*PEANUT BRITTLE COOKIES*

(RECIPE POSTED BY DIANA ROSS MADILL)
Here is a recipe for some cookies that have become our favorites. You can use them to make fantastic ice cream sandwiches. Freeze the cookies before you put a scoop of ice cream between them, wrap sandwiches individually and return them to the freezer. The cookies are equally good on their own.

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tblsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. each baking soda and salt
1 pkg. butterscotch chips
2/3 cup Skor Toffee Bits
1 1/2 cups peanuts (salted or plain)

Preheat oven to 350*F.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs together.
Add flour, baking soda and salt, mix well.
Add remaining ingredients, mix again.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets, about 2" apart.
Bake for 12-13 minutes or until slightly golden.
Let cool on sheet for 3 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
Will make about 4-5 dozen cookies depending on size.

*PECAN PIE COOKIES*

 Here is a great recipe for those of you who like Pecan Pie.

Cookie dough ingredients :
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour, sifted together with 1 tsp. baking powder

Filling ingredients:
1 cup chopped pecans (chop in small pieces)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all cookie dough ingredients except flour and baking powder in mixing bowl.
Beat on medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour and baking powder. Beat until mixed well.
Chill cookie dough for 3 to 5 min before rolling.
Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Take thumb or finger and make well in center. Move thumb or finger around to make the well bigger in cookie dough. Do not go all the way through cookie dough.
Combine filling ingredients in small bowl, mix well.
Do not use mixer. Mix by hand thoroughly, best if mixed with spoon and not whisk.
Add 1 tsp. of filling to well in cookie dough.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes until lightly brown.
Let cool a couple minutes, then place on wrie rack to complete cooling.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. :))

CLASSIC PIZZELLES

(also known as Tie Plates) YUM!!! :)) makes 60 pizelles
Pizzelle's are known as Italian wafer cookies and the name comes from the Italian word "pizze" for round and flat.

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp. vanilla or anise ext.
3 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar using a small hand mixer or wooden spoon. Beat in the cooled butter, vanilla and anise, to egg and sugar mixture.
Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. The batter will be sticky. Drop by spoonful in Pizzelle Baker.
Close grids. Bake for 30 seconds. Remove with a fork. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Clean cooled grid with water.

*CHOCOLATE & NUTS PIZZELLES*
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup favorite nuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Using the Classic Pizzelle dough... blend ingredients with flour into egg mixture.

****Tips:
-Let your iron heat up at least 5 to 8 minutes.
-An ice cream scoop makes it really easy to drop batter quickly; if you don’t have scoop two spoons will work too.
-A light coating of non-stick spray or vegetable oil on the iron at the beginning helps to prevent sticking. Add spray or oil before the iron is on just to be safe.
-The first time I used my baker, the first few rounds stuck. Don’t get discouraged, this goes away with use!
-Try to drop your batter a little behind center in the waffle baker; the dough has a tendency to shift forward when you close the baker, so by dropping it behind center, it helps to equalize the shift and evenly distribute batter.
-My pizzelles seem to be baked perfectly around 30 to 40 seconds in the iron; I like mine lightly browned.
-Remove cooled pizzelles with a fork to a cooling rack until no longer warm.
-If you want to shape your pizzelles, do so immediately after you pull them from the iron, as this will be your only chance. You can shape them in a cone shape, roll them around a round shape (tube) to fill later or place them in muffin tins and shape to mold.
-Store pizzelles in an air-tight container – I think they are best when eaten within 2 days.

*FILLING*

Vanilla Filling:
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg white
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Cream shortening, margarine/butter, sugar and beat well for several minutes. Add egg white and
vanilla, and then beat well. Add milk slowly, beating as you go until the filling is creamy. Pipe filling into the pizzelles, and dip each end of the finished cookie in colored sprinkles, mini chocolate chips for a festive touch. This filling recipe fills about 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the rolled pizzelle.

Chocolate Filling:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used milk chocolate)
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. mint extract

Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on medium power until soft and melted, about 3 minutes depending on the power of your oven; stir until smooth.
Alternatively, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan (without touching the water). Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Stir in mint extract.
To serve pipe a tablespoon of the mint filling into the center of half the cookies. Top with another cookie and press to sandwich them together. Serve now or keep tightly covered for up to 1 week.

OTHER IDEAS TO DO WITH PIZZELLES:
-Roll warm pizzelles into a tube. Let cool. Fill pizzelles with chocolate or vanilla pudding.
-Place hot pizzelles in muffin tins and shape to mold; let cool. Remove pizzelles -- fill with ice cream and whipped cream.
-Drizzle melted milk chocolate over cookies.
-I kicked it up a notch by making pizzelle ice cream sandwiches
-I rolled an uncooked ball of Pizzelle dough in a bowl of circular rainbow sprinkles before putting it in the Pizzelle iron to cook.
-Dip and coat the pizzelle cookie with the finest milk chocolate for a fabulous treat.
-bake cookies on pizzelle iron, carefully curled into a roll, fill with chocolate filling and then dip both ends with melted milk chocolate.

GENETTI

(recipe from my friend Angela G.)

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp. anisette flavouring

Frosting:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp. milk

Beat eggs with sugar until smooth.
Add oil, milk and mix well.
Mix in flour, baking powder and anisette.
Knead dough until smooth.
Cut into small pieces and roll out.
Braid into ribbons and place on cookie sheet.
Bake in 400 oven for 7 minutes, until slightly coloured.
Let cool and frost with frosting.

M&M COOKIES

(This recipe is one of my family's favorites, it makes the perfect soft and chewy M&M cookie, and you can change out the M&Ms for Reese's Pieces, Toffee bits, heck even chocolate chips.)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup bu...tter flavored shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups M&Ms or other candy pieces

Cream the butter, shortening, both sugars and vanilla together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add in each egg one at a time and mix together.
Then mix in the baking soda, salt and flour.
Add in the M&Ms and mix by hand until incorporated well.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to one week!

MERRY CHRISTMAS COOKIES

(RECIPE POSTED BY ROBIN HENRY)

1 1/2 cups REAL butter

2 cups sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together.

6 eggs add one at a time to butter/sugar mixture

Blend Well.

1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. REAL vanilla extract
1/2 cup Blackberry Wine (Kosher not blackberry flavored)
4 cups all purpose flour (save one cup to mix with fruits and nuts. Sift ALL 4 C of flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2-1 pound of shelled pecans (if you can find them use one cup black walnuts and the rest pecans otherwise use all pecans)
1 pound golden raisins
1-8oz. container of red candied cherries
1-8oz. container of green candied cherries
1-8oz. container of candied pineapple

If you want to bake this as a fruitcake then bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours; if you want to bake as cookies then bake at 325 degrees for 15-22 minutes.

DO NOT grease pan, place cookie dough on pan 1 inch apart (index to first joint of your thumb) Mash them down a little to about 1/2 inch thick.

Makes about 110-115 cookies.

CARAMEL TASSIES

Tried this recipe for x-mas.... wow!!! they were sinfully good.

1 cup butter, softened
2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
2 cups flour

FILLING:
1 pkg (14 oz.) caramels
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp evaporated milk

FROSTING:
2 tbsp. shortening
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. evaporated milk

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Roll dough into 1-in. balls; press onto the bottom and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin cups. Prick bottoms with a fork. Bake at 375° for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of the bag. Pipe filling into pastry cups. Cool to room temperature.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat shortening and butter until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and milk until fluffy. Pipe onto filling. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 4 dozen.

CHOCOLATE WONDERS

(RECIPE POSTED BY DIANA ROSS MADILL)
This very old recipe (from my husbands grandmother) is one of the quickest cookies to make, no baking required. I had not made them in years and took them to a Christmas get together last week and was surprised when I had to give someone the recipe...she said it reminded her of childhood Christmas's. I thought I would share the recipe before I make ...a second batch.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa

Combine the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, remove from heat and add-

3 cups quick cook rolled oats
1 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well and drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper or parchment paper. Let cool to set. Enjoy...

SPICY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

 Cookie Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter,softened
2/3 cup light molasses
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp each of: salt; baking soda; ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking powder

Cookie Directions:
Combine butter, molassses, brown sugar, egg and lemon peel in a large bowl.
Beat at Med. speed with mixer till smooth and creamy.
Add remaining cookie ingredients. Mix on Low.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out dough, one half at a time, on a well floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. (keep remaining dough refrigerated)
Cut with 3 to 4 inch cookie cutters.
Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until firm.
Remove immediately to wire racks. Cool completely.

Cookie Icing Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
Assorted icing colorings (optl)

Icing Directions:
Combine powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in small bowl. Beat at low speed until fluffy. Color cookie icing and decorate cookies.

RICE KRISPIES TRUFFLES

(RECIPE POSTED BY DIANE SYLVAIN DUBE)
                                                                                  
1 (8 ounce) package white chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup RICE KRISPIES cereal
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Melt white chocolate chips and butter in medium bowl in microwave or over saucepan of boiling water. Stir until smooth. Let cool at room temperature about 30 minutes.
2. Form white chocolate mixture into 2.5 cm (1-inch) balls. Roll in cereal, pressing cereal into truffles to coat well. Roll in palms to re-shape balls. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, until firm.
3. Melt semi-sweet chocolate as above. Dip prepared balls in chocolate to coat. Lift out with fork, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Place on waxed paper lined baking sheet. Let cool about 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW CUPS

(RECIPE POSTED BY BARBARA DENHAM SULZ)

1 1/2 cups peanut butter,smooth or crunchy
5 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 bag of mini marshmallows
paper/foil candy cups

Line 2 muffins pans with chosen candy cups.

Combine peanut butter, chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan and heat on low, stirring until smooth. Alternately, you could heat the mixture in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and gently fold in marshmallows. Immediately spoon into the baking cups and chill until set.

Makes about 24 cups

CHERRY CHOCOLATE KISSES

Yield: 36 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. maraschino cherry “juice”
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies
36 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.
Add the cherry juice and the almond extract until combined.
With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the cherries.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place the balls on a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
Using your thumb, gently press each cookie in its center until the cookie is about 1/2-inch thick.
Sprinkle each cookie with a little granulated sugar.
Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.
Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

DOUBLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

1 Heat oven to 350°F.

2 Beat butter, sugar and peanut butter in large bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in peanut butter chips; drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 6 cookies per sheet.

3 Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
About 1-1/2 dozen cookies

MACADAMIA WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(an all-time favorite, use to make those all the time for my daughter when she was younger)

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
12 oz. white chips
1/3 cup (2 oz.) chopped macadamias
1/2 cup flour

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs.
Add remaining ingredients slowly, one at a time, mixing by hand.
Bake at 250 for 12 minutes.

FESTIVE CHERRY TRIANGLES

(recipe from my friend Nancy F.)
Those r very good and very festive during the Christmas holidays. :))

BASE:
1/3 cup Crisco
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour

TROPPING:
1 can Eagle Brand
1/4 cup orange juice or brandy
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup red candied cherries, halved
1 cup green candied cherries, halved
3/4 cup chopped dates
Preheat oven to 350’F

1. BASE: Cream crisco, sugar, salt, egg and vanilla until light and creamy. Gradually add flour on low speed, mixing until crumbly. Press firmly onto parchment paper-lined 15 x 10 inch (2 L) jelly roll pan. Bake in oven for 5-6 minutes and set aside.

2. TOPPING: Stir together Eagle Brand, orange juice, pecans, dates and cherries. Mix well. Spread evenly over base.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes longer. Cool thoroughly and cut into triangle or squares.

NOTE: To cut triangle shape, first cut 2“ strips, then cut strips into 2“ squares and cut squares diagonally into triangles.

CARROT COOKIES

RECIPE POSTED BY SHEILA BELL MCKAY

3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. margarine
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 t. baking power
3/4 c. coconut
1 c. cooked grated carrots
2 eggs
1/2 t. salt

Cream margarine & sugar. Add carrots, eggs & vanilla. Mix well.
Mix flour, baking power & coconut to a seperate bowl. Add dry ingredients to 1st mixture.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet....teaspoon size.

Bake @ 400F 10-15 min..lightly brown.

While cookies are baking, mix the icing.
1/2 juice of an orange & the zest
1 c. icing sugar
1 T. butter
Mix together. As soon as the cookies come out, drizzle icing on hot cookies.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

CANDY CANE COOKIES

About 4-1/2 dozen

1 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup Icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp almond flavoring
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/4 tsp peppermint flavoring
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp each: baking powder & salt
1/2 tsp red food coloring

Mix together first 6 ingredients well.
Add flour, baking powder & salt; mix well.
Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Add food coloring to 1 portion; blend well. Roll 1 tsp of each color dough into about 5-1/2” long rops. Lay side by side. Pinch ends together. Twist to form a spiral. Lay on ungreased baking sheet. Shape to form a cane.
Bake in 350ºF oven about 10 mins until pale gold.
Cool on sheets 2-3 mins then remove.

CHOCOLATE TURTLE COOKIES

1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg white
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
3 tbsp. heavy cream
15 soft caramel candies

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Mix until just incorporated. Add the flour mixture, mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about an hour.
Whisk an egg white in a bowl, set aside.
Place the chopped pecans in another bowl.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and dip into the egg whites, then roll in the pecans. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Using a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon, press an indentation in the middle of each cookie ball to hold the caramel.
Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, unwrap about 15 caramels and place them in a bowl with the heavy cream. Microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until smooth. When the cookies are done, re-press the indentation with the measuring spoon and fill the pocket with caramel.
Let cool, completely.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ritz crackers
creamy peanut butter
white chocolate, melts
chocolate, melt to drizzle

Spread at least 1 teaspoon of creamy peanut butter on 1 Ritz cracker and cover with another cracker.
Dip into melted white chocolate. Place on wax paper to set.
Once white chocolate is set, drizzle with melted chocolate or colored sprinkles.
Allow to set before serving.

NOTE: To melt chocolate in the microwave, stir every 15 seconds until smooth. For a larger batch of cookies use a double boiler.