Grandma Burn's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream:

1 cup softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs (room temperature, add one at a time)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Whisk dry ingredients together before adding slowly to wet ingredients until just combined:

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon)

2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (add just before dry ingredients are fully incorporated)

Bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.

Grandma Burns is Ainsley Timothy's grandma. This recipe reminds me of the cookies I made when we lived in California--but somehow they never worked when we lived way above sea level.

Carmelitas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine (stirring until completely smooth--then set aside):

• 30 Kraft caramel squares
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

In a mixing bowl, combine:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Stir in:

• 3/4 cup butter, melted

Pat half of oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8"x8" pan (optional: line the pan with parchment paper).  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and sprinkle over the crust:

• 1 cup chocolate chips

Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips.  Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.  Return to oven and bake 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned at the edges).  Let the carmelitas cool completely before cutting.

Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (can't be melted at all)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*

Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy.  Add eggs seperately, beating until fully incorporated.  In a seperate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix with butter/sugar mixture until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Measure dough using medium scoop (1 1/2 Tablespoons) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Freeze dough 15-20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 while waiting.

Bake 9 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft).  Let sit two minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

*This batter is also good for white chocolate chip/macadamia nut cookies.  Someone should try raisins, maybe raisin walnut? Just the dough (without any chips in it) weighs 1420 grams.  You could split the dough for two different batches (710 grams each), or three (473 grams each).

Want a half batch?

3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened (can't be melted at all)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 eggs
2 cups and 2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Gingerbread Cookies

Making them for a wedding, like we did?  Multiply by 7!  Whew!

6 cups flour (1 lb, 11 oz)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon ginger
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk first six ingredients until combined.

In a mixer fitted with the beater blade, beat butter until smooth.  Scrape down, add next four ingredients. Mix, scrape, mix, scrape.

On lowest possible speed, gradually add dry ingredients until just combined (scrape down occasionally, paying particular attention to the area under the beater).

Divide dough into 3 pieces and flatten into round discs.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is great).

Roll out on a lightly floured surface*. Cut dough with cookie cutters and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.  Let cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then move to rack to cool completely.

*I made guides by gluing together two paint sticks (making a set of two).

Slight variation of this recipe by Glorious Treats.

Gretta's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups sifted whole wheat flour (sift first, then measure)

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars.  Mix in vanilla and eggs.  In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt.  Gradually blend flour mixture into butter mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips and drop onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Drive to Mexico.  Enjoy!  :)

Soft Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

6 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup lard (or butter)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.  Using a mixer, cream together lard (butter) and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in vanilla and sour cream.  Mix sifted flour to beaten mixture until fully incorporated.  

Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out shapes.  Place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes or until edges of cookies are light brown.

Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature

2 lbs powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup whole milk (or half and half)

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Beat in about two cups of powdered sugar.  Beat in salt and vanilla and a little milk.  Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and slowly pour in the rest of the milk.  Color with food coloring.

Chocolate Mousse Cookies

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
24 oz Hershey Chocolate Almond bars, chopped 
Nilla Wafers*, crushed, about 1/2 a box

Whip cream to firm peaks, adding sugar around the soft peak stage.  Melt chopped chocolate in microwave one minute at a time. Fold in whipped cream. Freeze for about an hour. Using a spoon or small cookie scoop place a small amount of mouse into a bowl containing the crushed Nilla wafer crumbs. Coat each ball with crumbs and quickly roll and shake off the excess crumbs.  Place on waxed paper.  Keep refrigerated.  Makes about 40.

*Use the real thing.  And the easiest way to crush them into a fine crumb is to give them a whirl in the food processor.

Caramel Chocolate Nut Brownies

50 light caramels (1 14oz bag Kraft caramels)

2/3 cup evaporated milk (divided)

1 cake mix (any chocolate flavor)

1/4 cup flour

12 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap caramels and combine in a bowl with 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Melt in microwave one minute at a time, stirring in between until completely melted. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk, flour, melted butter and nuts. Mix until completely blended, but do not over stir. In a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan (or use parchment paper), press not quite half of the dough into the pan, completely covering the bottom (buttering your fingers can help here).  Bake for 7-8 minutes. Refrigerating the remaining dough during the baking time can make it easier to handle. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the entire surface. Drizzle the caramel over the chips. Using your hands, flatten out the remaining dough a little at a time, and place on top of caramel, covering completely. Return to the oven for 15-18 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting into bite-size pieces.  I think, like chocolate cake, these delightful brownie bites taste best chilled.

* If, like me, half your family doesn't want the nuts, the dough is thick enough to easily make half a pan of nut-free brownies.  The two sides won't run together at all.

Snickerdoodles

I got this recipe from my trusty 1981 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, now out of print.

Dough

3 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Grease a cookie sheet.  Stir together first four ingredients.  In a separate bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds; add the 2 cups sugar and beat till fluffy.  Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well.  Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till combined.  Form dough into 1-inch balls; roll in Cinnamon Sugar.  Place balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet; flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake in a 375 degree oven  about 8 minutes or till light golden.  Makes about 66.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

1/2 cup cocoa (dutch-process if possible)

1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon flour

1 cup - 1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, whisked, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup Dulce de Leche

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar and salt.  Make a well in the center and add the eggs, vanilla and butter.  Mix just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Pour half the batter in prepared pan.  Distribute half the Dulce de Leche by spoonfuls evenly over the batter.  Take a knife and swirl slightly.  Pour the remaining half of the batter into the pan.  Repeat the spoonfuls of Dulce de Leche and swirl.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Don't over-bake.  A toothpick poked in the center should have a few moist crumbs attached.  These are best served warm--not straight out of the oven, but still warm.  If you're given a cold one, a few seconds in the microwave will bring back the ooey goodness!

Alfajores and Dulce de Leche

The recipe I used for Alfajores is found here, but I had to add 2 Tablespoons of water to get the ingredients to form into a dough, and instead of rolling in sweetened coconut, I just sprinkled them with powdered sugar.  They were tender and delicious!  My good friend Barbara (who also served in Argentina) tells me the cookie could be thicker and there's usually a lot more Dulce de Leche sandwiched between them, but she still gave them a thumbs up for flavor!  You can see commercial and homemade images of the real thing here. 

The Dulce de Leche recipe was obnoxiously simple.  You just take a can of sweetened condensed milk (unopened, but with the label removed), submerge it in a pot gently simmering water and let it cook for 3 hours--checking the water level from time to time to make sure it is still submerged.*  When it's done, let it cool (I filled the same pan with ice water to hurry it along), and when you open it up you have Dulce de Leche. 


*Caution:  if the pot is allowed to boil dry, the can will overheat and explode!  I found this recipe that is just as simple (and takes less time!) but it's done in the oven and out of the can so there's no chance of an explosion.  It would also remove the necessity of scrubbing the bottom of my pot with steel wool to get it clean.  So I might try it this way the next time.  This recipe inspired me to try my own version of these Dulce de Leche Brownies.  Look for the results next week!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

My Grandpa Carl and Grandma Ruth Johnson

2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs

4 cups flour - sifted (560 g)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups applesauce

1 package chocolate chips (12 ounces)

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, spices, and salt, stirring well. Add to creamed mixture. Combine soda and applesauce. Add to mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Makes about 6 dozen. You may 1/2 the recipe if desired. (See measurements below.)

Enjoy! Grandma Ruth

(Grandma would wash the styrofoam meat trays and use them as a tray to freeze her cookies--first wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil. I usually ate her cookies frozen. Somehow they are still soft enough to bite into.)

Notice it was Apple Sauce, two words back then. But later it became one word. :)

Here are the ingredient measurements for half a batch:

1 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

2 cups flour - sifted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons baking soda
1 cups applesauce

1/2 package chocolate chips (6 oz.)

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Grandma AnnaLou's Recipe

1 scant cup butter (scant?  I just used 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/3 cup boiling water*
2 1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1 cup each raisins and nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Blend fat,** vanilla, sugar, salt and eggs.  Dissolve soda in water,*** mix with egg/fat mix.  Mix flour with oats.  Add to fat mix.  (Hmmm, this must be where you add the raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips.**** And notice the last sentence in parenthesis!)  Drop onto sprayed cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.  (Let dough chill for 30 minutes).

*I wonder why it needs to be boiled?  I was a little concerned that it would "use up" the magic properties of the soda (I admit to a lack of any chemistry knowledge whatsoever), or that it might "cook" the eggs or something, so I drizzled it in slowly (on low speed or you're going to have water flinging everywhere and in your eye--thank goodness I wear contacts!).  It did look a little curdly at first, but ultimately mixed in well.

 **This must be an old recipe--using the word "fat" without fear that anyone might object. 

***Great Grandma Ruth's Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies call for the soda to be dissolved in applesauce.  I wonder if this ensures even distribution or something.

****Of course you can pick and choose which add-ins you want.  If you are Dad, it's just raisins and nuts--the chocolate is an abomination.  If you are the little girlies, chocolate chips only.  If you are me, chocolate chips and toasted walnuts--but really, the raisins are quite tasty in this cookie, so maybe I'd say 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup raisins.

Lemon Breakfast Bars

2 cups raisins (Kristy leaves these out)
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/3 cup  brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a saucepan, combine raisins, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Heat and stir until bubbling, then remove from heat to cool slightly.  In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract to make a batter.  Stir in flour, baking soda and salt, then add oats and walnuts.  Press all but 2 cups of the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  Spread raisin mixture on top of batter to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Sprinkle with dollops of reserved batter; press lightly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool, then slice into 12 bars.  These delicious bars freeze well.  We wrap them individually in plastic wrap and tin foil to protect them from freezer burn.

Mint Brownies

1 c Hershey's Cocoa
1 c + 2 T all purpose flour
2 c - 2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
6 eggs, whisked
2 t vanilla
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag Andes Creme de Mint baking chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease it with butter).  Whisk together first 4 ingredients.  Make a well and fill it with eggs, vanilla, and melted and cooled butter.  Mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips, the batter will be stiff.  Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with mint chips.  Return to oven for one minute.  Remove from oven and spread mint chips with the back of a spoon.  Lick that spoon and let brownies cool completely before cutting into squares with a hot knife.

This recipe was inspired by the book Pie in the Sky:  Successful Baking at High Altitudes by Susan G. Purdy.

Want a half batch?  Use the following measurements and bake in an 8x8 pan for 20-27 minutes.  The brownies are a little thicker.  Make them without the mint topping and they are still delicious.

½ c cocoa
½ c + 1T flour
1 c - 1T sugar
¼ t salt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
8 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
 

Jeweled Christmas Kisses

Square Pretzels

Hershey's Kisses

Christmas Colored M&M's

Fill a cookie sheet with pretzels. Center a kiss on each one. Bake at 175 degrees for 10 minutes. This will soften the kisses. Press an M&M onto each kiss. 

Updated 12/10/2010 -- Scroll down for Nuked Jeweled Christmas Kisses!

Guess who's oven broke!  Yes, the lower baking element caught ablaze while baking bread.  Thankfully I was nearby.  So we have been managing all our meals on the stove top without too much difficulty--we went a few weeks without an oven during our sojourn in Albuquerque.  

But Kathryn needed to bring a treat to her band Christmas party!  We had all the ingredients for Jeweled Christmas Kisses, so we decided to try them in the microwave.  They turned out just fine, but I learned that you need to let them sit to soften properly.  So here's the method:

Place all your pretzels on a microwave safe dish--we just used a paper plate.  Place a kiss on each pretzel.  Nuke for 1 minute.  Nuke for 30 seconds more.  Let sit a few minutes.  You can see in the picture, I started on the outside circle and they looked like Santa bags or something.  But by the time I got to the center ones, they had warmed all the way through and looked perfect.  I put a second batch in the microwave and then didn't get back to them for about 15 minutes.  They still were perfectly soft.

Update (later today):  Kathryn tried to make only a few cookies on a paper plate in the microwave (I think it was four), and they burned!  That did not happen when I made four in a glass casserole dish.  Go figure!

Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

pinch grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter,* room temperature
1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips**

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together first seven ingredients.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fully combined.  Beat in egg.  With mixer on low speed, mix in half the flour mixture, then the pumpkin, then the remaining flour mixture, just until combined.

Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 15 minutes, or beginning to turn golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

When cookies are cool, set the rack over a waxed paper.  Place chocolate in a small bowl or mug.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Microwave another 30 seconds.  Stir.  Continue to microwave by 10 second increments until smooth.  Drizzle over cookies with a fork, or pour chocolate into a plastic baggie.  Cut off a corner to make an 1/8 inch hole.  Pipe chocolate over cookies.  Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.

Adapted from Everyday Food

*The last time I made them, I used 1/4 cup bacon grease and 1/4 regular butter.  I think they tasted much better than just using the unsalted butter.  Really.  But I didn't tell the ladies I served them to.  There might have been a riot.  :)

**I didn't particularly like the texture of the chocolate, so I decided to try a ganache.  I thought it would lend to a more pleasant bite. 

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (generous 1/2 cup)

1/3 heavy cream

Melt over a double boiler until smooth.  You can spoon the ganache right over the top of the cookies to cover completely, or wait until the ganache has thickened and then pipe it over the cookies.

The results?  Definitely, the ganache is better.  Piped is preferred--the ones that are completely covered can't be picked up without getting messy.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies with Bacon Grease

This is a review of this recipe found at the Homesick Texan.  I first found this blog when I was trying to find out how to render lard.  Thankfully, I have a brother-in-law (or sometimes nephew) who brings me lard from here.  Anyway, back to bacon grease cookies.   

Okay, right off the bat, there is no bacon flavor.  They don't taste as good as all-butter cookies.  What you get from the bacon grease is structure.  Big, puffy cookies.  So I'm wondering if maybe a 1/3 cup bacon grease and 2/3 cup butter might be a good idea--still pretty puffy, but more butter flavor.

Now let's move on to the cayenne.  I don't taste it while eating the cookies, but the warmth remains with you for a long time after finishing the cookie.  And that has an interesting effect.  You don't want to eat lots of cookies.  I could have stopped at one.  Of course, I had to try one with pecans.  So between the satiety that come from consuming bacon grease, and the satisfying warmth that comes from the cayenne, it's a pretty sure bet you're not going to eat the whole batch in one sitting.  So maybe that's not what you even want from a cookie--come on, admit it, there is a certain pleasure from wanting and devouring a bunch of cookies.  And I defy anyone to do that with these.  But if you want everyone to go "Yay!  Cookies!" and then watch as everyone is happy and satisfied with only one or two--hey, you've got yourself a cookie.

Here's the recipe with my comments:

Chocolate chip pecan cookies...with bacon grease 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bacon grease
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (I can't decide if I think this is a little too much.)
1 cup roasted chopped pecans **, and see Variation
2 cups chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet. (I like to use parchment paper.  I like puffy cookies and parchment paper seems to help.)

Cream together the bacon grease, butter, sugar. Add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cayenne and add to butter, sugar and egg mixture. Beat until well incorporated and then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. 


Roll dough into walnut-sized balls (use this instead), place on parchment-sheet lined cookie sheets (Wait, I thought you were supposed to grease the cookie sheet--yes, it says to do that right up there!  See, I told you parchment was better.) and bake for 17 minutes. (11 minutes tops, I can never figure out why some of these cookie recipes take so long--is it elevation or something?)

Yield: about 40 cookies (With my scoop I got over 50.)

Variation: You can swap out the pecans for 1/2 cup peanut butter (I did this, but after baking half the batter, I stirred in some pecans too.). Also, if you want a flatter cookie (Who wants that?  Oh, that's right, my husband likes flatter cookies.), press down on the dough ball with a fork before baking.

*I didn't have any buttermilk, so my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook suggests this as a replacement for 1 cup of buttermilk:  "1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough whole milk to make 1 cup (let stand 5 minutes before using) or 1 cup whole milk plus 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar or 1 cup plain yogurt."  I didn't even have whole milk (which I usually do), so I just used Mat's lactose free 2% milk with a little squeeze of lemon juice--letting it sit 5 minutes.

**I didn't notice the roasted part and just used bagged pecans.  Roasting makes pecans taste better, but I think it's debatable whether or not you notice it in cookies, which makes one question whether or not it's worth the trouble.

Volcano Cookies

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons cocoa
pinch salt (no baking, so I use Kosher salt--I just like the flavor better, but regular is fine)
3 cups uncooked oatmeal (I like quick oats)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (try to use natural peanut butter, but if it's on the runny side, the cookies will have better texture if you use regular peanut butter)

In a medium saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 minute (if you simmer too long, the cookies will end up crumbly). Remove from heat.  Add oatmeal and stir well.  Let sit for ten minutes.  Add vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well. Place spoonfuls onto wax paper. Shape into volcanoes. (Immediately. Don't think you can mix these up and let them sit for awhile before spooning the cookies out. They will set up pretty fast.)

Just an interesting aside--a version of this recipe is included in a book by Mario Batali! If I remember right, his Grandma made them every Christmas. So feel free to say you can cook just like Mario! :)

I saw the cutest little raspberries at the store, and volcano cookies were on Sarah's baptismal celebration menu. Could the raspberries make volcano cookies look more like live volcanoes with lava ready to blow out the top? Well, kinda. They were okay. But I really liked just placing a raspberry right in the middle. As the picture says, they were "cute as a button" and delicious too! To make sure they were secure in the cookie, right after scooping the batter onto wax paper and before they had set, I used the handle of a wooden spoon to make an indent in the cookie and dropped the raspberry right in! Loved it!

MM Recipe Card

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I made these to take to the little girlies piano recital. It is a recital after all, so the extra time it takes to make these beauties are worth it. These are the cookies I would always ask Grandma Carlene to bring to school for my birthday (yes, at the end of the school year since I have an August birthday--and yes, kiddies, once people could bring homemade goodies to give out at school--let's hope someday sanity will again rule and your mom will be able to do it too). And, don't ask me why, I always liked pushing down the kisses after they had melted for awhile to make that cool little ring around the kiss! That one in the picture is kind of small, if you want a bigger one, wait a little longer to push the kiss down! :)


Peanut Butter Blossoms

1/2 cup shortening (I don't use shortening. I've made these successfully replacing this with butter, this time I used 1/4 cup lard and 1/4 cup butter. I was wondering if the lard would help with the light and flakiness of the cookie. I'm not sure it made a difference.)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for rolling dough into
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoon milk (Sometimes I find the batter to be crumbly and not roll into a ball easily. That was the case this time, so I added an additional Tablespoon of milk, and that fixed everything.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 bag chocolate kisses

Mix first six ingredients. Add soda and flour. Roll into balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment paper (I barely flatten them with a glass with the hopes they don't crack quite so much, but it's really not necessary.). Bake at 350 degrees, 10-12 minutes (I like 10 better than 12). Take from oven and immediately place (firmly) chocolate kiss on top. (Then, wait a minute and lightly press down on the kiss for a cute little ring in the chocolate!) :)