Dad's Rice Krispies Treats from Julie Cantrell

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10 oz package marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
Peanuts

Slowly heat together the marshmallows and butter in a large pot. When combined, quickly mix in the Rice Krispies and peanuts and pat into a greased 9x13 pan.

Carol's Favorite Fudgy Brownies

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8 oz. Scharffen Berger 79% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 Tbls unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the over to 325 degrees.
Butter an 8 inch square pan.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
Stir in the salt, vanilla, and sugar.
Stir in the eggs, one at a time, slowly.
Add the flour and mix vigorously until it becomes shiny and pulls away from the bowl.
Stir in the nuts.
Turn into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out moist but clean.
Cool on a rack.
Serve with blackberry sorbet and whipped cream! (optional)

Russian Teacakes from Carol Jensen

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Jane used to make these for Christmas.

Mix together
... 1 cup unsalted soft butter
... 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
... 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Add:
... 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
... 1/4 tsp salt

Then add:
... 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Chill the dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Roll into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

While still warm, roll in powdered sugar.
Cool and toll in powdered sugar again.

Molasses Crinkles from Molly Whitcomb

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This recipe could be found on the Brer’ Rabbit molasses bottle. It can also be found in the I Hate to Cook Book as The Elevator Lady’s Cookies. Except I use butter. I LOVE these cookies.

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp powdered cloves

¾ tsp powdered ginger

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add the egg and then the molasses. It will look a bit curdles, but it's okay.
Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
Put about 1/3 cup sugar into a flat dish and using a small scoop, drop into the sugar dish, about six at a time. Toss the dough balls in sugar and roll.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 9 to 11 minutes. Place on wrack to cool.

This recipe is also found, with a bit of variance in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. They used 1/4 cup more flour and brown sugar and a slightly different configuration of spices.

note: Martha Stewart has a cookie a lot like this. The difference is that she uses 1/2 tsp less baking soda, adds 1/2 tsp nutmeg instead of the ginger and clove, and 1/4 tsp more salt. She also bakes them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350, instead of 9 to 11 minutes at 375. All together that's not much difference. Her name for the cookie is "chewy molasses-spice cookies".

Elevator Lady Spice Cookies from Nancy Hemenway

When we were growing up, it was a heavenly day when we'd come home from school and smell sweet warm molasses cookies cooking in the kitchen. These remain a favorite to this day for me. Mom and I made a batch of these the night before Clarice was born. I recently made them for my 2nd grade class at Crown Valley Elementary School.

Mix together:
... 3/4 cup shortening
... 1 cup sugar
... 1 egg, beaten
... 1/4 cup molasses

Sift together and stir in:
... 2 cups flour
... 2 tsp soda
... 1/4 tsp salt
... 1 tsp cinnamon
... 3/4 tsp cloves
... 3/4 tsp ginger

Now, mix it all together, and form into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, then place them two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to twelve minutes.

Serve these with a cold glass of milk!

Chewy GInger Cookies from Joan Jensen

If you put in the cayenne, when you bite the cookies they bite back!

Cream together:
... 1 cup sugar
... 1/3 cup oil
... 1/3 cup butter
... 1/4 cup colasses
... 1 egg

Add:
... 1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger root
... 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
... 2 teaspoons baking soda
... 1/4 teaspoon salt
... (optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
... 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Shape into balls the size of walnuts.
Roll in granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.


Even better with Orange Icing!

2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
2-3 Tablespoons orange juice
1-2 teaspoons grated orange peel.

Mom’s Special Rolled Cookies from Molly Whitcomb

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This recipe was originally a winner in the Pillsbury Bake-Off some time in the late 50s or early 60s. I’m not sure what exactly the first recipe was like, but then my Mom is not known for tweeking recipes.

These are just about my favourite cookies. The only cookies that might beat it out for first are the macaroons at Ladurree in Paris. But what could compete with that?

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (new addition to the recipe)

glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup honey

ground almonds

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the zest and orange juice. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into about 3 blobs and wrap each with plastic wrap and form into flattened discs and chill for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the glaze by heating all the ingredients in a small sauce pan until the sugar melts. Roll out the dough to about 1/6 inch and cut with a cookie cutter. A crescent or moon is a very nice choice. Bake for about 7 minutes, until just golden brown. While the cookies are still warm, brush on the glaze and then liberally sprinkle on the almonds. Let the cookies cool and set.

You need to keep an eye on the baking cookies, as they can burn quickly, being so thin. Also, to apply the almonds I often just take the glazed cookie and turn it upside down on the dish of almonds to get a nice coating. Once the cookies are glazed, almonded, and cooled, they are sturdier.

Grandma's Applesauce Cookies from Carol Jensen

Grandma Jensen's house always smelled so good. It seems that whenever we visited her she was in the kitchen with her apron on, wearing a tidy cotton house-dress with her hair beautifully pinned up, baking something for us. Invariably it was cookies. Her applesauce cookies are on of my all time favorite! They're soft and tasty, healthy before "healthy" became a marketing slogan and filled with succulent spices, raisins and walnuts.

Do you remember when Grandma baked an entire huge tub of cookies and gave it to us to take on one of our summer road trips? I will never forget my thrill and astonishment at such a sweet abundance! Hail to our Grandma!

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup applesauce
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease some cookie sheets.
Cream the butter and sugars, beating until light in color.
Stir in the eg and the applesauce.
Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
Add in the raisins and nuts.
Drop by spoonfuls on the cookie sheets and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned.