Cookies

Cookies are nearly the perfect dessert. You can bake up one pan's worth at a time (or the whole batch), they're portable, there's usually enough to share, and they taste good!

To that end, here are six yummy cookie recipes to help you through the day, including Vegan Snickerdoodles and Perfect Black and White Cookies. Enjoy!

GRANDMA'S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

This was one of my grandmother's recipes, along with the oatmeal cookie recipe that follows. You can find them in my e-cookbook, Off The Wall Cooking.





Ingredients

1/2 C butter

1/2 C peanut butter

1/2 C sugar

1 egg, well beaten

1-1/4 C flour

3/4 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Cream butter & peanut butter together. Add sugar gradually & cream thoroughly. Add egg. Sift flour once before measuring. Sift flour, soda, baking powder & salt together & add to creamed mixture. Chill dough well, then form into balls the size of walnuts. Place balls on lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten with fork dipped in flour, making criss-cross pattern. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

GRANDMA'S OATMEAL COOKIES

This was one of my grandmother's recipes. You can find it in my e-cookbook, Off The Wall Cooking.



Ingredients

1 C flour

1 C brown sugar

3 C quick cooking oatmeal (NOT the instant oats!)

1 C butter or margarine

1/4 C boiling water

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions

Mix flour & brown sugar. Add oatmeal; stir. Melt butter; add to dry ingredients. Mix baking soda into boiling water; add to other ingredients, stirring well. Place batter into loaf pan, lined with aluminum foil & place in freeze for several hours. Slice & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookie dough, taken from the freezer; showing first cuts before baking



Then cut down the center, like so:



Placed on parchment paper-covered baking sheet, for easier handling



GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES

This yummy recipe is from Jessie Sheehan at The Spruce Eats. Jessie wrote, "Our chewy ginger molasses cookies are a true holiday cookie dream. Take a bite of chewy centers, crispy edges, and the best fall spices like ginger, cinnamon, and a dash of white pepper for a little kick. Tossed in granulated sugar before baking, the resulting cookie is a sparkly treat with a wonderful bite. These cookies travel well when packaged carefully and are a perfect addition to any dessert table after the Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. They also make a great everyday dessert when served on their own or with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.

"Making the cookies does not require a stand or hand mixer and they freeze beautifully, either pre- or post-bake, making them a fabulous choice if you like to plan and make ahead."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes; Chilling the Dough: 80 minutes; Total Time: 117 minutes; Servings: 18 servings; Yield: 36 cookies

To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/ginger-molasses-cookies-5086423.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon white pepper, optional

6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup molasses

Granulated sugar, for rolling

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and white pepper, if using.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until smooth.

Add the egg and yolk one at a time, whisking after each addition.

Add the vanilla and molasses and whisk until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a flexible spatula to combine. Place the dough in the refrigerator until it has a scoopable texture, or about 20 to 30 minutes.

Scoop the dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls using a small ice cream scoop or measuring spoons.

Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheets, about 12 balls per sheet. Place the sheets in the freezer to firm up for about 30 minutes to an hour. This will prevent the cookies from spreading when baked.

Roll the cookie balls in granulated sugar again for extra sparkle. Bake for about 12 minutes until the tops are cracked and the cookies are slightly puffy. Once removed from the oven, flatten each cookie lightly with a spatula. Serve warm or cold.

For Great Results

Follow our expert advice to make unforgettable ginger cookies:

Bake for 12 minutes for a chewier cookie. For a crispier cookie, bake for 14 minutes.

Refrigerate the dough overnight and up to 72 hours for extra-chewy cookies.

Re-sugar the baked cookies by dipping each side in a shallow bowl of granulated sugar while still warm for even more sparkle.

Keep in an airtight container on the counter for three days or freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to a month.

Other Flavors and Additions

For a different flavor profile, here are some of our favorite variations:

Add cayenne pepper instead of white pepper for a different kind of heat.

Add 3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks for a delicious ginger chocolate cookie.

Add 3/4 cup macadamia nuts, almonds, or cashews for a nutty flavor and extra texture. If needed, use sunflower seeds for a cookie that's free of tree nuts.

Use turbinado sugar, rather than granulated, for even more sparkle and crunch.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, rather than just granulated, for an even spicier finish.

Scoop the cookies with a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, rather than one sized at 1-1/2 tablespoons, and make jumbo ginger molasses cookies.

VEGAN SNICKERDOODLES

This is from the September 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 79), and begins, "Snickerdoodles are just sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar. Try adding 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice to the cinnamon sugar to boost flavor." Makes 45 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/vegan-snickerdoodles-recipe/.

Ingredients

Cookie dough

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. baking powder

1 stick (4 oz.) vegan margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vanilla soymilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbs. ground cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

To make Cookie Dough: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in bowl. Beat margarine in separate bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in soymilk and vanilla extract 30 seconds or until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until smooth.

To make Cinnamon Sugar: Combine sugar and cinnamon on large plate.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in Cinnamon Sugar, and place 1-1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies look dry on tops and are lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

PERFECT BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES

This is from Melissa Clark at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Tender, moist and scented with vanilla, almond and lemon, these classic confections popular all over the Midwest and the state of New York are more cake than cookie, with a fine crumb and velvet texture from the sour cream in the batter. Even better, they are glazed with both vanilla and chocolate, so you don’t have to pick favorites. These are best eaten within 24 hours of baking, when the cake is at its softest and the glaze at its snappiest. But if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature, they’ll be good for a few days longer.”

Yield: 12 to 14 cookies; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020254-perfect-black-and-white-cookies.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup sour cream or whole-milk yogurt

1/3 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Glaze:

2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Boiling water, as needed

1-1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of fine sea salt

2-1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

2-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, vanilla, lemon zest and almond extract.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/3 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat until both mixtures are incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. (Mixture will be the consistency of thick poundcake batter.)

Dollop heaping 1/4-cup scoops of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. (You should have 12 to 14 cookies.) Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets. Continue to bake until the cookies have firmed up and spring back when lightly pressed in the center, 6 to 9 minutes. (They’ll brown only on the bottoms.) Take care not to overbake, or they will dry out.

Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 15 minutes, then transfer cookies directly to racks to cool completely.

While the cookies cool, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons boiling water, the corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Continue to whisk, adding more boiling water as needed, until you have a thick yet spreadable frosting that is the texture of hot fudge sauce. (Too thick is preferable to too thin.) Flip each cookie over and spoon glaze over half of its flat side, spreading to edges with the back of the spoon. Place on wire rack to set. You will have vanilla frosting left over.

Whisk melted chocolate into vanilla frosting, then whisk in cocoa and enough room temperature water to make a thick yet spreadable glaze. Glaze the bare half of each cookie. Let glaze set for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving.

MOLASSES COOKIES

Recipe Yield: Yield: 23 servings; Serving size: 3 cookies

Source: Splenda

Recipe and image appear courtesy of Splenda.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/molasses-cookies.

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 pinch Pinch of salt

1/2 cup trans-free margarine

1/4 cup SPLENDA Brown Sugar Blend

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 egg white

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat several cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray. On a sheet of waxed paper, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Stir with a fork to blend. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat margarine until smooth. Add SPLENDA Brown Sugar Blend, molasses, and egg white. Mix slowly to incorporate, then beat until smooth. Gradually stir in the reserved flour mixture until well blended. Dough will be soft but not sticky.

Using your palms, roll dough into 3/4-inch balls (1 level teaspoon). Place, separated, on prepared pans. Use the back of a fork to press down on tops of cookies in an X, making a crosshatch pattern.

Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges are set. Let stand on the sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool. Continue until all the dough is baked.

Notes:

This whole grain cookie, with the rich flavor of dark molasses, goes great with a glass of cold milk.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 70; Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sodium: 130 mg; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Sugars: 3 g

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