capable people). Eat and be happy!

my current favorite CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Adapted from Guittard (recipe on back of chips bag)

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1.5 sticks of butter (3/4 C)
3/4 C white sugar
3/4 C packed brown sugar

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C chocolate chips

Combine flour, soda & salt. In a separate bowl cream together butter & both sugars. Add eggs & vanilla to sugar/butter. Add flour mixture then add chips last. Bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes.

For the most part I can go either way with chocolate chip cookies; they're too hit or miss. But these? Oh these. I couldn't. stop. eating. Darn it!

frozen cookie dough balls

QUITE easily the most shameless thing I've made to date. Seriously. These are impossible to justify using any semblance of rational thinking.

However, completely worth it for that cookie dough fix, and no raw egg guilt.

I used peanut butter, but want to try with the Greek yogurt next time. Obviously the PB isn't a problem, just curious about the yogurt. I didn't make the larger balls like the recipe suggests, just normal cookie-size dough balls (yield ~ 20). I figure they'll last longer this way.

Or, at least that's what I'm telling myself.

chocolate chip cookie dough balls

I'm going to make them.

This weekend.

Frozen cookie dough* dipped in chocolate?

Yes, please.

I'll let you know how it goes ...



[Recipe from Joy the Baker]


*for those of you concerned, the recipe doesn't have raw eggs.

Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

Here you all go... at Mary's request. :)

Sugar Cookies

(Btw, since your going to the trouble, it's worth it to make a double batch, since a single batch doesn't make a huge amount of cookies.)

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups sifted flour

Directions: 
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm.

Roll to ¼ inch thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool.


Royal Icing

(Btw, you can find meringue powder and gel icing color at craft stores, like Roberts or Michaels.)


4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tbsp. meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

5 tbsp. water

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container.
This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping (thick enough that it will stay in a line when piped, but not so thick that you have to muscle it out of the tip). If you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.
Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.
Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner, or a pastry bag with a slightly larger tip), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.
Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired. Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid. Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

***I did all of my color decorating while the first color was still wet. So I'd flood in one color a few cookies at a time, and then quickly pick up the other color ready to go in a second icing bag and lay the second color so that it would lay down and look flush with the base color. For the crazy strips, I just put on regular stripes and then ran a toothpick up and down through the stripes. Tricky.

Alyson's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the softest, most delicious chocolate chip cookies around. They're kinda cakey... probably not the best "dunk in a glass of milk" chocolate chip cookie. Em, here you go. :)

2 1/2 c flour + 1 tsp baking soda
1 c butter
1/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding (I use butterscotch now which I think is better)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
chocolate chips

Combine butter, sugars, pudding, eggs, and vanilla. (Maybe you could cream the butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients.) Add flour + soda. Then add chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees. I've got it down to 7 1/2 minutes perfectly in my oven. You'll have to figure out what works for your oven, but I recommend taking them out just before they look done (like, before they start to brown on top). This way they stay soft for several days. Yum!

I usually do 1 1/2 times the recipe using a large pudding mix. Also, I've received grand reviews when I've switched it up and used chocolate pudding and white chips (I bet peanut butter chips would be awesome as well). Decrease the flour by 2 Tbl and add 2 Tbl of cocoa.

Chip Chop Cookies

I've been craving these lately. I think we will make these ones for santa. ; )

2 cubes butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oats (floured)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag milk choc chips
1 bag peanut butter chips

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. I like to make these on the small side so you can just pop them in your mouth.

Alyson- I need your choc chip cookie recipe that you make with the pudding. Please share!

oatmeal crispies

*I promise I cook more than dessert. :)

This recipe is from allrecipes.com and I forgot to take a picture. oops. I made these for a Superbowl party and they were gone gone gone. This recipe makes at least 3 dozen cookies. They're delicious when you want cookies but are a little tired of chocolate chip (like i was).

2/3 C shortening
1/3 C butter, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 C oats
1 C finely chopped pecans

Cream together shortening, butter and both sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, salt, baking soda until combined. Add oats and nuts, mix until combined evenly. Shape dough into 2-3 log rolls on wax paper. Roll in the wax paper and chill in the fridge or freezer. Slice dough logs into 1/4" rounds. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden.

*Notes: I used 1 stick of butter and only 1/2 C of shortening and it worked fine. I left my dough logs in the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden a little because I was cooking these right then. You could also just freeze the logs for later. Chilling is a key step bc it's easier to cut the rounds. I also did a little bigger than 1/4". They spread quite a bit so keep that in mind, also.

Cornflake Bars

While I'm at it... this is a family favorite. I LOVE them!!!

Cornflake Bars...

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter

Mix and stir until bubbly. Keep stirring for about 30 more seconds.
Remove from heat. Add cornflakes (about 8 cups, I think. I just
keep adding until I am happy). Spread on greased sheet...(dip spoon
in water as you spread). Cool and cut into bars. If you are in a
hurry put them in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting.

Makes 1 full cookie sheet. Yum!

Caramel Bars

Kraft caramels were 50% off at Target after halloween (woohoo)! It gave me a great excuse to make these lovelies....plus we have a category for oatmeal. Whenever I take a pan of this ewey gooey goodness anywhere, it's a success.

Crust:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda

Yummy stuff:
Caramels (32/package)
3T butter
3T whipping cream
Milk choc. chips

Make crust. Take 2/3 of mixtures, press in cake pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Melt caramels, butter, whipping cream in pan. Pour over crust. Top with rest of crust and chocolate chips. Bake 15 min at 350.

*someday I will get a picture up.

Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet)

Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Separately, beat butter until softened. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs. Beat in pumpkin.

Mix flour and wet ingredients. Stir in oats and chocolate.

Drop rounded teaspoons (I make them a little bigger) onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven about 12 minutes or till done (I like to take them out a little early so they stay really soft). Remove and cool.

(And sorry... I can't remember where this recipe came from.)