Glazed Apple Cookies - Sophia & Nan

Cookies:                                                           400F    10-12 minutes
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 packed cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup apple, finely chopped
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup milk

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp half & half
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Beat shortening and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg
2. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
3. Stir in half the dry ingredients, to the creamed. Then stir in raisins and apples. Stir in remaining dry mix and milk.
4. Drop Tbsp 1 1/2 inches aprat on a greased sheet.
Bake at 400F for 10 - 12 minutes.

Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla & cream to make it a creamy consistency. Spread on cookies.

18 servings

Spritz Cookies

400F

– Vicki – first made 2011 (NOT the family recipe - check for that one)

1 cup butter

½ cup sugar

1 egg

½ tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour *

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, egg, salt and flavor thoroughly. Work in flour. Using ¼ dough at a time, force dough through cookie press on ungreased baking sheet in desired shapes.

Bake 6-9 minutes, or until set but not brown.

* Recipe typically calls for 2 ¼ cup of flour, start with 1 ¼ cup then add more to taste.

Jessica’s Marshmallow Clouds

I pulled this recipe in honor of my oldest niece Jesse. Gotta give her credit - it's somewhat complicated and she made them just fine at a young age.
It's a tough cookie to make pretty - the marshmallows blow up, and you have craters. Easy to overcook, so go for the under-cooked vs over - otherwise they get really hard after they cool.
I've also made them with raspberry flavored chocolate chips. Outstanding!

400°F

YIELD: 3 ½ DOZEN
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. Baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12 oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz miniature marshmallows, frozen

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Until you are ready to assemble the cookies just prior to baking, keep the marshmallows in the freezer – otherwise they will thaw too rapidly.
In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Set aside. Combine sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend in butter scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and blend at low speed until combined. Batter will be very stiff. Gather 4-5 frozen marshmallows in the palm of your hand and cover them with a heaping tablespoonful of dough. Wrap the dough around the marshmallows, completely encasing them and forming a 2” dough ball. Place balls on ungreased baking sheets, 2” apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on pan 2 minutes then transfer to a cool, flat surface.

Spritz Cookies - Lemon

10-12 min 400°F
2 cups butter (1 lb.)
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
4 cups sifted flour
¼ cups chopped almonds

Cream butter and sugar until light.
Add egg yolks and beat.
Add rind and lemon juice and mix.
Add flour and nuts and mix well.
Using cookie press, bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 400°F for about 8 to 10 minutes. Also good with a thin powdered sugar frosting, colored.

Oatmeal Cookies – Tender

400F
from Cuzin Jane
Simmer 1 cup raisins and 1 cup water in saucepan over low heat until raisins are plump (20-30 minutes).
Drain raisin liquid into measuring cup.
Add enough water to make ½ cup.

Cream:
¾ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir in: Raisin Liquid

Then Add together:
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves

Add:
2 cups rolled oats
Raisins
½ cup chopped nuts

Drop rounded spoonfuls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10minutes.
Makes 5-6 dozen.

German SPRINGERLE

Cari usually makes these in advance and brings to bake on cookie day. They take way too much time and need to actually dry overnight. But if you like anise these are outstanding...

Prep Time: Bake time: 8-12 min 400F
Be sure to use FRESH eggs

In a large bowl, beat stiff:
8 egg whites
Add: 8 egg yolks one at a time, keeping the mixture as stiff as possible
Beat in, in small amounts
2 lbs (5 cups) superfine sugar.
(this is not powdered sugar, but is a finely ground cane sugar, sometimes called “Bar Sugar”. Use about 20 minutes to beat in the sugar
Remove the beaters

Fold in:
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled slightly
3-4 tablespoons crushed anise seed
Stir in:
6 cups flour, or more, mixed with
4 tsp. baking powder
On a floured board, work in only as much flour as is needed to provide very sharp edges when the dough is cut or pressed with the fingers. Too much makes the cookies dry & tough; too little makes the cookies soft and not good patterns. Roll about one fourth of the dough to ½ inch thick, using a mixture of flour and corn starch as the duster. Using this same “duster” press the well-floured molds into the dough with enough pressure to make sharp patterns. Cut apart with a knife or pastry wheel. Set on a floured-dusted table or pans , to dry overnight. In the morning, bake on greased cookie sheets in a 400oF over for 8 to 12 minutes. They should “explode” with a fine impression on the surface, a soft cake-like interior and should not color very much. When cool, store in an airtight box.

NOTE: if wet dough clings to parts of the mold, it must be washed and scrubbed clean (with a stiff toothbrush, kept for this purpose), allowed to air-dry over night and used the next time.

Made by Cari A.

Meltaway Cookies

400F 8 min
1 cup butter or marg
1/2cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups Cake Flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 400F
Mix butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla thoroughly.
Measure flour by spooning into cup and leveling off or by sifting.
Stir flour and salt together; blend into shortening mixture
Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet. (Cookies do not spread)
Bake about 8 min., or until set but not brown.
White harm, dip in confectioner's sugar. Cool.
Makes 5 doz cookies.

SnickerDoodle Cookies by Vicki

8-10 min 400F
½ cup butter (softened)
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 ¾ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
Topping: ½ cup sugar w/ 2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter shortening & sugar.
Add eggs 1 at a time.
Mix well after each.
Mix dry ingredients.
Add 1/3 to egg mixture at a time mix well after each.
Shape into small balls.
Roll in sugar.
Place 2 inches apart & flatten slightly on greased or parchment covered cookie sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 400F
Remove immediately from sheet

Russian Tea Cakes

Bake 8-9 min 400F
1 cup butter or margarine softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped nuts
Powdered sugar

Heat over to 400F.
Beat butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
Stir in flour and salt.
Stir in nuts.
Shape dough into 1” balls.
Place about 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-9 minutes or until set but not brown.
Immediately remove from cookie sheet; roll in powdered sugar.
Cool completely on wire rack.
Roll in powdered sugar again.
About 48 cookies.

OPTION: Finely chop cherries and add to dough, or place dough around whole maraschino

Chocolate Cookie Slices

One of my personal favorites, but, they always turn out a bit dry.
I usually don't bother frosting these, might help with the dryness.

8 min 400°F

YIELD: 8 dozen cookies REFRIGERATE
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 ¼ cups margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans

Mix powdered sugar, margarine and egg. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Divide into halves. Shape each half into roll about 1 ½” in diameter. Roll in pecans. Wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 6 weeks.
Heat oven to 400°F. Cut rolls into 1/8” slices. (If dough crumbles while cutting, let warm slightly.) Place about 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 minutes. Remove immediately from cookie sheet; cool. Frost with fudge frosting if desired.

Fudge Frosting

Use with Chocolate Cookie Slices REFRIGERATE
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup shortening
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
Heat sugar, milk, shortening, chocolate and salt to rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute without stirring. Place pan in bowl of ice and water. Beat until thick and cold; stir in vanilla.